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When basketball was invented in 1891 in America, it was intended to be an outdoor game, which could be played during the severe American winters, when the ground was too frozen or snowy for baseball. Nowadays the game is played on specially designed basketball courts all over the world. It is a popular game because it demands speed and skill from its players, and is very exciting to watch. Most American cities have basketball teams. The teams often have names such as the Tigers’ which suggest speed and physical power.
Basketball is played by two opposing teams, each of five players, on a rectangular court which is 26 meters long by 14 meters wide. Variations of 2 meters on the length and 1 meter on the width are permitted. The object of the game is to score points by shooting the ball into the opponent’s goal. This used to be a wooden basket fixed high on a pole, but nowadays it is a metal hoop (still often referred to as the basket), 45 centimeters in diamete