Monday 2 April 2012

The Understated History of Basketball

By Hank Opantatis


James Naismith had an issue. In command of physical education activities for his male charges attending the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Springfield, Massachusetts, he would lead the men daily in outside physical activities. One ill-starred day in 1891 presented him with rain and lightning, forcing him to come up with some intense physical exercise that may be carried on indoors. Remembering the Duck-on-a-Rock game he played as a youth in Ramsay Township, Canada, he grabbed a football ball and 2 peach baskets and carried them to the indoor fitness center. Securing a basket at an elevated height at either end of the gymnasium, and dividing his 18 scholars into 2 groups of 9, he became the inventor of a game which today is enjoyed by millions of US citizens both on the court and as spectators, and the game of basketball was born.

While Mr. Naismith would barely recognise the North American basketball game today, as five players from each team battle on the court at a previous time, what does remain over 200 years after its birth is the amazing recognition this straightforward sport enjoys. All you have got to do is throw a basketball through a raised hoop. Sounds as easy as to be a child's contest. But give yourself four muscly, fast and high-flying teammates facing 5 equally gifted opponents, raise that hoop to 10 feet, and the game begins to get engaging.

And since all that you need to enjoy the basic rules of basketball is a round, rebounding ball of some kind and a circular hoop, the allure of this challenging physical contest permits even a solo player the chance to test their capabilities. Many times as a kid all we had was a spokeless bicycle tire nailed to a tree and a kickball, soccerball or other spherical object. Yet those were the most challenging and memorable contests I can recall, although I have played competitively for over 30 years and vegas isn't laying odds as they do with College Basketball Odds today although it was an amazing time none the less..

And the superb draw of this fast-moving game involving some of the most skilled sportsmen in the world holds just as large a pull from the sidelines, as basketball is among the three most popular beholder sports internationally. Basketball in America infuses all levels of competition. Church leagues, pee-wee leagues, pick-up games, over-40 leagues, arranged high school and university programs, and the professional Nationwide Basketball Organisation are just a few of the possibilities the casual or significant baller has available to them when they are looking to check their basketball merit.

And the phenomenal simplicity is what provides an attraction for male and female children rich and poor, black and white, from the heartland of America, the West Coast and East Coast to develop a lifetime love affair with this sport that tests not simply the body, but also the mind. Split-second mental choices are as common as acrobatic aerial maneuvers in this sporting contest where lead changes are plentiful, and the easy turn of your head may end up in missing 2 or maybe 3 game changing plays.

Basketball. From a fill-in exercise the rest remain strong to make it thru a stormy day, to the third biggest observer sport in the world 200 years on. The danger/reward maneuvers and calls made every second or so in the modern game of American basketball ensure that the exciting rush of this amazing and unique competition remains as powerful today for the viewer as it does for the talented participator.




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