In ancient Greece, the sports played were mostly the olympic sports of today. Discus throwing, wrestling and track and field were some of the major events. The Greek athletes were very highly regarded and competed in the nude to show off their impressive physiques. The spectators thought very highly of the athletes, almost as gods, and almost anybody could compete provided you had the ability. Most of the events were not contact sports, however, and in that they differed from the Romans.
The Romans engaged in much more brutal and violent sport. They fought to the death and the emphasis was less on physique and more on killing ability. Romans also liked to race their chariots, but even those contests could get violent. Ultimately, both the Greeks and Romans placed high value on winning and triumph.
The rules of the sports were very different between Greeks and Romans. Greeks were controlled, rule-oriented and precise. There were set rules for each sport and the audience and athletes alike new them and followed them. There was much more structure in Greece, an ordered timeline of things. In Rome, it was more about win or die. The public would show up to the arena and people would fight to the death--those were about the only rules.
In Greece, sport functioned as a much more religious institution than in Rome. The Greek athletes were competing to show respect for Zues and the other Greek gods. Out of reverance for them, their athleticism was an attempt to show the gods that they've been using the bodies given to them well. In Rome, however, the games were much more for the entertainment of royalty and commoners alike. Also, Roman games probably served a political function as a great spectacle to behold and a forum for lots of political compromise much like the golf course serves business today.
The participants in Greek games were males of any age. Women were generally not allowed to play. The Romans used mostly slaves or captives as gladiators. They were forced to keep athletic bodies and train and were treated badly because their ultimate fate was death. They were also mostly men, but there's evidence women competed sometimes.
Monday, May 5, 2014
Sports Pages #3--Sport, Sociey & Me
A) Sport has had a connection of varying strengths to me throughout my life. Growing up sport was a big part of my life (as it was for many). I played a sport for every season of the year, sometimes playing multiple sports in a season and on two occasions playing in two different leagues for the same sport (baseball) during the same season. That experience was pretty rough and, as a pitcher, contributed to the right shoulder issues I deal with today.
By the time I got to highschool I was almost burned out on sport. I still played football my freshmen year but baseball had wrecked my arm, hockey had become unappealing because my friends were put in a different age class, basketball had lost interest on me and soccer, well soccer was never a big part of my life.
Being from the city of Chicago, though, I've always been a huge fan of all the local teams. And especially since coming to Colorado for school, my fandom has only increased because I like to represent my city and teams even more. It's more special to me because it's one of the few connections to home I have left (my parents divorced, sold the house and moved away since I've come out here)
B) Sport in the US can be both hugely positive and negative. It can give hope to disadvantaged kids who might otherwise have no opportunity to succeed in life. Some of these kids can turn into huge superstars and support their family and friends for the rest of their life. But on the other hand, sport can reinforce racial stereotypes and has provided an environment for severe bullying and conflict among both kids and adults.
Sport, overall, is important in American society mostly in that it's a huge money-making machine for a lot of people. Sport is entertainment and has made lots of people into millionaires and billionaires. But it's important for the fans, too. They feel a sense of solidarity and belonging both with each other and the players. The ups and downs of a season are exciting and exhilarating and provide entertainment and fun for the whole family.
Athletes hold a funny position in society. The currently playing athletes are at the top tier, they're "cool", they hang around celebrities (heck, they ARE celebrities) and spend the big money for the cool things. The instant an athlete retires they plummet social ranks until most of them are close to the bottom within a decade of retirement. Maybe it's cruel, maybe it's fair considering the huge social privilege they enjoy growing up. But as long as they are playing (well) and winning, they will be respected role models of kids and adults alike as long as they don't have some big scandal (which they always seem to)
By the time I got to highschool I was almost burned out on sport. I still played football my freshmen year but baseball had wrecked my arm, hockey had become unappealing because my friends were put in a different age class, basketball had lost interest on me and soccer, well soccer was never a big part of my life.
Being from the city of Chicago, though, I've always been a huge fan of all the local teams. And especially since coming to Colorado for school, my fandom has only increased because I like to represent my city and teams even more. It's more special to me because it's one of the few connections to home I have left (my parents divorced, sold the house and moved away since I've come out here)
B) Sport in the US can be both hugely positive and negative. It can give hope to disadvantaged kids who might otherwise have no opportunity to succeed in life. Some of these kids can turn into huge superstars and support their family and friends for the rest of their life. But on the other hand, sport can reinforce racial stereotypes and has provided an environment for severe bullying and conflict among both kids and adults.
Sport, overall, is important in American society mostly in that it's a huge money-making machine for a lot of people. Sport is entertainment and has made lots of people into millionaires and billionaires. But it's important for the fans, too. They feel a sense of solidarity and belonging both with each other and the players. The ups and downs of a season are exciting and exhilarating and provide entertainment and fun for the whole family.
Athletes hold a funny position in society. The currently playing athletes are at the top tier, they're "cool", they hang around celebrities (heck, they ARE celebrities) and spend the big money for the cool things. The instant an athlete retires they plummet social ranks until most of them are close to the bottom within a decade of retirement. Maybe it's cruel, maybe it's fair considering the huge social privilege they enjoy growing up. But as long as they are playing (well) and winning, they will be respected role models of kids and adults alike as long as they don't have some big scandal (which they always seem to)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)