ll

12

13

14

15

16

if

18

14

ago. He was speaking of the game's desirgable goal -- play for the fun of it.
He originated this game so that eighteen boys could play for the sheer fun of! ‘on 7,
It is a far cry from then to now. Basketball now, is a highly organized team
geme gpand an excellent one, It is a useful and desirable interfscholastic
au) itirerleg ate obec. ce

spert, But menacing symptoms are showing which may eat out its heart. In many

places it appears too commercialized. In others, it looks like a racket.

The first considerations in any amateur game, and basketball ts ino exception,
should be the physical, mental, and social welfare of the participants. But

the basketball rulgemakers evidently considered other elements paramount By
eliminating the center jump they created a speed game in which inde hysteria,
hyper~tension, heart strain, poor passing, and fumbling predominate. They

also added another out~of~bounds play for every goal made by either toate

Prior to the elimination of the center jump, the Rules Body and various coaches
had complained that there were too many stoppages pe the game from out-of- A
bounds plays, whistle-tooting and so forth. Their chtef dissatisfaction with
wise ‘the status quo, however, was the tall monzanine-peeping goon center wag .
they claimed, dominated the game by controlling the tiypott or tap. They \

declared that this jumplessfcentor change would drive a tall player who was \

 

7
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used only for the tap out of the game. In this sinihiaiiien were badl Pe a a