Sports of the Renaissance

James Naismith, creator of basketball, used a soccer ball as the first basketball. The game of soccer was originally played with an inflated animal bladder that was surrounded with leather (Leibs 67). Just as in every sport, as time evolves, so do the materials being played with. The materials begin becoming more durable, controllable, and affordable. During the Renaissance period, many sports were evolved and took a turn for the better. Although many sports were introduced during the Renaissance period; football, lawn bowling, and tennis were the three main sports that influenced today’s time period the most.

The Renaissance period was a time of change and rebirth. During this period, the rise of the Middle Class occurred. With the Middle Class being more involved, sports became popular as times of gathering. This brought many people together, with also the greatness of more free time. However, sports during this time were very dangerous. There were not set rules like there are today. A main reason for this is some safety equipment was not accessible during these times of change. Sports during the time were just not well organized, and there were no referees to keep control of the game. There were often certain days where sports brought the society together. The three main days were Plow Monday, Shrove Tuesday (Tuesday Before Lent), and May Day (Leibs 73). On these days most of society gathered in open spaces or lawns where everyone could easily fit. Sports were a way where many people in society spent their free time. The first sport that influenced today’s time period is Football.

Football, which is commonly known today as Soccer, began in Europe during the Middle Ages (Leibs 67). “By the early 1600s, the game developed a...

... middle of paper ...

...e greatly influenced and impacted our society today are soccer, lawn bowling, and tennis. Could you imagine if today soccer was still played with inflated animal bladders instead of leather-padded balls? All three sports have dramatically changed over the past 500 years, and sports would not be the same today if it were not for the Renaissance period!

Works Cited

Grendler, Paul . "Sports." Encyclopedia of the Renaissance . 6. New York, New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1999. Print.

Leibs, Andrew. Sports and Games of the Renaissance . Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press, 2004 . 67-81. Print.

Levinson,David. “Traditional European Sports.” World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2010.Web.18 Mar. 2010. .

“Soccer.” World History: The Modern Era. ABC-CLIO, 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2010. .