Sports activities involve physical exertion and competition between competitors, often through formal organisations. Their purpose is often for fun.
Nationalism is often evident in sport, whether through participants, spectators or commentators adopting partisan positions. However, sports should be played solely for its own pleasure and not used as a means of control or power.
Definition
Sport is defined as any physical activity which involves physical exertion and competition; skill must also be involved, while participants and spectators enjoy it. Furthermore, no harm must come to participants, while clear rules should prevent cheating.
Some activities may be debated as to their classification as sports. A mountain climbing competition, for instance, does not necessitate much physical exertion from competitors but still fits within this definition as it pits climber against mountain and vice versa; similarly with motorsport races where physical exertion comes from the car itself rather than human players.
Sport is often used as a platform for nationalism, as countries compete against one another while spectators take a partisan stance toward an event. This can result in conflicts between participants and spectators as well as performance enhancing drugs being used to achieve victory at any cost – sometimes this overrides concerns about health and safety altogether.
Origin
Sports’ roots are complex. Many modern-day competitions originated as races utilizing human transport like running. Furthermore, other games involving hitting, kicking or throwing balls-like objects would have also been played at one point or another in history.
Modern Europe witnessed a change in attitudes toward sport with the rise of leisure classes during the 17th and 18th centuries, when Renaissance humanists condemned cruel pastimes like bull-baiting and cockfighting; public schools introduced variants of football more appropriate for lawful urban play than any prior popular games had been popular with rural populations.
As technology exploded during the Industrial Revolution, so too did sports become more complex and organized. Rules were codified; records were established; modern indoor games like basketball (created in 1891) and volleyball were specifically created to satisfy an increased need for indoor gaming; later professional athletes emerged; after decades of struggle African Americans, Australian Aboriginals, and “Cape Coloureds” eventually won equal access to compete in sports that had long been the exclusive domain of white men.
Meaning
No matter if they prefer football, basketball or baseball – sports offer children an invaluable opportunity to be around competitive people and learn teamwork skills while increasing bone strength, lung function and even self-esteem.
Sport refers to activities requiring physical athleticism or dexterity and is usually governed by rules designed to ensure fair competition and consistent adjudication of winners. Many sports offer tournament structures with regular season games followed by playoffs for crowning champions; records of performance may also be kept and reported in sports news outlets.
Michael Mandelbaum brings both intellect and wit to America’s century-old obsession with team sports in The Meaning of Sports. This book offers enough facts and detail for hardcore sports fans while remaining accessible enough for casual observers, while providing insight into cultural principles influencing team sports games as well as reflecting social trends they represent – an indispensable text!
Examples
Sports encompass an expansive range of activities, not limited to those considered physically competitive. Examples of this type of sport are golf, cheerleading and equestrian events; though these do require significant physical exertion. Most forms of sports follow specific rules which ensure fair play and allow consistent adjudication of winners; these rules may also forbid cheating to gain unfair advantages in competitions.
Modern sports tend to prioritize physical achievement over rules complexity, leading to greater commercialization of these forms of entertainment and leading to a decline of its original ideals as recreation or relaxation.
Sport can foster both nationalism and a sense of holy purity; for example, when devout Hindus compete in the akharas. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to define what makes up sports; many consider certain activities not true sports (for instance most would not consider billiards competition a true sport), while structured competitions in dance or fishing qualify.
