1 28 15 ADDENDUM 1 LECTURE Sport overtime an historical overview Major eras and culture Several major eras and culture serve as benchmarks for discussing the history of sport forms and quasi sport action Greek civilization Roman empire Middle ages Europe Renaissance and age enlightenment The aforementioned cultures and eras are primarily discussed in reference to sport evolution because of the wealth of information secured overtime Other civilizations were involved in physical activities of a sporting nature but few artifacts and written documentation have been excavated or preserved Ancient china Africa North America Inhabitants of these regions have also served as architects of contemporary sport Physical act and sport forms Existed in all cultures Date back to and traced to antiquity Evolved from basic survival skills work and warfare Sport means different things in different cultures and societies International and national sport competitions Help convey the views perspectives and priorities of nation Social political and economic exchange Organized sport forms Dramatically changed overtime No longer a more quest for survival and religious expression Have evolved into a multibillion dollar global industry Sport is international in scope At predetermined intervals notions collectively engage in sport Olympic Games World Cup Recurring themes Power and influence Inequities in society o Ancient Greek Games 1000 BC 100 BC Game staged circa 900 BC Grounded in mythology and religion Usually held in conjunction with national festival Festival included games religious services sacrifices music dance and ritual feasts Competitors Originally males from wealthy Greek family o Wealthy Greek males were the athletes Financial resource Warriors sports staged Chariot racing Javelin and discuss throwing Wrestling and boxing Archery Running and long jumping Pancratium akin to ultimate fighting 2 2 15 Ancient Greek Games Olympic competition Competitions Violence and serious injuries were prevalent Philosophers referred to the games as brutal and dehumanizing Women children and the elderly barred from Could only participate in festivals Greek national festivals Athletic contests Religious overtones Reserved for Greek citizens Sites linked to religious beliefs Nemea Corinth Delphi Olympia became the most heralded Its games the most prominent Historical documentation indicates that the Olympic Games date back to 776 B C Greek women and sport Prohibited from participating and watching Olympic Games Sexuality questioned of those who participated in sport Physical prowess not viewed as a female virtue Few sport outlets available to women Heraean games held for women o May predate Olympic games o Dedicated to goddess Hera o Little or no publicity promotion and results maintained As the Olympic Games grew in stature Athletes began to compete for their respective city states Wealthy individuals employed ringers to train for the games Slaves lower class men and POWs were eventually recruited Rewards elevated participants to professional status Cash Living credits Reputations Tax credits Organizations evolve to protect athletes interests Akin to contemporary players associations Sexism gender discrimination class discrimination politics and nationalism all were evident in the early Greek games Athletes specialized so much that they were criticized as poor soldiers Athletes were said to engage in warrior sports but lacked generalized martial skills Athletes trained for sport competition at the expense of more learned activities Philosophers referred to athletes as ignorance citizens Ignorant citizen dumb jock Antiquity contemporary society Strengths of Greek games Influenced art and philosophy Model for future sport organization and competition Prototypic sport venue design Contributed to the well being of participants Games Grounded in religion Lacked complex administrative structures Non revenue generating events no fee Minimal record keeping standards or measurements The prototypic Greek athlete would be the model in sport centuries white wealthy male ablebodied and young o ROMAN SPORT 100 B C 500 A D Blood sports Functional aspect of sports Soldiers used athletic contests to hone skills for war Entertainments spectacles for the masses Penalty phase for criminal justice system Roman sport orientation The Roman Empire incorporated the Greek games into their culture but the orientation was considerably different The major goal martial in nature Aesthetic value and athletic prowess were secondary militaristic proficiency Bloody contests and death were prominent aspects of Roman sport Unlike the Greeks the Romans packages their sport activities for mass consumption Men and women attend the spectacles By 300 A D half of the Roman calendar consisted of holidays in which sport spectacles were staged Sport spectacles Akin to circuses circus Maximus Major events were chariot racing and gladiatorial contests Slaves were recruited as charioteers Betting was pervasive and heavy Staged to honor emperors pacify citizenry and celebrate military conquests Boxing matches Bearbaiting and bullbaiting Human vs animal contest The narcotizing effect of sport Citizens express growing discontent and disfavor toward the ruling class Emperors often staged sport spectacles to civil disobedience and endear themselves with the citizens Massive unemployment extensive taxation and religious intolerance were major social issues Sport spectacles quasi sport and crowd control Food and drink distributed to maintain order Raffles and prizes distributed to appease the mass Contests employed as diversions Entertainment and disposal of social undesirable Tied to criminal justice system Social undesirables Criminals Christians POWs heretics and disobedient slaves Unwilling participants and combatants Criticism of spectacles and quasi sports Public outcry regarding the spectacles Criticized as tasteless and devoid of cultural value Concern wasn t for individual participants Interestingly many of the objections were not based on moral or humanitarian ideals but the fraternization between and among social classes prejudices against the lower classes Roman women and sport Seldom involved Able to watch contests Primarily homebound Differences between contemporary sports Some religious overtones Celebrations for military conquests No record keeping Disposal system for undesirables Prevailing sentiments in Europe Time period incorporates the dark