Interview Transcript - Abbi Huderle
Sachin: What do you think was the biggest obstacle in the way of creating the game for Dr. Naismith?
Abbi: I think his biggest obstacle was creativity. His goal was to create a game that could keep the interest of college-aged men, since long winters and limited indoor activities created restlessness in the students. He needed to pull elements from various games and sports to create something that was easy to learn, challenging yet fun, safe to play indoors, and totally new. There were a lot of failed attempts at altering other sports before he found success with basketball.
S: What do you think the overall effect of inventing the game is today?
A: I think the invention of basketball has had a lot of different effects, depending on who you’re talking about. For Naismith, initially, it meant he hadn’t failed his assignment at work. If you’re looking at the sport as a whole, it’s become an international phenomenon. It’s one of the sports that kids can start at a young age, so it helps them learn sportsmanship and encourages physical activity in people of all ages. I think there are other sports that do the same things, but basketball is obviously a popular one. It’s hard to imagine a world without basketball – no NCAA tournament, no NBA – so there’s the entertainment aspect as well.
S: How did the invention of a safe sport like basketball influence other more aggressive sports like football?
A: The rules of basketball included not being allowed to tackle/hit/hold/trip, etc., which was largely due to the fact that they were playing indoors on a hard floor with walls and equipment all around, so tackling was more dangerous than it would be outside, say on a football field. Naismith was personally wary of injuries, having experienced several head injuries as a football player, and is credited with creating the forerunner of the football helmet. So I might say that Naismith himself influenced safety to a degree in other sports, but I’m not necessarily sure that the invention of basketball had any particular influence on more aggressive sports. Granted I don’t know as much about the development of safety equipment and rules in football, but I believe it was more the experience of injuries while playing that impacted the sport, not the invention of a different one.
Abbi Huderle
Director
Booth Family Hall of Athletics at Kansas State University
Abbi: I think his biggest obstacle was creativity. His goal was to create a game that could keep the interest of college-aged men, since long winters and limited indoor activities created restlessness in the students. He needed to pull elements from various games and sports to create something that was easy to learn, challenging yet fun, safe to play indoors, and totally new. There were a lot of failed attempts at altering other sports before he found success with basketball.
S: What do you think the overall effect of inventing the game is today?
A: I think the invention of basketball has had a lot of different effects, depending on who you’re talking about. For Naismith, initially, it meant he hadn’t failed his assignment at work. If you’re looking at the sport as a whole, it’s become an international phenomenon. It’s one of the sports that kids can start at a young age, so it helps them learn sportsmanship and encourages physical activity in people of all ages. I think there are other sports that do the same things, but basketball is obviously a popular one. It’s hard to imagine a world without basketball – no NCAA tournament, no NBA – so there’s the entertainment aspect as well.
S: How did the invention of a safe sport like basketball influence other more aggressive sports like football?
A: The rules of basketball included not being allowed to tackle/hit/hold/trip, etc., which was largely due to the fact that they were playing indoors on a hard floor with walls and equipment all around, so tackling was more dangerous than it would be outside, say on a football field. Naismith was personally wary of injuries, having experienced several head injuries as a football player, and is credited with creating the forerunner of the football helmet. So I might say that Naismith himself influenced safety to a degree in other sports, but I’m not necessarily sure that the invention of basketball had any particular influence on more aggressive sports. Granted I don’t know as much about the development of safety equipment and rules in football, but I believe it was more the experience of injuries while playing that impacted the sport, not the invention of a different one.
Abbi Huderle
Director
Booth Family Hall of Athletics at Kansas State University