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Basketballs are available, and by starting on the ground floor, you can get a taste of the fun of the game before exploring its history upstairs. Since the court was not built with real games in mind, the overhanging tiers make it almost impossible to loft jump shots from the corners. That didn't stop the Hall of Fame from hosting a college all-star game on its quirky court last year, an event so successful that it's expected to become an annual feature. High school teams also rent the court for practice time, at a nominal fee. The second level is the home to the artifacts and physical memorabilia of basketball's history – where, to the traditionalist, the building looks most like a Hall of Fame. Years ago, a lively debate raged whether the Basketball Hall of Fame should remain in Springfield at all. Some interest was shown in moving it to Florida, possibly Orlando, where tourists with other vacation plans could work basketball into their schedules. Instead, the Hall stayed in the sport's birthplace, a nod to history that came packaged with an aggressive, creative vision of how to promote the sport. Basketball does not always conjure up images of quaintness, as baseball does, which is why Cooperstown works so well. Instead, basketball's calling card is a phenomenal modern history of worldwide growth that continues today. The game is generally viewed in living color, as opposed to the ageless history featured in Cooperstown and to some degree, in Canton. While offering hundreds of historic exhibits, including some of more than 100 years old, the new Basketball Hall of Fame keeps this in mind – and in the visitors' minds – with an array of videos, movies and interactive exhibits.  One man's game became an international force for both men and women. Opened in 2002, this building is the third incarnation of a facility that began as a small, modest and library-like facility on the Springfield College campus in 1968. That came nine years after the first inductees had been elected to the new, still-theoretical shrine. The first building served its purpose until 1985, when a more modern and spacious facility was opened on West Columbus Avenue in Springfield. That building, now awaiting new tenants in what is expected to become a wide-scale Connecticut Riverfront development project of shops and restaurants, stands virtually adjacent to the new museum. With the opening of the new Hall of Fame came a purposeful decision to give fans and tourists not only a historical perspective of the game, but an interactive one. The court on the first floor is the most obvious evidence, but not the only way visitors can feel like part of the game. A popular exhibit on the second level is called "Measure Up'' which allows fans to stand next to life-sized models of 7-foot-7 Manute Bol (a Connecticut resident who often appears at Hall of Fame promotional functions) and 5-3 Muggsy Bogues. Another popular stopping point, not far from Manute and Muggsy, is the broadcast wing. On exhibit is documentation of some of the greatest print and media figures to cover the sport. Equipment for the would-be-sportscaster is available to call a game. For a few moments, visitors can simulate how each would look and sound in the broadcast booth. The Hall of Fame also includes a "virtual basketball'' exhibit, where visitors can play a little simulated 1-on-1 against some of the game's legendary greats. Clearly, this museum is designed to make the visitor feel like not just a viewer of basketball, but an active part of the game. The philosophy is credited with encouraging children, in particular, to absorb the sport's 115-year legacy not as a pedestrian history lesson, but as a vibrant, active connection to the stars they see today. For all its visual effects, the second tier is still a favorite of history buffs, who might rather see Bill Russell's sneakers than play a little 1-on-1 downstairs. A guide to the two-worded game of "Basket Ball,'' produced by the Spalding company for the 1899-1900 season, is one of the oldest exhibits in the museum. But Hall officials have been careful to include newer items, too - Shaquille O'Neal's uniform and items from the modern WNBA, to name two of the more popular.
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