Basketball: Its Origin and Development (Paperback)

~ James Naismith (Author), William J. Baker (Introduction) "IT WAS evening, and a group of boys had gathered at Bennie's Corners, in the northern part of Ontario, Canada..." (more)
Key Phrases: foreign spread, collegiate rules, physical directors, United States, New York City, Training School (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

James Naismith was teaching physical education at the Young Men’s Christian Association Training College in Springfield, Massachusetts, and felt discouraged because calisthenics and gymnastics didn’t engage his students. What was needed was an indoor wintertime game that combined recreation and competition. One evening he worked out the fundamentals of a game that would quickly catch on. Two peach half-bushel baskets gave the name to the brand new sport in late 1891.

 

Basketball: Its Origin and Development was written by the inventor himself, who was inspired purely by the joy of play. Naismith, born in northern Ontario in 1861, gave up the ministry to preach clean living through sport. He describes Duck on the Rock, a game from his Canadian childhood, the creative reasoning behind his basket game, the eventual refinement of rules and development of equipment, the spread of amateur and professional teams throughout the world, and the growth of women’s basketball (at first banned to male spectators because the players wore bloomers). Naismith lived long enough to see basketball included in the Olympics in 1936. Three years later he died, after nearly forty years as head of the physical education department at the University of Kansas.

About the Author

This book, originally published in 1941, carries a new introduction by William J. Baker, a professor of history at the University of Maine, Orono. He is the author of Jesse Owens: An American Life and Sports in the Western World.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Bison Books (January 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803283709
• ISBN-13: 978-0803283701
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #278,880 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only first person account of basketball's start, May 9, 2000

By	Daniel Maier (Chicago) - See all my reviews

A Canadian by birth, Naismith, a physician and minister with additional degrees in education and psychology, also invented the football helmet and taught sex education. Naismith never made any money from the game he invented. In fact, he refused fees when he spoke about basketball in public, and he once turned down a substantial sum to endorse cigarettes. Amos Alonzo Stagg, a YMCA facility member and a player in the first basketball games, recommended Naismith to start a basketball program at the University of Kansas. He took the job, which he held from 1898 until his death in 1939, though he coached basketball for only nine years. The inventor of the game is the only coach in University of Kansas history with a losing record: 53 wins and 55 losses. An amazing man and a wonderful look at his YMCA invention: basketball

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book telling the story of basketball, December 16, 2004

By	Ben Caze - See all my reviews

It was in Bennie's Corners(a nickname for a place where Naismith played as a youngster)that Naismith first observed recreational games being played. Next, during his time as a physical educator, he observed more games except this time being played at a higher level. Naismith and others realized that there was an actual need for a new game. He knew he was going to encorporate a few things; the game was going to be mainly made from other previously existing games, the game was going to be a team sport, it was going to use a large circular ball, and finally, it was going to be an indoor game. These were the few things that Naismith and others created the game upon. However most of the main construction of the game such as rules and regulations was left up to Naismith.

After a short while, Naismith came up with rules. They were soon printed in a newspaper called the Triangle. This is where some of the foundations of spreading of the game took place. People looked at the rules found anything they could to use as hoops and used the rules and regulations.

As time progressed the game started to become more popular and issues were brought up and rules. Naismith did change/add rules over time. The game began to spread both foreign and domesticaly, in places like Japan, China, Mexico, Canada, etc. Naismith was amazed that his game was able to spread so far and become so successful.

Naismith observed a number of games through the years and wondered how the game could go from at first having such bad players, to having players that can dribble good, shoot good, and play defense good.

The book also stressed that Naismith and the others did not the game for Recreation. They said that the game of basketball was strictly a problem that had been pressing on the physical educators for some time. This is why Naismith was puzzled when his newfangled game was such a success to the public.

In my opinion this book was great. I have always wondered the real story of how the game of basketball came to be. Also how the rules of the game can change and change as time progresses. The book told me about how the game spread from one place to all the corners of the globe. Also the original rules and how they were printed in the triangle newspaper. People from every race played the game. Both men and woman started playing the game. And finally how the game just started as solution to a problem, and ended up as a changing phenomenon. Even today the game is still changing, however the game has not strayed very far from the original rules Naismith published in the Triangle.
Overall I enjoyed this book, I also think others should read it and learn the original history of the game of basketball.