WASHINGTON, Dec. 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

Profile America -- Tuesday, December 1st. One of the nation's most popular sports was born on this day in 1891. James Naismith was a teacher of physical education at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. To keep his students active during bad weather, he nailed up peach baskets at opposite ends of the gym and gave players soccer balls to toss into them. The first game played in public took place the next March. In that game, students at the school for Christian workers beat their teachers by a score of 5-to-1. Now, basketball is played in neighborhoods and schools all over the country. College games draw nearly 33 million fans for men's teams and almost 11 million for women's teams. Millions more watch both college and NBA games on television. You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau online at www.census.gov.

Sources: Chase's Calendar of Events 2009, p. 573

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2009, t. 1205

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau

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