Basketball Case Essay Example for Free

Basketball Case Essay Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Basketball, a game that was born in nineteenth century with the purpose to provide an â€Å"athletic distraction† to the students at the School for Christian Workers in Springfield, soon became a successful sport. More than 300 million people play basketball worldwide. The History of Basketball Invention and Rules   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith, physical educator at YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, USA.   He has four degrees in the diverse fields of Philosophy, Religion, Physical Education and Medicine. Naismith’s investigations in sports physiology and sports science helped him to create really successful game.    The concept of basketball was borrowed from the simple child’s game â€Å"duck-on-a-rock†, which involved attempting to knock a duck off the top of a large rock by tossing another rock at it. â€Å"James Naismith 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†. [1]   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   James Naismith devised a set of thirteen rules of basketball, through which you can look in enclosure 1 of this paper.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1959, James Naismith was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame (called the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame.) Evolution of the game   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Since invention basketball was greatly changed: Equipment. The early baskets were with the bottom and someone had to retrieve the ball. Later they were transformed into the metal rim with a net hanging below, and in 1906 people began opening the netting to let the ball fall through. The first basketballs were made from panels of leather stitched together with a rubber bladder inside. The molded basketball was introduced in 1942. Rules. Beginning in 1910 a player could dribble the ball, but could not shoot after dribbling. In basketballs early days, a players second foul would mean removal from the game until the next field goal was made. If a team committed three consecutive fouls, the opposition would be awarded a field goal. Beginnings in 1894 players were given a free throw when fouled. Beginning in 1908 players who committed five fouls were disqualified from the game. Based on the severity of the foul, the rules were soon amended so that players were awarded either two shots or one shot plus a bonus shot, which was attempted only if the first shot was made. The rules also determined that an offensive player could commit a foul by playing too aggressively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1892 basketball was introduced to women by Senda Berenson Abbott. The rules of women’s basketball were modified (the court was divided into three equal sections, with players required to stay in an assigned area; players were prohibited from snatching or batting the ball from the hands of another player; and players were prohibited from holding the ball for longer than three seconds and from dribbling the ball more than three times.)   Ã‚  Ã‚   In May 1901 several schools, including Yale and Harvard universities and Trinity, Holy Cross, Amherst, and Williams colleges, formed the New England Intercollegiate Basketball League.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1915 the Amateur Athletic Union of the United States (AAU), the NCAA, and the YMCA formed a committee to standardize rules.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The first national collegiate tournament was held in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1937.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Professional basketball began in 1896 at a YMCA in Trenton, New Jersey. A dispute between members of the YMCA team and a YMCA official led to the players forming a professional team and playing for money. In 1898 a group of New Jersey newspaper sports editors founded the National Basketball League (NBL). The NBL consisted of six franchises from Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Stars of this league included Ed Wachter, who played in about 1,800 professional games, and Barney Sedran, who played on 10 championship teams in 15 years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The first successful national professional league was the American Basketball League (ABL), which lasted from 1925 to 1931.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1926 a national tournament for women’s teams was formed. Notable players from this era of womens basketball include Babe Didrikson, Alline Banks Sprouse, and Nera White, who was one of the first two female players elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. In 1938 the three-court game was changed to a two-court game, with six players on a team.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In the mid 1930s another National Basketball League (NBL) was founded and 1946 in a year of foundation of Basketball Association of America (BAA). Later four strongest teams in the NBL joined the BAA. Then the NBLs six teams also joined the BAA, forming a three-division league that was renamed the National Basketball Association (NBA).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the Minneapolis Lakers, led by center George Mikan and coached by John Kundla, won five NBA championship titles (1949, 1950, 1952-1954). In the 1950s guard Bob Cousy and forward Bob Pettit had the greatest individual impact on professional basketball.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For two decades after its founding, the NBA was the only major professional basketball league. But in 1967 the American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed. In the late 1970s, the NBA experienced a crisis of popularity but in March 1979 the public interest had revived.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In the late 1960s some rules in women’s basketball had changed: unlimited dribbling became legal, five-player team and full-court game became official.   Ã‚   The law called Title IX (1970s) prohibited discrimination on the basis of gender in educational institutions receiving federal aid, meaning that womens athletic programs had to be treated as equal to mens programs. In 1978 the AIAW championship was televised, and the same year a professional league called the Womens Basketball League (WBL) was founded.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Beginning in the late 1980s basketball became so popular that students began leave schools and colleges before graduation and go to NBA to play for large sums of money. So in 1995 the league enacted a limit on the amount of money a rookie could earn.   Ã‚  Ã‚   Following the 1997-98 season NBA owners and players could not agree on rules regarding a salary cap and several other issues, and the NBA owners instituted a player lockout. The dispute cancelled all league play until an agreement was reached in January 1999, resulting in a strike-shortened, 50-game season followed by a regular playoff schedule and championship series. NBA Legends 1950s and 1960s –     Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain 1980s – Larry Bird, Magic Johnson 1990s – John Stockton, Karl Malone, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen.    Records of NBA Highest score. 370 when â€Å"Detroit Pistons† defeated â€Å"Denver Nuggets† 13 December 1983. The largest number of victories per season. 72 times per season (1995-1996) won â€Å"Chicago Bulls.† The largest number of games. Robert Perish played 1611 matches during 21 seasons. The youngest player.   Germen O’Neal was in the age of 18 years and 53 days when debuted in NBA. The oldest player.   Robert Perish from â€Å"Chicago Bulls† played in the age of 43 years 231 days. The highest player  Ã‚   George Maureshan   from â€Å"Washington Wizards† has a height 2.31 meter. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚   During more then hundred years basketball had greatly developed and changed, experienced a lot of difficulties, but it is still one of the most popular games in the world. Of course basketball as any other sport has a lot of problems today (e.g. U.S. team does not have a national program for international competition, devalues the World Championships and does not develop fundamentals), but it has a large potential and great future.       The Bibliography Laughead, George. â€Å"History of Basketball†. Kansas Heritage Group. 2004. University of Kansas. 15 Sep. 2005. http: //www.ku.edu/heritage/graphics.people/maismith.html Bellis, Mary. â€Å"Basketball – James Naismith (1861 1939)†. 15 Sep. 2005. http://www.inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blbasketball.htm                                  Enclosure 1.   Naismith’s 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.† [1]