Sport from childhood. Football (soccer) shown above is a team sport, and has social importance. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Team sport refers to Sports that are practiced between opposing teams where the players interact directly and simultaneously between them to achieve an objective Definition In the absence of agreement about its meaning the term "social" is used in many different senses referring among other things to attitudes

Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors. A game of skill is a Game where the outcome is determined mainly by mental and/or physical Skill, rather than by pure chance. A card game is any Game using Playing cards either traditional or game-specific A board game is a Game in which counters or pieces that are placed on removed from or moved across a "board" (a premarked surface usually specific to that game Auto racing (also known as automobile racing, motor racing or car racing) is a Motorsport involving Racing Cars It Some of the physical sports include association football, basketball, water polo, and baseball.

Etymology

"Sport" comes from the old French desport meaning "leisure". French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Leisure or free time, is a period of Time spent out of work and essential domestic Activity.

History

Main article: History of sport

Roman bronze reduction of Myron's Discobolos, 2nd century AD. The history of sport probably extends as far back as the existence of people as purposive beings Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Myron of Eleutherae ( Greek Μύρων) working c 480-440 BC was an Athenian sculptor from the mid-fifth century BC The Discobolus of Myron (" Discus thrower " Greek Δισκοβόλος "Diskobolos" is a famous Roman marble copy of a lost

There are artifacts and structures that suggest that the Chinese engaged in sporting activities as early as 4000 BC. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National ^[1] Gymnastics appears to have been a popular sport in China's ancient past. Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a number of sports, including swimming and fishing, were well-developed and regulated several thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt. ^[2] Other Egyptian sports included javelin throwing, high jump, and wrestling. Ancient Persian sports such as the traditional Iranian martial art of Zourkhaneh had a close connection to the warfare skills. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. varzeš-e pahlavānī ورزش پهلوانی meaning the "Sport of the Heroes" also known as Varzesh-e Bastani ( Persian varzeš-e bāstnī ^[3] Among other sports that originate in Persia are polo and jousting. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iran topics. Polo is a team sport played outdoors on Horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team

A wide range of sports were already established by the time of Ancient Greece and the military culture and the development of sports in Greece influenced one another considerably. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca Sports became such a prominent part of their culture that the Greeks created the Olympic Games, which in ancient times were held every four years in a small village in the Peloponnesus called Olympia. The Peloponnese or Peloponnesus ( Greek: Πελοπόννησος Pelopónnisos; see also List of Greek place names) is a large Peninsula Olympia ( Greek: Olympí'a or Olýmpia, older transliterations Olimpia, Olimbia) a sanctuary of ancient Greece ^[4]

Industrialization has brought increased leisure time to the citizens of developed and developing countries, leading to more time for citizens to attend and follow spectator sports, greater participation in athletic activities, and increased accessibility. These trends continued with the advent of mass media and global communication. Professionalism became prevalent, further adding to the increase in sport's popularity, as sports fans began following the exploits of professional athletes through radio, television, and the internet--all while enjoying the exercise and competition associated with amateur participation in sports.

In the new millennium, new sports have been going further from the physical aspect to the mental or psychological aspect of competing. Cyber sports organizations are becoming more and more popular.

Activities where the outcome is determined by judgement over execution are considered performances, or competition.

Sportsmanship

Main article: Sportsmanship

See also: Gamesmanship and Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing

Sportsmanship is an attitude that strives for fair play, courtesy toward team mates and opponents, ethical behaviour and integrity, and grace in losing. Sportsmanship is conformance to the rules spirit and Etiquette of Sport. Gamesmanship is the use of dubious (although not technically illegal methods to win a Game, such as Golf or Snooker. Winning isn’t everything it’s the only thing is a well-known quote in sports ^[5]

Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. The well-known sentiment by sports journalist Grantland Rice, that it's “not that you won or lost but how you played the game," and the Modern Olympic creed expressed by its founder Pierre de Coubertin: "The most important thing . Grantland Rice ( November 1, 1880 &ndash July 13, 1954) was an early 20th century American sports-writer. Pierre de Frédy Baron de Coubertin (1 January 1863 &ndash 2 September 1937 was a French Pedagogue and historian who is best known as the founder of the . . is not winning but taking part" are typical expressions of this sentiment.

But often the pressures of competition or an obsession with individual achievement—as well as the intrusion of technology—can all work against enjoyment and fair play by participants.

