James naismith (1861-1939) was a native physical education teacher from Almonte, Canada. He is considered a very important figure in the world of sports, since he invented basketball in 1891. This happened when his head of the Christian Association asked him to create a different discipline for athletes during the winter.
Naismith was a sports lover from a very young age and, although he wanted to become a priest, after thinking about it he realized that the two vocations had no affinity and that he had to choose one of them..
Although he was born and spent much of his life in Canada, thanks to his skills as a physical education teacher he was able to move to the United States. In 1925 he received the citizenship of that country.
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He was the son of Scottish immigrants. His father John Naismith immigrated to Canada when he was only fourteen years old..
Naismith had a difficult childhood, since he was orphaned of both father and mother in 1870, due to typhoid fever. This caused him to go to live with his maternal grandmother and an uncle. The young man helped with the tasks of the field and also was distracted by the popular games of the time.
At eighteen, James became independent from his uncle and began working as an apprentice for a dollar before becoming a construction contractor..
After associating with Robert Young, he married his daughter Margaret Young in 1858. It is worth mentioning that with this family he experienced difficult moments, since he had to experience the premature death of Robert.
He completed his primary and secondary studies in Canada; although he decided to leave them to dedicate himself to work. As time passed and thanks to the support of his uncle, he returned to the last years of high school. Then in 1883 he began his university career at McGill University.
In 1887 he obtained his title of Bachelor of Arts. From that moment he practiced the profession of physical education teacher in his Alma mater. He became a consecrated professor and in parallel managed to graduate from the seminary in 1890; but his sports vocation was stronger than his religious inclination.
During that year he decided to resign his position as Director of Physical Education in Montreal and went to work at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, becoming a great educator and passionate about sports. Thanks to this he received the medal as the best athlete of McGill University twice..
Naismith remarried Maude Evelyn Sherman in 1894 in Springfield; from this marriage five children were born. Unfortunately, Maude passed away in 1937. In 1939, he remarried Florence Kincade. However, in November of that year, the athlete passed away in Lawrence due to a brain hemorrhage..
By placing himself at the command of his new boss, Naismith was tasked with creating an exercise that would help athletes not give up the sport during the winter. From that moment, the basketball court became the indicated space for the development of the discipline.
In addition, James was aware of how important it was for people to perform some exercise, which favored balance and emotional stability, in addition to contributing to physical well-being.
Naismith had to thoroughly study and compare the sports of the time. He was especially asked to find a closed place to practice that game, since the athletes had to keep in shape while the United States winter passed..
However, discipline had to be based on regulations. Thus, Naismith chose to create thirteen norms that gave rise to the basketball. These were:
1- The ball can be thrown in any orientation with one hand or two.
2- The ball can be hit in any orientation with one hand or two, but never with the fist.
3- Participants cannot run with the ball, since they must throw it from the place where they caught it. In the event that a participant captures the ball during the race, as soon as he has it, he must try to stop.
4- The ball has to be carried with one hand or between both hands. The body or arms cannot be used to support it.
5- You must not collide with the shoulders, push, grab or hurt opponents in any way. Violation of this rule by any participant will be called a foul..
If it occurs a second time, the offender is disqualified until the next basket is achieved or, in the event that the intention to hurt the opponent has been evident, he will be disqualified for the rest of the game, without having a substitute..
6- It will also be considered a foul if the ball is hit with the fists. This is reaffirmed in the first five codes against sports rape.
7- If any of the teams commit three fouls in a row, then a basket will be counted for the opposing group.
8- It will be considered as a basket when the ball is thrown or hit from the floor to the basket, as long as the defending participants do not touch the sphere or prevent the basket. If the ball remains on the basket line (that is, it does not go in) and the opponent moves the basket, it is counted as a point.
9- When the ball goes out, the first participant to feel it must throw it back onto the playing field. In case of dispute, the referee will be the one who throws the ball onto the field. Whoever kicks the ball only has 5 seconds.
If the ball is held for a longer time, it will go to the opposing group. If either team continues to delay the game, the referee will indicate that a foul was committed.
10- The assistant referee must act as judge of the players. For this reason, he has to record the fouls, notifying the mediator when three consecutive attacks are made. Taking into account rule number five, the referee may disqualify.
11- The main referee is in charge of everything related to the ball and must determine when the ball is in play or has left the field. In addition, he has to establish which team he belongs to and must keep strictly timed time..
This referee must also decide on the score, therefore he has to count the baskets and carry out the usual duties of a regulator..
12- The time will be divided into two halves, each with a duration of fifteen minutes. There will be a five minute break between these halves.
13- The group that gets the most points within that time will be the winning team. In the event of a tie, if the captains of both teams agree, the match will continue until either team obtains a basket.
Naismith's achievements were not only based on basketball, he is also credited with the first sketch of the football helmet. Although it was not a protector in itself, this athlete considered that the participants should protect themselves due to the maneuvers they performed in that discipline.
While studying his master's degree in physical education, Naismith was selected to play on the football team. His position was center, requiring strength and toughness to avoid being defeated. Therefore, he decided to use a kind of helmet to protect himself from opponents and the rudeness of the game..
This first protective It consisted of a wide flannel band held up by two straps, one upper and one lower, which was placed around the head to cover the ears. The reason for this prevention was because he suffered from hematoma auris, better known as cauliflower ear. He didn't mind being grotesque in front of the spectators as long as he protected himself during the match..
Naismith engaged in various sports throughout his life. As an athlete, I knew that it was essential to maintain balance between mind and body. Among his appointments stand out:
"Be strong in body, clean in mind, noble in ideals".
"I'm sure no man can get more money or power pleasure than I can from watching a couple of basketball goals that make or break every place.".
"Basketball is a pure invention".
"Basketball does not build character, it reveals it".
"In case of dispute, the referee must go directly to the court".
"Basketball really has its origins in Indiana, which reminds me of the center of the sport.".
Naismith was the fundamental pillar of the discipline of basketball. His work on basketball -titled its Origins and Development- it was published two years after his death. Likewise, he was a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame in Canada and of FIBA. In 1968 the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame of Springfield, named in his honor.
He was also part of the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame and the following institutions: Canadian Sports, Ontario Sports Legends and Ottawa Sports.
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