[bit.listserv.christia] Basketball

D2MG@SDSUMUS (Kurt Evans) (01/12/90)

     John C. mentioned basketball, and it reminded me of something
I learned over the break.

     For about a day and a half I had had the idea that basketball
*must* have been invented by a Christian.  I kept thinking about looking
in the encyclopedia, but I thought, "Even if it was, it will never be
in there."

     Before I went to bed Monday, my curiosity overcame my rationality,
and I checked it out.  In 1891, James A. Naismith was hired by the
Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) to develop a team sport that
could be played indoors during the winter.  I looked up Naismith and
found that he had given up a promising athletic career to study for
the ministry.

     (I've heard the YMCA was a lot more Christ-centered back then than
it is today.)

     This discovery about had me doing back-flips!  I don't know if
anyone else can relate, but this sport was important to me even before
I got saved, and it has continued to be so.  I hope someone is blessed
by this testimony.
                                       For Jesus' glory,
                                       Kurt

DEVOSCM@RUG.NL (Marco de Vos, Kapteyn Lab Groningen) (01/13/90)

>In 1891, James A. Naismith was hired by the
>Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) to develop a team sport that
>could be played indoors during the winter.  I looked up Naismith and
>found that he had given up a promising athletic career to study for
>the ministry.

YMCA also "invented" volleyball, especially to be played in refugee-campments
where there was little room for playing games like football.

>     (I've heard the YMCA was a lot more Christ-centered back then than
>it is today.)

They definetly were, and in many countries still are quite christ-centered.

In His Love,

Marco.

BURNETTG@WSUVM1 (Greg Burnett) (01/13/90)

Regarding the recent revelation that basketball was formulated by a
Christian:

I believe it.  It's one of the few sports that can be won by a team
of "inferior athletes" can beat a team that has athletically gifted
individuals if they are willing to play together, pass the ball around,
and not worry about who scores the points.


Greg Burnett
BURNETTG@WSUVM1