Sports in the Ancient World

During Ancient Greece the types of sports played during the Olympics where similar yet different to todays Olympics. Originally the Olympics only consisted of one event, which was a 200 meter sprint. However, over time more and more sports where introduced to the games and continued to develop over time.  The structure of the Olympics during Ancient Greece was far different than today, only men where allowed to compete and they competed naked. The rules also are far different from today, for example if a sprinter where to false start they would be whipped in front of the crowd which was considered to be extremely embarrassing. The role of sports during this era is surprisingly similar to todays society. Athletes during the Ancient Greece era where also considered to be professionals and extremely skilled individuals. Religion also played an important role during this era as the topic was much more commonly spoken about compared to today. The participants was the most surprising thing to me about these movies regarding who was eliedgble to compete. Anyone who was born a greek who was also a free man was eligible to compete no matter what there previous background was. Overall, this film was insightful regarding the types of men who competed in these events as well as the development of the games as a whole.  

During Ancient Rome the most common sport or form of entertainment was Gladiators. The structure of the Gladiator games where one that was very bloody yet extremely intense and entertaining. The overall rules and regulations of these games where to reenact historical battles from the past. The role that Gladiators had during Ancient Rome was a very political and entertaining. Along with being political and entertaining the games where also a major part of history and commonly took place in one of the most historical venues in all of sports, The Coliseum.  The participants in the Gladiator games where slaves. These men where bought by wealthy men who would use there slaves as Gladiators for forums of gambling and entertainment.  However, if a Gladiator where to become famous they could win there freedom and would forever be remembered as heroes to the Ancient Greek people. In the end, the Gladiators had a very historical run during Ancient Rome and are remembered today for being true warriors. 

Sport, Society, & Me

Throughout my life sports have played a significant role in my overall development into the individual that I am today. I believe that sports stands for something far greater than just the overall outcome of a game, I believe that sports stand for strategy, work ethic, teamwork (in some situations), toughness, and above all friendship. In my situation, sports have possibly been the most constant thing in my life and the one thing that I have always able to turn too. Growing up I was the kind of kid who wanted, and was willing to participate in just about anything. However, once I began to develop into a teenager I started to focus solely on playing golf and basketball. To this day I still reference and use key traits that the two sports have taught my over time. I began to develop my connection with sports at a young age and was fascinated with where sports could take you. My Dad played basketball at the University of Illinois and is the main reason why I love sports so much to this day. Growing up in a large family with a lot of athletes has always expanded my overall knowledge on sports and continues to do so today. 

Currently in todays society people seem to be getting worked up about a lot of thingsfor whatever reason. However, I believe that sports in most societies plays a role where people can get together for a period of time and agree on something. Overall, I believe that the roles of sports is a good thing. Sports teaches individuals specific values that one would never be able to receive, for example values such as courage, teamwork, unselfishness, and winning to name a few. Personally, I think sports are one of the most important things in todays US society. From a young age people fall in love with sports or favorite sports teams and begin to become obsessed with them  and just about everything they do. For example people in cities around the country are personally buying billboard space to advertise for there favorite team to get a certain player to come play for them during free agency. This seems to be a perfect example of the role sports currently has in US society. I have come to this conclusion because one I am an avid sports fan who has been to lots of sporting events in different cities around the country and see how sports effect a society and second I think all one really has to do is look at the overall money flow that sports generate and compare it to other popular issues in todays society.  Finally, I believe that athletes position in society is at the very top and in some cases the most viewed in todays society. Athletes are valued differently in different societies however, I believe all you need to do is look at how much professional athletes are being payed to make an opinion on weather or not they are valued or respected. All in all, athletes are the ones out there doing the work and putting there bodies on the line for our entertainment and personal pleasure. So when people begin to question why do athletes get paid so much? My question for them is who should then?