Basketball - A Game the World Plays, by James Naismith
Description:
An article by Dr. James Naismith called "Basketball - A Game the World Plays" printed in the January 1939 Rotarian. In the article he explains how he created basketball, and talks about some of the aspects of the game that he was most proud of. One such aspect is the fact that in 1936, when this article was written, it was reported that 90 percent of all high schools in America had basketball teams. In just 45 years, the game went from being a game simply to keep people active in Springfield, MA, to a game that had spread across the nation and the world. James A. Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939), known as "The Father of Basketball," was born in Almonte, Ontario. When he was nine, both of his parents died of typhoid fever and he was raised by his uncle, who later financed Naismith's way through college. He earned his theological degree from McGill University and graduated from Springfield College, then the YMCA Training School, in 1891. After graduation, he was hired as a faculty member, where he taught for five years. It is in his first year as a faculty member at Springfield College that he created the game of Basketball as an activity for an unruly class. In 1895, Naismith enrolled at the Gross Medical School in Denver and received his M.D. in 1898. In that same year, Naismith took the position of department head of physical education at the University of Kansas, where he remained until his death.
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Is part of a scrapbook of Naismith materials, collector unknown, that has been taken out of its binding and the pages separated by archival paper. It is the 15th item in the scrapbook.
