4 things to know about the Christian origins of basketball
2. YMCA’s role in promoting the nascent sport
Founded in 1844 in London as a Christian organization for young urban men, the YMCA embraced a philosophy of “Muscular Christianity" in the late 19th century. Its now-famous inverted triangle logo was said to have symbolized the unity of spirit, mind and body.
Naismith's supervisor, Luther Gulick, challenged him to invent a new game that could be played indoors during winter, and the result — originally called "Basket Ball" — was immediately published in the YMCA's Triangle magazine in January 1892.
