Are you a wealthy individual? Do you love the game of basketball? Do you like to combine these two qualities into purchases that reflect them? Then you might just be the kind of person interested in buying the inventor of basketball's childhood home.
I am assuming this kind of person exists, of course; I don't actually know anyone who fits the bill. But I have to admit, James Naismith's childhood home -- a Georgian-style three-bedroom, two-bathroom house on 45 acres of farmland in Almonte, Ontario -- does have a certain appeal. It is a charming, old-world construction built in 1850, and it looks like an entirely relaxing place to spend a summer, out in the outlying areas of Ottawa just off -- you guessed it -- James Naismith Way. (When Don Draper finally decides to leave the ad game and get back to his roots, this is exactly the kind of place he will go.)
But the house isn't cheap. The list price currently stands at $1,195,000 Canadian ($1,170,000 USD), which seems like a pretty steep price to pay for a house just to say you live in the same place Naismith grew up as a child, before he went off to teach physical education and eventually invent the greatest game in the world.
But hey, never underestimate the power of association in the real estate game. And if someone is willing to pay $90 million for a penthouse in New York City during a recession, there's no telling what the Naismith property might fetch, right?
(Hat tip: The Dagger)