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Why did some YMCA associations ban basketball in its early years?
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Basketball
Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls leaping into the air during the slam-dunk competition at NBA All-Star weekend in Chicago, February 6, 1988.
In its early years, some YMCA associations banned basketball because the sport monopolized the use of their gymnasiums.21
While the game initially helped increase YMCA membership, it created a logistical conflict: gymnasiums that previously accommodated large exercise classes of 50 to 60 members were suddenly occupied by only 10 to 18 players during basketball games. This restriction on facility access led various associations to outlaw the sport. Consequently, many members who wished to continue playing left the YMCA to hire their own halls, a shift that inadvertently helped pave the way for the professionalization of the sport.21