Dr. James Naismith – Basketball's Original Intent

Basketball was born in the mind of Dr. James Naismith. He invented the game and stayed involved with developing the sport, through which he promoted his beliefs on the purpose and benefits of athletics, specifically how the game of basketball should be played. Naismith's thoughts on the objective of athletics are reflected in his concept of fair play. Change the Game Change Communities' "Basketball-the-Remix's" new game of basketball is more aligned with Naismith's intent and his ideas are important to keep in mind.

Naismith was a P.E. teacher with a thirst for information; he studied both theology and medicine. Today, he would be called an Interdisciplinarian; in his time he was a modest man using his vast knowledge to impart moral values and practical wisdom through physical education." "Dr. Naismith believed games are played for fun and exercise and that intense competitiveness should be avoided and he strongly believed that spirituality could and should be achieved through physical education. Naismith wrote several magazine articles about his views on physical education and published two books: The Basis of Clean Living and Basketball: Its Origin and Development. He suffered a lot of criticism from clergymen who felt that theology did not go with sports, but Naismith held firm his beliefs."

Dr. Naismith was challenged to create an activity to occupy rambunctious young men during the cold New England winters. His answer was basketball. His writings and life work make it clear that his objective with basketball was to use the game to make a positive impact in the lives of young people. The current focus of basketball is developing players that strengthen the pool of college-qualified athletes who can provide the NBA, NCAA, AAU, and FIBA a direct return on their investment

Heaven is a playground, a place where young men and women escape, for a moment, and experience freedom, fluidity, and a focused mind. Athletic competition creates moments of active meditation and participation in sports like basketball promotes personal and educational growth, neither of which is a part of today's titian agenda. Basketball's power to facilitate personal growth is demonstrated by Holcombe Rucker's original "Each One Teach One" program.

The reader must understand, from the outset of this discussion that inventors, Dr. Naismith and Holcombe Rucker's purpose for basketball were the impartation of moral education through physical education. From its creation, basketball's purpose has been to help young people grow to live healthy lives, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically.

If I can help the youth translate the joy of experiencing athletic success, as the result of their participation (time) and their practice (repetition), into the principle of sowing and reaping has not basketball taught a spiritual lesson? We can teach young athletes that the processes of learning to dribble, pass and shoot are principals to apply to all areas of their lives.

An interesting fact about Dr. Naismith is that he was the University of Kansas' first basketball coach and their only coach with a losing record. The University of Kansas is third in all-time NCAA wins and is one of three Division I institutions to win over 2,000 games.