Basketball was invented in the 1890s by James Naismith at a YMCA in Massachusetts as a winter indoor activity. Since then, basketball has evolved significantly from its origins and spread worldwide. Key developments included the addition of dribbling and dunking, the growth of college and professional leagues, and an increased focus on analytics and business aspects as the sport became more popular and lucrative globally. While some elements have remained the same, basketball today would be barely recognizable compared to its original form due to extensive changes over time that demonstrate how sports evolve.

1. Keith Woods
Mrs. Corbett
Senior Project
Evolution of Basketball
“Time waits for no man.” This saying could not be closer to the truth. Time
continues on and on, no matter what anyone wants to happen. Because of the passage of
time, things grow and evolve. Time seems to change everything, which contributes to the
wonderment of those who happen to stumble upon a situation unchanged by the passing
of time, such as the Amish. Basketball shows this rule to be true. Since its inception,
basketball has continued to evolve and change, moving from a little know sport born in
the nothingness of Midwest America, to a worldwide sport played by all manners of
people and groups.
Basketball today has become a sport that cannot be confined by the borders of
America from whence it began. It has grown exponentially and is now loved by kids
from Spain to China. However, to truly appreciate the manner in which the game of
basketball ball has spread, one must trace it all the way back to its humble beginnings.
Basketball was created by an individual named James Naismith at a YMCA located in
Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith had not been looking his whole life for some genius
game to invent, but rather was simply trying to invent a game to occupy students during
the colder months when it was too cold for outside sports. No primary “inventor” can be
observed for sports such as soccer or football, for these two sports evolved from other
games. However, Naismith can truly be credited for the invention of basketball since it
was created almost entirely by him (“Naismith”). While some things stayed the same
between the game Naismith originally created and the game that we observe around the
world today, one would be hard pressed to recognize the original game of basketball that
did not include dribbling, or dunks, both additions that would come later (“Basketball”).
The sport grew greatly and was soon being played across the country. Many colleges and
universities started to sponsor basketball teams and ever since then, the game of
basketball has become ingrained in the American conscience (“Naismith”). Now
basketball has become a lucrative business venture and as any venture involving large
sums of money, has become analyzed in-depth and the ways of reviewing basketball
performance have evolved.

5. "Basketball." Student Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2009. Discovering
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“Naismith, James (1861-1939)." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Ed. Jennifer
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Gale. Creekview High School. 16 Apr. 2012
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GroupName=cant48040&prodId=DC&tabID=T001&docId=EK1631007799&type=
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