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Basketball and lacrosse are two sports with very different gameplay, but they do share some similarities and have some shared history. Both sports originated in North America and were influenced by Indigenous games played by Native Americans, with lacrosse being the oldest team sport in North America. The man credited with inventing basketball, James Naismith, was a lacrosse player, and he drew inspiration from several sports, including lacrosse, when creating basketball.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Creator of Basketball | James Naismith |
| Year of creation | 1891 |
| Original name | Basket Ball |
| Number of players | 9 vs 9 |
| Ball used | Soccer ball |
| Goals | A pair of peach baskets |
| Rules | 13 rules |
| Sport from which basketball was derived | Unclear, but lacrosse was one of the popular games at the time |
| Lacrosse's country of origin | Canada |
| Lacrosse's earliest players | Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois people |
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What You'll Learn
James Naismith invented basketball
Naismith was born on November 6, 1861, in Almonte, Canada, to Scottish parents. He was a talented and versatile athlete, representing McGill University in football, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, and gymnastics. After graduating from McGill in 1883, he became a physical education teacher at the university for his three postgraduate years. He then moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, to study at the International YMCA Training School in the 1890s.
At the International YMCA Training School, Naismith was tasked with creating a new indoor game for the students to play during the long New England winter. The usual winter athletic activities, such as marching, calisthenics, and apparatus work, were not as exciting as outdoor sports like football and lacrosse. Naismith wrote and developed the original thirteen rules of basketball, which were tacked up on a bulletin board at the school.
The game quickly spread beyond the school through the YMCA network, and high schools and colleges began to adopt it. By 1905, basketball was officially recognized as a permanent winter sport. The rules have been modified over time, but the game has not changed drastically from Naismith's original version. In 2010, the original rules of basketball sold at auction for $4.3 million.
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Native Americans invented lacrosse
Lacrosse is a sport with a rich history that can be traced back to the Indigenous peoples of North America, specifically the Eastern Woodlands Native Americans and some Plains Indians tribes. Early versions of the game were played as early as the 12th century, and it held significant cultural, spiritual, and recreational importance for Native American communities.
The game was originally known as "stickball" and was played with wooden sticks and balls made of wood or deerskin. These early matches could involve anywhere from 100 to 1,000 players or more, with no boundaries on the playing field, which could span miles. The game was often used as a form of training for war, a social event for trade and community-building, and even to settle disputes between tribes.
French Jesuit missionaries in the 17th century were the first Europeans to witness the game and named it "lacrosse" because they thought the sticks resembled the bishop's cross used in religious ceremonies. Over time, the sport evolved and gained popularity, with European settlers modifying the rules and equipment. George Beers, a Montreal dentist, wrote the first rulebook for lacrosse in 1867, helping to standardize the sport and contributing to its widespread recognition.
Today, lacrosse is a popular sport played worldwide, with a rich heritage that reflects its Native American origins. It continues to hold cultural and spiritual significance for Indigenous communities, with ceremonial medicine games still being played in Haudenosaunee communities to heal the sick. The sport's evolution demonstrates how Native American culture has influenced and shaped modern athletic traditions.
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Lacrosse was an Olympic sport in 1904 and 1908
Lacrosse is a team sport that originated among the Indigenous peoples of North America as early as the 12th century. It was played for recreational, cultural, spiritual, medicinal, and religious reasons and held significant importance as a ritual and for training for war. Over time, the sport evolved and gained popularity, with European settlers observing and adopting it in the 17th century, leading to its widespread recognition and the establishment of organised leagues and clubs.
Lacrosse made its Olympic debut in the 1904 St. Louis Olympics, with men's lacrosse teams participating. Canada's Winnipeg Shamrocks won the gold medal, beating the United States, while the Mohawk Indians, also from Canada, took bronze. Lacrosse was again featured as an Olympic sport in 1908 in London, with Canada securing its second gold medal by defeating Great Britain in the sole game of the competition.
