Sports, Games, and Pastimes of the Elizabethan Era

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

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.

entertainment. It relates back to their everyday lives because they was normal people who practice or just watched sports. That why

Some games played by Elizabethan was archery,tag,battledore,bowls,culf, and gameball. Archery is very popular sport during her time and still is.Tag was a game played by kids just like it is today where one person is it and chases everyone and tries to tag them. Battledore is like the modern day badminton where a game with rackets in which a shuttlecock is played back and forth across a net.Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack".Gameball is just like the modern day game football.This rustic game, which is still extant in some parts of England, was sometimes called "the nine men's merrils," from merelles, or miereaux, an ancient French word for the jettons or counters with which it was played. The other term, morris, is

Professional bull riding is a fierce, rough, and grueling sport with roots deeply imbedded in American culture. It's America's original extreme sport. The PBR has evolved into a captivating and adrenaline charged sporting event that features an all star cast of the greatest bull riders and bucking bulls in the world. Bull riding originated in charreadas, contests of ranch and horsemanship skills that developed on the haciendas of Old Mexico. First termed jaripeo, bull riding was originally a variant of bullfighting where riders would literally ride the bull to death. It later evolved into an event where participants merely rode the bull until it tired and stopped bucking. The history of bull riding started first back in the 1850's. Texas men

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

Sports presented an opportunity as a release for England’s community. The utmost popular sport was bear-baiting which first became business in the mid 1500s. People's lives involved bull baiting and arenas formed to host these spectacles. Additionally, Philip Henslowe establishing a dedicated animal fighting arena in Thames shows how crucial the sport had become (Alchin “Elizabethan Bear & Bull Baiting”). The noisy, blood arenas

James Naismith, creator of basketball, used a soccer ball as the first basketball. The game of soccer was originally played with an inflated animal bladder that was surrounded with leather (Leibs 67). Just as in every sport, as time evolves, so do the materials being played with. The materials begin becoming more durable, controllable, and affordable. During the Renaissance period, many sports were evolved and took a turn for the better. Although many sports were introduced during the Renaissance period; football, lawn bowling, and tennis were the three main sports that influenced today’s time period the most.

In the mid-late 1800s, the US was in an awkward place where finally, for an extended period of time, they were not at war with anyone. Americans could go home and not have to worry about sending their boys off to the army or navy in order to preserve their nation. However it was strange due to the fact that Americans did not yet have an identity, a true American culture. The free time given to them was met with revelation and the realization of things needing to be created in the US not only to serve as something to do and look forward to but also a social event and get together. Things like baseball started to really catch a flame, however more was needed to bring the country together, something more exciting. Finally, a man named Walter Camp

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 origins of bullfighting can be traced back to prehistoric times. The Greeks sacrificed bulls for religious reasons, but in its earliest forms, bullfighting did not even involve humans. The bull was often put into a small enclosure with another predatory animal, such as a tiger or lion, and the beasts fought to the death. The spectacle eventually evolved into a struggle between man and bull gaining similarities with what we know today as bullfighting. Along with these changes came the spectacle and formalities that are now an integral part of the corrida de toros. Arguably, the first of the modern bullfight took place in Vera, Logroño, Spain in 1133. The modern bullfight evolved from rejoneo, which

Actually, fighting bulls was a "popular activity" in the Middle Ages but it was an event that only the elite participated in, Seufert explains. On the occasion of marriages or other ceremonies of "honor" nobles on horses fought "…with long lances" to demonstrate how strong and noble they were (Seufert, p. 4). The bull has for centuries been a symbol of "power and fertility," and the in the first mentions of bullfighting in the literature, the Spanish "Poem of the Cid," a protagonist battles a bull (around 1040) at the marriage of the king's daughter (Seufert, p. 4).

Drama changed literature and theater into what it is today. I. History of Elizabethan Theater a. forming of theater 1. medieval church 2. mystery and morality b. actors 1. rogues and thieves 2. acting guilds II. Influences and people a. commanding actors 1. Shakespeare 2. Burbage b. other 1. wars of the roses (other historical influences) 2. laws restricting theater III. The theaters a. prices 1. seating 2. stage b. the theater and the globe 1. locations and characteristics 2. Burbage and other accomplishment Elizabethan Drama During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, England underwent a dramatic change in priorities. The importance of art and literature became highly prevalent. The impact of the Elizabethan drama and

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.

“In roughly built playhouses and cobblestone inn yards, an extraordinary development took place in England in the 1500s.” (Yancey, 8). At that time, an opportunity combined to produce literature achievement never before witnessed in the history of drama and theater. The renaissance, helped spark this movement by inspiring scientific and artistic creativity throughout the land. Models began writing dramas that portrayed life in both realistic and imaginative ways. This created work later captured the attention of the world that changed the English drama. The many aspects of Elizabethan theater helped to shape the acting and theater world forever.