Page 92 - Revised Unified Sports Curriculum electronic version Rev. 8.1_2
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UNIFIED BASKETBALL UNIT

        HISTORY/ENVIRONMENT/CULTURAL INFLUENCES

        WHEN:          1891

        WHERE:         Springfield, Mass

        WHO:           Dr. James Naismith

        ORIGINAL GAME:
              During the cold Massachusetts winters, attendance at the local Young Men’s Christian
               Association (YMCA), where Dr. Naismith worked was low.  Dr. Naismith needed to design
               a game that was exciting, fun, and could be played indoors to encourage people to come
               to the YMCA.
              Ball was big and light for indoor safety.
              Peach baskets were suspended 10 feet off of the ground to decrease body contact in the
               smaller indoor space.
              Running or moving without the ball was prohibited to make the game safer.
              Body contact was prohibited.
              Kicking or punching of the ball was prohibited.
              Men began playing basketball in 1891 and women followed in 1892.
                      st
              The 1  International Special Olympics Summer Games were held in Soldier Field in Chicago,
               Illinois where 1,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities from 26 U.S. States and Canada
               compete in track and field and swimming on July 19-20, 1968.
              Special Olympics Arizona was officially started in 1975, Phoenix, Arizona.
              Unified Sports® introduced to United States in mid-1980’s, a major focus in Arizona in 2008.

        WHAT IS UNIFIED SPORTS®?
              Unified Sports® is a program which combines athletes with and without intellectual disabilities
               to form sports teams for training and competition.
              Unified Sports® dramatically increase inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in to the
               community by breaking down historical barriers which kept these people apart.
              An estimated 50,000 athletes now participate worldwide in Unified Sports® programs in
               cooperation with schools, civic association, Parks and Recreation departments, and other
               community sports organizations.
              Unified Sports® is a program endorsed and developed by Special Olympics International.
              Unified Sports® presently includes swimming, athletics, basketball, bocce, bowling,
               cheerleading, flag football, floor ball, badminton, golf, kayaking, soccer, softball, tennis and
               volleyball with several other sports undergoing field testing.








        Special Olympics Arizona (SOAZ)                                        1                         06.01.2011
        Permission from PUSD#11
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