The earliest evidence of sport is in cave paintings in Mongolia dating back to 7000 BC showing crowds watching a wrestling match. However, some argue that paintings in the Lascaux caves in France depict wrestling and sprinting around 15,000 years ago.
Many sports can be traced to ancient Egyptian or Greek times. Wrestling certainly took place in Egypt more than 4000 years ago, and the Greeks participated in boxing around 1500 BC. The Ancient Greek Olympic Games are thought to have begun in 776 BC.
The picture below shows an Egyptian burial chamber mural, from the tomb of Baqet III dating to around 2000 BC, showing wrestlers in action.
Pok-ta-pok, also known as Pitz, was a ball game played by the ancient Maya civilization in Mesoamerica from 1,400 BC. The game was played with a solid rubber ball, and the objective was to pass the ball through a stone hoop using only the hips, arms, and legs. It was played by teams of two to four players and is the first recorded team sport.
Many sports can be traced to ancient Egyptian or Greek times. Wrestling certainly took place in Egypt more than 4000 years ago, and the Greeks participated in boxing around 1500 BC. The Ancient Greek Olympic Games are thought to have begun in 776 BC.
The picture below shows an Egyptian burial chamber mural, from the tomb of Baqet III dating to around 2000 BC, showing wrestlers in action.
Pok-ta-pok, also known as Pitz, was a ball game played by the ancient Maya civilization in Mesoamerica from 1,400 BC. The game was played with a solid rubber ball, and the objective was to pass the ball through a stone hoop using only the hips, arms, and legs. It was played by teams of two to four players and is the first recorded team sport.
Europe's Dark Ages took the joy out of many sports. Sport, generally, was discredited and anything pertaining to the body held in contempt.
The word ‘sport' was first seen in English in the 15th century. It was a contraction of the word ‘disport', meaning a diversion from serious duties.
Queen Elizabeth I of England appointed Ralph Bowes in 1573 the office of master of "our game pastymes and sportes, that is to sale of all and everie our beares bulles and mastyve dogges" -
in other words Britain's first sports minister.
King James I of England made the Declaration of Sports in 1618, which forbade bowling on Sundays, but allowed certain sports after church.
The real development of the majority of today's sport as competitions, rather than pastimes, was in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when sports such as baseball, cricket, football, golf, rugby, tennis and many more became increasingly popular.
The premier Harvard–Yale Regatta—the first intercollegiate sports event in the United States—was held on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire on August 3, 1852. Harvard University won the first Boat Race.
With rare exceptions (eg the Roman gladiatorial contests and Byzantine chariot races), sport has always been seasonal and occasional. It was not until the late nineteenth century that doing and watching (and reading about) sport became a weekly, or even a daily, affair.
Sport was originally considered by some Christians as an idolatrous pursuit of pleasure, where inappropriate passion was displayed and a gateway into the evils of alcoholism and gambling. However with its increasing popularization of sport during the 19th century, churches began to see its merits. The popular pastime provided an opportunity to gather men together in order to keep them on the "straight and narrow", away from the perils of the public houses and general slovenliness, and develop within them a "good Christian character."
The use of sport by the church was so significant, a movement known as "muscular Christianity" was born, and many of today's professional football teams can trace their roots to a local church. Everton Football Club, for instance, was founded as St Domingo's in 1878 so that people from the parish of St Domingo's Methodist Church, Everton could play sport year round —cricket was played in summer. The club was renamed Everton a year later.
When the racing yacht Australia II, captained by John Bertrand, won the America's Cup on September 25, 1983, it ended the longest winning streak in sporting history of 132 years. The trophy was first won by the Yacht "America" in 1851 and had been held by the New York Yacht Club from 1857 (when the syndicate that won the cup donated the trophy to the club).
Austin, Texas is the most populous city in the U.S. without a pro sports team.
Here is a list of songs with sports in the title.
Sources Daily Express, EAUK
The word ‘sport' was first seen in English in the 15th century. It was a contraction of the word ‘disport', meaning a diversion from serious duties.
Queen Elizabeth I of England appointed Ralph Bowes in 1573 the office of master of "our game pastymes and sportes, that is to sale of all and everie our beares bulles and mastyve dogges" -
in other words Britain's first sports minister.
King James I of England made the Declaration of Sports in 1618, which forbade bowling on Sundays, but allowed certain sports after church.
The real development of the majority of today's sport as competitions, rather than pastimes, was in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, when sports such as baseball, cricket, football, golf, rugby, tennis and many more became increasingly popular.
The premier Harvard–Yale Regatta—the first intercollegiate sports event in the United States—was held on Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire on August 3, 1852. Harvard University won the first Boat Race.
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| Yale Varsity bow four 2007 |
With rare exceptions (eg the Roman gladiatorial contests and Byzantine chariot races), sport has always been seasonal and occasional. It was not until the late nineteenth century that doing and watching (and reading about) sport became a weekly, or even a daily, affair.
Sport was originally considered by some Christians as an idolatrous pursuit of pleasure, where inappropriate passion was displayed and a gateway into the evils of alcoholism and gambling. However with its increasing popularization of sport during the 19th century, churches began to see its merits. The popular pastime provided an opportunity to gather men together in order to keep them on the "straight and narrow", away from the perils of the public houses and general slovenliness, and develop within them a "good Christian character."
The use of sport by the church was so significant, a movement known as "muscular Christianity" was born, and many of today's professional football teams can trace their roots to a local church. Everton Football Club, for instance, was founded as St Domingo's in 1878 so that people from the parish of St Domingo's Methodist Church, Everton could play sport year round —cricket was played in summer. The club was renamed Everton a year later.
When the racing yacht Australia II, captained by John Bertrand, won the America's Cup on September 25, 1983, it ended the longest winning streak in sporting history of 132 years. The trophy was first won by the Yacht "America" in 1851 and had been held by the New York Yacht Club from 1857 (when the syndicate that won the cup donated the trophy to the club).
Austin, Texas is the most populous city in the U.S. without a pro sports team.
Here is a list of songs with sports in the title.
Sources Daily Express, EAUK
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