Abstract
This paper discusses the history of the National Basketball Association and the development of the NBPA, the players association serving as a players' union. The writer looks at the formation of the league and the creation of the name. in this study of the history of the NBA, the writer looks at the construction and characteristics of the league.

The league was first formed in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America, and the name was changed to the NBA in 1949. The make-up of the NBA has changed over the years, starting with eleven teams in two divisions, adding more teams, losing teams for a time, and over the years gaining in power and prestige.

From the Paper
"The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the league for professional men's basketball in the United States. The league was first formed in 1946 as the Basketball Association of America, and the name was changed to the NBA in 1949. The make-up of the NBA has changed over the years, starting with eleven teams in two divisions, adding more teams, losing teams for a time, and over the years gaining in power and prestige. The change of name in 1949 came when the BAA merged with the National Basketball League, and at that time, there were seventeen franchises. The number was reduced to eleven in 1950, which is also when the NBA was ..."

Tags:basketball, union

Abstract
This paper explains that legendary Celtics MVP Larry Bird did not simply prove that white men could jump but also he is credited in bringing back the lagging Boston basketball franchise and infusing new energy into the league. The author uses the functionalist theory, which relates the individual to culture, media and society, to describe Bird's life and career. The paper underscores that, although Bird came of age during an era when America was becoming increasingly racially polarized and although basketball is a cultural template of racial conflicts, this white star has remained focused on the game and has maintained cordial relationships with African-American athletes on his and other own teams.

Table of Contents:
The Importance of Larry Bird
Chronological History of Bird's Career in Sports
How Socialized
Impact of Deviance
Impact of Violence
Athlete's Gender, Race/Ethnicity And Social Class Background As A Factor In His Sport Career
Economics of the Athlete's Sport and the Athlete's Career
Relationship with the Media
Functionalist Theory

From the Paper
"Bird had no fancy schooling in the game and began playing after he received a cheap rubber basketball for Christmas, shooting hoops for hours in his backyard to dull the pain he felt from his parents' divorce and later his father's suicide. As for many disadvantaged players, basketball was his only solace during a lonely and troubled childhood. He also grew up with a strong female role model, although not with a strong male role model. In an era and a town where few women worked, his mother had to work long hours, away from the growing Bird."

Tags:mother teamwork morality harmony, olympic games

Abstract
This paper will show how seventies era basketball helped to elevate the role of African Americans in the sport. By understanding the racism inherent in American history, we can see this offers positive and negative trends in racial identity.

Abstract
This paper presents a detailed look as to how Dr. James Naismith, Canadian theologian and teacher, created the game of basketball. The paper examines the influence he got from the game as a young child up until him experimenting with the early game in his capacity as gym teacher in the early 1900's.

From the Paper
"After the practice, the captain approached James and asked if he would play in the team's next game against Queen's University. James accepted and for seven years James played without missing a single game. Even though, at that time, football was viewed as a tool of the devil, Dr. Naismith enjoyed it enough to block negative feelings expressed by fellow theology students."

Tags:McGill, Gulick, Y.M.C.A., Stebbins

Abstract
The paper takes a historic look at the sport of basketball. The author takes a detailed look at how the game has changed in terms of rules and protocol, and also delves into the differences between men's and women's participation in the sport.

From the Paper
"During the winter of 1891, Dr. James Naismith, a student and professor at Springfield College in Springfield, Massachusetts "was struggling with a concept for a new type of game to condition young students during the winter months after football had ended and the track and baseball seasons were still several months away" (Hometown Delicatessen, 1997). In the next few days, Naismith invented the game of basketball."

Tags:Kinesiology

Abstract
This paper provides a brief insight into the life of basketball player Michael Jordan from his birth in in Brooklyn, N.Y. on February 17, 1963 to becoming one of America's greatest players in basketball history. It examines his career through school and college, his family life and the affect of the tragic death of his father. On January 13, 1999 Michael Jordan, the great basketball player, who goes for the hoop with his eyes rolling and his tongue sticking out, retired from the court forever.

