Let’s find out when basketball backboards were first used. The first basket ballbackboards installation took place in 1894, to keep spectators away from the goals. They were originally made of chicken wire, as were the baskets. With addition of backboards, the game changed to include rebounding.
Wooden peach baskets were often nailed on the edge of a gymnasium balcony as goals. Spectators, who wished to see their team win, often leaned over the railing and interfered with the ball.
To prevent such interference, behind each basket a large wooden backboard got placed. Later, the backboards got shifted inside the court to allow for a shot at the basket from anywhere inside the playing area.
The dimensions of earlier backboards have been lost in time. Now all levels of basketball — including high school, NCAA, WNBA and the NBA — have the same regulations: 6 feet wide and 3 1/2 feet tall.
Backboards are flat and transparent. Each backboard has a 24-inch-wide by 18-inch-tall rectangle painted on the surface above the basket. The upper edge of the rectangle’s bottom line is even with the rim. Now you know when basketball backboards were first used.
Why is it called basketball? For that first game of basketball in 1891, Naismith used as goals two half-bushel peach baskets, which gave the sport its name.
Is basketball an easy sport? Basketball is one of the most popular sports in the world. Much of basketball practiced (like shooting or dribbling) with one person making it easy to learn. The sport also is great for one-on-one play all the way up to 5-on-5, so you don’t need a big crowd to get a good game going.
Content for this question contributed by Sammy Saylor, resident of Elmwood Place, Hamilton County, Ohio, USA
