Sports - A World of Sports

Sports are scheduled athletic activities that are governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome, but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors.

Many people participate in sports as amateurs for personal enjoyment, the love of competition, or as a healthful form of exercise. "Sport" comes from the old French desport meaning "leisure", which explains the common usage of recreational sports. Sports were viewed then as either a luxury or a waste of time and resources.

Archeologists suggest that the Chinese engaged in sporting activities as early as 4000 BC. Gymnastics was a popular sport in China's ancient past. Inside the Pharaoh’s Monuments are indications that a number of sports, including swimming and fishing, were well-developed and regulated several thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt. 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. Among other sports that originate in Persia are polo and jousting.

The Ancient Greeks developed a wide range of sports and the military culture and the development of sports in Greece influenced one another considerably. The Greeks created the Olympic Games, which in ancient times were held every four years in a small village in the Peloponnesus called Olympia.

Sports have become more organized and regulated since the Ancient Olympics. The creation of computers and the modernization of life has brought more leisure time to the world, leading to increase participation and attendance of sporting events. 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 our modern world, 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.

People responsible for leisure activities often seek recognition and respectability as sports by joining sports federations, or by forming their own regulatory body. In this way sports evolve from 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.

The entertainment side of sports, plus the spread of mass media and increased leisure time, has led to professional sports players. This has resulted in some conflict, where the salary 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. The entertainment side also means that sportsmen and women are often become celebrities.

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, the cricket board, and the FIFA, refused to appear in competitive sports there. It is believed that this was an effective contribution to the removal of apartheid.

Patriotism 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. On occasion, such tensions can lead to violent confrontation among players or spectators within and beyond the sporting venue. 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.

Sports blend into many forms of art. Ice skating and Tai chi, and dance sport are sports that come close to artistic spectacles in themselves. Similarly, there are other activities that have elements of sport and art in their execution, such as gymnastics, bodybuilding, parkour, performance art, yoga, etc. Bull-fighting in Spain is reported in the arts pages of newspapers. 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.

Sports have transformed human lives creating avenues to better health, for recreation, consume leisure and a source of income. Sports have moved from the French “leisure” to a modern business and family feature. Sports will continue to change and shape our lives.