![]() ![]() Berenson herself opposed intercollegiate play for women, and prioritized the health and fitness benefits for a larger goal: she believed that women, newly entering the workforce and seeking paid jobs outside the home, were at a health-related disadvantage to men, which she saw as limiting women's opportunities and the possibility for equal wages. Originally exclusively intramural, the first intercollegiate women's basketball game was played between teams from Stanford University and the University of California, Berkeley, on April 4, 1896. Arctic Sisterhood women's basketball team in Nome Alaska circa 1908 Despite men being forbidden from watching these collegiate games, the attire still drew public ridicule. Initially loose and covered by a knee-length skirt, these early pants were replaced soon after by loose bloomers over stockings. However, similar attire was impractical for a more active sport like basketball, so the first trousers for women were worn. While upper-class women had been playing sports at country clubs since the mid-nineteenth century, they were able to participate in activities such as tennis and croquet in full-length skirts and corsets. Freshman Women's Basketball Team - 1914Įarly basketball was played with peach baskets and soccer balls, similarly to the men's game, but women's uniforms again reflected the Victorian culture of the times and were designed to be practical, yet maintain the woman athlete's dignity and femininity. Variations of Berenson's rules spread across the country via YMCAs and women's colleges, where educated middle-class women were following the prevailing trend in men's games of playing intercollegiate sports. A center jump was required after each score. No snatching or batting the ball away from another player was allowed. The ball was moved from section to section by passing or dribbling, and players were limited to three dribbles and could only hold the ball for three seconds. Three players were assigned to each area (guard, center, and forward) and could not cross the line into another area. She increased participation to nine players per team, and the court was divided into three areas. In order to keep it acceptable for women to play at all within Victorian ideals of refinement and gentility, she taught modified rules. ![]() Nineteenth-century Victorian culture stressed the frailty of women and prioritized the status of women in the home, and Berenson expressed concern about the women suffering from "nervous fatigue" if games were too strenuous for them. However, Berenson was taking risks simply in teaching the game to women. Basketball's early adherents were affiliated with YMCAs and colleges throughout the United States, and the game quickly spread throughout the country. While for men, basketball was designed as an indoor addition to existing team sports such as baseball and football, basketball became the first women's team sport, followed shortly after by hockey, rowing, and volleyball. Senda Berenson, recently hired as a young "physical culture" director at Smith, taught basketball to her students, hoping the activity would improve their physical health. Women's basketball began in the fall of 1892 at Smith College. See also: History of netball and 6 on 6 Basketball University of California-Berkeley women's basketball team, photographed in 1899 The strongest European women's basketball clubs participate in the EuroLeague Women. In the US, the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship is also popular. The FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and Women's Olympic Basketball Tournament feature top national teams from continental championships. The main North American league is the WNBA. There are multiple professional leagues and tournaments for professional women basketball players. As of 2020, basketball is one of the most popular and fastest growing sports in the world. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college competitions, and has since spread globally. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. WNBL Canberra Capitals player Nicole Hunt attempts to steal the ball from Logan Thunder's Renae CaminoĪ player from Webber International (black jersey) attempts a free throw against Stetson University (white jerseys). ![]()
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