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**Sports during the Renaissance**

The Renaissance was a time of renewed appreciation of the beauty of human movement, with a greater emphasis on the physical activity in education. By the time of the Renaissance, sports had become entirely secular, but in the minds of 17th century humanists, a concern for physical education on what were thought to be classic models overshadowed the competitive aspects of sports. Sports in the Renaissance were hard and rough, and in some cases, deadly. []  [] The Renaissance was also a time of the rising of the middle class, so people had more time for leisure and recreation. Early forms of bowling and tennis were played by children and adults of all ages. Balls used in the games were made of animal bladders, cloth, and wood. Jousting was also a popular sport among boys and men. They spent much of their time practicing in hopes of perfecting the skills that were needed in battle. [|http://www.bellaonline.com]/articles/art43344.asp []
 * Sports of the Roman Age**

Dates from 500 B.C. to 476 A.D. The Romans emphasis on the physical focused on strength and hardiness. The Romans had gladiators, who were professional who fought against each other, wild animals, and slaves. They would sometimes fight til the death of their opponent for the thrill of the spectators. Gladiator fighting was more for entertainment rather than exercise. Even though chariot racing was less violent than gladiator fighting, it was still extreme and the drivers could die. Just like sports fans today, chariot racing fans were very passionate about the sport. Chariot races took place in the Circus Maximus, a big, oval statium that could seat nearly 200,000 people. The races were rough and hard; they lasted seven laps and would have as many as twelve chariots in one race. To go as fast as you can, the chariots had to be as light as possible, which made them very dangerous for their drivers. The drivers were usually either slaves or freedmen. The chariots were very unstable and if you fall, you would have a great risk of being trampled by the other drivers horses. This could result to death. This sport was very expensive, but since it was so popular it was very profitable and over time it became a form of show business. Chariots were usually split into four teams, blue, white, red, and green. Just like sports franchises today, each team had its own scouts to find the best and most talented riders. Rome also had public games where athletes would compete for prizes. The challenges were of strength and agility. The athletes would compete in running, wrestling, boxing, the pentathlon, which consists of jumping, foot-race, throwing a discus, throwing a spear, and wrestling, and the pancratium, which was a combination of wrestling, boxing, and martial arts. The Romans also had ball games. One game was a ball was thrown in the air and the people who were playing had to try to catch it before it touched the ground. They also played football which was very similar to the football that we play today. The Romans most popular ball game was called Trigon, which was a three person game. The players would stand in a triangle and throw and catch the ball with their left hand.

[] - gladiators [] - chariot races [] - public games and ball games

**The Roman Ages and Their Sports **

**The 17th Century and Sports**
The 1600’s were a time of great change, as the European customs and traditions were moving across to the new world. Sports and recreation traditions were no different. Many games from Europe’s largest countries (England, France, Spain, Germany) were popular among the new colonists in America. The games were a way for people to remember their “homes”, while also enjoying the fun and activity of physical competiton. Many sports activities in the 17th century have faded away and are not nearly so popular any longer, while others have formed the basis of modern games and activities, or are played by the same rules as those from four centuries ago. Some of the sports that remain unique to the 17th century include, Ringing the Bull (an British target game), Dwile Flonking (an English dancing game, at a pub), and Kubb (a Swedish throwing game).

 Some of the sports played four centuries ago that are still popular today include, tennis, lacrosse, pall mall (croquet), hurling (a form of field hockey), shuttlecock (Badminton), and gameball (an early form football).   Women contributed to the popularity of shuttlecock or badminton from the earliest times, especially in the court of the Duke of Beaufort in England. Here, women were encouraged to participate in the lawn party sport with men, and the game became a popular pastime among the British royalty for decades.  Like many events in our way of life, some of our current sports activities can be traced to games that our ancestors played in the 17th Century. ** Sources and Links **  History of Games []  17th Century Pastimes []   Rules to Peroid Games []   Badmiton []

=<span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">The Exciting Sports of the 18th Century! = <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">In the 18th century, London was a very exciting city to live in for horse racers. Horse racing was a major sport and entertainment and it still continues today. Also, boxing became popular again for the first time since the Roman Ages. Boxing was a sign of power. The man that could withstand the most beating and fights is figured to be known as the most powerful. <span style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> Horse racing became popular in many centuries before the 18th century. The Jockey Club was formed in 1727 and the Derby began in 1780. However, these professional sports really expanded in the 18th Century and was popular throughout many countries.

