People of all ages love basketball. You can watch your kids play the sport in school, or enjoy the big game on the TV screens of your favorite restaurant. Learning more about the sport’s history will show you how far the activity has come, and give you a few interesting facts to tell your friends over a meal.

The Need For a Winter Activity

In 1891, when summer sports ended for the year, athletes who attended the Springfield College of Massachusetts were looking for outlets for their pent-up energy during the off-season. James Naismith, a 31-year-old physical education student, recognized the need for a cold-season sport that could be played indoors. His mission became to create an activity that was just as exciting and engaging as football, but could also work well in a confined space.

The need to set the game indoors created limitations, but also opened up new possibilities. The artificial lighting meant that time and weather conditions didn’t affect gameplay. When a player couldn’t throw the ball across an open field, Naismith got the idea that people would have to toss the ball up to score rather than across.     

The New Game of Basketball

With a combination of ideas and functions of other sports and games, including rugby and the medieval game Duck on a Rock, Naismith pieced together a court with baskets attached to balconies and used a soccer ball.

He assigned nine players to a team and created 13 rules. During the match, players started to add details that made it easier to play. Rather than pausing the game to get the balls out of the baskets when someone scored, they eventually cut out holes in the nets so the balls would fall by themselves. After spectators in the balconies kept interfering, they invented the backboard. 

The sport grew in popularity. Basketball circulated YMCAs, colleges, and high schools, becoming a recognized sport in 1905. 

If you want to enjoy a basketball game while eating a delicious lunch or dinner, go to Wingz American Grill in Durham, NC. With this restaurant’s fun decor of neon lights, waxed marvel figures, and HD TVs, you’ll be in the perfect setting to root for your favorite basketball teams over delicious wings and beer. Visit their website for a look at their dinner menu, or call the restaurant at (919) 500-8319 with any questions.