The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-01-26
sports
BASKETBALL STARTED
ONLY FEW YEARS AGO
First Game Was Played Under Direction of M @. A. In
structor Twenty five Years Ago In Springfield Mass
Some Has Grown Considerably
Nv FRANK G. MENKE,

New York, Jan, 25.--Baaketbalf waAa
originated twenty-five years ago by
James Naismith. Y. NJ c. A. instruc-
tor in Springfield, Mass. in an attempt
to provide some game that would res
neve the tedium of regular gymnasium
work.
When Naismith created the basket
ball game in 1891 he never thought
its popularity would spread beyond
the confines OF his own little gynnasi-
UNI. Yet basketball today is the ma
jor winter sport among colleges; II
Is played In every city and hamlet
in the United States and In every city
of any size in the civilized world.
Basketball Is the infant of sports.
but it's popularity Is increasing year.
ly by leaps and bounds. and its ds-s
voices will number far into the mil
lions within a few more years.
Back in 1890 Nafsmith noticed that
his charges grew tired of the regular
gymnasium stunts before the winter
was half over. They soon lost their
zest for the c1ub-swin ging and dumb
bell exercises. Naismith concluded
that it was necessary to discover some
gymnasium game that would prove
exciting; would keep up interest. and
at the same time promote health and
build muscles.
One day he noticed some OF his boys
trying to throw baseball into a bas-
ket that hung on the wall That gave
Naismith his basketball idea. That
would be game into which would en-
ter the element of competition and one
which would increase the quicknessl
of the hand, the feet and the eye, one
which would promote health.
Naismtth's hardest job was TO find
suitable kind Of ball. He realized
that baseball was too small; that
rugby football not only was too
small. but also not OF the right shape.
Just about then he witnessed game
of succer footbali---and his troubles
ceased.
Naisnith got a soccer football and
the basketball games were staged with
that sort of ball as the standard. The
Z. NJ. c.. A. instructor not only borrow
ed the ball form the soccer games, but
he also lifted" some Of the rules The
'drtbble," which ls one of the imports
ant plays In basketball. was borrowed
from soccer. In several other ways
the basketball playing methods ares
the same as soccer.
The rules of basketball today are
almost the same as those laid down
by Naisrnith twenty-five years ago.
The size OF the ball, number of meh
on side and such other details have
A peculiar thing Is that the play
ing area rule made by Naismith still
remains. That limits the playing
'field" 60 1000 square feet. The gyms,
nasium where Naisnith was instructor
was a small one and its area Limit
was only trifle over 1000 square
feet, Had the room been larger.
Naismith probab bly, would have increas-
ed the size Of the Held Yet his
1000 feet limit remains the stand.
ara.
Smiths pupils played the game DUR
ing f8e1-and went wild about III
They told their friends about the new
game, the newspapers heard about IT.
and in 1899 several other gymnasium.
were staging basketball games.
In 1893 every gym in Springieidss
and many In Boston and other Massa-
chusetts towns had basketball teams.
Inter-gym games were played and att
tracted crowds. In 1894 the Smith
College girls began to play basketballg
and from that time on the popularity
OF basketball spread throughout the
United States--and beyond: spread TO-
every civilized country in the world