A Little Basketball History
At the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Mass., folks were pretty bored in 1891. Relentless snowfall and harsh temperatures in Western Massachusetts made winter a time to stay indoors, even for those looking for a little exercise.
James Naismith, a young physical education instructor at the school -- now called Springfield College -- was asked to do something about all the bored students who had to endure dreary indoor winter exercise programs. They needed a new indoor sport that would condition young students during the winter months after football had ended and the track and baseball seasons were still several months away. Gym classes at the time tended to be regimented calisthenics, gymnastics and drills, and the students were restless for active games they could play indoors.
During a temporary teaching assignment of a gym class of 18 bored and restless young men, Naismith conceived of a way to play within the confines of a gymnasium and without the natural roughness of outdoor games such as football and rugby. In addition to borrowing elements from lacrosse, rugby and football, Naismith recalled "duck on the rock" a childhood game from his native Canada, which gave him the idea of tossing a ball in an arc toward the goal.
Naismith selected a soccer ball for this new game and asked the janitor if he had any wooden boxes to be used as goals. The janitor offered him two peach baskets he had in the storeroom, which Naismith accepted. After hammering the goals into place and asking the department secretary to type up his 13 rules of the game, Naismith organized his class into two groups of nine men each. The janitor was on hand with his stepladder to retrieve the one ball that was successfully tossed into the basket during the game that day.
Eventually, one of the students suggested they call the game "Naismith ball." Naismith
laughed and said that such a name would kill the game. The student then suggested "basketball" to which Naismith agreed.
