A One Golf

A One Golf

The Canadian Basketball Connection
by Everett Gilbreth
http://www.rusbasketball.com

Dr. James Naismith is considered to be the father of
basketball. Born in 1861 in the town of Ramsay,
Ontario, Naismith spent his school days playing a
game called ~duck on a rock~. This game involved
placing a ~duck~ on a rock and then trying to knock
it off by throwing smaller rocks at it. This game is
what would be the inspiration for basketball. After
his small town Ontario childhood days Naismith
headed off to McGill University which is located in
Montreal, Quebec.

It was here at McGill University that Naismith
became athletic director. In 1891 he left Canada for
Massachusetts. It was here in Springfield
Massachusetts that Naismith took a job at the
YMCA training school. During the long cold
winters Naismith wanted to come up with a game
that could be played indoors and in a small space.
Since many of the School of Christian workers were
not very strong, Naismith be wanted a game that
focused on skill rather than strength. After
considering these challenges, Naismith invented the
game of basketball.

When Naismith and his group began playing
basketball they obviously didn~t have access to the
regulation basketball and baskets that are used
nowadays. A soccer ball and peach baskets were
used instead. Naismith came up with a set of rules
that would be standard for all games.

The rules that Naismith devised were very specific.
For instance one rule stated that a player could not
use his fist to hit the ball. Only one or two hands
could be used to throw the ball. Players were also
not allowed to run with the ball, and had to throw
the ball from a standing position.

Players were also not permitted to hold, trip, push,
or shoulder players on the opposite team. Naismith
devised a set of penalties for any fouls, such as two
fouls would result in getting kicked out of the game
until another goal was scored. These rules helped to
create a non-violent game that everyone could
enjoy.

In 1892 the formal rules of the game were officially
devised after some alterations of the original rules
created by Naismith. Today the game of basketball
is played in many countries around the world, with
teams competing for any number of cups and
trophies. The game continues to be much more non
violent than football and soccer, however it is no
less as competitive with thousands of fans cheering
on their favorite team.

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