The United States May Have Invented Basketball, But Canada Was the First to Showcase the Sport

                                           

The United States May Have Invented Basketball, But Canada Was the First to Showcase the Sport

The basketball, the second most popular sport in the United States, was invented by Canadian doctor James Naismith in December 1891 during an indoor winter game in Springfield, Massachusetts. The first game ever played was on January 20, 1892, where two teams of nine players each took part in the very first game of basketball at YMCA International Training School . . .

The Early Days of Basketball

It's unclear who invented basketball. Some people believe that James Naismith is the inventor of basketball because he wrote the first set of rules in 1891. However, there are also people that argue that Dr. Luther Haddon Dr. Heid was actually responsible for inventing basketball and not James Naismith. These people argue that Dr. Heid would have been familiar with a soccer-like game played in England called football. It's possible he combined elements from this game and American football and came up with what is now known as basketball.

People also debate where basketball originated from--whether it was invented in Canada or the United States (or somewhere else). One theory is that Dr. Heid may have taught students at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield Massachusetts how to play basketball which could be why some historians say that basketball was invented in the United States. Another popular theory is that James Naismith had been teaching his game at McGill University in Montreal and introduced it to physical education classes at Harvard University. The argument for this point comes from an inscription on an 1892 photo of the original basket ball court which reads: McGill  Montreal. So, one way or another, you can't say for sure whether Canada or America invented basketball. Although James Naismith is often credited with being the inventor of basketball, Dr. Heid deserves recognition too! Not only did he come up with a sport similar to basketball but he also helped start playing volleyball which is still very popular today.

In addition, I think that both countries should be recognized as having important roles in the invention of basketball. For example, it was thanks to James Naismith that we got all those awesome sports quotes such as the last two minutes of a close game, double dribble, block out and so many more. Also without Canada there wouldn't be any LeBron James aka King James who happens to live in Akron Ohio and plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers 

The Birth of Professional Basketball

The first basketball games took place in 1891 on a court at the Canadian National Exhibition. The inventor of basketball is unknown because the game was created over a number of years and by many people. James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 when he was teaching physical education at Springfield College. The first game was played with thirteen men on each side and had no backboard or basket. The goal of this game was to throw or kick a soccer ball into a peach basket that hung 10 feet above ground level. To make it interesting, Naismith made 13 rules: you could only move while carrying or dribbling the ball; you couldn't run with it; players couldn't use their hands to advance it towards their opponents' goals; each team could only advance the ball by throwing it across the half-court line and players were not allowed to carry or touch any other player but themselves. When a player was knocked down, they couldn't be touched for 5 seconds. Players were also disqualified if they left their position before 5 seconds passed. Over time, the points system changed so that one point was awarded for baskets scored from inside and two points were awarded for baskets scored from outside. In 1892, around two months after the first game of basketball ever played, teams started playing with five players per side instead of 13 and six year later there was an introduction to guarding an opponent's player without possession of the ball. Finally, in 1895 (a full 6 years after James Naismith invented basketball) there was a 3 point shot introduced and an orange 2 foot high cylindrical basket replaced the original peach shaped one that Naismith used. In conclusion, the country who might have invented basketball is America, however Canada was the first to showcase it!

The First Professional Basketball League

In 1891, James Naismith, a physical education instructor from Springfield College in Massachusetts invented a new indoor game for his students. He nailed two peach baskets onto opposite walls of the gym and set about devising a way to keep score of the points scored by throwing an inflatable soccer ball into them.

He took out various bits of equipment like soccer balls and footballs and experimented with different ways for his players to grab hold of the ball before deciding that it would be best if they could simply use their hands. In 1892 he published 13 rules for how this new game should be played and called it Basket Ball because there was no basket involved. By 1897 basketball was being played at colleges across the country, but still had not been adopted as an official high school sport. However by 1900, Dr. James Naismith’s invention had become popular in U.S universities and YMCAs across the country, as well as some schools which included basketball on their physical education curriculum. The popularity spread quickly overseas and by 1906, international competitions were being held between teams from Australia, the Philippines, India and New Zealand. After failing to make much headway against other sports such as cricket or rugby football in Australia's major cities, Basketball finally gained recognition in 1913 when The Referee declared it the world's newest most interesting sport. The first ever professional league was formed in 1898 by three Canadian graduates of McGill University: William Rennie (Tecumseh), John O'Brien (Centre) and Dr. Henry Archibald (Toronto). The League started play with four teams: the Montreal Shamrocks, who have never lost a game in their history, captained by Jimmy Jones; Ottawa Capitals, captained by Fred Taylor; Toronto Orangemen, captained by Howard Palmer; and Quebec Celtics. Montreal won all eight games they played while Ottawa won four games.

The Spread of Basketball

The exact origins of basketball are unknown. It is a descendant of a game called Duck on a Rock that was played in ancient Greece. There is evidence that this game made its way to North America with British settlers as early as 1891. The first team to play a match under modern rules was the YMCA College team from Springfield College in Massachusetts in 1896. The first professional match was played in 1902, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches began sponsoring college and high school championships in 1937. Nowadays, almost every country in the world has their own national basketball association. However, which country invented the game still remains uncertain. Some say it may have been James Naismith who invented it in 1891 while teaching physical education at what is now Springfield College in Massachusetts or he might have had help from an American physician called Dr. Luther Gulick or Canadian Physical Education instructor known as Dr James A. Naismith . Others suggest it was invented by an Englishman called W.E Morgan, but this theory lacks much factual evidence. So far there seems to be no single undisputed answer to the question of which country invented the basketball and when. What we do know is that the sport became popular very quickly in Canada after having spread across Europe and Australia. In December 1917, New York City's Madison Square Garden hosted what many consider to be the first major indoor tournament ever held in North America. For many years, Americans were puzzled as to how Canadians managed to turn out so many skilled players. To quell suspicions about rampant cheating (some people thought Canadians would throw matches against other teams), Columbia University set up a two-game international series with Toronto's Ryerson Institute. Ryerson won both games against Columbia handily--leading some spectators believe that sudden death was needed for deciding which team should win!

Conclusion

Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts. Now a lot of people are saying that it was invented in Canada in 1891 because a Canadian medical student created a game called 'Dunk ball' which is similar to basketball. Dunk ball is said to have been played for the first time on March 11th 1892 at McGill University in Montreal. So who really knows where basketball was invented? We do know that Naismith's invention of basketball helped it spread from Springfield all over America and then eventually all over the world. Which country invented the basketball? The answer might be none other than the U.S., but they sure gave it to everyone else too! He even helped popularize it overseas when he went to teach at universities in Japan, China and India after retiring from teaching.

Just like volleyball with hands (indoor or beach), tennis without netting, or football without an oval shape (soccer), there will always be arguments about what came first and who deserves credit. Who really cares if it was the US or Canada that invented this game so great we just can't get enough of? It doesn't matter; we'll always say Let's play ball!