Basketball (Amateur)

A Canadian Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) instructor in the state of Massachusetts named Dr. James Naismith developed the sport of basketball in 1891. Naismith created the game to allow for competitive sport to take place indoors during harsh winter months—it began as a game to keep young athletes in shape during the winter when they were unable to perform outdoor sports. The original ball used was a soccer ball, and the original hoops were peach baskets attached to gymnasium walls. The use of these baskets gave rise to the name basketball. Peach baskets continued to be used until 1906, when they were replaced by metal-rimmed hoops attached to a wooden backboard. From these early beginnings, basketball has turned into a global sport played around the world by men and women, both young and old.

Unlike many other activities that were seen as unwomanly in the late 1800s, basketball was quickly adopted as a game that women could play as well. In 1892 a physical education teacher named Sendra Berenson modified Naismith's rules to form a women's game of basketball. While the first official men's game took place in 1892, the first collegiate women's basketball game commenced shortly thereafter, in 1893.

In the 1890s basketball spread to YMCAs around the country, as well as to Canada. It became popular in high schools and universities, as it required little equipment and personnel. As the game continued to grow in Canada and the United States, American soldiers then spread the game to countries around the world to locations they were stationed in. Basketball is now played at most high schools, colleges, and universities in Canada and the United States and has become one of the most popular international sports.

By 1932, basketball had risen to international prominence with the development of the Federation Internationale Basketball Amateur (FIBA), which still governs international basketball. The founding countries included Argentina, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Portugal, Romania, and Switzerland. The amateur component of FIBA has since been dropped, as professional basketball players now compete in FIBA-sanctioned tournaments such as the Summer Olympic Games, but the acronym FIBA still remains, with the “BA” now denoting the first two letters of basketball. FIBA has grown immensely in size since its inauguration and now includes over 200 member countries.