The Value of Physical Education to the Ancient Greeks and Romans Throughout history, society has placed a different value on physical education and sport. The purpose of physical education has changed over different time periods and as a result of ever-changing socio-cultural events. Some civilizations use the practice of physical education to prepare for war, some for profit, and some for a general all-around development. Three ancient cultures are of particular importance to development of physical education. The Athenian Greeks, the Spartan Greeks, and the Romans each had their own beliefs about the mind, body, and spirit. While these early civilizations valued physical development to varying degrees, they are all worthy of examination within a sport and physical education context. In ancient Athens, the all-around citizen was valued. To the Athenians, physical education was necessary to achieve all-around mental, moral, and physical excellence. The Greek gods personified this idea, known as arête. The 12 main gods of the Olympic Council possessed superior intellectual and physical capabilities, such as strength, endurance, agility, and bravery. They personified the Greek Ideal, which emphasized the unity of the "man of action" with the "man of wisdom" (Lumpkin, 1990, p.167). "The Greek Ideal became the Athenian Ideal as this city-state sought to provide an educational system that encouraged boys to develop their physical and mental abilities" (Lumpkin, 1990, p.168). Boys improved their physical prowess in order to prepare for war and also to depict the aesthetic beauty of the body. In Athenian society, the idyllic body was harmoniously proportioned, alert, and physically fit for both civil and military duties ... ... middle of paper ... ...progresses, the emphasis on physical education may increase if men are going to be needed to fight. The value of physical education to the ancient Greeks and Romans continues to play a role in American society and America's schools. Bibliography: References Donn, L., & Donn D. (2000, December). Daily life in ancient Greece. Donn Pages. Retrieved September 20, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://members.aol.com/Donnclass/Greeklife.html Lumpkin, A. (1990). Physical education and sport: A contemporary introduction. (3rd ed.) St. Louis: Mosby, 165-189. Mechikoff, R., & Estes, S. (1993). A history and philosophy of sport and physical education. Madison, WI: Brown & Benchmark. The roman gladiator. (2000). Classics Technology Center. AbleMedia. Retrieved October 2, 2001 from the World Wide Web: http://ablemedica.com/ctcweb/consortium
Pelling, Chris. "UCL Department of Greek & Latin." The Ancient Olympics. 28 Aug. 2015. Web. 16 Oct. 2015.
... physical education (J. Sproule, Ed.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from Sage Journal website: http://epe.sagepub.com/content/11/3/257.short#cited-by
Siegel, D. "The Union of Athletics with Educational Institutions.” Athletics and Education. Science Smith Education, n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
Nardo, Don. The Ancient Greeks at Home and at Work. 1st ed. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2004. Print.
"The Relationship between Athletics and Academic Achievement (Bowdoin, Gender and Women's Studies)." Bowdoin College. Mar. 2009. Web. 27 July 2011.
Wesson, K., Wiggins, N., Thompson, G & Hartigan, S (2000) Sport and PE: a complete guide to advance level study, second addition, London: Hodder & Stoughton.
Park, R. J., & Hult, J. S. (1993). Women as leaders in physical education and school-based sports, 1865 to the 1930s. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 64(3), 33-39.
"Unhandled Exception." Ancient Greece - History, Mythology, Art, War, Culture, Society, and Architecture. 2008. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .
...in our readings. Understanding the importance of the athlete to the Greeks will further our understanding of why so much of their art is focused on athletes and athletic events. It is important to understand that everyday Greek culture is depicted by Greek art.
Sports programs have been an integral part of all schools. They support the academics of the school and therefore foster success in life. These programs are educational and help produce productive citizenship. They help students experience and build skills that may help them in their future, like interpersonal and time management skills. Education may kindle the light of knowledge, but sports help to maintain the proper physique. Sports are also an important means of entertainment and a use for energy after long hours of study. Sports increase a student’s performance not only in the classroom but also in their life.
Life in Greece in ancient times would remind you of your own life in many ways. There was school, family, athletic competition, and social gatherings. Knowing that participants in their sporting events competed nude or that you rarely knew your husband/wife until the wedding day does however, make you grateful for the society that you live in today.
Physical education must be mandatory for students all over the world. It provides many conveniences for children later in life. Sports in school encourage kids to play more outside of school and from there, their health increases. Unquestionably, physical education improves kids’
Opposition of mandatory Physical Education in high schools believe that if a student has not developed a desire for voluntary physical exercise by the time he or she reaches high school , he or she may not ever (Eberhardt). It is true that individuals should not be forced into something they don’t want to participate in, but if these students don’t get any exercise outside of school, where will they receive an appropriate amount of fitness? Paul Eberhardt, athletic director, intramural director and head coach of the McNair Marlins basketball team in Richmond, B.C., believes “that students don’t care about participating in P.E. anymore and we have to educate students on the benefits of Physical Education”. In the 1994-1995 school year there were 1,133 students enrolled at McNair High School but there were only four P.E. classes available, which meant approximately 120 students attended in these classes. The remaining 1013 grade eleven and twelve students had no Physical Education at all. This is an astonishing figure. “Many students participate in sports and recreation activities outside of school, but most of them get hardly any exercise at all.
The main goals behind Sport Education are to help students become knowledgeable about different sports and activities to the point where they can participate in these outside of the classroom to stay active. Also it teaches execution and strategies and encourages competitiveness. It is important for kids to be competitive because they will have to be in life and it will teach the importance of winning and losing the right way. “Sports offer kids a great chance to work cooperatively toward a common goal. And working coope...
In this essay, the role and benefits of Physical Education and School Sport will be identified from in and outside the school curriculum. The benefits that pupils have gained from the national school curriculum, what has changed from the past to present day in schools and how it has affected Physical Education in School Sport will be discussed. Also, mental and physical health benefits that occur from Physical Education will be mentioned in this essay along with what the teaching standards were like and how Physical education has changed such as different teaching ways.