Volleyball

Volleyball has a relatively modest beginning for a sport that has been practiced for more than a century. According to historical accounts, volleyball was created in 1895 by William G. Morgan as a substitute physical activity for those who felt that basketball's "bumping" and "jolting" were too taxing. After examining the available sports, William G. Morgan, the physical director of the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Holyoke, Massachusetts, selected the ones that best fit his brief. Basketball provided the ball, tennis provided the net, and handball provided the use of hands. This was the structure of a volleyball match, but the addition of baseball-inspired innings, which would eventually be called sets, gave it a more competitive feel. A year later, at Springfield College in Massachusetts, Morgan presented the sport, which was originally known as volleyball (mintonette), at the YMCA Physical Director's Conference. The net was elevated to a height of... just above the typical man's head. We attempted a basketball bladder since we needed a ball, but it was too sluggish and too light. So we attempted the basketball itself, but it was too heavy and too large. In 1900, a new, specially-designed ball was created that was smaller and lighter. Even though the sport lacked a set of rules and a set framework, it was sufficient to impress the delegation and quickly joined the YMCA's extensive network across the United States under the new moniker of volley ball (at first it was called two words). In 1952, volleyball was formally chosen as a single word to spell. This led to the creation of a sport that has its roots in basketball, baseball, tennis, and handball and is currently practiced by an estimated 800 million people worldwide.