KIN 3305 1st Edition Lecture 4 Sports and Activity Throughout History cont Outline of Previous Lecture I Pervasiveness of Sport cont II What is Sport III Institutionalization and Sport IV Interesting Discussion Topics Outline of Current Lecture I Ancient Greek II Roman Empire III Middle Ages and Medieval Europe IV The Renaissance Reformation and Age of Enlightenment Current Lecture I Ancient Greece a Competitions i Violence and serious injuries were prevalent ii Philosophers referred to the games as Brutal and Dehumanizing iii Women children and the elderly barred from Olympic competition could only participate in the festivals b Greek National Festivals i Athletic contests religious overtones reserved for Greek citizens sites linked to religious beliefs Nemea Corinth Delphi Olympian ii Olympia became the most heralded its games the most prominent c Historical documentation indicates that the Olympic Games date back to 776 B C Zeigler d Greek Women and Sport i Prohibited from participating and watching Olympic Games ii Sexuality questioned of those who participated in sport iii Physical prowess not viewed as a female virtue iv Few sport outlets available to women v Heraen Games held for women may pre date Olympic Games dedicated to goddess Hera little or no publicity promotion and results maintained These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute e As the Olympic games grew in stature i Athletes began to compete for their respective city states ii Wealthy individuals employed ringers to train for the Games iii Slaves lower class men and POWS were eventually recruited f Rewards elevated participants to professional status Cash living credits reputations tax credits g Organizations evolved to protect athletes interests akin to contemporary players associations h Sexism gender discrimination class discrimination politics and nationalism involved i Athletes specialized so much that they were criticized as poor soldiers j Athletes were said to engage in warrior sports but lacked generalized martial skills k Athletes trained for sport competition at the expense of more learned activities l Philosophers referred to athletes as ignorant citizens i Ignorant citizen dumb jock m Influenced art and philosophy n Model for future sport organization and competition o Prototypic sport venue design p Contributed to the well being of participants q The prototypic Greek athlete would be the model in sport centuries white wealthy male able bodied and young II Roman Empire a Blood Sports i Soldiers used athletic contests to hone skills for war ii Entertainment spectacles for the masses iii Penalty phase for criminal justice system b The Roman Empire incorporated the Greek Games into their culture but the orientation was differet c The major goal martial in nature d Aesthetic value and athletic prowess were secondary to militaristic proficiency e Bloody contests and death were prominent aspects of Roman sport blood sports f Unlike the Greeks the Romans packaged their sport activities for mass consumption Men and women could attend the spectacles g By 300 A D half of the Roman calendar consisted of holidays in which sport spectacles were staged h Akin to circuses Circus Maximus i Major events were chariot racing and gladiator contests j Slaves were recruited as charioteers k Betting was pervasive and heavy l Staged to honor emperors pacify citizenry and celebrate military conquests m Boxing matches n Bearbaiting and bullbaiting o The Narcotizing Effect of Sport i Citizens express growing discontent and disfavor toward the ruling ii Emperors often staged sport spectacles to thwart civil disobedience and endear themselves with citizens p Food and drink distributed to maintain order q Raffles and prizes distbuted to appease the masses r Contests employed as diversions s Interestingly many of the objections were asked or motal or humanitarian ideals III Middle Ages and Medieval Europe 500 AD 1300 AD a Scholasticism and Asceticism i Prevailing sentiments in Europe ii Time period incorporates the Dark Ages iii Roman Empire has fallen iv Considerable power and control vested in the church v Scholasticism embraced the importance of facts and information the rise of the academy vi Asceticism subscribed to an austere religious lifestyle de emphasis on physical development sport and athletic contests not strongly endorsed negative perception b Games and Tournaments i Peasant Games 1 Byproduct of local customs and Roman Catholic Church 2 Low organized contests with little structure and few rules 3 Play was guided by traditions 4 Limited facilities and equipment 5 Various ball games borrowed from the Romans 6 Games integrated into religious ceremonies 7 Tacit church approval as a means of control 8 Church sanctioned activities during holidays and festive gatherings 9 Several sports may have emerged from the early peasant games soccer curling cricket bowling baseball football ii Upper Class Games 1 Differed dramatically from peasants games due to equipment facilities and time 2 Tournaments differed little from batter 3 War type games were staged 4 Deaths and serious injuries were common 5 Fencing jousting and archery were prominent 6 Included the following tennis horse racing handball hunting shuffleboard billiards iii Differences Between Contemporary Sport 1 Lacked specialization and organization 2 No standard measurements or recorded data IV The Renaissance Reformation and Age of Enlightenment 1300 1800 a The scholar athlete became the ideal among the upper class i Referred to as a Renaissance Man ii Socially adapt sensitive to aesthetic values iii Skilled in weaponry strong and learned b Literacy increased dramatically during this era i Printing press invented ii Ecclesiastical rule challenged iii Religion government education science etc challenged c Many societal changes brought about i Militarism ii Naval navigation