MIES (Switzerland) - When we talk about basketball, the conversation inevitably turns to Dr. James Naismith, the man who created the sport that would captivate millions. We know where, when, how, and why basketball was born, but we know little about the person who wrote those first 13 rules that started the game.
Dr. Naismith was born and died in November (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939), so this month is an excellent opportunity to delve into his biography, his character, and how all of that influenced the spirit that transcends this wonderful game.
A childhood marked with struggle
Reviewing the early years of James Naismith’s life reveals a true drama, one from which many would assume a child could never fully recover. He was born into a household of five in Almonte, Canada. His father died of typhoid fever, and his mother, having contracted the disease while caring for her husband, passed when James was just nine years old.
James’s grandmother then took responsibility for the three grandchildren, but she too died just two years afterward. In his brief childhood, Naismith and his siblings not only came face-to-face with death, losing key figures during their formative years, but the rapid succession of these tragedies might well have left a permanent mark on their memory.
His uncle Peter, in his twenties, stepped in to take care of them. The girl was assigned to household tasks while James and his brother walked five kilometers back and forth to get to school. When they weren’t studying, they worked on the farm or in the woods, chopping down trees, sawing logs, and handling teams of horses.
Given these challenging circumstances, it may come as no surprise that, at the age of fifteen, James left school to work full-time on the family farm. At such a young age, James Naismith’s future seemed predetermined: working from sunrise to sunset and spending long hours drinking and speaking bad words at the local tavern, a routine he had already begun when an unexpected event became a turning point in his life.-
“Are you the son of Margaret Young?” someone asked.
“Yes,” he replied, drink in hand.
“She’d turn over in her grave to see you like this.”
Naismith left the bar and walked home, making a solemn promise in memory of his mother: his behavior would never again bring her shame. He returned to his studies at the age of 20, obtaining his High School diploma in just two years.
The start of a new life
An agreement with his uncle, who paid for his university education, allowed him to enroll at McGill University in Montreal to study physical education; in exchange for working on the farm during the summers.
Naismith was so focused on his studies that he initially refused to take part in extracurricular activities. However, thanks to the persistence of his classmates, he eventually started going to the gym. His young and robust body, shaped by the demanding work on the farm, quickly adapted to all the sports he tried (football, lacrosse, soccer, wrestling, rugby...). It seems that the boy who had endured a troubled childhood found solace in physical activity, where he earned many awards and distinctions.
When he graduated in 1887, his focus was set on obtaining a Master degree in Divinity, a course of study like what we know today as theology. As a student at the Presbyterian college, he occasionally preached on Sundays. One morning, he stood in the pulpit to deliver a sermon with two black eyes; trophies earned from a rough-and-tumble football game.
Many people in the church regarded athletics as the devil’s work, believing sports distracted young men from more valuable pursuits. But where some saw danger, Naismith saw an opportunity:
“I felt that if the devil was making use of athletics to lead young men to evil, there must be some natural attraction in sports that could be used to lead young men to good end”.
Once again, a turning point occurred in his life. During an intense moment in a football game, a fellow offensive lineman suddenly unleashed a stream of profanity. Turning to his right, the player saw Naismith and immediately stopped swearing and said, "I beg your pardon, I forgot you were there." For Naismith, that moment was a revelation. He realized that his pulpit was not in a church, but on the court.
"I played the game with all my might and yet held myself under control. There are other ways of doing good besides preaching. I understood the Ministry, but also the common man. I could bring young men closer to God through athletics."
At that time, there were already other people experiencing the same revelation that Naismith had. In fact, there was a movement called "Muscular Christianity," which originated in England in the mid-1800s and spread throughout the United States.
Characterized by discipline, effort, sacrifice, and the physical beauty of athleticism, this movement emerged as an educational method for building character in pupils at English public schools. It even inspired, among others, a certain Pierre de Coubertin who will become the co-founder of International Olympic Committee.
In 1980, Naismith began his first professional assignment as a Physical Education instructor, training future YMCA directors in the field. It was during this time that he was tasked with inventing a new physical activity that could be played indoors, especially during the harsh winter months.
Given his education and life experience, it is easy to see how Naismith had the vision to create an activity that would not only contribute to character, physical, and mental development, but also serve as a team sport that encouraged cooperation, fair play, and sportsmanship.
It was no coincidence that the YMCA expanded their influence in sports and education worldwide at the time. The rest, as you already know, is history.
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The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.
FIBA’s cultural heritage is the heart of the FIBA Foundation’s cultural and historical activities. It is one of the driving forces behind the promotion and dissemination of FIBA’s values.