JamesNaismithTheMostInfluentialAmericaninThe

HistoryofTheUnitedStates

JosephMendoza
U.S.HistoryPeriod5
Mr.Munoz
March15,2016

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WhentalkingaboutthemostinfluentialAmericaninthehistoryoftheUnited
StatespeoplethinkofwellknownpeoplelikeAbrahamLincoln,HarrietTubman,
ThomasEdison,orHenryFord.Butpeopledonttalkaboutthepeoplethatarenot
knownliketheotherslikepeoplethatmadeabigimpactbutthatarenotnoticedfor
whattheydid.OnemanthatmadeahugeimpactonAmericaandtheworldwas
JamesNaismith.Youmaynotknowhimbutyoumayknowsomethinghecreated.Hes
themanthatcreatedthesportbasketball.HewasbornonNovember6,1861.Heused
toteachataYMCAforkidsandteens.Thedirectortoldhimheneededtomakeagame
thattheteenswouldlikeduringthewintersincetheywerenotabletogooutside
becauseoftheNewEnglandcoldweather.Hehad14daystocreateitandhetook
ideasfromdifferentpopularsportslikefootball,soccer,andrugby.JamesNaismithwas
themostinfluentialAmericaninthehistorybecausepeoplenowplaythesport,he
inspiredthecreationoftheprogramNbaBasketball,anditbecamesuccessfulasa
sport.
BeforeJamesNaismithcreatedbasketballtheworldhadmanychanges.OnJuly
2,1890theshermanAntitrustActwassigned.July29ofthesameyearVincentVan
Goghdiedfromasuicide.December15SittingBulldiesinSouthDakota.December29
Woundedkneemassacreoccurred.AfterbasketballwascreatedNbawascreatedin
1946.ThentheWnbaforwomenwascreatedin1996.Basketballwasintroducedinto
thesummerolympicsintheyearof1936.December21,1891thefirstbasketballgame
wasplayed.AsourcesaysThefirstgameofbasketballwasplayedatwhatisnow
SpringfieldCollege(
http://www.massmoments.org/index.cfm?mid=365
).

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JamesNaismithhadlotsofimpactssuchasshorttermimpacts.Thesport
basketballgotpeoplesomethingtoplaywhenitwaswintertimeandtheycouldntplay
outside.OnesourcesaysTocreateanewsport,Naismithlookedforinspirationto
outdoorsportslikesoccer,lacrosse,andfootball,andattemptedtomodifythemtosuit
anindoorformat.Butsincethegamewouldbeplayedonahardwoodfloor,sports
involvingexcessiverunning,tackling,androughhousingwereoutofthequestion
(
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/James_Naismith.aspx
)Hemadethesportsothere
wasnocontact.Lotsofthesportsthatwereintroducedduringthistimeperiodthatwere
mettoplayoutside.Buttheproblemwasyoucouldntplaythesesportsindoor(That
timeperiod).Somesportswerefootball,soccer,andlacrosse.Thissportwasmadefor
bothindoorandoutdoor.Ifitwascoldthenyouplayitindoorbutifitwashotyoucan
playitoutdoor.Sinceitwasamixtureofmanysportspeoplecouldhavehadskillwith
thegameeventhoughitwasnew.Youdidntneedtobestronginordertobegoodat
thegame.Youneededtohaveskill.JamesNaismithcreatedthisgamesotherewere
barelyanyphysicalinteractionssoitwasntbasedonsomeone'sstrength.Hemadeit
soifyouweretogetmajorcontactthenitwouldbeafoul.Thisshowsthatyoudidnt
needthemuscle.Thereweresetofrulesthatwereplacedsothesportdidntgettoo
hecked.Theseweretheoriginal13rules.Somestayandsomegonebutthosethatstay
areinthegametoday.
JamesNaismithcreatingthisgamethinkingthekidsintheYmcawouldenjoythis
butitendedupbeingoneofthemostownsportstobeplayed.Thewholeworldplays
thesport.ThesportcreatedaprogramcalledtheNba.Thisiswhere30teamscompete

