1-page Reflection

What role did sports play in society before the 20th century?
In my opinion sports played a large factor in the way society functioned and
worked. Sports were used to connect people and communities, to even training men
for war. The conquerors of the New World could sense that this was not merely fun
and games but could also play a necessary role in the developing modern society,
transmitting values, and providing a release from the workweek, says Dave Zirin
from
A Peoples History Of Sports in the United States.
When people of higher power started to take a liking to them, sports became more
popular. In the colonial era horse racing was the most popular sport, being well
organized and important. Many of the sports during this time, involved animals such
as horses for horse racing, fox and quails for hunting, and roosters for cock-fighing.
As sports became more popular in America, slaves started playing them to gain
their own freedom and personal rights from the whites. These games were played
by men and women as well as boy and girls, giving them a sense of community and
bondage. They usually played sports that used no equipment such as races and
dances.
As the American Revolution began sports took a different approach. Instead of
building community and doing them for fun, they became a way to prepare young
men for way. This continued till after the American Revolution and women started
to want to play in the sports. When this happened it caused almost of an uproar as
many sports, women were not allowed to play. They argued that they are just as
entitled to play while men thought they were not fit for the games.
The next huge sport that got very popular in America was Baseball which was also
born in America. It was a sport of talent, rules, and dedication. As the civil war went
on, baseball spread through the soldiers from geographically diverse regions. It also
developed more rules and more organization. After the civil war ended it was stated
by Albert Spalding that in baseball women shall not be allowed to play and will
only watch along to sidelines.

Sports also started to become very popular within children. Adults thought of it as a
way to prepare them for the real world (hardship, community, cheating, etc) and
put some calluses on their hands.
When basketball started to become more popular, women took a liking in it and
began to play. This started up more sports that women were allowed to play (as
privilege) in. If a women played golf, rode horses, or played tennis, it meant that she
belonged to a new citadel of status: the country club. This became popular for men
and women as the years went on. Showing a sign of wealth if they belonged to it.
As seen in the information above about Sports in America, it is clear that baseball
was one of the first official American sports. It started to show ethics, sportsmanship,
and strict rules. It helped structure the sports we know today.