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Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Christian Roots of the NBA—From Naismith to This Year's 79th NBA Finals
Faith and sports go hand in hand. Quarterbacks quote Bible verses in interviews, and today's top NBA players, from Golden State Warrior star Stephen Curry (verses of scripture adorn his sneakers) to Indiana Pacers sensation Tyrese Halliburton (he cites church as "a big part of my success and my sanity"), count themselves among the 62 percent of Americans who call ourselves Christians. As sports fans nationwide watch the drama of the 79thth NBA Finals unfold, it's worth telling the story of basketball's Christian roots. Indeed, Christianity was the driving force behind the game's origin story. "I want to take you back to the first game of basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891," Paul Putz, author of The Spirit of the Game: American Christianity and Big-Time Sports, told Our American Stories. "Eighteen grown men, most in their mid-20s, walked into the gym at the International Young Men's Christian Association Training School, where they were students. There were two peach baskets tacked to banisters on opposite sides of the gym, 10 feet off the ground. There was a soccer ball, too, and 13 rules for a new game their instructor, James Naismith, explained to them." Putz described that first game: "They divided into two teams of nine: No dribbling, no jump shots, no dunking. Instead, they passed the soccer ball back and forth, trying to keep it away from their opponents while angling for a chance to throw it into the basket." The inventor of basketball, Dr. James Naismith, stands in a field carrying a ball and a basket. The inventor of basketball, Dr. James Naismith, stands in a field carrying a ball and a basket. There was no template for what a shot might look like, Putz explained. As the players positioned the ball at the top of their heads to toss it toward the basket, a defender would swoop in and grab it away. "If you've ever tried to coach second-graders, it was probably a scene like that—except with big players and beards," Putz said. When the game ended, just one person made a shot. The final score: 1 to 0. To the students—and Naismith—it was a success. The students loved the challenge and possibilities of the game. Naismith loved those things, too. But he loved what the game represented, and why he was at the YMCA Training School in the first place. On his application, he was asked to describe the role for which he was training, and wrote: "To win men for the Master through the gym." Naismith's idea was simple but revolutionary: He believed sports could shape Christian character in ways mere study could not. So who was this man who created one of America's great homegrown sports? "He grew up in rural Canada," Putz said. "His parents died of illness when he was 9, and his uncle, a deeply religious man, took him in. When Naismith was 15, he dropped out of school, working as a lumberjack, but returned to high school at the age of 20 and entered college with the goal of becoming a minister." Most Christians in Naismith's day viewed sports as, at best, a distraction; others saw sports as a tool of the devil. "But Naismith was coming of age during the rise of a new movement called 'Muscular Christianity,'" Putz said. "It pushed back against the dualism that separated the spiritual and physical," Putz explained. "The body itself had sacred value, they believed, and human beings should be understood holistically—mind, body and soul intertwined." For Naismith, this idea came home in an epiphany playing football as a seminary student. During a game, a teammate lost his temper and let out a stream of curse words. During a break, he turned to Naismith and said sheepishly, "I beg your pardon, I forgot you were there." Naismith never spoke out against profanity, but his teammate felt compelled to apologize because, in Naismith's words, "I played the game with all my might yet held myself under control." His teammate was responding to Naismith's character on and off the field. Soon after that encounter, Naismith heard about the YMCA Training School in Springfield, a new college dedicated to connecting physical activity and Christian formation. And away he went to America to invent the game we know and love. "Naismith believed strongly in individual expression, and wanted basketball players to have space to create," Putz explained. "He celebrated inventive moves—like the dribble and the hook shot—and expressed awe as players pushed the limits of what was possible." But Naismith also understood that with freedom came constraints. "Basketball is personal combat without personal contact," Naismith would often say. Players can move anywhere at any time, and get close to their opponents, but can't overpower them physically, Putz explained. The only way to make the game work is consistently applying the rules. Which is why Naismith's favorite role wasn't player or coach but referee. Naismith would become a pioneer on more than one front. In the 1930s, while a professor at the University of Kansas, a young African American student named John McLendon enrolled, Putz explained. "He wanted to join the basketball team—but Kansas didn't allow Black players." Naismith took the young man under his wing, and McLendon would later become one of the most important basketball coaches of the 20th century. Basketball was influenced by Americans of all stripes. "In 1892, Senda Berenson, a Jewish instructor at a women's college, saw basketball as a rare opportunity for women to participate in sports," Putz said. "She adapted the rules and helped make it the most important women's team sport of the 20th century." The Jewish community embraced the game early, producing many of its first stars and innovators. So did Catholics and Latter-day Saints. Basketball also crossed racial and ethnic lines. Though the YMCA was segregated, Black Americans created their own spaces—often through churches—and built thriving basketball cultures, especially in cities like New York and Washington, D.C. It didn't take long for Naismith's creation to became a pluralistic and collaborative force—a gift to the world, developed and shaped by many hands, Putz added. "One of my favorite Naismith stories comes from the 1920s," Putz concluded. "He dropped by a small-college gym in Iowa, and a pickup game was about to begin. The players needed a referee and spotted the old man in the bleachers. One ran over to ask if he'd officiate—but before Naismith could respond, another player interrupted: 'That old man? He doesn't know anything about basketball.' The players walked off to find someone else. Naismith just smiled." The fact is, basketball would not be the game we know and love today if it hadn't been for Naismith's Christian vision. "I'm sure," Naismith wrote near the end of his life, "that no man can derive more pleasure from money or power than I do from seeing a pair of basketball goals in some out of the way place—deep in the Wisconsin woods an old barrel hoop nailed to a tree, or a weather-beaten shed on the Mexican border with a rusty iron hoop nailed to one end." Naismith's story is worth celebrating as we watch the Thunder and Pacers battle for the 79th NBA title.
