After getting settled into the background of historical/ethical issues of sport, it is important that we begin to understand the meaning of modern sports and why we are so interested in sports. We ask ourselves the following questions in order to further examine this: Are sport cultural practices that express common shared values of a society? And what cultural values do modern American sports express?
We reviewed some of the old history and origins of sport including mythology and religion. Sport was known to be directly tied to religion, especially during the Olympic Games. Also, we noticed how many years ago there weren't as many team sports as there are today. Why is this? Well, team sports require longer childhoods, greater leisure time, special locations, and cities. Back then, having all of these requirements were rare and expensive; therefore, in a more developed world today, we are able to create and evolve through team sports. Personally, I believe the evolution of team sports has been one of the greatest inventions to enter the world of sports. It has provided so many life lessons and values to all participants. These values include cooperation, teamwork, respect, leadership, and character.
According to Michael Mandelbaum, the meaning of sport deals with three basic human needs. First, it provides a diversion from the mainstream and routines of modern life. Next, the ritual of sport is logical and dramatic. And finally, sport provides us with heroes. This last aspect is the most important in my opinion. We all want to achieve and the way this happens is with the right motivation. And what better way are we motivated than by having our own personal heroes. Heroes are people we admire and hope to emulate. They're people who embody virtues attainable to everyone who possesses character and discipline. Hard work brings success.
Guttman, on the other hand, has his own seven characteristics of sport. I have found both theories to describe the meaning of sport well; however, Guttman gives a more detailed explanation. In summary, he basically portrays that sport is non-religious, equal to all, specialized, organized, consistent, and measured. Since sport is derived from play, it depends on what type of sport you're discussing in order to apply one of the meaning of sport theories. In conclusion, sports can be symbolic, they're essentially achieving a particular end, and they fulfill aesthetic needs in humans. Sports give us a medium for performance and a reason to compete.
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