Here’s the a portion of the front cover of the 1904 publication “How To Play Basket Ball,” distributed by Spalding Sporting Goods.
How To Play Basketball, 1904 (Lessons For 2008 Olympians)
A close look at the last line of copy in this 1904 advertisement for gum bottom “basket ball” shoes may explain why Spalding lost its grip on the athletic footwear business a century ago.
In 1974, when Grandpa was inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame in New York, in it’s inaugural class alongside the likes of Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, Joe Louis, and Bill Russell, I was so proud beyond compare.
How “logo forensics” helped me re-create the identity of the Independent Pleasure Club of New Jersey so that the story of this wonderful all-black basketball team could be brought back to life.