The Youth Men’s Christian Association was founded in London, England in 1844. Its founder, George Williams, was a 22-year-old department store worker in London during the Industrial Revolution when he came up with the idea of the YMCA. Williams and his friends were “concerned by the lack of healthy activities for young men in cities such as London.” [1] There were some places where men could get physical activity prior to the creation of the YMCA, but most of these facilities would also expose young men to harmful activities such as alcohol, prostitution, and gambling. So Williams and his friends decided to start the Youth Men’s Christian Association. They would base these YMCA facilities and practices on three core principles: healthy spirit, healthy body, and healthy mind [2]. Today, there are over 135 national YMCA federations and over 45 million members attending their facilities.
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| First YMCA in the United States |
The first YMCA in the United States was opened on December 29th, 1851 and was located in Boston, Massachusetts. A retired captain, Thomas Valentine Sullivan, founded this establishment after experiencing a YMCA in England. [5] He modeled this YMCA after Williams’ original YMCA. Sullivan hoped to provide a safe place for sailors to learn, sleep, and to stay fit while they were docked. Sullivan’s YMCA continued to expand and provide many different amenities for many different types of people. They housed and served Union Soldiers during Civil War, and they also supported the immigrants who were working in the factories during the Industrial Revolution. [5] The YMCA of Greater Boston is still standing to this day and set the table for the expansion of over 100 more YMCAs across our country.
An interesting fact about the YMCA that not a lot of people are aware of is that one of our most prominent professional sports, basketball, was founded by an instructor who taught at the Young Men’s Christian Association. The founder, Dr. James Naismith, was a physical education teacher at the YMCA in Springfield, Massachusetts. He came up with the idea while trying to think of a way to keep his energetic and disgruntled students active on rainy days. Naismith wrote, “What this generation wanted was pleasure and thrill, rather than physical benefits.” [6] So Naismith found a way to provide pleasure and thrill, all while having his students improve their minds, bodies, and spirits. On December 21st, 1891 Naismith nailed a beach basket to the top of the rafters in the Springfield YMCA gymnasium and the first game of basketball was played. Basketball has gone on to be a mainstream sport in our culture with games played in both the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Olympics.
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| First Basketball court in Springfield YMCA |
Along with enhancing one’s spirit, mind, and body, the YMCA was a great place of inspiration. The Village People and Jacques Morali wrote the famous hit “Y.M.C.A.” in 1978. The song was, appropriately, about the Youth Men’s Christian Association. Morali (the writer of the song) said that he was inspired by the facility to write the song, “This is a place where a lot of people go when they are in town. And they get good friends and they go out. Why don’t we write a song about it?” [4] The song went on to be top the charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States, [7] and is still a popular party track to this day.
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| Village People, performers of the song "Y.M.C.A." |
The Youth Men’s Christian Association has opened the door for other fitness and wellness establishments to follow their mold of healthy lifestyles. Not to mention the huge influence and inspiration the YMCA has had on our modern culture. “The Y”, which it is referred to today, continues to enhance its members’ minds, bodies, and spirits with facilities located worldwide.
SOURCES:
[1] "YMCA." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YMCA .
[3] AP. "Newly Found Documents Shed Light on Basketball's Birth - NBA - ESPN." ESPN: The Worldwide Leader In Sports. 16 Nov. 2006. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2660882 .
[4] "The Ultimate YMCA (song) - American History Information Guide and Reference." The Ultimate American History Information Guide and Reference. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://www.historymania.com/american_history/YMCA_(song) .
[5] "Mission & History - About the YMCA : Mission and History." YMCA of Greater Boston - Home. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. http://www.ymcaboston.org/about_the_ymca/mission_and_history/ .
[6] Wyckoff, Edwin Brit. The Man Who Invented Basketball: James Naismith and His Amazing Game. Berkeley Heights, NJ: Enslow, 2008. Print.
[7] "Y.M.C.A. (song)." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YMCA_(song) .
