Aaron's Basketball Highlights
In 1891, a Canadian physical education instructor named James Naismith decided to try a new game for his students. Naismith had played rugby and disliked the rough aspect of the game. He wanted to find a team game that would eliminate physical contact. He asked the janitor to hang two baskets from the balcony of the gym. They used a soccer ball for their first game.
At first, a ladder was used to get the ball out of the basket. Metal baskets were substituted later, and a pole was used to poke the ball out of a hole in the bottom. In 1906, the metal hoop was introduced, and a bag of braided cord netting was attached to the hoop. Pulling a cord would pop the ball out after a score. There was a problem with spectators interfering with shots, so a backboard was introduced. The soccer balls were then replaced with slightly larger leather balls.
Basketball is a fast paced game played on a rectangular court, generally indoors, by two five-player teams. The first official Olympic basketball tournament was held at the 1936 Games in Berlin, Germany. The 1936 contests were held outdoors in a tennis stadium on courts. The United States team won the Olympic gold medal that year, defeating the Canadian team by a score of 19-8 in the final round.