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forawholeseasonforonegoalistowintheNbaChampionship.Thishasalongterm
effectbecausethismancreatediconsthatplayedthegameandmadealivingoff
playing.PeoplelikeMichaelJordan,MagicJohnson,JerryWest,LebronJames,
ShaquilleO'Nealandmanymore.Theseiconsbroughtmorethanjustremembering
them,buttheymadekidsandteensdreamthatonedaytheycanplayintheNbaand
beasgoodastheywereduringtheirtime.Peoplerememberhimtodaywithstatuesand
thingslikethat.Hewasthemanthatwrotethefirst13originalrulesthatarestillused
today.OnesourcesaysThirteenbasicrulesguidedtheplay,whichfeaturedtwopeach
basketsasthegoals(
http://www.kshs.org/kansapedia/jamesnaismith/12154
).
AnotherlongtermimpactthatJamesNaismithscreationofbasketballwashow
successfulitisnow.Itsplayedallovertheworld.OnesourcesaysInthe12months
priortothesurvey,thisisthenumberof1417yearoldswhohadplayedeachofthe
majorsportsBasketballhadthemostwith9,182,000.
(
http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/19814/isbasketballtakingovertheworld
)
Thissportisnowplayedintheolymplcs.Thewholeworldplaysforthegoldmedal.This
sportiseverycompetitive.Butwiththesuccessfulnessofthissporttherehadbeenalot
ofmoneyproducewithit.TheNbamakesalotofmoneyandputittowardsfundations
tohelpskidsthatcan'tplaythesport.Andwiththesalariesoftheplayerstheymake
thereownfoundationstohelptreatthesekids.TheNbaalsohasNbaCareswhere
playersgotoacommunityandhelpoutthepeoplethere.OnesourcetalksaboutNba
CaresTheleaguecoordinatesawidereachingeffortamongtheNBAfamily,
communitypartners,nonprofitorganizationsandbusinesspartnerstobenefit

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communitiesworldwide(
http://cache.nba.com/nba_cares/programs/
).Butsomepeople
saythatJamesNaismithwasnotthemostinfluentialAmericaninthehistoryofthe
UnitedStates,butitwasAbrahamLincoln.
Lincolnwaswellknownbackthenandnow.Hedidthingsthatchangedtheworld
inagoodway.Hewastheleaderofthe13thamendment.Heendedslaveryandhelped
lotsofpeoplethatneeded.OnesourcesaysIn1854passageoftheKansasNebraska
Act,allowedresidentsofanynewstatesadmittedtotheUniontodecideforthemselves
whetherornotthestatewouldbefreeorslaveholding
(
http://www.historynet.com/abrahamlincoln
).Healsohelpedmakethenationnotsplit
apartwhenithadthechanceto.Hedidlotsofthingsandlotsofpeoplelovehimfor
that.Buttheonlyreasonwhyheisoneofthemostwellknowninfluentialpersonis
becausehegotthefame.
ButJamesNaismithwasmoreinfluentialthanLincolnbecausethereisstill
slaverytodayeventhoughLincolnsupposedlyendedbackthen.Onesourcesays
Therearetensofmillionsofpeopletrappedinvariousformsofslaverythroughoutthe
worldtoday.Researchersestimatethat21to36millionareenslavedworldwide,
generating$150billioneachyearinillicitprofitsfortraffickers
(
http://www.freetheslaves.net/aboutslavery/slaverytoday/
).Thismeansthateven
thoughhetriedtostopslaveryitsstillgoingonintheworldtoday.ButwithJames
Naismithwhenhebroughtbasketballit'sstillabigpartinthisworld.Lotsofpeople
knowaboutbasketballlikealotofpeoplearestillinslavery.OnesourcesaysOver26
millionAmericansplaybasketball

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(
https://www.sfia.org/press/433_Over26MillionAmericansPlayBasketball
).Thatsjust
Americans.Hewaspresidentsohewasabletodothingslikethat.Sothesewerethe
kindsofthingsthatwasjustrightforhimtodo.Slaverywasbadandsomethinghadto
bedone.ThepresidentsjobistomakedecisionstomakeAmericagreatagain.Sowhy
wouldLincolnbeknownforthethingshehasdoneevenifitwasthepresidentsduties.
Heshouldbeknowforthenewinventionofthesport.Somethingoutofhiswayand
somethingthatlotsofpeoplewouldlovethroughouthistory.Peopleshouldbeknownfor
thingsthatareuniquenotthingsthattheyareresponsibleforthepeople.Thisiswhat
JamesNaismithdid.HedidsomethingthateveryonecanenjoybutwhatLincolndid
withslaverythewhitesdidnotlikewhathedid.
Inconclusion,JamesNaismithwasthemostinfluentialAmericaninthehistory
becausepeoplenowplaythesport,heinspiredthecreationoftheprogramNba
Basketball,anditbecamesuccessfulasasport.and.Ithashelpinmanywaystocreate
manyidolsformanypeopleandhascreatedveryimportantpeoplethathasImpacted
theworldinmanywaysasfarasclothing,shoes,socks,andjerseysetcManykids
lookuptotheidolsofbasketballthatthegamehasmade.Theyarenotregularpeople
theyarefigureintheeyeofchildrenandeveninadultstilthisdaymanypeoplefind
theirwayinthegameofbasketball.Themanthatinventedthegameofbasketball
shouldbeveryproudofhisachievementsthatthegamehasbroughthimpeoplehave
playedbasketball.It'snotaneasysportforeveryonebutthat'sthepointofthegameto
notjustgiveupafteronetrytheytryandtryagainafteragain,yeahlegendscomeand
gobutthegameofbasketballwillliveonmakingnewlegendsandimportantpeople

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foreverbecauseofthisoneman,thereallegendofbasketballtheonetheycallJames
Naismithwillliveforeverforwhathedid.