SPORTS AND HISTORY Greeks sports was governed by religion and religious people and institutions Religious sentiments Sports was held during festivals and rituals with music and other activities Competitors in these games were from wealthy and respected Greek families Warrior sports Basis or origin of todays olympics known as Olympia back then Glory and honor Women played separately Roman Entertainment spectacles Gladiatorial combat due to importance given to warfare Strength display sports Class difference and issues still prevalent Women played separately but more access and in display Medieval Europe Peasants played sports Violent and dangerous Bigger population involved Peasants played sports that gave rise to modern day football and cricket Upperclassmen played more mature and sophisticated sports like billiards Modern Times secularism Equality Rationalization Standardisation In uenced by industrial revolution enlightenment phase Capitalism class divide Rich and Poor Key Terms Social divide in society based primarily on wealth gender hence economics politics and culture Class Power or authority wealth status lifestyle Modern sports and times was seen as unfavorable before Karl Max Society was divided on production due to industrial revolution Which group controlled surplus was dominant class Max Weber Human behavior Modern Society doesn t mean contemporary Formed by POLITY SOCIAL STRUCTURE ECONOMY CULTURAL SPHERE Polity The dominance of secular forms of political power and authority and conceptions of sovereignty and legitimacy operating within de ned territorial boundaries which are characteristic of the large complex structures of the modern nation state Economy A monetized exchange economy based on the large scale production and consumption of commodities for the market extensive ownership of private property and the accumulation of capital on a systemic long term basis One of the driving forces behind modernity is the desire to balance revolutionary ideas and technologies with regulations that establish and maintain a new social political and economic order For example and in terms of sport athletes needed to balancing the quest for an ideal body with respectability and constraint they were expected to balance passion with discipline and order and to balance individualism with social solidarity The ultimate idea expressed by Pierre de Coubertin who reinvigorated the Olympic Games in the late 19th century was to use sport as a way to provide structure and meaning during a time of uncertainty change upheaval and revolution In short modernity brought with it a new vision of sport and the healthy body as a means to solve some of the apparent problems of modernity Before 19th Century Sport was widely viewed as valueless diversionary spectacle closely connected to idleness gambling drink and violence at best crude folk culture at worst a manifestation of cultural decline and barbarism Gruneau 1996 86 Bene ts of sports Sports promised to create good workers by promoting the kinds of behavior that were useful for factory workers the ability to work on a team the ability to listen to authority and the ability to deal with stress Plus the dedication required of athletes also helped to create a strong work ethic In addition sports became associated with a money market economy Nation loyalty and unity Good trait development Fitness Discipline Order Equality in gender GUTTMAN S SEVEN Secularism Equality Specialization Bureaucratization Rationalization Quanti cation Obsession with Records