Pastimes And Games: Some Research On Anglo-Saxon Sports

In our society sports are a very important social construction. As sports continue to grow, they are becoming more integrated into the major spheres of social life. Sports have become an entity, due to the fact that they not only create entertainment and jobs; sports have become a huge platform for various causes. Sports are extremely important to our society and have very powerful influences. Though experiences vary from person to person, most people have some sort of experience with sports. I personally have experienced sports more from the spectator and participant stance, and have been impacted from each perspective a great deal. Compared to sophomore safety, Jamal Adams my sports experience has been very different from impact and perspective.

Athletics had relative importance in pre-industrial Britain mostly taking place at traditional fairs and festivals. For example a wake was seen as a great social occasion whereby mainly the lower class men would compete in events such as stick fighting, running, climbing a greasy pole and wrestling. These activities were seen as ‘athletic’ events and were an opportunity for the lower class men to show off their power and strength to the women. In addition women had the opportunity to take part in events such as smock races. Festivals and fairs such as these would take place on church holy days such as Easter and were seen as a chance for celebration and enjoyment. Prime examples of Festivals such as these include the Much Wenlock and Dover

Many sports were practiced during the Elizabethan Era, but not all were popular. During this period, some sports were also in the Highland games. Wrestling has a very popular sport in this era and was practiced around the world and since ancient times. Of all sports, wrestling was favored most, plus the champion back then of wrestling was a cornish man named John Goit. Hurling was also associated with wresting, in the highland games, and men were often killed during hurling.

Sports, hunting and games were very well-liked in the Elizabethan Era. Although sports in the 1500’s were not baseball and basketball, like some our most popular, they did compete in many that we still do today. Some examples of these athletics are archery, hammer-throw, wrestling, and game ball, which is comparable to today's football or rugby. In addition, animal blood sports were played, which included bear baiting, bull baiting and more. The tournaments that the athletes participated in provided great entertainment for both upper-class and lower-class and typically lasted several days. One other common sporting activity in the Elizabethan Era was hunting. The nobles and upper-class naturally enjoyed hunting as a game or pastime. Multiple

Wrestling is a sport with a long history and offers many benefits in today’s world. This paper will explore the history of the sport of wrestling as the sport of wrestling has been around since biblical times. There are many facts and myths about wrestling. This paper will take you through the history of wrestling and address the benefits it provides to children and athletes of modern times. Wrestling can change lives, let’s learn how.

There were many sports that became popular with the citizens of Elizabethan England. Nobles often participated in archery, bowling, dice, hammer-throwing and most known tennis (“Alchin Elizabethan Sports”). Furthermore, nobles watched wrestling and the bloodiest sports including bear and bull baiting and dog and cock fighting. For example the queen often appeared at these events (Alchin “Elizabethan Bear & Bull Baiting”). Sports began to come from other countries and continents as people would travel to England, consequently making tennis the most popular sport of the upper classes as it originated in medieval France.

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.

I do not accept the thesis that American men living in cities before the Civil War engaged in sport primarily to define themselves, publicly, as manly. I would accept this thesis if it had stated that men living in cities before the Civil War engaged in sports to define themselves, publicly, and manly. The word that made me disagree with the original thesis is the word “primarily”. I am not stating that men did not engage in sport to define themselves, publicly, as manly, but I do not think that it is the primary reason. I would have also accepted this thesis if it had stated that men living in cities before the Civil War engaged in prize fighting primarily to define themselves, publicly, as manly. Prizefighting is a sport but it does not provide the standard for all sports. I will use excerpts from the various sources we have read in class in order to defend my position.

There are many greek sports that reflect our american culture today. One of the ancient sports that reflects our culture today is greek wrestling. Greek wrestling was a game where two opponents tried to throw each other out of a ring, and the man who was thrown from the ring first lost. This game was a fair game based on strength and strategy. There are many sports in america today that have those same virtues to win. Wrestling shows the physicality that a lot of sports in america possess today. This game also had a fair set of rules like almost all american sports. This was a great sport for strength training and it was very popular like it is today.

The origins of wrestling go back to 15,000 years ago Wrestling is one of the oldest sport played. The Greeks feared the true history of the sport would be lost therefore Greco-Roman wrestling was born from that one type of wrestling many forms were elaborated. The first real traces of the development of wrestling date back to the times of the Sumerians which is 5000 years ago. Drawings , as well as many other vestiges, witness the existence of corporations of wrestlers in Ancient Egypt, wrestling rules and refereeing codes. Fights were similar to those of freestyle wrestling, as shown by drawings and inscriptions from that time. The most famous of all wrestlers was Milon of Croton, six times Olympic champion, ten times winner of the

Following Poliakoff’s introduction to the ancient combat sports, he proceeds to provide a basic outline to the world of ancient combat sports in a series of sections within the chapter, including: The definition of a ‘combat sport’ and its relation to recreation and training; similarities amongst combat sports, training methods and common practise; the premise of athletic festivals, and the organization of said competition.

“Introducing the lasted, newly improved widget… anyone whose anyone has one… it is a must have!” These words sound familiar? This is due in part, because advertising today has taken such extreme measures to persuade the American public; materialism has become the most prominent and universal mentality. The need to have the newest and best has become an instilled characteristic of the average citizen. How, you may wonder, has the advertising industry become such a powerful entity? The answer is that propaganda has always played a vital role in society; this is not a new concept. Throughout history propaganda/advertising has been to entice, elude, and manipulate people.

Medieval sports of the middle ages were a source of public entertainment designed to increase the overall fitness and military experiences of men and woman. These games, called béhourds, were fought by rival knights and soldiers either on horses or the ground. This was in accordance with the feudal practice that required Lords to bring forth soldiers to protect the king in exchange for ownership of land. Knights that participated in these sports used weapons such as swords, lances, daggers, and battle axes, and thus men were often killed or brutally wounded (“Medieval Sports”). These sporting contests also made it possible for men to move up in the ranks of the Pyramid of Power. Those who performed heroically in battle or were triumphant in competition would become wealthy and considered a part of the nobility, whereas, the peasant class received as little as a purse for their excellence. Similar to the fame experienced by modern-day professional football players, medieval jousters were subject to the same treatment. However, different games were enjoyed by either class of men, therefore stardom was concentrated more toward the nobility. Despite this, many of the sports enjoyed during this time are still around today, some of which have been included in the world famous Olympic Games.

The Anglo Saxon period is the oldest known period of time that had a complex culture with stable government, art, and a fairly large amount of literature. Many people believe that the culture then was extremely unsophisticated, but it was actually extremely advanced for the time. Despite the many advancements, the period was almost always in a state of war. Despite this fact, the Anglo-Saxon period is a time filled with great advancements and discoveries in culture, society, government, religion, literature, and art.

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.