The Origin of Basketball
The challenge that inspired the invention of basketball came from Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, Jr., the superintendent of physical education at the international YMCA Training School. During the summer session of 11, Gulick introduced a new course in the psychology of play, and Naismith was one of his students. In class discussions, Gulick brought up an issue that was weighing on his mind: the need for new indoor game "that would be interesting, easy to learn, and easy to play in the winter and by artificial light."
Though the class didn't follow up on Gulick's challenge to invent such a game, Naismith found himself revisiting the issue a few months later when the physical education faculty met to discuss what was becoming a persistent problem. With the end of the fall sports season, the school once again confronted the distaste many students felt for the gymnasium work that was mandatory during the winter months. One class was particularly incorrigible, and two instructors had already tried and failed to devise activities that would interest them.
