On Monday, July 29, 2013, The Marriot Hotel in Springfield Massachusetts extended the courtesy of holding our luggage while we visited the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. We learned that this present location is the 3rd one. It keeps growing.
It was established in 1959. Funds were raised and the building opened on February 17, 1968. This was at the Springfield College where Naismith invented the sport in 1891. Seventeen years later and more than 630,000 visitors, a new building was constructed beside the Connecticut River and recognized women for the first time. This was in 1985. In 2002, the new building was moved 100 yards into a $47 million facility. To date, the hall honors 314 individuals and 9 teams.
James Naismith invented basketball in the winter of 1831. He was a 30 year old physical education instructor from the local YMCA in Springfield. He wanted a game that could be played between football and baseball. He was interested in the development of the triangular relationship between the mind, body & spirit of young people.
Jim and I were there for about 2 ½ hours. After coat checking my helmet, the hall took our picture and we purchased it once we completed our touring. There were two floors of exhibits and the first floor was a basketball court. People of all ages were having fun shooting balls. We read so many informational boards; saw trophies, rings, pictures, interactive stations and other exhibits. We, of course took pictures. It was so much fun. I knew that Jim would enjoy it, but I was surprised how much I, too enjoyed it.
No comments:
Post a Comment