The History of the YMCA and its Influences on Modern Culture

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.

First YMCA in the United States

The first YMCA in the United States was opened on December 29^th, 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 21^st, 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.

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.

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 .

[2] "History - Founding." The Y. Web. 23 Nov. 2010. http://www.ymca.net/history/founding.html .

[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) .

Sources for Santa Anna Post

Sources:

[1] Mabry, Donald J. "Santa Anna, Antonio Lopez De (1794-1876)." Historical Text Archive: Electronic History Resources, Online since 1990. http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?action=read&artid=159.

[2] "Antonio Lopez De Santa Anna." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonio_López_de_Santa_Anna.

[3] Captured Leg of Santa Anna, Springfield, Illinois." Roadside America - Guide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions. RoadSideAmerica.com. Web. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/18808.

[4] Nickolsen, Jonathon W. "Baseball History Timeline." Timeline Help. Web. http://www.timeline-help.com/baseball-history-timeline.html.

Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, His Wooden Leg, and the Beginning of Baseball in Mexico

Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón, more commonly known as General Santa Anna,was an interesting and polarizing figure in Mexican history to say the least. Santa Anna had lived a long and controversial life. He had become president of Mexico 11 times over a 22-year span where he led military units, defeated Spaniard invaders, and then turned around and supported those same Spanish invaders. He also played a huge role in the Mexican-American War in 1847 as he led the infamous attack on the Alamo. He was known as “a man without integrity, an opportunist” [1] who would do anything, including turning on his own people, if it were for the benefit of himself. He even self-appointed himself as the “Napoleon of the West.” [2] Lopez also used a prosthetic cork leg to get around because a cannon blast forced him to amputate his leg. It turned out that the prosthetic leg would serve another purpose as well during the Mexican War in 1847; that use being to play the first game of baseball in Mexico.

General Santa Anna's Wooden Leg (Illinois State Military Museum)

The story of the “peg-leg bat” began in 1847 when General Santa Anna was ambushed by the 4^thIllinois infantry unit while he was eating his lunch…

“In 1847, his artificial leg was captured by soldiers of the 4th Illinois Infantry, which is why it's in the Illinois State Military Museum. Santa Anna was eating lunch during a battle with the United States when the Americans surprised him, and he galloped off without his leg. The sergeant who grabbed the wooden (and cork) leg exhibited it at county fairs for a dime a peek, but since 1922 it's been in the care of Illinois National Guard.” –Bill Hatcher (Illinois State Military Museum) [3]

So Lieutenant Sergeant Abner Doubleday gathered the troops for a game of baseball south of the border where Santa Anna’s wooden peg leg was used as the baseball bat, according to the Baseball History Timeline. [4]

While it is still debated whether or not Abner Doubleday actually invented the game of baseball, he did in fact play the game with his troops in Mexico using a wooden leg as a bat. This was the first instance the game of baseball had been introduced to our southern neighbors. The game sparked the Mexicans’ interest, which led to them to take notice of America’s national pastime shortly thereafter. Baseball has now become a dominant sport in Mexican culture, where they have 16 leagues that take place during the summer. Not to mention the rich history of players in Major League Baseball; from Cy Young award winner Fernando Venezuela, to current superstar Alex Rodriguez. Who could have guessed that it all could have started from a prosthetic wooden leg that belonged to one of the most “hated” [3] Mexican military officials of all time?

The leg is currently on display at the Illinois State Military Museum in Springfield, Illinois. Even though General Santa Anna was strongly villainized by the Mexican people, the Mexican government has still requested to have the leg back according to museum guide Bill Hatcher stating that, “Mexico don’t want it, but we ain’t giving it back anyhow.” [3]

William Bray and the True Discovery of Baseball in 1755 (sources)

Bray, William. Diary Entries 1754-1755 (1755). MLB.com. Web. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/images/mediacenter/baseball_discovered/1755.jpg

 

AP. "Baseball Diaries: Earliest Reference to American Pastime Found in England - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News - FOXNews.com." FOXNews.com - Breaking News | Latest News | Current News. 12 Sept. 2008. Web. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,421464,00.html

 

Olmos, Edward J. "Baseball Discovered: Bray Diary | MLB.com: Media Center." The Official Site of Major League Baseball | MLB.com: Homepage. Web. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/mediacenter/baseball_discovered/braydiary.jsp

William Bray and the True Discovery of Baseball in 1755 (continued)

An interesting fact about Bray’s documentation was that half of the players involved were women, when baseball is purely considered a male sport. There are other variations of baseball in our current society that incorporate women, such as softball, but apparently baseball was not a unisex sport when it was first created. This is probably more of an indication that the game William Bray participated in was only mildly competitive and more for leisure than the fierce competition that the game has evolved into today.

The discovery of this documentation of a first-person experience playing the game of baseball in England has definitely debunked the mystery of where our nation’s pastime was created. Sir William Bray would have never thought that his daily diary entries would be the missing piece to a century-old question. His original diary is now on display at the Surrey History Centre in England. Also, a documentary containing the diary and the accidental discovery of it by Tricia St. John Barry is going in to the Sports Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

William Bray and the True Discovery of Baseball in 1755

William Bray's Diary Entry (3/31/1755)

The discovery of baseball has always been a controversial topic. Many believed that America’s great national pastime was a sport that originated in America sometime around the 18^th century. While others believed that it originated in a European country, taking after sports like la soule (France) and rounders (Great Britain). While there was no physical evidence, it was just widely accepted that baseball originated in North America because the sport is so prominent in our culture and history.

Things changed in 2008 when Tricia St. John Barry found what she thought was an “exercise book written by a child” in her cottage in England. Well it turned out that it was no exercise book at all, it was Sir William Bray’s 1754-1755 diary entries.

Bray wrote the diary as a routine daily transaction, accounting for all the events he participated in. And his entry on Easter Sunday, 1755 contained the first written account of a game referred to as "base ball" being played. His diary entry for that day read:

Went to Stoke church this morn.- After dinner, went to Miss Jeale's to play at base ball with her the 3 Miss Whiteheads, Miss Billinghurst, Miss Molly Flutter, Mr. Chandler, Mr. Ford and H. Parsons. Drank tea and stayed til 8. –William Bray (March, 31, 1755)

Evidence that the sport being played was "base ball"