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Samuel Strong
Camille Pack
English 2010-014
16 April 2015
1732 Words
Raise the Rim, Bury the Game
There are many people and things that are threatening America today. Some more
serious than others, like cyber warfare, terrorism, and weapons of mass destruction (Top 3
Threats). Others less serious, like cul-de-sacs or raising the height of the basketball rim from 10
feet to 11 feet. Whether or not the threat is at the top of the seriousness list, if not watched and
heeded, it will have an adverse impact on America.
Look at how much basketball is entwined with American culture. Over 26 million people
in America play basketball, thats about 8% of the population (Over 26 Million). In a poll, about
13% of Americans said that basketball was their favorite sport to watch (Sports). Some may
say that 8% and 13% is not a lot, but that much would drop your grade 1-2 letter grades!
Without that extra 8-13% you wouldnt be able to carry around a nice crisp Benjamin in your
wallet, instead you would have an assortment of smaller, less impressive bills. Likewise if 8-13
percent of the US population is negatively affected by a change to their favorite sport, who is to
say that there will be peace? In essence, to change the height of the rim would be a poor
decision.
There are many who have voiced their opinions on the matter. In an ongoing, online
survey on debate.org, the crowd is split close to the middle with 53% who think the rim should
be raised and 47% who feel the rim should stay the same (Should the NBA). In a debate on the

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New York Times website, out of the 7 participating debaters, only 2 (28.57%) think the rim
should be raised and 5 (71.43%) think the rim should stay at the same height (Should the Rim).
All these statistics are nice at giving a view of the stand point of Americans on the issue, but they
are not enough. After all 99% of Americans could say that 1+1=3 and they would all be as
wrong as a three dollar bill! What is needed is the facts/reasons why the rim should be the same.
Lets first take a look at some of the reasons why people feel the height of the rim should
be changed from 10 feet to 11 feet or some other preposterous height. Username JADEUSA
says The art of a dunk would once again be amazing! You may only get to see 5 dunks per game
(exciting) versus 30+ dunks per game (boring)
(Should the NBA). That ideology right there
is more backwards than this guy. The dunk,
in essence, is what people pay to see. It is after
all, one of the most dynamic, entertaining and
memorable parts of the game! When you go
trick or treating do you hope to get only 5 king-size candy bars because its more exciting?! NO!
Everybody wants 30+ king-size candy bars!
Other reasons to change the height of the rim were given by Tom Newell and Earl
Monroe. Tom Newell feels that raising the rim is needed because players no longer possess the
fundamentals, such as passing and shooting. Tom adds, that because other aspects of basketball
have evolved and changed before, that it is okay to do it again (Newell, Tom). Earl Monroe a
former NBA player claims the rims need to be raised because shooting has become a lost art
(Monroe, Earl).

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It is clear that changing the rim would have an effect on the amount of dunks and shots
made in the game for the first little while. Although players would adapt and become better at
the new height, the game would slow severely at the first of the change and due to the lack of
scoring, fans would leave the game. Honestly if people wanted to pay to watch a low scoring
sport they would go to a soccer game! And with all due respect to Mr. Newell and Mr. Monroe,
the fundamental of passing, assists, and shooting are not lost, they may not be as prominent as
they were back in the day, but Tom himself said that the game has changed, so of course
dunking will be a bigger part of the game. Also if
passing, assisting, was such a lost art, why did State

Farm use

the assist theme for all of their new commercials?

If shooting was a lost art, why did a pure shooter like Kevin Durant, win the MVP award
last year, and how could Stephen Curry, the best shooter in the game today, be a major contender
for the MVP award this year? Look at the
image to the right. That there is The Stephen
Curry. Setting records by shooting, and making
3 point shots! Also setting assist records at the
same time! Again I ask if shooting and assisting
were lost works of art how could these things happen? It is simple, its because shooting and
passing are not lost!
Even though I feel enough evidence has been given to support the current height of the
rim, we must not dismiss the wonderful comments of those who agree for no change. Leonard
Perry beautifully stated Why would we alter a game that has given us the athletic mastery of
Elgin Baylor, Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving, Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter, Spud Web and

