5 exciting facts about the father of basketball
Did you know that basketball is the only major modern sport that was invented by an individual? James Naismith is the inventor of basketball and a remarkable person. QuizzClub, a free trivia brain booster, has chosen the most curious facts about the Father of Basketball.
# 1 “Duck on a rock”
Young James enjoyed a game that would later be part of the inspiration behind his invention of basketball. It was called “Duck on a rock”. In this game, a smaller rock “duck” was placed on top of a big rock. Then the players tried to knock the “duck” off the rock by throwing a small stone.
# 2 Not just basketball
As a student, James Naismith was a good athlete and participated in many sports including football, lacrosse, gymnastics, and rugby. He got a degree in Physical Education and worked as a PE teacher.
# 3 Why was basketball invented?
During the winter of 1891, Naismith was put in charge of a class of rowdy boys. They didn’t want to stay inside in the winter, they needed to burn off some energy. Naismith had to make up a game that could be played inside. He studied the most popular games of those times and used some rules from his old favorite game “Duck on a rock”.
# 4 The name of the game
Naismith called his new game “Basket Ball” because the teams used a soccer ball and a pair of peach baskets. By 1892, basketball had grown really popular, even newspapers wrote articles about it. There were calls to name the new game “Naismith Ball”. However, Naismith was not interested in self-promotion or in the glory of competitive sports, so he refused.
# 5 Besides basketball
James Naismith patrolled the Mexican border for four months in 1916 during World War I. He is also the author of two books, “A Modern College” and “Essence of a Healthy Life”. In 1925, Naismith became an American citizen.
Nowadays, basketball is played by more than 300 million people worldwide. If you want to learn more exciting facts about sports and the world around us, check QuizzClub’s daily trivia game.
# 1 “Duck on a rock”
Young James enjoyed a game that would later be part of the inspiration behind his invention of basketball. It was called “Duck on a rock”. In this game, a smaller rock “duck” was placed on top of a big rock. Then the players tried to knock the “duck” off the rock by throwing a small stone.
# 2 Not just basketball
As a student, James Naismith was a good athlete and participated in many sports including football, lacrosse, gymnastics, and rugby. He got a degree in Physical Education and worked as a PE teacher.
# 3 Why was basketball invented?
During the winter of 1891, Naismith was put in charge of a class of rowdy boys. They didn’t want to stay inside in the winter, they needed to burn off some energy. Naismith had to make up a game that could be played inside. He studied the most popular games of those times and used some rules from his old favorite game “Duck on a rock”.
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| James Naismith statue |
# 4 The name of the game
Naismith called his new game “Basket Ball” because the teams used a soccer ball and a pair of peach baskets. By 1892, basketball had grown really popular, even newspapers wrote articles about it. There were calls to name the new game “Naismith Ball”. However, Naismith was not interested in self-promotion or in the glory of competitive sports, so he refused.
# 5 Besides basketball
James Naismith patrolled the Mexican border for four months in 1916 during World War I. He is also the author of two books, “A Modern College” and “Essence of a Healthy Life”. In 1925, Naismith became an American citizen.
Nowadays, basketball is played by more than 300 million people worldwide. If you want to learn more exciting facts about sports and the world around us, check QuizzClub’s daily trivia game.