People responsible for leisure activities often seek recognition and respectability as sports by joining sports federations such as 5 IOC, or by forming their own regulatory body. In this way, new sports evolve from their beginnings as leisure activity to more formal sports: relatively recent newcomers are BMX cycling, snowboarding, and wrestling. Some of these activities have been popular but uncodified pursuits in various forms for different lengths of time. Indeed, the formal regulation of sport is a relatively modern and increasing development.

Sportsmanship, within any given game, is how each competitor acts before, during, and after the competition. Not only is it important to have good sportsmanship if one wins, but also if one loses. For example, in football it is considered sportsmanlike to kick the ball out of play to allow treatment for an injured player on the other side. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered Reciprocally, the other team is expected to return the ball from the throw-in.

Violence in sports involves crossing the line between fair competition and intentional aggressive violence. Violence in sports can result in chaotic brawls both by athletes and fans Athletes, coaches, fans, and parents sometimes unleash violent behaviour on people or property, in misguided shows of loyalty, dominance, anger, or celebration. Rioting or hooliganism are common and ongoing problems at national and international sporting contests, particularly football matches

Professionalism

Modern sports have complex rules and are highly organized. Riots are a form of Civil disorders characterized by disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of Violence, Vandalism or other Football is the word given to a number of similar Team sports all of which involve (to varying degrees kicking a Ball with the foot in an attempt to score a

Main article: Professional sports

The entertainment aspect of sports, together with the spread of mass media and increased leisure time, has led to professionalism in sports. Professional sports, as opposed to amateur Sports are those in which athletes receive payment for their performance "Popular press" redirects here note that the University of Wisconsin Press publishes under the imprint "The Popular Press" This has resulted in some conflict, where the paycheck can be seen as more important than recreational aspects, or where the sports are changed simply to make them more profitable and popular, thereby losing certain valued traditions. A wage is a compensation workers receive in exchange for their labor.

The entertainment aspect also means that sportsmen and women are often elevated to celebrity status.

Politics

At times, sports and politics can have a large amount of influence on each other.

When apartheid was the official policy in South Africa, many sports people, particularly in rugby union, adopted the conscientious approach that they should not appear in competitive sports there. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short Some feel this was an effective contribution to the eventual demolition of the policy of apartheid, others feel that it may have prolonged and reinforced its worst effects. ^[6]

The 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin was an illustration, perhaps best recognised in retrospect, where an ideology was developing which used the event to strengthen its spread through propaganda. The 1936 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad, an International Multi-sport event which was held in 1936 in Berlin Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. An illustration is a visualization such as a Drawing, Painting, Photograph or other work of Art that stresses subject more than

In modern sport motorization has appeared.

In the history of Ireland, Gaelic sports were connected with cultural nationalism. Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning "to cultivate" generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation Until the mid 20th century a person could have been banned from playing Gaelic football, hurling, or other sports administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) if she/he played or supported Football (soccer), or other games seen to be of British origin. The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Gaelic football ( Irish: Peil, Peil Ghaelach, or Caid) commonly referred to as " football " is a form of Football Hurling (in Irish, iománaíocht or iomáint) is an outdoor team Sport of ancient Gaelic origin administered by the Gaelic The Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA) ( Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael /'kʊmˠən̪ˠ 'l̪ˠuh Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Until recently the GAA continued to ban the playing of soccer and rugby union at Gaelic venues. Overview See also Playing rugby union A rugby union match lasts for 80 minutes (plus stoppage time with a short This ban is still enforced, but has been modified to allow football and rugby be played in Croke Park while Lansdowne Road is being redeveloped. Croke Park (Páirc an Chrócaigh in Dublin, Ireland is the largest sports Stadium in Ireland (fifth largest in Europe) and the principal stadium Location The stadium is situated in the neighbourhood of Ballsbridge in the city's Dublin 4 area Until recently, under Rule 21, the GAA also banned members of the British security forces and members of the RUC from playing Gaelic games, but the advent of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 led to the eventual removal of the ban. The Royal Ulster Constabulary GC was the name of the Police force in Northern Ireland from 1922 to 2001 The Agreement, most often referred to as the Belfast Agreement (Comhaontú Bhéal Feirste Belfast Greeance or the Good Friday Agreement (Comhaontú Aoine an

Nationalism is often evident in the pursuit of sports, or in its reporting: people compete in national teams, or commentators and audiences can adopt a partisan view. The term nationalism can refer to an Ideology, a sentiment, a form of Culture, or a Social movement that focuses on the Nation On occasion, such tensions can lead to violent confrontation among players or spectators within and beyond the sporting venue (see Football War). The "Football" War ( La guerra del fútbol, in Spanish) also known as the 100-hours War, was a five-day War fought by El These trends are seen by many as contrary to the fundamental ethos of sports being carried on for its own sake and for the enjoyment of its participants.

