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Baseball: Reviving the Sport
Baseball: Reviving the Sport
What things are more American than baseball, red, white, and blue, and apple pie? Unfortunately, this revered sport has earned a rather tarnished image over the past years due to strikes, increasing ticket prices,...
Exercise Bikes - Recumbent or Stationary?
Exercise bikes are a wonderful way to get a low-impact exercise workout. Of course today's bikes like those from Sportsart, Tunturi, Nordictrack, Schwinn, and Pro Form are a far cry from the bikes offered many years ago.
You know the ones - the...
Looking for a Sports Ticket?
Sports tickets are tickets some of the most desired tickets available. Whether it is for the hottest football team of the year or the local basketball club's tickets, sports tickets are hot items. Many stadiums and venues have limited seating...
Overcome Sports Pain After 40 - Are Remedies Available? Part 2
Overcome Sports Pain After 40 - Are Remedies Available? Part 2
In Part 1 of this article we explored the desire of persons over forty to experience optimal health. Optimal health for most of us can be reflected in more active lifestyles.
Your...
Watching the NFL versus the MLB
Imagine placing two flat screen plasma TV's side by side in your
living room smack dab in front of your couch. You've got beer,
snacks a-plenty and fresh batteries in your clicker.
One TV has an NFL game on and the other has a Major...
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Basketball History
The father of basketball, Dr. James Naismith came up with the
game in 1892 and the first game was played in Beaver Falls
Pennsylvania on April 8 1893 between the New Brighton YMCA and
the Geneva College. The game was very popular and by 1914 as
many as 360 colleges boasted basketball teams. In 1939, the
first NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship tournament was
held which was won by the University of Oregon.
The formation of Pro basketball in 1896 came about from a
dispute between YMCA team members and officials and ended in the
members forming a professional team that played for money. In
1898, the NBL (National Basketball League) was formed and
produced the first basketball stars - Ed Wachter and Barney
Sedran.
The first two professional basketball teams to achieve success
were the Buffalo Germans and the Celtics but during the 1930's
favorites included the New York Renaissance and the Harlem
Globetrotters. During this time, womens basketball was also
popular and produced great players such as Babe Didrikson and
Alline Banks Sprouse.
In 1940, the first college basketball game was shown on TV. This
game was played between Pittsburgh and Fordham at Madison Square
Garden, and catapulted basketball into a national sensation.
Since then basketball has been one of the most watched sports
and in fact the March Madness, when almost 350 American colleges
compete for the NCAA basketball crown is the most watched event
in the United States.
In Pro basketball during the 1940's and 50's the Minneapolis
Lakers were a huge favorite of many winning 5 NBA championship
titles and producing starts like Bob Cousy and Bob Pettit. But
during the late 1950's up until
1969, the Celtics had the court
winning 11 NBA titles (8 f them right in a row). During this era
favorite players included Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlin of
the Philadelphia Warriors.
During 1963 to 1975 The University of California, Los Angeles
was in the spotlight winning 10 national championships,
including seven in a row. Some of the great players of this UCLA
team include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Bill Walton,
Gail Goodrich and Marques Johnson.
In 1967 the American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed and
many will remember one of the satart players Julius Erving as
well as their red white and blue basketballs. The ABA only
lasted until 1976 when it broke up and many of the teams joined
the NBA.
In the 1960's, womens basketball introduced the 5 player full
court format and made dribbling fully legal but it wasn't until
1985 that the Basketball Hall of Fame began inducting woman
coaches and players. Some of the first women to get this honor
include Carol Blazejowski, Ann Meyers, Cheryl Miller; Nancy
Lieberman-Cline and Anne Donovan.
In the late 1970's start players like Larry Bird of Indiana
State University and Michigan State Universities Magic Johnson
emerged and the late 1980s saw such major players as Isiah
Thomas and Dennis Rodman. But perhaps the most beloved player of
all is Michael Jordan who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA
championships in the 1990s.
About the author:
Lee Dobbins writes for Sports Wise where you can
learn more about all your favorite sports and read more great basket
ball articles.
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