9. Reading. The history of basketball

Basketball dates back to the end of the \(XIX\) century, to \(1891\). The game was invented in Springfield, Massachusetts by James Naismith. The game combines some features of football and handball. \(30\) years had passed before someone called the game basketball. The name stuck.

Basketball players need a field, obviously, a ball and a basket. At the start players used a usual soccer ball, it's not as heavy as a proper basket ball and a bit smaller. The first basket balls were brown, not orange.

As time went on, the backboard and the metal basket were introduced and a bit later — a metal circle with a net. The game became faster and more convenient for the players.

The initial rules, there were \(13\) of them, were slightly different from modern. For example, basketball used to be a \(9\)-on-\(9\) game, now it’s \(5\)-on-\(5\). A player couldn’t push or shoulder his opponents and didn’t dribble or bounce the ball.
 
The game became popular and in \(1932\) the International asketball association was founded and in \(1936\) basketball was introduce in the Olympic Games.
Nowadays it’s third most popular sport in the world. There are dozens variations of it, including beach basketball, wheelchair basketball and water basketball.