The inclusion of lacrosse in the 1904 and 1908 Olympic Games reflected the sport's growing international popularity. By this time, lacrosse had spread beyond North America and was gaining traction in several countries, including the United Kingdom and Australia. The Olympic exposure further contributed to the sport's prestige and recognition worldwide.
Following its appearance as a medal sport in 1904 and 1908, lacrosse continued to have a presence at the Olympics as a demonstration sport in Amsterdam in 1928, Los Angeles in 1932, and London in 1948. While lacrosse has not been featured as an official medal sport in recent Olympic Games, it remains a beloved and widely practised sport globally, with a rich history and cultural significance rooted in its Indigenous North American origins.
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Basketball's first rules were sold for $4.3 million
Basketball was invented by James Naismith, a lacrosse player and teacher of physical education at the International YMCA Training School, now known as Springfield College, in Springfield, Massachusetts. He invented the game in 1891 to keep his students engaged when they were forced to stay indoors due to a New England storm. The usual winter athletic activities were not as thrilling as outdoor sports such as lacrosse, played during the warmer seasons.
Naismith penned the original 13 rules of basketball on December 21, 1891, the eve of the deadline set by his boss for creating a new indoor activity for his gym class. He then gave the list to his secretary, who typed them up on two pages that Naismith pinned on a bulletin board outside the gym. These original rules were sold at Sotheby's auction house in New York City on December 3, 2010, for a record-breaking $4.3 million. The buyers, David and Suzanne Booth, said they hoped to bring them to the University of Kansas, where Naismith became the Jayhawks' first-ever basketball coach in 1898. The sale price included a buyer's premium, with proceeds benefiting the Naismith International Basketball Foundation, which promotes sportsmanship and provides services to underprivileged children worldwide.
Some of the original rules of basketball included:
- The ball could be thrown in any direction with one or both hands, but never with a fist.
- A player could not run with the ball but had to throw it from the spot where it was caught.
- No shouldering, holding, pushing, striking, or tripping an opponent in any way.
Basketball's invention was captured in a Heritage Minute video, with the game becoming an official sport at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. Naismith died in 1939, three years after basketball was recognised at the Olympics.
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Basketball was invented by a lacrosse player
Basketball was invented by James Naismith, a talented and versatile athlete who represented McGill University in several sports, including lacrosse. In 1891, Naismith, then a 31-year-old graduate student teaching physical education at the International YMCA Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts, was tasked with creating an indoor game to keep his students engaged during the harsh New England winter.
Naismith was guided by three main thoughts in his attempt to create a new game. Firstly, he analyzed the most popular games of the time, including rugby, lacrosse, soccer, football, hockey, and baseball. Secondly, he considered the limitations of playing indoors and the need for a game that would not take up much room. Lastly, he wanted a game that would be athletic, fair for all players, and not too rough.
The result was a game that Naismith called "Basket Ball." The first game was played in December 1891 with nine players on each team, a soccer ball, and peach baskets as goals. Naismith's original rules, which he posted on a bulletin board before the first game, sold for $4.3 million at a Sotheby's auction in 2010.
While Naismith is credited as the inventor of basketball, the family of Lambert G. Will has claimed that he borrowed components for the game from Will. They cited alleged photos and letters and gave Naismith credit for the general idea but believed that Will changed aspects of Naismith's original plans and that Naismith took credit for these changes.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, basketball was invented by James Naismith, a lacrosse player, in 1891. He created the game to keep his students engaged while they were forced to stay indoors during a New England storm.
Both basketball and lacrosse are team sports that involve throwing a ball. They are also both played on a rectangular field or court.
Basketball is played with a basketball, which is a spherical object, while lacrosse is played with a small rubber ball. In basketball, the goal is to shoot the ball through a hoop, while in lacrosse, the goal is to hit a small net with the ball using a long-handled stick.
Lacrosse has influenced other sports such as basketball, as mentioned above. Additionally, it has influenced the development of other team sports that involve throwing or hitting a ball, such as baseball and American football.