From the Paper
"Michael accepted a basketball scholarship to the University of North Carolina. In 1981, he was a freshman in college. He played hard and got into the starting lineup. In 1982, it was the NCAA championship: UNC vs. Georgetown, and Michael made the winning shot. Because of him, the University of North Carolina was the 1982 NCAA champion. Then, the Bulls offered him a seven-year-contract worth $6.15 million. In 1984, he moved to Chicago and played with the Bulls using #23. Everything was going well for him. In his personal life, he became a millionaire, met a woman named Juanita Vanoy who was an executive secretary at the American Bar Association, got married, and had three children named Jeffery, Marcus, and Jasmine. In his career life, he was named the Most Valuable Player from 1987-98, NBA Finals MVP from 1990-98, the NBA Defensive Player of the Year for the years 1987-88, 1991 NBA championship, was in eleven NBA All-Star games, and starred in the movie "Space Jam." "

Tags:athletes, baseball, basketball, nba, players, sports, biography

Abstract
This five-page paper presents a detailed look at the history of the National Basketball Association. The author of this paper discusses how the game itself got started as well as how the NBA came to be. We are given some stats as well as background about various NBA events and players.

Abstract
The paper explores how, over the past decade, women's athletics has seen an exceptional increase in popularity. While "traditional" women's sports such as tennis, gymnastics and ice-skating have always been popular among the American public, other sports such as soccer, basketball and boxing are gaining new fans. The paper shows, however, that the popularity of women in sports has not been an overnight phenomenon. It explores how women athletes have been slowly knocking down barriers for decades, from Wilma Rudolph (track) to Billie Jean King (tennis) to Nancy Lieberman Kline (basketball), women athletes have done more than just compete, that have campaigned for the inclusion of women in sports and have been outstanding advocates for women in athletics. This paper explores the rise of women's participation in athletics and how the present day has witnessed the best support for women athletes in American history.

From the Paper
"Undeniably, women have made remarkable strides in athletics. Women athletes have much more issues to conquer than their male counterparts. For example, male athletes do not have to deal with sexism and a culture that prevents them from realizing their true potential. A revolutionary law, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in any educational program or activity at any educational institution that is a recipient of federal funds. Since the enacting Title IX there has been over an eight hundred percent increase in athletics participation among high school girls. The increase in the number of females participating in sports at all levels from elementary school to professional athletes lies in the paradigm shift in our shared values and beliefs."

Tags:sport, administration, Title, IX, of, the, Education, Amendments, Olympics

Abstract
The paper discusses how very few professionals have the right to express themselves while they are on the job, that even actors and actresses sport the 'uniform' of their trade. The writer argues that basketball is a highly competitive team sport, and is, moreover, uniquely American and so for players to, almost universally, adopt an image that conveys the lowest common denominator of American life, the ghetto, which supposedly honors its unfortunate racial history, is therefore ridiculous. The writer further argues that the NBA players are highly paid professionals, charged de facto with presenting an image that the world will find attractive and uplifting and so asking the players to present a clean-cut image, particularly in these troubling times, seems little enough to ask of people getting paid multiple millions because they are exceedingly tall and can play a child's game.

Table of Contents:
Why a Dress Code, Why Now?
Dress Codes in Professional Settings and Sports
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Not everyone is as much in favor of the rule as the Chicago student. Terry Boyd, a "hip-hop professor' at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, accuses the NBA of wanting to have it both ways. They want, he says, to hire players who come from a hip-hop environment, but then they want to demonstrate, by choosing attire that might be worn by Commissioner David Stern and not street-wise players, that Stern, and not the players, is in charge of the league (Cholo, 2005). The brother of the student in favor of the code opposes it, contending that it is insulting to hip-hop; more cogently, he points out that the "NBA makes money off hip-hop" (Cholo, 2005). Indeed, rappers Nelly and Jay Z "are part owners of basketball teams" (Cholo, 2005)."

Tags:hip-hop, gangster

Abstract
This paper examines the issue of gender and racial discrimination in sport both at college as well as professional level. It attempts to dispel the myths regarding women equality and meritocracy in sports, such that women earn through professional as well as college sports as much as their male counterparts. It examines the struggles involving women recognition in sports through the history of basketball which evolved in 1891 but only allowed women players in 1971 and the differences in women participation in college sports and professional sports. The paper also outlines the racial desegregation of college and professional sports, bringing out the similarities and the differences to that of gender bias.

From the Paper
"Though women face various challenges in the name of discrimination in sports oriented activities and career advancements, women in college sports face less resistance due to the fact that at college level, friendships and relationships are more sound and meaningful than at a professional level where shrewd politics dominate the sports scenario and extreme resistance is faced by women who are professional athletes. Moreover, in college sports, due to combined activities, women get more or less the same facilities and coaching aid that their male friends receive. Alternately, women athletes on a professional level are struggling hard to receive better or equal facilities than men athletes."

Tags:college, discrimination, racial, desegregation, basketball, women, blacks, whites