Last week I gave a speech on the history and evolution of the sport of basketball. Basketball was invented by Dr. James Naismith in 1891. The first "official" game consisted of two nine-man teams. The first equipment was two peach baskets nailed ten feet above a gym floor and a soccer ball. Originally, one could not move while holding the ball. The umpire was the judge of the players while the referee watched the ball. The game consisted of two 15-minute halves with a 5-minute halftime break. Other than that, the basic rules were the same. As the game became more widespread with the help of the YMCA, new equipment and rules were adopted. By 1897, teams of five became the standard. Interference of spectators led to the development of the backboard. A metal rim with a net was often attached to the backboard. In 1906, someone decided to open the bottom of the basket to let the ball fall through after shots were made. In 1910, the rules were modified to allow dribbling, but not dribbling and shooting in the same possession. This was changed in 1916, when it was decided that dribbling and then shooting is allowed. Basketball made its first Olympic appearance in Berlin in 1936. Dr. Naismith was flown into the city to watch the game he created. In 1942, the first factory-made ball was manufactured.
It was somewhat boring, and I jumped around topics in a seemingly random manner. My visual aid was too wordy and I relied on it far too much. I used "like", "um...", "okay", and "you know" much more than necessary. I should have practiced my actual speech more than what I did. In areas other than that, my speech was decent. I made eye contact with the class and kept good posture most of the time. I exceeded the time requirement, but not to the point of my 1980s speech.
*I didn't find your speech particularly boring--I learned quite a bit about basketball.
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