Basketball has become an increasingly popular recreational and competitive sport, but it has modest beginnings, as it was invented to distract a rowdy YMCA class during the cold, Massachusetts winter. Since then, the game has evolved into a a professional enterprise and an Olympic sport. The equipment, including the net, has changed significantly since that first game.
Beginning
In December 1891, Dr. James Naismith was an instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association training school in Springfield, Massachusetts. The cold winter inhibited outdoor activities and Naismith had to come up with a game they could play indoors. He created a game called "Basket Ball" with 13 basic rules. The first game was played in January 1892 with nine players on each team.
Rules And Equipment
The rules dictated that you could not run with the ball. You had to throw the ball from the spot you caught it. You could bat the ball in any direction with your hand, but not with your fist. The first game of basketball was played with a soccer ball and peach baskets. A goal counted when the ball was thrown or batted into the basket and remained there. The peach baskets had bottoms, so players retrieved the ball with a ladder after each goal.
Net Evolves
It soon became apparent that retrieving the ball with a ladder was inconvenient and time-consuming. Eventually, the bottom of the peach basket was removed. However, the ball still got caught in the peach basket so players used a long pole to poke it out.
By 1906, iron hoops replaced fruit baskets and chicken-wire was used for the net, which allowed the ball to pass all the way through.
Today's Net
Over time, the wire net evolved into a twine net. Various governing organizations, including the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the National Basketball Association dictate the net material and size. College and professional nets must be between 15 and 18 inches long. Each level of play requires the net to be within a specific thread count. For collegiate play, the net cannot be less than 120-thread nor more than 144-thread. For professional play, the net cannot be less than 30-thread nor more than 120-thread.
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