The History of Sports

Sports

Besides being immensely popular, sports play an important role in American society. It helps people learn important lessons on teamwork, justice, and fair play. Sports have long been used as social glue, and they are often the main cause of racial and cultural integration. For example, early Americans stressed the need for physical exercise and pushed the public to get active through running, swimming, and other physical activities. And the 20th century brought numerous presidents who urged their citizens to participate in sports and physical activity.

In sports, athletes perform systematic exercises that test their strength, flexibility, and coordination. Many athletes perform routines using apparatuses, such as bars, rings, and beams. Sports that take place on ice fields are called ice sports, and they are most commonly played during winter sports competitions. There are also games that don’t require a large field to be played, such as tabletop games. Some sports have even been adapted for indoor play.

While most modern sports originated in late-seventeenth-century England, the concept of a sports record first emerged during the Restoration period. The Puritans pushed traditional pastimes underground and promoted organized games. Marylebone Cricket Club, founded in 1787, spearheaded the development of cricket, which emphasized rationalized competition. Sports have evolved ever since. So many people are already familiar with the concepts of sports, but a lot of the history behind the term is unclear.