James Naismith; Inventor of Basketball and a Masonic Hero Thief? S2 E71

Dr. James Naismith, a pioneering Canadian-American physical educator, coach, and sports innovator, is best known as the inventor of basketball. His life story is a testament to dedication, creativity, and a passion for sports and education. While there is no widely known or documented Masonic affiliation for Dr. Naismith, I will provide a comprehensive biography of his life and contributions to the world of sports.

Early Life and Education:
• James Naismith was born on November 6, 1861, in Almonte, Ontario, Canada.
• Naismith excelled in athletics during his youth, particularly in rugby and lacrosse.
• He attended McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, where he studied physical education and theology.
• He earned a medical degree from the Gross Medical College in Denver, Colorado, in 1898.
• Naismith's commitment to sports and education led him to a successful career in both fields.
• Throughout his life, he continued to promote the values of sportsmanship, teamwork, and physical fitness.
• He served as a physical education instructor and coach at the University of Kansas from 1898 until his retirement in 1937.

Invention of Basketball:
In 1891, while working as a physical education instructor at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, Naismith was tasked with creating a new game to keep his students active during the winter months.
He developed the basic rules of basketball, using a soccer ball and two peach baskets as goals.
The first game of basketball was played on December 21, 1891, and it quickly gained popularity.

Career and Contributions:
Naismith's impact on the sport of basketball is immeasurable. He witnessed the sport's growth from its inception to becoming an Olympic event in 1936.

In 1936, he was honored as a guest at the Olympic Games in Berlin, where basketball made its Olympic debut.

Freemasonry:
• Raised at Russell Lee Lodge (Springfield, Mass) in 1984
• He petitioned with Lawrence Lodge #6 (Lawrence, KS) in 1921 and was accepted in 1922
• He was Master of Lawrence Lodge #6 in 1927.
• He was also a YR and SR Mason.

Controversy
• A version: The book Nais-MYTH: Basketball’s Stolen Legacy heralds the game’s origins should be credited to a 16-year-old first-generation Austrian-American boy named Lambert Will, who was a volunteer director of the local Y.M.C.A. and who invented the game of Basketball while tossing cabbages into peach baskets in a root cellar and later at a local General Store in 1890.
• "Nais-MYTH: Basketball’s Stolen Legacy" was written by Canadian historians Darril and George Fosty and Brion Carroll

Here are some corrections the book thinks should be made:
1. Springfield, MA should be seen not as the birthplace of basketball, but as one of the first communities where basketball was played;
2. Herkimer, NY should be acknowledged as the birthplace of basketball;
3. Cornell University should be recognized as the first college or university to play intramural basketball;
4. The University of Rochester deserves recognition as the first college or university to host a varsity game, a match between themselves and the local YMCA;
5. The University of Kansas should recognize Amos Alonzo Stagg as the man who introduced the game of basketball to their institution, and not James Naismith whom they continue to incorrectly promote as the founder of their program;
6. Finally, a 16-year-old Austrian-American teenager named Lambert Will should be credited as the inventor of basketball.

Fight Against Segregation
• Naismith’s biographer Rob Rains writes about Naismith’s “strong feelings against segregation,”.
• The record shows that he strove for progress, but through modest steps. He would not or could not get African-Americans onto Kansas’ varsity Jayhawks during the 1930s.
• But he did help to engineer the admission of black students to the university’s swimming pool. Up to then, they had been given automatic passing grades on a required swimming test without entering the pool so that it could remain all-white.
• Naismith also served as a mentor to his student John McLendon, who ultimately became the first black coach in professional basketball — for George Steinbrenner’s 1961 Cleveland Pipers.

#Freemasonry #Freemasons #freemason #masonic #basketball #drnaismith #jamesnaismith #marchmadness

This podcast reflects the views of only the members participating in the podcast. They do not necessarily reflect the views of their Lodge, Shrine Center or Grand Lodge Jurisdiction.

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/03/upshot/choices-on-race-even-from-basketballs-beginnings.html

https://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/01/the-origin-of-basketball/