With each passing civilization and the era it’s [its] people lived in, one can find a great deal about the times by examining an area that is not often thought of. That area is in regards to sports. The ancient Mayans had arenas, the Greeks helped initiate the Olympics, and the Romans had bloody matches between gladiators in the Colosseum. These sports and games often reveal to us what was occurring outside the playing field and arenas, into the political arenas and clashes between the classes. Examining the history of rugby throughout Europe, particularly in Great Britain, allows one the opportunity to see how the changes throughout society’s values, norms, and principles are mirrored by the evolution of the game of rugby from the mid-nineteenth century up to World War I.
Variations of games similar to rugby can be found throughout history, even dating back to the twelfth century. There was even an attempt to ban these types of games. In some cases, like in England, King Edward II issued an edict that formally banned the games. This would only prove to be temporary. Until 1845, rules were often agreed upon before the contest began and could change slightly with each contest. It was not until the year 1845 that rules were officially established that distinguished the game from other forms at Rugby School by three young men. Rugby derives its name from this since three boys attending this institution first established rule defining the sport. William Webb-Ellis is also attributed to helping evolve the game to present day form. It is rumored that during a match in 1823, he picked up the ball and began to run with it. His alleged disregard for the rules helped in fact to define what would be a future rule of the sport.
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...” The Historical Journal, Vol. 45, No. 4 (2002): 797-817.
3. Collins, Tony. “Myth and Reality in the 1895 Rugby Split,” The Sports Historian, No. 16 (1996): 19-27.
4. Dine, Phillip. “Money, Identity, and Conflict: Rugby League in France,” The Sports Historian, No. 16 (1996): 90-108.
5. Handler, Timothy. “The Structuring of Manliness and the Development of Rugby Football at the Public Schools of Oxbridge: 1830-1880,” in Making Men: Rugby and Masculine Identity, ed. John Nauright and Timothy John Lindsay Chandler (Psychology Press, 1996), 13-21.
6. Martens, James W. “They Stooped to Conquer: Rugby Union Football 1895-1914,” Journal of Sport History, Vol. 20, No. 1 (1993): 25-41.
7. Stoddart, Brian. “Sport, Cultural Imperialism, and Colonial Response in the British Empire,” Comparative Studies in Society and History, Vol. 30, No. 4 (1988): 649-673.
Gigliotti, Jim. "A Short Storybook." Sports in America, 1950-1959. New York: Chelsea House, 2010. 42-44. Print.
Pietrusza, D. (1998). Chapter Five: The Golden Age of Sports. The roaring twenties (p. 69). San Diego, CA: Lucent Books.
Morrow, D., Keyes, M., Simpson,W., Cosentino, F., & Lappage, R. (1989). A Concise History of Sport In Canada. Toronto, ON: Oxford University Press.
I believe William Sheed’s argument is very informative. He does a good job in underlying the positive and negative effects sports has had on society over the course of 150 years. His essential argument was why sports matter and the role it had partaken in the 19th century. The tone, examples, and arguments throughout the essay were well regulated to the sense of where he appealed to his audience. The intended audience of athletes, students, and intellectuals will find this essay interesting as Sheed explains on how sports takes on a life of its on.
...ws. July 1, 1996: 38+. Sports. Eleanor Goldstein. Vol. 5. Boca Raton: SIRS, 1996. Art. 13.
Research guided by conflict theory generally falls into the following categories: 1) studies of how athletes become alienated from their own bodies; 2) studies of how sports can be used to coerce and control people; 3) studies of sports and the development of commercialism in society; 4) studies of sports and various forms of nationalism and militarism; and 5) studies of sports and racism and sexism. (Coakley, 1998) In the book, Meggyesy provided examples of each of these categories which occurred during his footba...
“Justified or not, Seau's death puts football under question again.” Sports Illustrated. Time Inc., 2013. Web. 16 September 2013.
From the age of folk games to the age of televised sports (5th ed.). (pp. 62-63).
The presence of activity and sport is found within cultures and societies all over the world, and throughout history. Activity in the form of sport can often be the purest form of expression for a society or individual. The sporting world is often thought to be a microcosm of the actual world with the problems and issues of society still being ever present in the sporting community. Since sport can be used as an expression of self, it is no wonder that sport is often a reflection of the society that it occupies. One such society that was deeply impacted by the role of sport is that of Native American boarding school students in the 1800’s and 1900’s. These students lived tough lives but just like how it had helped other cultural societies, sport was able to provide these students with basic needs of autonomy and pride.
Jarvie, G. (2012). Sport, Social Division and Social Inequality. Sport Science Review. 20 (1-2), 95–109.
Menke, Frank G. The Encyclopedia of Sports. South Brunswick and New York: A.S. Barnes and Company, 1987. Print.
“First appearing in England in the 14th century, King Edward lll issued a decree outlawing the practice of field hockey”(Wpadminskhdev). King Edward lll referred to the sport as an idle game and banned it from being played. He issued in the proclamation “Moreover we ordain that you prohibit under penalty of imprisonment all and sundry from such stone, wood and iron throwing; handball, football, or hockey; coursing and cock- fighting, or other such idle games”(Editors). Although King Edward lll did not encourage field hockey, the game made it all the way to our generation today. “Field hockey developed in the British Isles in the late 19th century by public schools along with the help of Middlesex cricket clubs in London”(Wpadminskhdev ). The origins of field hockey can be discovered in ancient Egypt, Greece, and Persia. “In England, professional men teams were formed, but later after, several women’s colleges formed the first Women’s field hockey team in the United States”(Mifflin).
Khaleeli, Homa. "American Football or Rugby: Which Is More Dangerous?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 29 Jan. 2013. Web. Feb.-Mar. 2014.
Sports may have impacted our culture much more then we thought it would, and keeps impacting. Sports have affected some of the most important aspects of life, such as jobs and money. It has also affected things as little as who we look up to and how we dress. Culture means “the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.” The definition of sports is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” So when we put two and two together we get a a nation or world that has changed due to sports. Back in the mid and late 1900’s sports were used to see whose way of life was better. As time went on and keeps going on, we
Sports, a very popular past time today, have been around since ancient times. Greek Olympic Games featured events from chariot races, javelin throws, to wrestling. In addition, a game similar to soccer was played in China by the second century BC. In England, a violent rugby type game was even played to settle feuds between villages. With the development of the industrial revolution and the creation of the first public schools, sports decreased in violence and were played more recreationally and constructively. Basketball was invented to help the youth in New England spend their energy in the winter months. Since the early 1900’s sports have been a key experience in the United States (“History of Sports”). I have played sports for many years, and the experience has helped me grow significantly as an individual.