Beginning in the 18th Century is cricket. Cricket, however, was only played in its unknown, modern form. The first cricket club was created in Hambeldon, Hampshire. Tennis was carried on as well. Also, a very rough verison football was also greatly introduced.

For the women, not many sports were considered "ladylike." However, archery was a popular and accepted sport for all women.

<span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">In the 18th Century, bullfighting became a true sport for the people in Spain. At first, it was known as a "barbaric" sport. However, in the early 1800s t<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">he Spanish matador, Francisco Romero, introduced the red cape to the entire sport. This brought life, color, and popularity to the audience and made the sport much more exciting. Bullfighting does still continue in Spain, but it is much more controlled. <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Not many of these sports are well-known in the United States today, but it was popular and a big part of each country's culture in the 18th Century! <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;"> <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">History of Sports and Games. [|http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?ParagraphID=kz] <span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">A Brief History of Games and Pastimes. [] Archery Association. http://www.hertsarchery.org.uk/history.html
 * Sources**

<span style="display: block; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">Sports of the 19th Century
(1801-1900) During the nineteenth century, sports became more organized than it was in the 18th century. Many common sports that were played in the 19th century were baseball, soccer, rugby boxing, golf, and croquet. Sports in the 19th century gave people enjoyment, brought people together, and sports were a way to get away from their real life. The 19th century began the process of classifying sports into categories. The sport was given rules, regulations, and provided safer games. At the beginning of the 19th century soccer matches between schools were played on a regular basis. At the end of the 19th century bicycling became a very popular sport and many people started to race each other for fun. Many women played a game called croquet which was a game where people had to use a mallet to hit a ball through gates called wickets. This was a very popular sport played during the 19th century by women because it involved no physical contact.

Rugby was a sport that started to become very popular in the 19th century. According to popular belief, Rugby was created in the year 1823 when William Ellis first took the ball and ran with it. The Rugby union was then created in 1871 which defines the rules and regulations of the game. During the 1890s Rugby started becoming very popular in southern and northern England schools. Rugby was even becoming more popular than soccer.

Soccer was first developed in England in the 19th century. In 1904, the Federation International de Football Association, or FIFA was created. Many schools started to compete with other schools in soccer and the teams mostly consisted of 12 people. The soccer ball they used were hand stitched and hand sewn by women.

Sources: http://www.victorianbazaar.com/hobbies.html []

=** ﻿Sports of Ancient Greece **= Almost all of the city states in Ancient Greece contained gymnasiums for citizens to train and relax. Greece was known for festivals, especially those that took place in Athens. These such festivals held events for many days, and they consisted of mainly sports and artistic exercises that rewarded the winners with much respect. =__The Olympic Games__= The first recorded Olympic games in Greece occured around 776 B.C., and the games continued to take place until about 393 A.D. Between these years, 292 sets of Olympic games took place. The games were held every four years at the stadium in Olympia. All of the competitors participated in the games nude, and they also applied oil to their bodies to make themselves appear more attractive. Representatives of a range of city states competed in the events, and only free men who spoke Greek were allowed to participate in the Olympic events. The games were religious, and they began with a sacrifice to the Greek god, Zeus. Therefore, cheating during the Olympic games was viewed as disrespectful towards the gods. Sports included in the games were: boxing, weightlifting, chariot racing, and the pentathalon. The pentathalon was made up of discus throwing, javelin throwing, wrestling, running, and long jumping. The winners of each of the events received a wreath of laurel or olive leaves that they then wore around their head. =__**﻿ Panathenaea**__= Panathenaea was the most important festival in Athens. All citizens could take place in the festival, including women and free slaves. Slaves who were not free could not engage in the events. This holiday celebrated Athena, a Greek goddess, who was the protectress of Athens. The festival took place over multiple days, and it included contests, procession and sacrifices. The contests included foot races, wrestling, boxing, pankration (a mixture of wrestling and boxing), pentathlon, four-horse chariot and two-horse chariot races, horseback races, a javelin-throw from horseback, dances in full armor, a physical fitness or beauty contest, a torch relay race, and a boat race. Equestrian events were viewed as the most prominent of all the competitions. Musical contests between musicians took place, and music was played during other events as well. On the last day of the festival, a grand procession took place. = __**Sources**__ = [] [] [] [] []