History of sport

History of sport is probably as old as the existence of people. Sport has been a useful way for people to increase their mastery of nature and the environment. The history of sport can teach us a great deal about social changes and about the nature of sport itself.

Sport seems to involve basic human skills being developed and exercised for their own sake, in parallel with being exercised for their usefulness.

Examples of skills which have become sports Gladiators in Rome fought and killed for the delectation of the audience, rather than to protect the Empire. Yachting is the travel across water for enjoyment or competition rather than for transport or commerce Running is done on a course for a fixed length of time or distance, rather than simply to catch a bus.

Stone-age drawings were discovered in the Libyan desert depicting among other activities, swimming and archery. The art itself is an example of interest in skills unrelated to the functional tasks of staying alive, and is itself evidence of there being leisure time available.

It also depicts other non-functional activities such as ritual etc. Therefore, although there is scant direct evidence of sport from these sources, it is reasonable to extrapolate that there was some activity at these times resembling sport.

Captain Cook, when he first visited the Hawaiian Islands, in 1778, reported on the native people surfing. The native American Indians engaged in games and sports before the coming of Europeans, such as lacrosse type ball games, running, and other athletic activities.

The ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations played serious ballgames. The courts used at that time are still used today. Individual sports, such as wrestling and archery, have been practiced worldwide since ancient times.

Sport has been increasingly organized and regulated from the time of the Ancient Olympics up to the present century. Activities necessary for food and survival became regulated activities done for pleasure or competition on an increasing scale, e.g. hunting, fishing, horticulture.

Ancient China There are artifacts and structures which suggest that Chinese people engaged in activities which meet our definition of sport as early as 4000 years BC. The origin and development of China's sports activities seem to have been closely related to the production, work, war and entertainment of the time.

Ancient China Gymnastics appears to have been a popular sport in China's past. It certainly remains so today, as the skill of Chinese acrobats is internationally recognized. Any other reason they are excellent in acrobatic endeavors?

Ancient Egypt Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a range of sports were well developed and regulated several thousands of years ago, including swimming and fishing. This is not surprising perhaps given the importance of the Nile in the life of Egypt.

Ancient Egypt Other sports included javelin throwing, high jump and wrestling. Again, the nature of the sports popular at the time suggests close correspondence with everyday non-sporting activities.

Ancient Greece A wide range of sports were already in operation at the time of the Ancient Greek Empire. Wrestling, running, boxing, javelin, discus throwing, and chariot racing were prevalent. This suggests that the military culture of Greece was an influence on the development of its sports.

Ancient Greece The Olympic games were held every four years in Ancient Greece. The games were held not simply as a sporting event, but as a celebration of individual excellence, cultural and artistic variety, and a showplace for architectural and sculptural innovation.

Modern history of sport The Industrial Revolution and mass production brought increased leisure which allowed increases in spectator sports, less elitism in sports, and greater accessibility. With the advent of mass media and global communication, professionalism became prevalent in sports.

This furthered sports popularity in general. Perhaps in a reaction to the demands of contemporary life, there have been developments in sport which are best described as post-modern: extreme ironing being a notable example.

There is also a move towards adventure sports as a form of escaping or transcending the routines of life, examples being white water rafting, canyoning, BASE jumping, and more genteelly, orienteering.

History of Sport in America

Topical Outline Reason for study of sport history Pre-Colonial America Colonial America Technological and Industrial revolutions Post Civil War The 20th Century Summary

Why is the History of Sport Important? To truly understand the sociology of sport, it is first important to understand the history of sport. How sport was developed How sport was affected by the historical, cultural and social traditions of the time period

Pre-Colonial America Population spread widely across the country Physical Activity and games were very important, and often linked to spiritual beliefs Common Sports: lacrosse, archery, running Staying fit was very important

Colonial America (1600s-1800’s) Religion (Puritanism) Hard work (to stay alive, and for religious purposes) Sport was most prevalent in remote areas Sport mirrored the challenges of the times and region horse racing, shooting, cockfighting

Industrial Revolution (1800’s) Factories developed Population moved into the city New recreation needed More time and money available Horse racing still popular

Technological and Industrial Revolutions (late 1700s- 1861) Increased technology Increased recreation time because production was faster People moved to cities Travel was faster and easier: 18th century, boat, horse and walking Steam engine (1807) for boats and railroad Very important for organized sports

Technological and Industrial Revolutions (late 1700s- 1861) (cont…) Population expands west Big companies are formed Immigrants brought their own sports Modern spectator sports rise (boxing, running, horse racing)

Post Civil War ( ) Civil War slowed sporting activities Even more movement towards cities More time and money available New working structure was seen as “femanizing” society (make it soft). Sports helped to “masculinize” society

Post Civil War ( ) (Cont…) Sport became very class specific Upper class tried to exclude lower classes Different sports adopted by different classes, African Americans no longer accepted in sport Rise of Intercollegiate Athletics First event in 1852, many events 1870’s Society became highly attached to the sport industry

