Basketball nostalgic moment exposed limitations of sports archives

Nov 25, 2011 Sports

By Edison Jefford
The basketball nostalgic moment that former referee, Julian Haynes hosted a few weeks ago had exposed certain limitations in obtaining archival information in the sport specifically, which is an overwhelming problem in sports across-the-board in Guyana.
Haynes hosted his forum at the National Library and his depictions of some of the historical facts of local basketball came largely from his personal collection and recollection. It was an edifying, intriguing and much-needed forum for basketball and sport enthusiasts alike.

Host of the basketball nostalgic moment, Julian Haynes shows students some of the sport’s archaic moments at the National Library.

However, what it did expose is the fact that without the efforts of individuals like Haynes, and in a general context, sports really suffers from limited national effort to have its historical moments chronicled in a public place for those interested in such information.
Archival literature usually refers to the important, relevant but yet unpublished information about a particular subject. Haynes would have had his personal ‘clippings’ from ‘back in the day’ that he brought to the fore in his exhibition some weeks ago. But such details ought to have been, and should have been, available at some national location on a consistent basis.
The occasion made a strong case for the establishment of National Sports Archives. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports has repeatedly said that it wants to move in this direction, but what seem to be obviously lacking are the resources, especially the data collection resources.
This is where individuals such as Haynes become extremely relevant. Haynes is a microcosm of a host of others who possess archival ability. The ministry could tap into these individuals as one of their means of ensuring that important information on the new generation is preserved and the puzzled details of past epochs is slowly, but surely, pieced together. This process could become a fascinating project.
One of the issues that affect the attitude (s) of young Guyanese sportsmen and women is the fact that many of them do not understand and do not possess the requisite knowledge and appreciation for the traditional values of local sport. Those values would, of-course, include what emanated from individuals who had performances that pioneered the development of sport.
Haynes’s effort is commendable, but such efforts need national support since lack of information of this nature remains one of the sore points of local sport administration. One can only hope that for the sake of the next generation a National Sports Archives becomes a reality.