Hey there! Do you know how to spell the word “murraya”? I didn’t either until I heard about Zaila Avant-garde. She’s a teenager who spelled “murraya” correctly to win the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee. But that’s not all she’s good at! Zaila also holds three Guinness World Records in basketball for shooting, dribbling, and juggling. Isn’t that amazing?
Someone named Nevaeh asked a great question: How was basketball invented? Let’s find out together!
To learn about basketball’s beginnings, we need to travel back in time to Central America, thousands of years ago. Back then, the ancient Aztecs, Mayans, and Olmec people played a sport similar to basketball. They had two teams and used a rubber ball. The goal was to get the ball through a ring, which looked a bit like a sideways basketball hoop.
This ancient game was much harder than basketball today. The ring was high up, and players couldn’t use their hands. They had to hit the ball with their hips or arms. It was a rough game, and players often got bruised or even broke bones. Ouch!
People loved this sport and played it for fun. They even used it to settle arguments instead of fighting wars. How cool is that?
Now, let’s talk about the basketball we know today. It all started because of a snowstorm called a blizzard. A class of college students in Springfield, Massachusetts, couldn’t go outside to play sports because of the snow. Their PE teacher had an idea for a new indoor game. He nailed two peach baskets on a balcony, divided the class into two teams, and told them to try to get a ball into the other team’s basket. And just like that, the first game of basketball began!
But there were some problems. The students started pushing each other, and the baskets didn’t have holes at the bottom. So, every time someone scored, they had to climb up and get the ball out. The teacher made new rules, like bouncing the ball to move it and no pushing. He also cut holes in the baskets so the ball would drop down after each shot. This made the game much better!
The students loved the game so much that they kept playing it, even after the blizzard. Soon, other schools started playing it too. Today, basketball is played all over the world, from the NBA and WNBA to parks and playgrounds everywhere.
So, in short, basketball started with ancient games in Central America and became the sport we love today thanks to a teacher’s clever idea during a snowstorm. Isn’t history fascinating? Keep asking questions and stay curious!
Basketball Time Machine: Imagine you are an ancient Aztec or Mayan player. Create your own version of the ancient ball game using a soft ball and a hula hoop. Try to score by getting the ball through the hoop without using your hands. What challenges do you face? How does it feel to play a game similar to what people played thousands of years ago?
Invent Your Own Game: Just like the PE teacher who invented basketball, think of a new game you can play indoors. Use items you have at home, like a laundry basket and a soft ball. Write down the rules of your game and try playing it with your family or friends. What changes did you make to improve the game after playing it a few times?
Observe and Report: Next time you watch a basketball game, whether it’s on TV or at a local park, pay attention to the rules and how players move. Write down three things you notice that are similar to the ancient games and three things that are different. How do these differences make the game more exciting or challenging?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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(phone ringing) – Hi, it’s Doug. Do you know how to spell the word “murraya”? I sure didn’t. I had never even heard that word before. But teenager Zaila Avant-garde sure knows how to spell it.
– Murraya. M-U-R-R-A-Y-A.
– That is correct! (crowd clapping and cheering)
– Murraya was the word Zaila spelled to win the 2021 Scripps National Spelling Bee, making her one of the best spellers in the world. But get this: spelling isn’t even the only thing that Zaila is amazing at. Check this out. Zaila holds three Guinness World Records in basketball. One for shooting, one for dribbling, and another for juggling. So cool!
Someone named Nevaeh has a question about the sport of basketball. Let’s give Nevaeh a call now. (phone ringing)
– Hi Doug!
– Hi Nevaeh.
– I have a question for you. How was basketball invented?
– Ooh, that’s an interesting question. And you know what? I think Jay Flores should be the one to answer this. He’s a huge basketball fan. Let’s hear what Jay has to say. (phone ringing)
– Hey Doug. You’re right. I love basketball, especially when I’m watching my hometown team, the Milwaukee Bucks. I just really like how simple the game is. There’s a ball, there’s a basket, and you need to get the ball into that basket to score points. But if you’ve ever played the sport, you probably know that making a basket is not as easy as it looks.
– [Announcer] Oh, what a block from Wade!