Post Civil War ( ) (Cont…) Corporate involvement in sport Lots of money for sport and fitness

The 20th Century Period of dramatic sport growth Corporate Sport and health push More $ spent on sports equipment than by all schools Improved Equipment Social Involvement Part of educational system

Major Factors Affecting Sport In your mind, what was the major factor affecting sport during each of the following periods? Pre-Colonial America Colonial America Technological and Industrial revolutions Post Civil War The 20th Century

Women's roles in sports Women's experiences in the sporting life of the United States defy neat historical generalizations. In part this is because women never constituted a single group, and their behaviors and attitudes never conformed to a single general pattern.

Women's roles in sports The evolution of women’s role in sport in the United States can be divided into three major periods: the colonial era, the transitional nineteenth century, and the age of modern sports.

The Colonial Era: Women and Traditional Sports and Games About 1600, before Europeans colonized the land that would become the United States, the earliest American sportswomen were Native Americans Sports and other displays of physical prowess were embedded in the rhythms and relations of ordinary life.

The Colonial Era: Women and Traditional Sports and Games Religious ceremonies, for example, called on women, and men, to dance for hours at a time, while rites of passage from maidenhood to womanhood included physical displays and tests. Ball games occurred in the context of women's daily tasks, and the outcomes could affect one's place in the family or the village.

Mid-17 th century On warm summer days in New England, husbands and wives fished and sailed on the numerous waterways. Towns like Boston, Providence, and Hartford offered an even broader variety of sports and recreations, ranging from dances to races to fist fights.

Mid-17 th century By the early eighteenth century, emerging cities were sites for public, commercial, and physical displays, including tightrope dancing by women and men.

The Nineteenth Century: Domesticity The pursuit of active sports by women was not to persist, however. During the second half of the eighteenth century, a series of complex changes altered gender roles and relations. Enlightenment ideology and the emergent capitalist economy combined to redefine women's place, to move them into the home and away from public activity, and to emphasize biological differences (from men) as grounds for keeping them there.

The Nineteenth Century: Domesticity During the first half of the nineteenth century, perceptions and real experiences suggested to some people that the health of middle- and upper-class women in urbanizing areas was declining. Educators, doctors, and writers of popular magazine articles responded with analyses and prescriptions for improving women's health, including calls for renewed physical exertion via exercises and games.

The Nineteenth Century: Domesticity The logic of the health literature was simple: if women were to fulfill their roles as caretakers of families, they needed to maintain their physical and mental health. People such as Catharine Beecher and Mary Lyons argued for the physical education of women, started schools, and laid out regimens of calisthenics, domestic exercises (e.g., sweeping), and traditional activities such as walking and riding.

The Nineteenth Century: Domesticity An even more significant challenge to the nearly century-old ideology that placed women in the home and in subservience to men came in the form of a machine, the bicycle. Invented in Europe in the early 19th century, early versions of the bicycle had appeared in various forms and had become the object of short-lived fads through the 1860s.

The Nineteenth Century: Domesticity Then came the invention of the “ordinary” (one large and one small wheel) and, subsequently, the “safety” cycle, and the latter especially appealed to women. Bicycle riding, and even some racing, became popular, and the practice afforded women with a means of physical mobility and freedom that they had not known for generations.

Impact of war on sports After 1941 more and more women took jobs that had once belonged to the men who went abroad to fight. Even professional baseball opened its doors to women via the All-American Girls Baseball League financed by Philip Wrigley of chewing gum and Chicago Cubs fame. Now famous in part because of the movie, A League of Their Own, the All-American Girls Baseball League began play in 1943 in mid-size cities in the Great Lakes region.

African-American women and sports In the 1940’s as well, an even more significant movement developed in African American colleges. Track and field teams were training at places such as Tuskegee Institute and Tennessee State, and these colleges would produce the athletes that would integrate U.S. women's Olympic teams and revolutionize the contests and the records.

African-American women and sports By the early 1960s African-American athletes such as Wilma Rudolph ran record-pace after record-pace, opening doors for other black women and paving the way for Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Florence Griffith Joyner, among numerous others.

Effects of title IX Legislation that made colleges (that accepted federal funds) have to offer the same amount of sports teams for women as there are for men (1972). How many sports leagues for women are out there now?

Conclusion There has been a dynamic and continuing growth of women's sports since the late 1960’s. Triathlons, marathons, soccer, aerobics, weightlifting, rugby, skiing, two professional basketball leagues (although one folded in late 1998), athletic clubs, and even cheerleading are among the many sports available to women, none of which existed a century ago and few of which existed a generation earlier.

Conclusion What remains unknown is the full impact of the generation of women who are now maturing and who grew up with opportunities that their mothers and grandmothers never dreamed of.