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Basketball….a Canadian invention?

a basketball sitting on top of a wooden bench
Photo by Danielle-Claude Bélanger on Unsplash

It was on this day, 134 years ago (1891), James Naismith invented the game of basketball.  Naismith, was a Canadian YMCA sports coach who was living in Springfield, Massachusetts. 

He was looking for a new indoor sport – during the winter.  So, he nailed two buckets on opposite ends of the Springfield College gym, and told his students to “toss soccer balls into them”.  He’s also credited as writing the original basketball rulebook.  He even lived to see the sport of BASKETBALL adopted in 1904 as an Olympic demonstration sport.  James Naismith was born just outside of Ottawa in 1861, passed away in Kansas when he was 78.

So, we’ll go with that: BASKETBALL is a Canadian invention.

  • Danny Foresta was born and raised in Thunder Bay. He's worked in radio for over 30 years. Has spent the last 20 years in Morning Radio. Joined Acadia Broadcasting in 2021.  He hosts "Mornings In The Bay" on 99.9 The Bay.
    He enjoys all aspects of the radio industry. Danny is married to Lori, and has a son, Joseph in University.

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