THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2010
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 123 ISSUE 55
RULES OF THE GAME
Basketball's 'birth certificate' up for charity auction
Mike Gunnoe/KANSAN
A replica of the game's original rules hangs downtown. The auction service Sotheby's, valued the original document at at least $2 million.
Naismith's original rules valued to be worth $2 million-plus
BY STEPHEN
MONTEMAYOR
smontemayor@kansan.com
The now yellowed and worn pages Dr. James Naismith drafted 119 years ago for a game he called "Basket Ball" contained the origin of a sport now among the world's most beloved. That two-page document is now being scrutinized and compared to letters from George Washington and Abraham Lincoln and hand-written lyrics by John Lennon.
"It struck us that this was of the same level of magnitude and significance if not even greater than some of those," said Selby Kiffer, senior vice president and head of the books and manuscripts department at Sotheby's.
Sotheby's, one of the world's oldest auction houses, has been tasked with putting a value, or at least a ballpark estimate, on what is the only tangible document representing the origin of a major world sport.
The rules will be sold at an auction Dec. 10 in New York. Naismith's grandson, Ian, gave them to Sotheby's.
last spring in hopes that their sale could provide a financial boost to the reeling Naismith International Basketball Foundation, which he founded in 1989.
Ian told the The Associated Press last week that it was a family decision to auction the rules and that the money would be given to his foundation's charity.
The foundation provides support and services for underprivileged children worldwide. Ian said the economy's condition, his health and the death of his wife made it important to him that the rules be used for charity.
"We need to take the money and work the money back into kids," said Ian Naismith in an interview with the AP.
Kiffer said the document is valued at $2 million-plus, meaning that Sotheby's did not want to put an artificial cap in people's minds of what it might be worth. The last time Sotheby's used an open-ended estimate, Kiffer said, was for Sue, the most complete T-Rex fossil skeleton ever found. It was valued at $1 million-plus and sold for $7.4 million to a Chicago museum.
This strategy is also necessary for the rules of basketball because of the document's unusual nature, Kiffer said.
SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY
and most things like that don't have a starting point," Kiffer said.
ball” and “two fifteen-minute halves, with five minutes rest between” beget what is now a sport with an eight-figure value. Forbes Magazine valued the total worth of teams in the National Basketball
longer than he has, which he said was about 35 years.
It's a topic of discussion at a place where much discussion is to be had. A man sits below
"It represents the creation of a pivotal element of American culture..."
SELBY KIFFER
Senior vice president, Sotheby's
He said the copy has been there
Association to around $10 billion. In 2007, the magazine-listed-the University of Kansas as having the eighth-most valuable college basketball team at $16 million.
Among customers, Lawrence Mayor Mike Amyx takes a break from cutting hair to talk about a replica of Naismith's rules hanging on the wall at Amyx Barber Shop, 842 1/2 Massachusetts St.
it, waiting his turn while wearing a T-shirt from 1998 commemorating 100 years of Kansas basketball. The copy shows the humble beginnings of a game as big in China as it is here. The rules are surrounded by
photos of Naismith, copies of letters from Forrest Clare "Phog" Allen and team photos from Lawrence High School teams from the 1920s and 1930s. It's a scene that begs comparisons to a family tree.
"It would be hard to put a price tag on it," Amyx said.
-Edited by Alex Tretbar
SUSTAINABILITY
KU EcoHawks convert donated car to electric
Kansas Libraries will use the car to deliver on-campus mail
BY KELLY STRODA kstroda@kansan.com
Josh Petty always liked tinkering with machines when he was
right now — no tires, a battered back fender and a missing front end. The EoHawks removed the Jimmy's engine last week.
work on his mom's broken awn mower until it was finally running smoothly.
Wires and tubes are exposed that some people will never see in their entire lives. Blue painting tape marks the wires and tubes — the gas pedal line here, air bag wires there.
Now he has a bigger project. Petty, a senior from Olathe, s team leader of the KU
Instead of a gas engine, the Jimmy will be powered by a main electric motor and two auxiliary motors, Petty said. The motors
The 1997 GMC Jimmy, a small sport utility vehicle, sits cropped up on car jacks in the KU EcoHawks' garage on West Campus. It's a definite change of scene from the police impound at where the Jimmy sat for two years before being donated to the EcoHawks.
EcoHawks' GMC Jimmy project. The group is working to convert the car into a fully-electric vehicle. Petty said the group hopes to save the project completed by the end of spring.
"It's that hands-on learning that makes them the best engineers."
But for now, the conversion is a work in progress.
The car looks a bit dilapidated
CHRIS DEPCIK EcoHawks advisor
will run using more than 1,000 rechargeable batteries. The batteries — similar to those that cordless drills use — are about the size of AA batteries.
The full conversion is estimated to cost $55,000.
Just as each system in the car's engine has to work in unison, Petty said the group members have to work together as well. The 12 students working on the project have a different area of focus.
Jon Kalinowski, a senior from Wichita, is focused on power steering. He said he enjoys the freedom and hands-on learning that the project provides.
"I love the fact that we aren't just doing theory," he said. "We're not just sitting in a lab. We're not just on the Internet or reading books."
Student Senate passed a bill which gave the EcoHawks $2,500 to use for the conversion project.
Other funding for the project is coming from the EcoHawks budget and sponsors.
The students have to research,
theorize and then put their work into practice.
After the car is finished, KU Libraries will use the car to deliver on-campus mail. The campus mail route includes main and West Campus buildings in addition to continuing education buildings on Kasold Drive. On a typical day, the KU Libraries mail vehicle travels about 22 miles.
"It's that hands-on learning that makes them the best engineers," said Chris Depcik, EcoHawks advisor and assistant professor of mechanical engineering.
Petty said the electric vehicle would be able to travel 80 to 90 miles before a recharge.
Edited by Lisa Curran
There shouldn't be any worry that the Jimmy won't be noticed. Petty said the EcoHawks hope to paint the frame lime green and the body white.
Lars Leon, associate librarian for KU Libraries, said the libraries encourage sustainability. The electric vehicle is another step in that direction.
"It will almost be a billboard for the idea of sustainability," Lars said.
LAWRENCE | 3A
New biking club proposes local BMX racetrack
LARRI-BMX seeks the city's approval of a plan to construct a course to fulfill Lawrence's BMX interest.
SPENCER RESEARCH LIBRARY
Decrease in young voter turnout makes sense in historical context
OPINION | 5A
Columnist Luke Brinker explains that the apparent jump in 18-to 24-year-old voters in 2008 actually wasn't all that dramatic. By comparison, Baby Boomers were driven to the polls by factors such as the draft.
INSIDE
Find extra football coverage in The Wave
Check out The Wave for up-to-date stories on Kansas football, including the scoop on new redshirt freshman Erick McGriff and commentary on fan attendance this season.
INDEX
Classifieds...9A
Crossword...4A
Cryptoquips...4A
Opinion...5A
Sports...10A
Sudoku...4A
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