Where can I find the “Is Basket-Ball a Danger?” series from 1894?

I've stumbled upon a couple of references to a running series of articles that were published in the YMCA's New Era newsletter back in 1894 discussing whether basketball was "too dangerous" to be played by the nation's youth.

The NYT article "The Next Big Thing" from October 31, 2008 mentions:

Some time ago, a series appeared in a newsletter under the title “Is Basket-Ball a Danger?” In it, several correspondents wrung their hands over the game’s miasmic influence on children, the unruly behavior it seemed to inspire. ... The only surprise is the year the series ran: 1894.

And in Dave Hickey's article "The Hersey of Zone Defense" he notes:

James Naismith was enlisted in December of [1891] to design such a game. So he evolved some Guiding Principles. Combining the most democratic, least territorial aspects of rugby and lacrosse, he invented basketball—and succeeded well beyond his wildest dreams. Within three years, literally thousands of gymnasiums, in every corner of the nation, smelled like teen spirit. Not long thereafter, the YMCA newsletter New Era began running a series entitled "Is Basketball a Danger?" It posed the following questions: Was basketball getting too rough? Was it too exciting for America's youth? Did it incite unruly behavior in its fans and participants? Did kids neglect their studies to "play it all the time"? And was it, therefore, losing the pedagogical aura of gentlemanly American sport and becoming professionalized? The answer to all these questions, in 1894, was Yes.

I'm interested in reading these, but I can't find them online for the life of me. Has anyone read these, or know where I can find them?

Thanks

Posted May 5, 2026, 5:23 PM UTC

177
Loading comments…