The Citizen
30-04-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Aaron ‘putz' his best foot forward
WITH a motto 'I can and I will' Putz is proof that anything is possible. He recently returned from the SASA 11 Summer Games where he competed in tough conditions over four days and achieved gold medals in all his 16 individual events. He also competed in the KZN relay events where he motivated and encouraged his team, displaying outstanding leadership and sportsmanship as team KZN excelled. The 28-year-old has had another exceptional year of success as he was nominated as a finalist in the KZN Sportsman of the The Year 2025. Also read: Swimmer breaks 10 long-standing school records He was the gold medalist in his category in the Midmar Mile 2025. He also earn his spot by qualifying in both the 3km and 5km SA Open Water Championships held recently in Jeffreys Bay where he won gold. Putz warmly welcomed the Highway Mail to his home in Kloof and said with a big smile, 'You must come and see my medals in my bedroom.' While that was an amazing number of trophies and medals in the champion's room, he beamed with pride, 'These are not even half of them.' Putz's face lights up when speaking about his swimming journey. 'I enjoy swimming and love being in the water. I am able to swim all the strokes but now I am enjoying open water.' Thriving against all odds His mother Debbie Putz said as a young boy Aaron faced huge challenges, having suffered chronic ear conditions which went into full blown mastoid disease five years later. 'He has had 12 ear surgeries – a lot of his early years were visiting doctors, specialists, hospitals, therapy and with the late diagnosis at six years old of autism the road was long and hard for him. At 13 years old, his mother said the autistic school unit had very little more to offer and as his parents, they felt lost and started to look for a bigger and more positive road for him. Also read: Powerlifters eye world champs 'His younger sister, a good swimmer, swam with Nic Gray at the Kloof Swimming Club. We approached him and asked if he would teach Aaron to swim and he agreed. He showed him impeccable leadership, patience, kindness, and after a year under his coaching and squad Aaron began to excel and develop a passion for the water, swimming his first gala and winning a bronze medal.' Putz's first opportunity to swim overseas came when he was 16, competing in New Caledonia. He earned an international silver, plus relay medals in a competition and from there the swimming bug bit big time. He has represented SA internationally in New Caledonia, South America, Madeira, Glasgow in Scotland and Mexico. Putz has twice won the KZN Sportsman of the Year award. His mother said swimming for Aaron has given him the ability to be part of something like a club and he has built friendships. 'It has taught him to win and to lose, that hard work does pay, in life there are no shortcuts, work ethic, and time management. 'Swimming has been a blessing in his life. We have pulled together hard as a family, did a lot of praying, and through all the early days of heartache, worry and desperation we made it as a family.' Positive support structure 'As his parents and family, we are incredibly proud of his discipline, commitment, drive. He works hard towards his sport and business; his humbleness and loving nature to humans and animals is a very special quality,' said the proud mother. Debbie advised parents with newly diagnosed children to try to accept and work with the medical teams around them, as early intervention is key! 'Parents should develop the strengths which these children have, work hard on the weaknesses.' She mentioned that family support is crucial. 'Build your children's confidence, love your children, laugh a lot, it gets better in time,' advised Debbie. Behind Putz is an incredible and supportive team. He is a member of the Westville Swimming Club and is coached by head coach Petro Nortje. He also trains at the Prime Human Performance Institute under coach Cam Daly. Putz smiles when he speaks about his coaches and he attributes his success to them. 'I am very grateful to them. I want to thank both of them. Petro came at a time when I wanted to quit swimming, she made me love it again.' Nortje said Putz is the kind of swimmer every coach hopes for. 'He is dedicated, humble, and relentlessly driven. His attitude sets the standard, and his results speak for themselves.' Putz is sponsored by the KZN Department of Sport and Recreation and Mr Price Sport. In addition, he runs a small, highly successful jumping castle business, and is passionate about all sport. He recently took up biathlon and he is also excelling in it. For more from the Highway Mail, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also check out our videos on our YouTube channel or follow us on TikTok. Click to subscribe to our newsletter here At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Sharjah 24
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Sharjah 24
Marty Putz delivers science-packed comedy show at SCRF
The comedic performer who shot to fame with his eccentric acts at the 'Britain's Got Talent' show was dressed in a scientist's blue overalls as he made his crazy inventions and presentations that tickled the young audience. Putz's first gimmick involved weight lifting plates, where his hands on extensions became elongated as he lifted the weights up sending the children into guffaws. He then attempted to iron his nose with an iron box to create a nose similar to a pig's. The children joined in chorus as he snorted and miaowed, while moving on to his next performance -- cat vaulting, where a cat-like soft toy perched on a contraption catapulted into the air to land in the safety net attached on the head of an adult visitor. The ping pong ball that landed on Putz's nose and remained stuck there was the next highlight of the show. The children were also given chances to aim the ball at his nose to see if it attached itself to it. Two primary school children were invited to join him on stage next; Putz teased the little boy with sounds emitted by a cow and a chicken, wondering if he had them in his back pockets. The final and star attraction of his show was sending a volley of toilet paper fired from a cannon at an unsuspecting participant on stage after the latter had helped him with a small science experiment that spilled water on him. This apparently is a popular part of his shows across the world. One of the most original prop designers, particularly when it comes to visual comedy, Marty Putz is making children's day out to SCRF a fun-filled experience. Taking place from April 23 to May 4 at Expo Centre Sharjah, the 16th edition of SCRF promises an immersive experience under the theme 'Dive into Books'. Organised by the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), this year's agenda will feature 133 guests from 70 countries, and 122 Arab and international publishing houses from 22 nations.
