Basketball

One of the most popular sports in America and the world, basketball was invented in America in 1891. James Naismith, a physical education teacher in Massachusetts, was instructed to create a game that the students can play indoors in the cold winter months. He set up two peach baskets at the opposite ends of the gymnasium and selected two nine-man teams for the game. The game was initially played with a soccer ball that players would try to get past the other team members to shoot into the peach baskets. Today, over 250 million people worldwide play basketball. The gravity-defying abilities of the human body in basketball create a unique appeal and excitement that is different from football or baseball.