Descriptive Essay _ Basketball

A basketball is a well-designed sphere in shape ball. In addition, the ball contains an inner rubber bladder that varies in shape in accordance with the size of the ball itself. The Balls’ inner material is always inflated to enable ease in its usage. Basketball is a vital component in the game of basketball after the playing field commonly referred to a court and the basket (Dean 2004). A basketball is dribbled on the surface and therefore design addresses its state in terms of handling and durability. The interest of the basketball game solely rests on the handling of the ball. Spinning and rolling the basketball in different styles before making a basket varies with the size of the ball. The lighter the basketball, the easier it is to roll the ball in the court. Basketball is a game that is dominating the world. It is among the most viewed sport in the entire universe. The popularity of this sport is mainly in the west; organization of leagues in the western states has grown the fun base rapidly. It has drawn interest of the young and old in an equal measure. Basketball is a game came into existence in the early.  Basketball is designed uniquely to suit the usage; there are those used in doors and those meant for outdoor usage (Dean 2004). According to the aforementioned variation in usage, material for making the ball varies.

The evolution of a basketball started in the 19^th century. Initially soccer ball played the role of this ball before its invention (James 1941). The soccer ball texture was not satisfactory to the game as the ball specifications disadvantaged the hands, leading to many injuries. Legal suits from the soccer firms necessitated the development of a ball unique to basketball. The mother design composed of leather and a rubber bladder in the inside. To distinguish it with the soccer ball, the inventors wrapped it with a cloth lining. Different environments called for unique balls, this called for additional innovations in the material and designs of basketball. In the 20^th century, various trials were done and composite materials were unanimously accepted in the different leagues for use in the manufacturing of balls (James 1941).

Leather and rubber are the preferred material for making indoor and all-surface balls respectively. Leather basketballs are more expensive than rubber balls because of the durability in use and cost of acquiring them. Outdoors environment are harsh and therefore necessitates the use of a material that is fully adapted to the surrounding. The balls surfaces vary in texture but have one thing in common, they have a small air opening in its surface to aid in inflating and deflating. In addition, the surface of the ball is recessed to different manufactures designs and variety of colors used to make it attractive. Moreover, the surface contains the logo of the traditional manufacturer or the individual logo presented during its development (Forrest 2003).

Basketball comes in different weights and circumference. These unique specifications vary in different leagues. According to basketball certifying body, International basketball federation, men competition basketball is termed as size 7 while female balls are size 6. The amount of pressure is another factor that is looked into by a certifying body before the basketball is used in a given league. For basketball to be certified, manufacturers name and a unique serial number need to be incorporated in the surface of the ball. Professionalism is highly valued by the international basketball federation, therefore the material used in the manufacturing of basketball needs to meet the requirements postulated.  Basketball associations formulate the measures to be taken into consideration when designing a basketball (Forrest 2003). The strictness of these measures varies from one association to another. National basketball associations (NBA) for example allow the usage of basketballs from a single manufacturer. The associations from 2006 have been using synthetic balls that replaced the initial leather balls. The adaptation of a different basketball changes in accordance with the requirements of the sport. Spalding, the parent company that supplies the balls to the NBA, has always designed balls that meet both the federations and player requirements (Randall 2011). The color of this association is orange and therefore most of the basketballs produced by Spalding are orange though they produce a mixture of orange and white for Women national basketball association.

A basketball from the aforementioned description is unique in different aspects. However, the name of the game is the same. Basketball attributes vary in relation to the requirements of a given league, the ranking of these leagues are also determined by the specifications of the basketball used in their practice and games (Forrest 2003). A basketball that incorporates the requirements of most of these corporations needs to be moderated for the competition to operate in the same platform. Basketball size and texture needs to cope with the play requirements and be conducive to the players using appropriate materials. To be arrived at, different federations need to harmonize their requirements with the establishment of a product with international features in their minds.

Works cited

Dean Oliver. Basketball on paper: rules and tools for performance analysis . New York: Potomac Books, Inc., 2004

Randall Parr.  Basketball Fundamentals With a Twist . New York: AuthorHouse, 2011

 James Naismith . Basketball: its origin and development . Springfield: Nebraska Press, 1941.

Forrest C. Allen. Basketball, Delhi: Sterling Publishers, 2003.