History of sport
History of sport is probably as old as the existence of people as purposive beings. Sport has been a useful way for people to increase their mastery of nature and the environment. The history of sport can teach us a great deal about social changes and about the nature of sport itself. Sport seems to involve basic human skills being developed and exercised for their own sake, in parallel with being exercised for their usefulness. Of course, as we go further back in history the dwindling evidence makes this more difficult to support.
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Pre-history
Some discoveries sources date from over 30,000 years ago, as established by carbon dating. These modern discoveries are from France, Africa, and Australia in the form of prehistoric cave art which provide evidence of ritual ceremonial behaviour (an example is Lascaux). Stone-age drawings were discovered in the Libyan desert depicting among other activities, swimming and archery.[1] The art itself is an example of interest in skills unrelated to the functional tasks of staying alive, and is itself evidence of there being leisure time available. It depicts other non-functional activities such as ritual etc. Therefore, although there is scant direct evidence of sport from these sources, it is reasonable to extrapolate that there was some activity at these times resembling sport.
Captain Cook, when he first visited the Hawaiian Islands, in 1778, reported on the native people surfing. The native American Indians engaged in games and sports before the coming of Europeans, such as lacrosse type ball games, running, and other athletic activities. The ancient Mayan and Aztec civilisations played serious ballgames. The courts used at that time are still used today. It is reasonable to assume from these and other historical sources that sport has origins which lie in the beginnings of mankind itself.
Ancient history
Individual sports, such as wrestling and archery, have been practiced worldwide since ancient times. Sport has been increasingly organized and regulated from the time of the Ancient Olympics up to the present century. Some notable examples, including Kabaddi in India and various Mesoamerican ballgames. Activities necessary for food and survival became regulated activities done for pleasure or competition on an increasing scale, e.g. hunting, fishing, horticulture.
Ancient China
There are artifacts and structures which suggest that Chinese people engaged in activities which meet our definition of sport as early as 4000 years BCE. The origin and development of China's sports activities seem to have been closely related to the production, work, war and entertainment of the time. Gymnastics appears to have been a popular sport in China's past. It certainly remains so today, as the skill of Chinese acrobats is internationally recognized. China has a Beijing Museum which is dedicated to the subject of Chinese sport and its history. (See Chinese Sports Museum)
Ancient Egypt
Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a range of sports were well developed and regulated several thousands of years ago, including swimming and fishing. This is not surprising perhaps given the importance of the Nile in the life of Egypt. Other sports included javelin throwing, high jump and wrestling. Again, the nature of the sports popular at the time suggests close correspondence with everyday non-sporting activities.
Ancient Greece.
A wide range of sports were already in operation at the time of the Ancient Greek Empire. Wrestling, running, boxing, javelin and discus throwing, and chariot racing were prevalent. This suggests that the military culture of Greece was an influence on the development of its sports. Sporting competitions are described in the Iliad, one of the most important books of ancient greek culture. Various competitions were held in honor of Patroclus's death. The Olympic Games were held every four years in Ancient Greece. In the noble Grecian ideal, victory at the Games was much sought after and was rewarded with an olive branch. Winner of games often received with much honour throughout Greece and, especially in his home town, he was often granted large sums of money.
The games were held not simply as a sporting event, but as a celebration of individual excellence, cultural and artistic variety, and a showplace for architectural and sculptural innovation. Fundamentally, it was a time of gratitude and respect for the Gods of the Greek religion. The games are named after Mount Olympus, a sacred place where the Gods were said to live. A time of truce was declared during the Olympic Games, as military actions and public executions were suspended. This was to enable people to congregate peacefully and to compete in a civilized and respectful atmosphere.
Modern history
Some historians – notably Bernard Lewis – claim that team sports are a primarily an invention of Western cultures. The traditional teams sports, according to these authors, springs from Europe, primarily England. This ignores some of the ancient games of cooperation from Central America and the Indian subcontinent. The Industrial Revolution and mass production brought increased leisure which allowed increases in spectator sports, less elitism in sports, and greater accessibility. With the advent of mass media and global communication, professionalism became prevalent in sports. This further sports popularity in general. Perhaps in a reaction to the demands of contemporary life, there have been developments in sport which are best described as post-modern: extreme ironing being a notable example. There is also a move towards adventure sports as a form of escaping or transcending the routines of life, examples being white water rafting, canyoning, BASE jumping, Parkour and more genteelly, orienteering.
Minority histories
Women
For many years, few women competed in sports; it was often frowned upon by society. At least in the United States, that changed mainly in the 20th century, although women's participation as fans or athletes is generally less than men's. The change is at least partly related to the drive for more women's rights. But as sports began to get popular amongs women, many women were shunned and told that it was a man's sport. Many women struggled to get noticed for playing sports and this causes the Title IX Act in 1972 to emerge. It prevented gender discrimination and equal opportunity for women to participate in sports at all levels. See Title IX for more details on the Act.