Chapter 3Development of youth sport
Introduction
Although children were playing sports before 1865, youth sport became more structured and organized following the Civil War (Wiggins, 2013). In the twentieth century, Progressive Era reformers wanted to cure the ills of urbanization, industrialization, and the lack of democratic knowledge through governmental reform. Luther Gulick and James Naismith, both employees of the Youth Men’s Christian Association (YMCA), emerged as leaders in the field (Wiggins, 2013). Gulick and Naismith used basketball as a way to teach social engagement in addition to physical fitness. Both believed that sport was to be played for the love of the game, fitness, ...
