The Rise of the Modern Game

Several events in the 1930s spurred the growth of the game as a spectator sport and at the same time made basketball more exciting for the players. The first of these came in the 1932-33 season (basketball seasons tend to run from Autumn through to Spring) rules designed to speed up play were adopted. It became mandatory, under penalty of losing possession, to move the ball past midcourt in less than ten seconds. In addition, no player was permitted to remain within the foul lanes for more than three seconds. Then in 1934 a New York sportswriter, Ned Irish, persuaded the promoters at New York's Madison Square Garden, a large arena, to schedule doubleheaders between college teams. These events proved successful, and similar promotions followed in other cities. Before long, colleges began building their own arenas for basketball. Another significant advance occurred in 1936, when a Stanford University team traveled from California to a Madison Square Garden promotion to challenge the eastern powers in the "cradle of basketball." Opponents and fans were stunned by the Stanford style of shooting--one-handed while jumping, which contrasted to the prevalent method of taking two-handed shots while standing still. One Stanford player, Hank Luisetti, was so adept at the "jump shot" that he could outscore an entire opposing team. The new style gained universal acceptance, and basketball scores rose remarkably. In the 1937-38 season the center jump following each field goal was eliminated. At the end of the next season, Madison Square Garden brought in college teams from around the nation for the National Invitation Tournament (NIT), a postseason playoff that was adopted (1939) on a wider scale by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Although the NIT is still held annually, the NCAA tournament serves as the official intercollegiate championship. The University of Kentucky (coached, 1930-72, by Adolph Rupp), St. John's (in New York), the University of North Carolina, Western Kentucky, Kansas University, and Indiana University have been among the leading college basketball teams for years. From 1964 to 1975 the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), coached by John Wooden and led by the centers Lew Alcindor and Bill Walton, dominated the intercollegiate play-offs, winning the title an unprecedented 10 times in 12 years. The 1,250 college teams in the United States now draw about 30 million spectators per season. Although women have played the game since the 1890s, and even though a few states (Iowa, for instance) have shown great participatory and spectator interest in secondary-school women's basketball for some decades, significant growth and serious recognition of women's basketball in the United States and elsewhere did not occur until the 1970s. Almost all U.S. states now hold girls' high school tournaments, and basketball is the fastest-growing women's intercollegiate sport.

Professional Basketball

From 1898 on, many attempts were made to establish professional basketball as a spectator sport-but success did not come until 1946. The best of the early efforts was made by the Harlem Globetrotters, an all-black team that toured first only the United States and then internationally to play local professional or semi-professional teams. The Globetrotters, founded in 1926, were not affiliated with a league. Their style was and is often showy because, at least into the early 1950s, they could dominate all opponents. In 1946 serious professional basketball had acquired a following among American sports fans, who wanted to see the former collegians in action. That year the Basketball Association of America, with teams from the United States and one from Toronto, began competing in large arenas in the major cities. Another professional league, the National Basketball League, was already in existence, with many franchises in medium-sized midwestern cities. The two leagues merged in 1949 as the National Basketball Association (NBA) and pared away the weaker franchises.

Modern Times

With the signing of the country's best collegians through what was called a player draft, the NBA could display both talent and balance. The NBA's greatest spurt of growth occurred in the 1960s and '70s. Although the Boston Celtics, led by Bill Russel, Bob Cousy, and John Havlicek and coached by Red Auerbach, won 11 of 13 NBA titles beginning in 1957, fans also closely followed such stars as Philadelphia's Wilt Chamberlain, Cincinnati's Oscar Robertson, and Los Angeles's Jerry West and Elgin Baylor. The NBA of the 1970s and 1980s exhibited a welcome balance of power: from 1970 until 1988 no team won consecutive NBA titles, though the New York Knicks (with Willis Reed, Walt Frazier, and Bill Bradley) won twice; the Boston Celtics, 5 times (3 with Larry Bird); and the Los Angeles Lakers, 6 times (5 with Magic Johnson).

In the 1970s the NBA expanded from 9 teams to 22. Some of the new franchises were acquired when the American Basketball Association (1968-76) merged with the NBA. Also, a Dallas franchise was added in 1980; Charlotte, Carolina, and Miami, in 1988; and Minnesota and Orlando, in 1989. During the late 1970s and early 1980s several women's professional leagues were begun; all of them failed financially. Women in the USA are currently under the WNBA. The NBA today enjoys a massive worldwide following, and European basketball is fast emerging to challenge the domination of the Americans.

Hobbies

The author of an article in a Polish newspaper has counted 1019 personal interests and ways to spend one's free time. The most popular hobbies are philately, collecting view-cards, coins, stamps badges and books. It's impossible to describe all these 1019 hobbies known in the world. The main thing is that they enrich our knowledge in some particular field, broaden our outlook and help us to relax.