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Nate Robinson, to name just a few? The game that showcased the shooting skills of Larry Bird,
Dell Curry, Reggie Miller, Steve Kerr, Downtown Freddy Brown, Glen Rice Sr. and countless
others? (Perry, Leonard). The key phrases in his statement are to name just a few and
countless others showing that there are so many talented athletes who have entertained the
masses on a 10 foot rim. To increase the height would kill the sport for a time, and as Perry puts
it, Such feats might still be possible with an 11-foot rim, but it would take years and years for
our future stars to get there. The adjustment would be painful -- for players, coaches and fans.
Why start over? (Perry, Leonard). Why indeed! If the sport were to start over, fans would lose
interest and arenas around the country would be emptier than a broke mans bank account!
Basketball fans dont want that, players dont want that, so it should stay the same.
Another great reason given for consistency in rim height, was given by Tamika
Catchings. The game of basketball is fundamentally sound. We have a combination of so many
different types of players: pure shooters, play makers, post players who can dominate, and guards
who have been able to change the games with their catlike speed, focus and preciseness . . . Both
women's and men's basketball continue to grow. Fans continue to support them, and girls and
boys all over the world continue to be inspired by our play. Effective change is good, but this
would not be effective. There's no need to raise . . . the rim (Catchings, Tamika). What Tamika
has said is absolutely, 100% correct! There is no one type of player or game style that is above
another. Smaller players are just as game changing as big players, shooters are just as dangerous
(if not more so) than dunkers, and with that the game is growing. So I add my voice to hers,
saying there is no need to change the game. Only wants and dreams exist when it comes to
changing the height, whether it is an attempt to destroy the game or just a misunderstanding of

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the current awesomeness of basketball, these desires to change the height of the rim are foolish
and must be disregarded.
Perhaps the greatest reason given to keep the rim at 10 feet is to honor the founder of the
game, Mr. James Naismith. When he created the wonderful game of basketball he nailed the
baskets up at 10 feet above the ground. One
anonymous poster said When he measured the

height for the baskets they came out by random

to be ten feet, and a few inches. If we were to
raise the height now or in the future I think it would be a show of disrespect to Mr. Naismith
(Should the NBA). Rob Rains, author of James Naismith: The Man Who Invented
Basketball has explained that the reason for the rims being set at 10 feet is due to the fact that
the railings which the original baskets were hung, happened to be 10 feet off the ground. Rains
said Changing that height would stray from one of the great stories in the history of the sport,
and Rains summed it up by saying . . . he would not want to see the height of the goal changed .
. . (Rains, Rob).
It is true that the game of basketball has evolved in the past. Both sides of the spectrum
agree with this. Tom Newell, who is pro-rim-change, and Leonard Perry who is anti-rim-change,

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have said things such as, It wouldnt be the first time basketballs rules have evolved. Weve
added a half court and rectangle clear backboards; changed the key to a larger colored lane for
three-second violations; moved the three-point line closer, and then not so close; and added two
more officials for this physically challenging game. And yet, the baskets have never been raised
from the original 10 feet (Newell Tom) or The N.B.A. has always made the right adjustments
for the game at the appropriate times. For example, the 24-second shot clock was introduced to
increase the speed of the game. The number of referees officiating a game increased from two to
three because of the amount of action away from the ball. The three-point line was created to
award great shooters and to space the floor for players in post position to operate. All of these
things have made this beautiful game what it is today (Perry, Leonard). The game has been
modified in the past, but those changes were necessary. Changing the height of the rim is not
only unnecessary it is a potential threat to the game that so many people have grown to love. So
out of respect for players, fans, and especially the one and only James Naismith, the rim must
remain at 10 feet, as to avoid any disturbances to the life we all enjoy here in the United States.

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Works Cited
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<http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/05/20/should-the-basketball-rim-be-raised>.
"Sports." Sports. Web. 13 Apr. 2015. <http://www.gallup.com/poll/15421/sports.aspx>.
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Monroe, Earl. "With Higher Rims, Basketball Would Be a Better Game." The New York Times.
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