History of womens basketball in the united states womens ba - GED Prep

Question

 History of women’s basketball in the United States. 

Women’s Basketball

Today basketball is one of the most popular women’s sports, both among athletes and fans. Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith and introduced to male athletes in 1891. Less than a year later, Senda Berenson, a physical education instructor at a small women’s college, decided the game would be a good alternative to the physical fitness activities offered to young women at the time.

 The rules Berenson established for her female players differed from men’s rules. The rectangular playing floor was divided into three equal zones. Each team had nine players: three forwards, three centers, and three guards. A player was restricted to her own zone on the court, could hold the ball for only three seconds, and could dribble only three times before passing. No stealing was allowed. 

As women’s basketball spread, the sport faced some opposition, including the criticism that too much physical exertion could be harmful to young women. Nonetheless, women’s teams formed in high schools, colleges, businesses, recreation centers, and neighborhoods across the United States. By the 1940s, basketball had become the women’s sport most frequently played at the high school level.

 Rules changed over the years. Some versions of the high school game had a few “rover” players, who were allowed to move freely between the different zones on the court. However, in many states, high school women played six-on-six basketball. This game had a two-section court with players restricted to their side of the court. All players were limited to two dribbles, and each team had three guards and three forwards. Only forwards were allowed to shoot the ball.

In 1958, the Office of Civil Rights began to consider banning six-on-six high school basketball. It was believed that six-on-six players were at a disadvantage when competing for college athletic scholarships. The six-on-six game was viewed as not being sufficiently compatible with the women’s college game, which by then had teams of five players, with centers, forwards, and guards all eligible to shoot the ball and run the entire length of the two-section court.

 The 1970s were pivotal for women’s basketball. The five-on-five format at the high school level gained broader acceptance. Also, Title IX passed in 1972. One consequence of this law requiring equal opportunity for women in all programs at public high schools and universities was that basketball eventually became the most frequently offered women’s sport at the college level. Another highlight of the decade was that women’s basketball became an official Olympic sport in 1976. 

Women’s basketball continued to grow in the following decades. During the 1981 – 1982 season, thirty-two teams took part in the first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championship tournament for women. Current tournaments have twice as many teams. The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), a professional league, debuted with eight teams in 1996 – 1997 and now has twelve. With women’s basketball continuing to garner so much attention and support both from potential players and from fans, the sport seems destined to thrive for years to come.

Arrange the following events in the order they occur in the passage.

1. Basketball emerged as the most frequently offered women’s sport at college.
2. Women basketball was introduced.
3. Different rules were established for female players compared to male players.
4. The format of five players per team in high school basketball became more widely embraced.
5. Men’s basketball was introduced.