Physical art

Gymnastics

Sports have many affinities with art. Gymnastics is a Sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength agility and coordination Art refers to a diverse range of Human activities creations and expressions that are appealing to the Senses or Emotions of a human individual Ice skating and Tai chi, and Dancesport for example, are sports that come close to artistic spectacles in themselves. Ice skating is Traveling on Ice with skates, narrow (and sometimes parabolic) blade-like devices moulded into special Boots A study Tai chi chuan (is an internal Chinese martial art often practiced for Health reasons DanceSport denotes Dance as a Sport activity Initially this term was applied to competitive ballroom dancing, in its International Style. Similarly, there are other activities that have elements of sport and art in their execution, such as artistic gymnastics, Bodybuilding, Parkour, performance art, professional wrestling, Yoga, bossaball, dressage, culinary arts, marching band, drum corps, etc. Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of Gymnastics. Competitive gymnasts perform short routines (ranging from approximately 30 to 90 Seconds on different apparatus Bodybuilding is the process of maximizing Muscle hypertrophy. Parkour (sometimes abbreviated to PK) or l'art du déplacement (the art of movement is an activity with the aim of moving from one point to another as efficiently This article is about Performance art For other uses see Performance (disambiguation Professional wrestling, or pro wrestling, is a non-competitive professional Sport, where all matches are scripted by the promotion's booking staff Yoga ( Sanskrit: योग, IAST: yóga, joːgə refers to traditional physical and mental disciplines originating in India, to the Bossaball is a Sport invented in Belgium. It is similar to Volleyball, but also includes elements of Football (soccer, Gymnastics Dressage (pronounced dress-ahhzh /ˈdrɛsɑʒ/ (a French term most commonly translated to mean "training" is a path and destination of competitive Horse training Culinary art is the Art of Cooking. The word "culinary" is defined as something related to or connected with cooking or Kitchens A culinarian A marching band is in the broadest terms a group of performers that consist of instrumental Musicians and sometimes dance teams / color guard who generally perform Perhaps the best example is Bull-fighting, which in Spain is reported in the arts pages of newspapers. Bullfighting or Tauromachy (from Greek ταυρομαχία - tauromachia, "bull-fight" is a traditional spectacle of Spain The fact that art is so close to sports in some situations is probably related to the nature of sports. The definition of "sports" above put forward the idea of an activity pursued not just for the usual purposes, for example, running not simply to get places, but running for its own sake, running as well as we can.

This is similar to a common view of aesthetic value, which is seen as something over and above the strictly functional value coming from an object's normal use. Aesthetics or esthetics ( also spelled æsthetics) is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values sometimes called So an aesthetically pleasing car is one which doesn't just get from A to B, but which impresses us with its grace, poise, and charisma.

In the same way, a sporting performance such as jumping doesn't just impress us as being an effective way to avoid obstacles or to get across streams. It impresses us because of the ability, skill, and style which is shown.

Art and sports were probably more clearly linked at the time of Ancient Greece, when gymnastics and calisthenics invoked admiration and aesthetic appreciation for the physical build, prowess and 'arete' displayed by participants. The modern term 'art' as skill, is related to this ancient Greek term 'arete'. The closeness of art and sport in these times was revealed by the nature of the Olympic Games which, as we have seen, were celebrations of both sporting and artistic achievements, poetry, sculpture and architecture.

Technology

Golf, which is debatably a sport, where moving has a much lesser part than dexterity.

Technology has an important role in sports, whether applied to an athlete's health, the athlete's technique, or equipment's characteristics.

Equipment As sports have grown more competitive, the need for better equipment has arose. Golf clubs, football helmets, baseball bats, soccer balls, hockey skates, and other equipment have all seen considerable changes when new technologies have been applied.

Health Ranging from nutrition to the treatment of injuries, as the knowledge of the human body has deepened over time, an athlete's potential has been increased. Athletes are now able to play to an older age, recover more quickly from injuries, and train more effectively than previous generations of athletes.

Instruction Advancing technology created new opportunities for research into sports. It is now possible to analyse aspects of sports that were previously out of the reach of comprehension. Being able to use motion capture to capture an athlete's movement, or advanced computer simulations to model physical scenarios has greatly increased an athlete's ability to understand what they are doing and how they can improve themselves.

