Hector R. Perdomo Sr.Proud to serve as Volunteer President of the Naismith Int’l Basketball Foundation. Through the 2025 Good Sportsmanship Tour, we use basketball to reduce youth recidivism across Florida. #Legacy #Impact

NAISMITH GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP TOUR #2025 #R.R. NAISMITH

Name: NAISMITH GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP TOUR #2025 #R.R. NAISMITH
Uploaded: 2024-12-20T18:21:41+00:00
Duration: 1 min 31 s
Channel: Hector R. Perdomo Sr.
Description: In this short interview segment, host Mr. Heater introduces Dr. James A. Naismith, the 77‑year‑old inventor of basketball, to a massive audience at…

20 Dec 2024 · 2 min

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1:31

In this short interview segment, host Mr. Heater introduces Dr. James A. Naismith, the 77‑year‑old inventor of basketball, to a massive audience at Madison Square Garden. Naismith recounts how, during a New England blizzard in the winter of 1891 at Springfield College, he created the first basketball game to keep students active indoors. He describes using an old soccer ball, two nailed‑up peach baskets, and dividing the class into teams of nine. When asked about the original rules, Naismith admits he had few, leading to chaotic play where students tackled, kicked, and even suffered injuries, prompting the host to humorously label the early bout as “murder.” The segment blends historical fact with a light‑hearted, narrative framing, highlighting the humble, rough origins of a sport now watched by tens of thousands.

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Tomorrow night, 15,000 cheering fans will pack Madison Square Garden in New York City to witness a giant basketball doubleheader. In that cheering crowd, sitting in row C, seat 11, will be a modest 77-year-old man. Those fans won't know that he made possible the game they are watching, but you're going to meet him now. Sanka Coffee has brought him here tonight all the way from Lawrence, Kansas. Dr. James A. Naismith, the inventor of basketball. Dr.
Naismith, how did you happen to invent basketball? Well, Mr. Heater, it was in the winter of 1891 when I was physical instructor at Springfield College in Massachusetts. We had a real New England blizzard. For days, the students couldn't go outdoors, so they began roughhousing in the halls. We tried everything to keep them quiet. We tried playing a modified form of football in the gymnasium, but they got bored with that. Something had to be done. One day I had an idea. I called the boys to the gym, divided them up into teams of 9, and gave them an old soccer ball. I showed them 2 peach baskets I'd nailed up at each end of the gym. I told them the idea was to throw the ball into the opposing team's peach basket. I blew a whistle and the first game of basketball began.
And what rules did you have for your new game, Dr. Naismith?
Well, I didn't have enough, and that's where I made my big mistake. The boys began tackling, kicking, and punching in the clinches. They ended up in a free-for-all in the middle of the gym floor. Before I could pull them apart, one boy was knocked out, several of them had black eyes, and one had a dislocated shoulder.
It certainly was murder.