THE inventor of basketball considered himself to be Scottish, lived in Scotland and spoke with a Scottish accent, according to a new study.
The inventor of the game, Dr James Naismith, was the son of a Scot, but has long been claimed as Canadian because he was born in Almonte, Canada in 1861.
However, the territory was, at the time, a British colony and Canadian citizenship was not legalised until 1947, eight years after Naismith’s death in 1939.
New research by Dr Ross Walker from The University of Stirling investigated the inventor of basketball’s connection to Scotland and set out the Scottish influence on the creation of the game.
The research also argues for a review of the widely accepted history of basketball.
Dr Walker, a former basketball player of 15 years, said: “Until 1891, Naismith resided in a replanted Scottish community and Scot-dominated areas, living a lifestyle similar to those contemporarily in Scotland.
“In day-to-day life, Naismith spoke in Scottish mannerisms, had a Scottish accent, used the broad Scots dialect, engaged with Scottish activities, and spread his Scottish values that underpinned the actions of his life.”
“Scottish culture, heritage, Presbyterianism, and nationalism formed his identity, representing who he was as a person, how he carried himself and how he saw the world around him. It also determined who he wanted to be and what he wanted to do in life.”
Dr Walker found that Naismith was brought up in a transplanted Scottish community of immigrants. In childhood he was introduced by his Scottish family to duck-on-the-rock, a game learned by his father on the streets of Glasgow – Naismith later claimed he used it as the basis for basketball.
The research puts forward that, at school, he was taught by Scots and he learned about Scotland in geography class. In English classes, he read the works of Scottish writers, and regularly referred to Robert Burns in personal communications, even gifting his wife a book by Burns with the inscription: “Tae the bonniest lass”.
The research also states Naismith played Scottish music on the fiddle, and took part in Highland Games, particularly enjoying hill racing and tug of war.
When at McGill University, Naismith enlisted with The Fifth Regiment: Royal Scots of Canada Highlanders, becoming a captain. The regiment was known as the kilted laddies, because they wore tartan kilts, and had a marching band with bagpipers playing traditional music.
Dr Walker, who is a lecturer in Sport Management at Stirling, argued that the “American-centric” history of basketball should now be reevaluated.
He said: “While there has been some coverage of Naismith’s Scottish connection, it is very anecdotal and put across in a way which provides background to Naismith but not in a capacity which argues, and most importantly evidence, that Scotland influenced the creation of basketball through Naismith.
“My research contests the global narrative and reputation of basketball that it is a Canadian and American sport, which it is not. Furthermore, most of the coverage which has been shared touches solely upon his parental links to Glasgow, but nothing really delves deeply into the profound impact of his Scottish Presbyterianism, the Scottish settler communities which developed him, and much more which all led to the eventual creation of basketball.
He added: “My research argues that, without Scotland, the global phenomenon that is basketball today may have never been created in the current form that is known and celebrated worldwide.”
Dr Walker’s research was carried out over two years and saw him review a vast quantity of documents relating to Naismith, which included historical records held in Canada and a wide range of nineteenth-century newspaper articles.
He added: “Until his passing, Naismith maintained his Scottish beliefs, mindset, traits and values, and made multiple pilgrimages to Scotland to visit relatives and locations, even buying his wedding outfit in Scotland in 1894.
“In the words of Naismith’s grandson, Jim Naismith, Scotland was a country that he called home and cared deeply about.”
