Dr. James Naismith's Impact On United States Sports History

Improved Essays
Dr. James Naismith Dr. James Naismith is a very famous person in United States history. He impacted history through physical education and the game of basketball. James Naismith impacted United States sports history because he invented the game of basketball, received numerous awards for physical education and basketball, and for creating a way to make physical education more enjoyable and less dangerous. Naismith is famous for saying, “I am sure that no man can derive more pleasure from money or power than I do from seeing a pair of basketball goals in some out of the way place.” James Naismith was born on November 6, 1861 in Ontario, Canada. He was the second child in his family. Naismith studied theology and was successful playing multiple …show more content…
As a second-year graduate student, James Naismith was appointed to physical education. 30-year-old Canadian James Naismith expanded his knowledge through rugby, lacrosse, and a childhood game called “duck on a rock”. When combining these together, he dreamed of a new sport. James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891 for the purpose of keeping athletes in shape during the cold winters. Basketball is played with two teams playing against each other, with each team having five players in the gym. The goal of this game is to get each of the teams to get the ball through the hoop at the end of the court. The strategy of basketball is offense and defense, and for the offense to score with the defense in front of them. Naismith gave this game the name “basketball” and created 13 rules for how the game was to be played. Naismith wrote these original rules on two pages, which sold at an auction in 2010 for $4.3 million. These two pages can be found at the University of Kansas. As a result of being the inventor of basketball, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts was named after Dr.Naismith in

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    James Naismith invented the game of basketball at a Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA Training School using just a peach basket and soccer balls. Just months after Dr. Naismith invented the game of basketball, students and physical education instructors jumped at the opportunity to condition athletes indoors during the colder months. After a description of the game was published by Naismith, Senda Berenson, a physical education teacher at the all-female Smith College adapted the rules for women to play and introduced the game to her students. A year later, on March 23, 1893, the first official women’s basketball game took place at Smith College between the freshman and sophomore classes. The game was held in the gymnasium where all the doors were locked and no men were allowed to…

    • 1511 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Naismith wanted to create a game based on skill, not strength. The game of basketball all started in a YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. When the game was first created they played it with a soccer ball and two peach baskets. Basketball was introduced to the world in the Berlin Olympics 1936. Naismith ended up passing away November 28, 1939.…

    • 146 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    This I Believe By: Isaac bowah I believe in basketball. Basketball has been around for 132 years and was first created in 1891 by Dr.James Naismith in Springfield Massachusett . Basketball was first played at the Young Men's Christian association(YMCA).Just like any other professional sport that was created it all started with a few rules . Basketball with just 13 rules and a certain number of people allowed on the court.…

    • 296 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Emily Morua Edwardo Pedregon English 4 April 20, 2016 Morua i Final Draft Basketball was invented by a physical education instructor named Dr. James Naismith in the early 1890s. He was challenged to come up with a new game that was able to be played indoors due to the cold weather. Back in the days before the actual basketball was invented, they would play with a soccer ball. The basket didn’t have a hole on the bottom of the rim just yet. So what they had to do was, climb up to the top of the basket, throw the ball back down, climb down, then continue playing.…

    • 1133 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    and he was a physical education instructor who invented basketball. In basketball there are many rules here are most of the important…

    • 976 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    All about basketball. There are some basics about basketball, these things are layups, ball handling, jump shots, blocking balls, rebounding, and passing. Basketball courts played on today are a rectangular shape. In the game of basketball there are referees to call fouls and signal what to do when fouled. The first ever basket hoop was a peach basket.…

    • 184 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The first hoop for basketball was a peach basket that James Naismith had gave to a group of kids to play with. Basketball is a game played between two teams of five players in which goals are scored by throwing a ball through a netted hoop fixed above each end of the court ( Google Definition).Basketball is a physical sport played by two teams, seeing which team can score the most points in a time length game( Mr. Smith Definition). Basketball can be fun and not as enjoyable as you want. You're going to have downfalls while you play. You'll have fun because you're on the court with a team working together and trying to win a game.…

    • 474 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Basketball Evolution “Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the on the path the best things that will ever happen to us” -unknown. Some people think that bad things that happen are bad and will never get good. But that is how James Naismith invented basketball. Now basketball has evolved into a sport that tons of people adore, and now is evolving more and more. It started with finding scraps from other sports and has turned into a sport.…

    • 1009 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Basketball was created by James Naismith. In 1891,he invented the game of basketball. He worked as a gym teacher at the YMCA. He worked in Springfield, Massachusetts. His game would develop into the world’s greatest indoor game.…

    • 403 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Basketball is played all over the world, and it is one of the very popular athletic games in the United States. People of all ages play this game. Kids as young as the age of four can play at the local YMCA, and older men can play the game at a church on Sunday nights. But those that play the game of basketball very competitively are those that are the real players. Basketball, along with many other games, is a game that has a reward; specifically if played at a college or professional level.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Modern day basketball has over one hundred rules when the original game only had thirteen set rules. The original rules are not known today, but they were very odd. The ball was not allowed to be dribbled. Players had to stand in the stationary position and pass each other the ball. The original thirteen rules had a slower pace than the modern day game.…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Today millions of people play Basketball, whether it is playing it professionally, for a school activity, or just to get a little bit of exercise. I bet 90% of those people don’t know a thing about who, what, why, or even when basketball came about. I'm here to take you on a journey to understand how basketball became alive. It all started in December 1891 at the international YMCA training school where a group of college students were sent to play indoor activities to burn off their energy from building up from football season.…

    • 949 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    What started out as a simple college activity, grew into several different associations, and finally merged into one giant association, the NBA. Basketball has grown into an international sport throughout its history because of all the changes it underwent and is now open to all players despite their gender or race. Basketball was invented in 1891 By James Naismith. It was first played at Springfield college by a group of college students that had not had major physical activity since football season. With the help of his wife, basketball was inspired by a game he played in his childhood, “Duck on a rock.”…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Basketball Game Analysis

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The idea of basketball created by a man named James Naismith in 1891 for an outdoor learning program for a school known as YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. Many thoughts of the activity of basketball are to create an activity to play in the indoor and outdoor environments. Basketball allows males and females of all ages to engage in the game. With basketball coming widely popular throughout the states variations of games in basketball were later introduced. One variation of the games in basketball was initiated through the NBA in 1977 through 2011.…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    How Did Basketball Start?

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Tons of people know about the sport of basketball, and how it is played. It is played with a basketball and a basketball hoop. It is also played with five people on each team. To advance the ball up the court you can pass or dribble.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays