As a freshman at Lombard College Carl Sandburg joined the basketball team. On a Saturday night in January 1899, he had helped his team beat the Knox College team by 16 to 12. The local newspaper reported Sandburg was good at goal throwing.

As a child, Sandburg had played “Duck-on-a-Rock” on East Berrien Street. The duck is a small rock which is placed on a larger rock. The player uses a stick to knock the small rock off the large rock. Then he has to run to pick up his rock and get back to the base rock before another player can tag him. If a player chooses not to pick up his rock, he can pick up another player's rock and run to the base. If caught, the player is “It” and his rock becomes the new Duck-on-a-Rock. It is somewhat reminiscent of the English game of cricket. Perhaps playing the game, with its emphasis on running, helped Sandburg develop his skills for basketball.

The game of basket ball, as it was originally called, had been invented by James Naismith in 1892. He was a physical education instructor at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in Springfield, Massachusetts. He called his new game basket-football. His purpose was to provide strenuous exercise for his students during the winter.

There were only thirteen rules in the game with nine men on each side. The players had to be reminded there was no tackling in the game. A soccer ball was used and was thrown into a peach basket nailed to the railing of the gallery above the playing floor. The game had to stop when the ball went into the basket. The janitor climbed a ladder to retrieve the ball. Later, a backboard was attached to the railing of the gallery so opposing fans couldn't knock the ball away from the basket. A small hole was put in the peach basket so a stick could be used to push the ball up and out of the basket. Some of the players thought it was a silly game.

The first game was played on March 11, 1892. Two hundred spectators watched the game. The faculty played a team of students and were beaten five to one. The only faculty player to score a basket was Amos Alonzo Stagg. He later coached football at the University of Chicago.

Improvements to the game developed fairly quickly. By 1896 five-man teams were the rule. The metal hoop with a net was added in 1906.The YMCA had a major role in spreading the game around the world. Colleges started teams and formed conferences to regulate the sport. During World War I American troops took the game to France where it became popular.

Various associations were formed to supervise the rules of basketball. By 1936 basketball had become an Olympic medal sport. Professional teams began to be established and were organized into the National Basketball Association in 1949.

The sport has become a billion dollar business. One wonders what Carl Sandburg, or for that matter, James Naismith would have made of “March Madness.”