2019Sports - Volleyball - First Day Cover

William G. Morgan, the inventor of volleyball, sought to create a sport that would not be physically demanding and in which physical contact among players would be reduced. He used the elements of other sports (basketball, handball, tennis and baseball) and called the new sport “mintonette". It was first played in Springfield at the YMCA Conference of Directors of Physical Education in 1896, noting that it was designed for the gym, but could also be played outdoors. The name of the sport was soon changed to "volley-ball" as the players "bounce" the ball from one side of the field to the other.