History and Importance of Sports amongs Ancient Civilizations

Sports are prominent in today’s culture more than ever. Almost everyone watches them, has a favorite team, or even competes in sports, but this wasn't always the case. In the early 1800’s, Americans were opposed to sports. Organized sports like the ones that we have today were not common at all. The idea of sports wasn’t even on the radar of most people.

Sports are something that everyone in the world, regardless of age, sex, or nationality, can enjoy. Whether it's a child playing in his first t-ball game or a professional athlete swimming in the Olympics and everyone in between, sports can connect almost everyone. Fan support and overall devotion for athletic competition has raised professional athletes to superstars and national icons; Super Bowl Sunday is a national holiday to some, and sports are one of the largest moneymakers in the economy.

Sports in Ancient Egypt included Handball, Competitive swimming, Hockey, Weightlifting, Tug of war, Javelin, Jumping, Running, Boxing, Wrestling, Rowing, Equestrian sports, Handball and swimming. Ancient Egyptian sport also included team sports. They required team work in an effort to display skill, strength and sportsmanship.

The environmental issues are one of the most overwhelming issues of today due to the consequences of global warming and climate changes. Given with the global environmental concerns at hand ,various aspects of the human activities has been scrutinized, from economic, social, scientific, technological, academic, medical, social, political, and social aspects. One of the interactions in the human dynamics that has been associated with environment, where its consequences and impacts are scrutinized and assessed, is the sports. Sport is one of the biggest sources of enjoyment and recreation for billions of people around the world. While there are some that actively participate in various sports, majority of the people around the globe serve as spectators of these events. However, the love of man to sports is coupled with consequences and responsibilities.

Contests in skill, strength and speed have occupied an important place in every culture throughout the ages. The meaning of the term sport and the effect that sport has on society is always changing. Sports have especially changed in the last two decades and can certainly be evidence by the growing number of labor disputes and court cases involving all sports.

The first accounts of the Ancient Olympic games trace back to the year 776 BC. Held at Olympia, the games were thought to have been dedicated to the ‘Olympian gods’, Hera, Athena, Apollo and most prodimately, Zeus, the god of the sky and the ruler of the Olympian gods. Ancient myths associated with the beginning games stated that Zeus, the father of humanity, have fought and defeated Cronus in a battle for the throne of the gods. Others predicted demigod Herakles staged the games in Zeus’s honour, as he had assisted him in conquering Elis. Olympia, the site in which the games were held, was located in the Western part of the Peloponnese. The sacred area held numerous temples and sporting facilities, as the site was used for both the Ancient Olympic games

The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a time of immense change in Europe. Germany had recently unified, destabilizing the centuries-old balance of power. The second industrial revolution was in full swing, and Europeans thrilled to the latest inventions, from the skyscraper, the first airplanes, and, most ominously, to the machine guns of Maxim and Krupp. During this time, Europeans perceived sports in a number of ways. First of all, many saw sports as an arena to train their nations for war. Secondly, others saw sports as a unifying principle around which to build nationalism and ethnic identity. Finally, many simply saw sports simply as a healthy and productive activity.

The ability of athletes has improved throughout the centuries which has taken the activities to a who different level leaving the ancient as history today. The ball games in the ancient civilization were as popular as they are today. For example, in mesoamerica, a religious ball game by the name of Ulama still existed in the northwestern part of Mexico. The game was played by the olmecs back in the 1800 B.C. The game consisted of a rubber ball and used the hips to hit it, similar to how tennis is played today. Over the centuries, the rules changes in order for other other tribes to play it. In this case, the pre Colombian Maya's, zapotecs and Aztecs to name a few, were part of that change to be able to play it. The sport could be related to baseball today as well, although the rules are not quite the same. The sport was demonstrated amongst these tribes different during competition. They would involve religion such as the Maya's and Aztecs who added strong religious overtones to the game Ulama played by the olmecs. The Chinese also had activities centuries ago such as martial arts and hunting. Although today they have taken a different route do to the change of generation over time. Einstein's essay was about helping out mankind in a

Sports are very vital. They offer a lifestyle, an occupation, and even a dream. Sports require physical activity and skill in which a team or an individual compete against others for entertainment. As David G. McComb comments in "Sports in World History", "there is a high degree of training, investment, and coaching, along with spectators, rules, publicity, and institutional control that come along with these activities." While participating in sports, it is required to be able to undertake a difficult situation and perform the best out of it. Sports are definitely more than just a game.

Sports were already an ingrained part of human culture with the solidification of Mesopotamian culture. With a civilization emphasizing masculine qualities as powerful and intent on pleasing the deities of war, the onset of battle simulations are predictable. Through the multitude of dried clay tablets left behind in

Sport plays a huge role in today’s society. It contributes to one’s health and fitness, social interaction, social and motor skills, patriotism, fun and entertainment. It also stimulates the economy and tourism leading to interaction between different cultures, for example the Olympics, and sport role models. Sports clearly are an important part of cultures and societies around the world as such events as the Olympics

Sports have always been one of the major factors of the society and economy. Back in Ancient Greece, the homeland of the Olympic games, the Greeks believed that a healthy body was very important and sports played an important part of the society. Nowadays, the sport industry has grown to a direct and indirect economic impact of the countries, with organizations and sport events that have fans and supporters from all over the planet that are willing to spend a great amount of money in order to show their support for their favorite team, player or club. That happens because sports entertain people by watching their favorite sport teams play in some of the sports mega-events.

The period of 1865 to 1950 was critical to the formation of “Modern” sport that is recognized today. In an article by Allen Guttmann titled From Ritual to Record: the nature of modern sport, Guttmann outlines seven characteristics that played a central role in the development of sports. These concepts were created as a sociological history of sports and took into place both American and European competitions. Guttmann’s notions of secularism, rationalization, bureaucracy and quantification, among others, all advanced the culture of sports; yet the most important of the stated characteristics is equality.

“Sports are for fun, but they also offer benefits and lessons that carry over into all aspects of life”. This well-known anonymous quotation conveys the message that sport is the game which has some rules and custom. It is not only for fun and entertainment, but there are also some benefits of playing sports and which gives some important lessons for life. Every kind of physical sports is healthy because it involves running, jumping, stretching, mind skills and much more. There are so many sports available in the world nowadays, but we can categorize them by the numbers of players, the three main categories are individual sport, dual sport and team sport.

Do you play games? Maybe you go to the movies. How about listening to music? These are all things we do for fun and games. What about the Ancient Egyptians? How did they have fun? From what we have found out, they had lots of fun. They had toys, games, and played pretend. They listened to musicians. And, they enjoyed sports. Let's see what we can discover. The history of sport probably extends as far back as the existence of people as purposive sportive and active beings. Sport has been a useful way for people to increase their mastery of nature and the environment. Of course, as we go further back in history the dwindling evidence makes the theories of the origins and purposes of sport difficult to support. Nonetheless, its importance in human history is undeniable.