– [Jay] That’s because the other team is going to do whatever they can to try and stop you. Whoa, plays like that make basketball so fun. And it’s not just people in the United States who think that. Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. There are professional leagues in places like Madagascar, China, Spain, and Australia.
But did you ever wonder how basketball was even invented? Did someone just accidentally toss a pumpkin into a trashcan and say, “Hey, I just invented basketball!” Before we go on, I’m curious. How do you think basketball was invented? Now would be a good time to pause the video and discuss.
Okay. Are you ready? When answering this question, it helps to go back in time, thousands of years, back to Central America. Scientists who study the past by looking at ancient objects think that this was one of the courts for one of the oldest sports that was ever played in Central America. An ancient sport played by people like the ancient Aztecs, the ancient Mayans, and the ancient Olmec people. The sport was a lot like basketball. There were two teams and a rubber ball, and one of the goals was to get the ball into a ring like this one. Almost looks like a sideways basketball hoop, doesn’t it?
Now, unlike basketball, where teams score a lot of times, this sport was a lot harder. The ring was really high off the ground, and the rules weren’t always exactly the same. But you couldn’t just use your hands to throw the ball. You had to hit it with your hips, your arms, or other parts of your body. So teams hardly ever made a basket. And the game was way rougher than basketball, too. Some players would get bruised and even break bones. Ouch!
The ancient people of Central America absolutely loved this sport. They would play it for fun and watch athletes play it in large arenas. Some archaeologists believed that they even played it to settle arguments instead of going to war.
Okay, now the sport they played in Central America wasn’t exactly like the basketball we play today, but it was one of the first sports played on a court with a ball, and one of the first sports where you had to try to shoot a ball through a hoop, like in basketball, to score points. Ancient sports like this inspired people to invent more ball sports—sports where you had to shoot the ball into a goal or a basket.
Okay. But what about our basketball? The one we play today, where did that come from? Believe it or not, the basketball we play today might have never been invented if it weren’t for these. These are snowstorms called blizzards. If you’ve ever experienced a blizzard, you may know that you can’t go outside and play in them. There’s just way too much snow. And blizzards were one of the main reasons basketball was invented.
A class of college students in Springfield, Massachusetts, had just experienced a blizzard, and they couldn’t go outside for sports. But luckily for them, their PE teacher had been working on an idea for a fun new game they could play indoors. He nailed two peach baskets on an indoor balcony, divided his class into two teams, and gave them one main rule: try to get a ball into the other team’s basket. He blew his whistle, and the first-ever game of basketball began.
But there were some pretty big problems. Can you think of what they were? Since there were only a few simple rules, a lot of students began to push and shove. And like the ancient sport played in Central America, some of them even got hurt. And that wasn’t all. The peach baskets didn’t have holes at the bottom. So every time someone scored, they would have to climb up to the balcony and take the ball out.
– [Man On Ladder] It sure slows things down having to climb up here every time.
– [Jay] So the teacher had to make some more rules. Like, you had to bounce the ball in order to move it. And you definitely couldn’t push. Oh, and he cut a hole at the bottom of each basket, so the basketball would drop back down after each shot. That made things way easier. The students loved it. They even began playing it after the blizzard. And pretty soon other schools started playing it in other cities and states. Those students probably would have never dreamed that a game their PE teacher invented during a blizzard would become one of the most popular sports in the world.
Now basketball is played everywhere from the NBA and WNBA to parks and playgrounds around the world. So in summary, the first basketball-like games were played thousands of years ago by the Aztecs, Mayans, and Olmec people of Central America. But the basketball we play today was invented by a teacher who was just trying to keep his class from getting bored during a blizzard.
That’s all for this week’s question. Thanks, Nevaeh, for asking it.
– [Doug] Now for the next episode, I reached into our question jar and picked out three questions sent to us that we’re thinking about answering next. When this video is done playing, you’ll get to vote on one. You can choose from, “How are mirrors made?”, “Why don’t islands float away?”, or “When were shoes invented?” So submit your vote when the video is over. We want to hear from all of you watching. There are mysteries all around us. Stay curious, and see you next week.
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