Geography and Culture: Sport Mr Kuhn

Sport vs Leisure Leisure Time Recreation Time Sport A recent study showed that the average person spends their average day as follows: Work: 25% Sleep: 25% Housework: 20% Free Time: 30% Leisure time is time spent doing thing that we choose to do It is important to note that leisure time is not time spent doing nothing Recreation Time Leisure time activities pursued outside the home are known as recreational activities Sport Leisure-Activities that are overtly competitive, organized, and largely to do with achievement

Types of Sport Play Sports Welfare Sports Achievement Sports Done for fun and often spontaneously Examples: Beach Volleyball or Walking Welfare Sports Undertaken in order to keep fit and healthy Example: Jogging or Working Out Achievement Sports Highly competitive business in which people and teams seek to prove their superiority Example: League Sports or Track and Field

Climate and Sport Impact on Development of a Sport Sport has developed naturally in nearly every culture What sports develop are based largely on what geography allows One major influence on what is practical to play is the climate Sports developed in a cold climate Ice Hockey: Developed in Montreal in the 19th century after adapting traditional “Stick and Ball” game common in England (Average Tempurature of -14 in Winter Season) Skiing: Developed in Northern Russia/China as early as 5000BCE (Average Temperature of -30 in Winter Season) Bobsledding: Created in the 1860s by the Swiss and introduced to the Olympics in 1924 (Average Temperature of -7 in Winter Season) Continued Success Countries from the Northern Hemisphere who have climates consisting of cold winters with high snow levels are consistently dominant in Winter Sporting Events such as the Olympics

Space and Place Perhaps just as important to the development of sports is space and place Important factors to consider Flat vs Mountain Sports must adapt to the shape of their landscape. Soccer was developed and played in areas with large flat areas in order to compensate the field size. Mountainous areas such as the Himalayas did not start playing this sport until globalization made the sport unavoidable due to its popularity Land vs Water Areas with an abundance of water developed unique sports compared to landlocked areas Sports such as surfing are centuries old and were observed as early as the 18th century in Polynesian Islands such as Hawaii Urban vs Rural While some sports need rural areas to develop (such as Golf), urbanization of cities has led to space constraints on which has modified traditional sports Long tradition of Field Lacrosse to Box Lacrosse Ice Hockey now available around the world due to Indoor arenas in wealthy cities

Natural Recourses and Sport Just as sports cannot develop without the proper climate and landscape, proper resources must be available to practice the sport Example: Surfing While Polynesian Islands has the appropriate amount of water and waves, without the proper wood surfing would not be possible Polynesian Islands had plenty of Wili Wili, Ula, and Koa trees which made heavy surfboards South Americans also developed their own style of surfing but used a lighter Balsa wood which became extremely popular Throughout time, the sport has evolved to using boards made out of Fiber Glass making the sport possible anywhere with waves and money

Monetary Resources and Sport Monetary Recourses More recently, money has become the most important resource in terms of developing and globalizing sports Urban areas with money have been able to replicate nearly any natural environment Example: Indoor Ski Mountain in Dubai or Ice Arenas in deserts such as Arizona In addition to availability of sports due to money, it has been continuously proven that wealthy countries have a massive advantage in sport in global competitions

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