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Basketball governed by Handball federation
The game of basketball had a hard time in its early years getting established internationally. There was a demonstration tournament at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis where five American teams participated. At the 1924 Games in Paris, teams from England, France and Italy played but the sport remained unofficial. It was just a teaser, a taste of the game which had already been made wildly popular for decades on the American continent. But it took time to gain an independent ruling body. FIBB (Fédération Internationale de Basketball) – today FIBA – was not founded in Geneva until 1932. The first president was the Swissman Leon Bouffard while the 26-year-old Brit Renato William Jones was general secretary. Jones turned out to be the most important individual in developing Olympic basketball.
The International Olympic Committee saw the IAHF (Internationale Amateur Handball Federation) as responsible for handball and basketball. In 1934, Jones traveled to Stockholm without an invitation for an IAHF meeting and convinced those responsible of the necessity of an independent basketball organisation. And the FIBB broke off from the IAHF officially on 1 September. On the return trip Jones got in touch with Carl Diem, who he knew from their time together at the academy for physical exercises in Berlin. Diem was the general secretary of the organising committee for the 1936 Olympic Games. And he helped force the IOC to recognise the FIBB and bring basketball into the Olympic program, meaning the sport could be played in Berlin in 1936.
When the American players arrived in Berlin, the Olympic Village left a lasting impression. The accomodations were very comfortable and the athletes were quite friendly with one another. But after a bit of orientation, the team began wondering where the gym was. “The Nazi mentality, which was supposed to be the apotheosis of detail and organization, had certainly misfired,” said Balter. “Why hadn’t the master organizers bothered to find out basketball was an indoor game?” That will forever remain a secret …
The FIBB pleaded for an outdoor tournament where the tennis courts were transformed into basketball courts. And it remained a one-time experiment. After 1936, the federation suggested to its members that the game return to the hardwood flooring. But there were still problems making basketball’s first steps in the Olympics difficult. The United States were able to successfully protest efforts to banning any player taller than 6-foot-2. But there was a disappointment awaiting as there was no ceremony planned to honor Naismith at the Opening Ceremonies on 7 August. In addition, only seven players were allowed to be used during a game. The seven Universals, six Oilers and Bishop rotated games. They also struggled to get used to the ball, which was produced in Germany but seemed more like a soccer ball than a basketball. “It wasn’t heavy like a regular basketball. You would shoot it, and the wind might catch it and blow it three or four feet to the side,” said Francis Johnson, whose older brother Gene was an assistant for the team.
But those were conditions that all 21 teams had to deal with. Originally there were 23 participating nations planned for basketball – which was a record for team sports at the Games. But the Spaniards, who were dealing with a civil war at home, did not show up and neither did Hungary. Those nations’ games were awarded as 2-0 victories for their opponents. In addition, the Peruvian team withdrew in the third round out of solidarity with the nation’s disqualified soccer team. The Third Reich’s team proved giving guests with three losses (25-18 against Switzerland, 58-16 versus Italy and 20-9 against Czechoslovakia) as well as a 2-0 victory over Spain. Leading the way were the United States.
“Weather: Rain during the whole match. Temperature about 14°C (57°F). The ground was completely soaked. The match, which was scheduled to commence at 6 p.m., had to be postponed 25 minutes, while efforts were made to improve the ground. Slight wind.”
That was the official Olympics report about the weather conditions for the final between the Americans and Canada. It sounded less sober coming from the players. Sam Blater called the conditions comedic like Charlie Chaplin. Frank Lubin, who had to sit in the stands with his Universal teammates, admits he felt like he was watching a game of waterpolo.
The game, which drew some 2,000 spectators, was played in a driving rain storm. The Americans led 15-4 at halftime before the game turned into a true slapstick act – as well as a passing drill. The water was inches deep on the court, leaving dribbling as a non-option. At the end, the U.S. won the game 19-8 to take the first Olympic gold medal in basketball. Center Joe Fontenberry’s eight points matched the entire Canadian team. And the Americans went undefeated, outscoring their opponents 152-69.
R. William Jones and James Naismith were in charge of the medal ceremony though only the seven players who played in the final were awarded the gold medal. There was a special surprise waiting for Naismith, who was also given a medal as well as a laurel wreath.
It was a conciliatory finish for an Olympic premiere which started as an odysee. Even the neutral press had words of praise for the new Olympic discipline. The Reichssportblatt said: “No other game is quicker and very few demand so much from the players.”
The pioneers did good work and evened the bumpy road. The United States would win every gold medal until the controversial 1972 final when the Soviet Union captured the title. But no one on the SS Manhattan could have even imagined that.