Terminology

Show Jumping, an equestrian sport. Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping" or "jumpers" is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes For the Roman class see Equestrian (Roman Equestrianism refers to the skill of riding or driving Horses This broad description

In British English, sporting activities are commonly denoted by the collective noun "sport". British English or UK English ( BrE, BE, en-GB) is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the In Linguistics, a collective noun is a word used to define a group of objects where "objects" can be People, Animals Inanimate things In American English, "sports" is more used. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. In all English dialects, "sports" is the term used for more than one specific sport. For example, "football and swimming are my favourite sports", would sound natural to all English speakers, whereas "I enjoy sport" would sound less natural than "I enjoy sports" to North Americans. Swimming is the movement by humans or animals through Water, usually without artificial assistance

The term "sport" is sometimes extended to encompass all competitive activities, regardless of the level of physical activity. Both games of skill and motor sport exhibit many of the characteristics of physical sports, such as skill, sportsmanship, and at the highest levels, even professional sponsorship associated with physical sports. A game of skill is a Game where the outcome is determined mainly by mental and/or physical Skill, rather than by pure chance. Air sports, billiards, bridge, chess, motorcycle racing, and powerboating are all recognized as sports by the International Olympic Committee with their world governing bodies represented in the Association of the IOC Recognised International Sports Federations. The term Air sports covers a range of aerial activities such as Aerobatics Ballooning General aviation Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking Card game of skill and chance (the relative proportions depending Chess is a recreational and competitive Game played between two players. Motorcycle racing (also known as Moto racing and Bike racing) is a Motorcycle sport involving Racing Motorcycles. Power boating describes activities performed in a motorized boat. ^[7]

Spectator sport

Main article: Spectator sport

As well as being a form of recreation for the participants, much sport is played in front of an audience. A spectator sport is a Sport that is characterized by the presence of spectators or watchers at its matches Brooklyn Book Festival crowd by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|An audience at the Brooklyn Book Festival in New York City. Most professional sport is played in a 'theatre' of some kind; be it a stadium, arena, golf course, race track, or the open road, with provision for the (often paying) public. A modern stadium (plural stadiums or stadia in English is a place or venue for (mostly outdoor Sports Concerts or other events consisting An arena is an enclosed area often circular or oval-shaped designed to showcase Theater, musical performances or sporting events A golf course consists of a series of holes each consisting of a Teeing ground, Fairway, rough and other hazards and a green with a pin and cup all designed for A race track (or 'racetrack' or 'racing track' is a purpose-built facility for Racing of animals (eg

Rugby league match in Townsville, Queensland, Australia. History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games

Large television or radio audiences are also commonly attracted, with rival broadcasters bidding large amounts of money for the 'rights' to show certain fixtures. Association football's FIFA World Cup attracts a global television audience of hundreds of millions; the 2006 Final alone attracted an estimated worldwide audience of well over 700 million. The FIFA World Cup, occasionally called the Football World Cup, but usually referred to simply as the World Cup, is an international Association football Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic The 2006 FIFA World Cup was the 18th instance of the FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football world championship tournament In the United States, the championship game of the NFL, the Super Bowl, has become one of the most watched television broadcasts of the year. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The National Football League ( NFL) is the largest professional American football league. professional American football, the Super Bowl is the Championship game of the National Football League (NFL Super Bowl Sunday is a de facto national holiday in America; the viewership being so great that in 2007 advertising space was reported as being sold at US$2. The United States dollar ( sign: $; code: USD) is the unit of Currency of the United States; it has also been 6m for a 30 second slot.

Further reading

Basketball

• The Meaning of Sports by Michael Mandel (PublicAffairs, ISBN 1-58648-252-1). Basketball is a team Sport in which two teams of five active players each try to score points against one another by propelling a ball through a 10 feet (3 m
• Journal of the Philosophy of Sport

References

• Free, Marcus; Hughson, John (2006) Common culture, commodity fetishism and the cultural contradictions of sport International Journal of Cultural Studies, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 83-104 DOI: 10. 1177/1367877906061166 SAGE Publications

See also

Lists

• List of basic sports topics
• List of professional sports leagues
• List of sports attendance figures
• List of sports
• List of sportspeople
• Timeline of sports

Related topics

• Combat Sport
• Disabled sports
• Fandom
• Female sports
• History of sport
• Multi-sport events
• National sport
• Nationalism and sports
• Olympic Games
• Spectator sports
• Sponsorship
• Sport in film
• Sport governing bodies
• Sports broadcasting
• Sports club
• Sports coaching
• Sports equipment
• Sports injuries
• Sports league attendances
• Sports marketing
• Sports terms named after people