A hobby is a favourite pastime of a person. Hobbies differ like tastes. If you have chosen a hobby to your liking, lucky you are: you have made your life more interesting.

Numerous hobbies can be subdivided into four large classes: doing things, making things, collecting things, and learning things.

The most popular of all hobby groups is doing things. It includes a wide variety of activities, everything from gardening to traveling and from chess to volleyball. Gardening is one of the oldest man's hobbies, especially in some countries (Britain, for example). A relatively new hobby which is becoming more popular is computer games.

Making things includes drawing, painting, making sculpture, designing costumes, and handicrafts. Some hobbyists write music. Two of the most famous hobby painters were President Eisenhower and Sir Winston Churchill.

Almost everyone collects something at some period in his life: stamps, coins, matchboxes, books, records, postcards, toys, watches. Some collections have no real value. Others become so large and so valuable that they are housed in museums and galleries. Many world-famous collections started in a small way with one or two items. People with a good deal of money often collect paintings, rare books and other art objects. Often such private collections are given to museums, libraries and public galleries so that others might take pleasure in seeing them.

No matter what kind of hobby a person has, he always has the opportunity of learning from it. By reading about the things he is interested in, he is adding to what he knows. Learning things can be the most exciting aspect of a hobby.

Job Hunting

Searching for a job isn't easy, and hopefully no-one ever said it would be because, believe me, from personal experience it isn't. You tend to get your hopes up that you can walk into the easiest of jobs and you can get paid a lot for quite frankly doing very little and sitting on your ass all day. "No" I hear you say? I was hoping I could find a job that would fund my clothes and CD addiction. I'd had a bad experience with a job but even the money couldn't keep me there. This time last year I was working in a pub/restaurant. There were so many meals and I had to learn all about them in case someone asked me questions. It doesn't sound stressful I know, sounds rather silly. It was on my first day I met my work enemy too, the touch screen till. Instead of the old fashioned tills, it was a computer thing, too hi-tech for me. But you know what? It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the job; it was just my first proper job, where I get my own little pay and everything. Of course, because it was a new world to me, one where I couldn't tug on my Mum's apron strings any longer, I found the situation rather intimidating. I'm quite a shy person as it is and suddenly it was like a rabbit being thrown into a lions den. Surely I didn't stand a chance. It was an overreaction, though, and soon I settled in. In my experience, when you do find a job, the best thing to do is to keep your head down. No-one is saying you can't talk to your colleagues, because at the end of the day communication is vital to provide a good service to your potential customers. It may be scary, nerve-wracking and you may dread your first day like I did. It happens with a lot of things in life, driving for example. The first time is hard, you think it can't get any easier but it will. This logic can be applied to both starting a job (new place, new people) and job-hunting (you think you won't find anything but you will). So, you've decided you want a job, whether it is part or full time, the "rules", well my guidelines pretty much apply for both. Make sure that you apply for a job, that you know you will enjoy. There’s no point doing a job you don't like or that you do not find fulfilling. Try to find a job that suits you and your interests. It would be silly and a waste of time to get a job in a shoe shop if you aren't keen on feet (thinking of myself there and I shudder at the thought of working with feet) or working in a florists if you are allergic to pollen. Be aware of the working hours. If you are at school, college or university and the job is only part time you can't let it affect your school work or to some extent your social life. Look for a job which has hours that are realistic for you and that you can handle. Don't forget that when looking for a job, at least try and find one in your area or perhaps only a bus ride away. There’s nothing worse than having only a four hour shift when it takes two hours to get there. Try to find out the rate of pay/wages you should be expecting if you start the job. You will usually find this out in an interview. If you are giving up your time, while the experience is valuable, the money you get does still have to be decent. Keep your options open. Don't apply for the first job you find. Have a look around and when you do find a number of jobs that are suitable for you try and find out more. As for interviews, they can make or break a job application. There are a lot of things that you need to remember if you do reach that stage. Interviewers are not trying to trip you up. They are looking to see why you are suitable for the job and why they should hire you instead of the person before you. Feel fairly confident but don't be arrogant about an interview. You must have impressed them for them to have offered you an interview; so far you have done fairly well. In a way an interview is the time when you can sell yourself, but the interviewer will most likely see through some things. Don't exaggerate your achievements or in other words claim to be something you are not. It will only backfire on you in the end. It always goes without saying that you should be punctual and well dressed for your interview. This is the last chance you will get and it will leave a lasting impression on the interviewer. Finally, never give up looking; keep your eyes open for vacancies. Always have a copy of your Curriculum Vitae with you when you go out shopping, you never know. Even if there isn't a vacancy notice in the window of a shop you could always go and ask inside. Get your CV's spread around, and then when an opportunity does arise the company has you on their books so to speak.