Pimpbot

Er, since when did basketball become an American sport anyway? Think back to when the Americans lost the world championship last year and why do you think the US team now involves the NBA players?? because they were getting their butts whooped every 4 years at the Olympics leading up to the first "dream team" intervention in Barcelona 92

Jabba1

Dr. James Naismith is known world-wide as the inventor of basketball. He was born in 1861 in Ramsay township, near Almonte, Ontario, Canada. The concept of basketball was born from Naismith's school days in the area where he played a simple child's game known as duck-on-a-rock outside his one-room schoolhouse. The game involved attempting to knock a "duck" off the top of a large rock by tossing another rock at it. Naismith went on to attend McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

After serving as McGill's Athletic Director, James Naismith moved on to the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA in 1891, where the sport of basketball was born. In Springfield, Naismith was faced with the problem of finding a sport that was suitable for play inside during the Massachusetts winter for the students at the School for Christian Workers. Naismith wanted to create a game of skill for the students instead of one that relied solely on strength. He needed a game that could be played indoors in a relatively small space. The first game was played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets used as goals.

James Naismith devised a set of thirteen rules of basketball:

The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands, but never with the fist.
A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man running at good speed.
The ball must be held in or between the hands. The arms or body must not be used for holding it.
No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking or tripping in any way of an opponent. The first infringement of this rule by any person shall count as a foul; the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game. No substitution shall be allowed.
A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violations of Rules 3 and 4 and such as described in Rule 5.
If either side make three consecutive fouls it shall count as a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).
Goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the ground into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edge and the opponents move the basket, it shall count as a goal.
When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field and played by the first person touching it. In case of dispute the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds. If he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on them.
The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
The referee shall be the judge of the ball and decide when it is in play in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
The time shall be two 15-minute halves with five minutes' rest between.
The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winners.
In addition to the creation of the basketball, James Naismith graduated as a medical doctor, primarily interested in sports physiology and what we would today call sports science and as Presbyterian minister, with a keen interest in philosophy and clean living. Naismith watched his sport, basketball, introduced in many nations by the YMCA movement as early as 1893. Basketball was introduced at the Berlin Olympics in 1936. Today basketball has grown to become one of the world's most popular sports.


Basketball is definately an American sport.

Pimpbot

An American sport invented by a Canadian


Not according to what the above says

You seemed to have missed the point. You seemed to be insinuating that basketball is purely played in America because of the NBA, where as Basketball is a huge global sport. Where do you think all these Europeans that are filling the NBA teams are coming from?

American football, now there is a truely American sport, because its barely played anywhere else or has anyone interested in it outside of America.

Jabba1

Actually, up until 88, the US was winning every 4 years, with the notable exception of the controversial 72 Olympics. The Americans refused to accept the silver medal that year because they believed they had been cheated out of the Gold by a biased judge.

Prior to 92, the US had sent college level players into the Olympics against what amounted to professional level players from other countries. To my knowledge, no other country sends college level basketball players into the Olympics. In fact, the US team that lost to the Russians in the 88 Olympics, were playing against a Russian team that had players old enough to be the fathers of the US players. If other nations can send in their pros, then so can the US.

Jabba1

I'm afraid it is YOU who are missing the point. Naismith may have been born in Canada, but basketball was born in the US, Springfield Mass. to be exact. The first people to actually play basketball were Americans. In fact, an American teenager came up with the name "Basketball". The teenager was one of the students at the YMCA who played in the first game of basketball ever played. At first, the student suggested the game be called "Naismith ball" after it's creater, but Dr. Naismith thought that wouldn't be popular and would make the game less appealing. The same kid then suggested that since the game was played with two peach baskets, it should be called "Basketball".

Another thing, both my parents were born in Germany, I, on the hand, was born in the US. Does this mean that I'm German, or American? Having been born in the US, I'm definately American. Just as basketball is an American sport for having been born in America. Granted, it has Canadian roots, just as I have German roots. Besides, the Canadians can't possibly claim credit for basketball, when Americans were playing the game well before they were.

Jabba1

For Christ sake man, his name's Wayne Gretzky, not "Gredski". If your giong to bring up various sports stars, at least spell their names right.

Pimpbot

This all seems to have gone over your head with your reply about Germany and being born somewhere else

The sport was invented by a Canadian, first in Canada, and then he furthered his invention in the U.S. by bringing together 13 new rules for basketball. Are you trying to tell me, that because a Canadian invented it, but Americans first played it on American soil, under the Canadian inventors rules, with him standing there telling them how to play the game that he invented, that makes it an American sport? Give me a break.

Patrick

Sorry, you have confused me with someone who gives a crap, easily done!

Patrick

Jabba1

The game he created in the US was quite different from the one he played as a child in Canada. In fact, he'd been ordered to create a new indoor game by the YMCA director. For a while he was stumped, until he remembered a game from his childhood called "shoot the duck". As I said before, basketball as it is played today was born in the US. Even the name "basketball" was thought up by an American.

The Canadians can claim all the credit they want for Naismith being born there. However, under no circumstances can they (the nation of Canada) take credit for basketball. I think if you take a closeer look at the history of basketball, you'll will find that the first American players actually helped to define the way game is played today. They weren't just following orders from Naismith, they were adding their own inflections to the game, slam dunks ect.

And again, I can't see how the Canadians can take credit for a game that they didn't even start playing until after the Americans did.