Sport in the Ancient World

In Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome they participated in the sprint, javelin toss, disc toss, wrestling, and long jump. These sports were the precursor to many olympic events, which athletes still participate in the olympics today. The winner of any of these events would receive not only money, but also olive branch crowns, beautiful pots, jars of olives, and would be allowed to choose who they wanted to marry. These original events differed from the current style of play in many regards. For instance, mishaps or losers were often treated by being beaten and ties were often decided by wrestling or fighting to the death. 

Only men, particularly those who were in good shape, participated in sports. In the case of the Roman gladiators, many of the participants were slaves. Sports were largely regarded as entertainment, even the fights to the death to resolve ties and gladiator battles. However, sports were also heavily religious. The athletes prayed to and worshipped the gods both before and after the sports. Those who won were considered to be favored by God. 

Jake Packman

Sociogenesis of Basketball

Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith. Although born Canadian, Naismith invented basketball at the International YMCA training school in Springfield, Massachusetts. He originally included 13 rules and the first game consisted of two teams of nine as opposed to the current five versus five format. The first games of basketball were played with a soccer ball and an actual peach basket, hence the name basketball, so each time a point was scored the game came to a stop as a janitor retrieved the ball out of the basket. Eventually holes were cut through the bottom of the peach baskets and metal hoops, nets, and backboards, as well as a Spalding basketball, were finally implemented in 1906, which are still used today.

The YMCA and American colleges were largely responsible for the development and spreading of basketball through the United States and world. The first public YMCA basketball game was held in 1892 and by 1893 the first organized college basketball games were being played. By 1910 the NCAA was invented, but a National champion was not implemented until 1939. While the YMCA and American universities were primarily responsible for growing popularity in the United States, World War I played a huge role in spreading basketball overseas. Many of the troops were physical education teachers or YMCA members who knew how to play basketball. During down time, many of the troops would play basketball, which introduced many Europeans to the game.

Basketball was originally played by almost all white males since the invention of the game came before the civil rights movement or the implementation of Title IX. African-Americans began forming amateur teams and leagues as early as 1906, but the first professional African-American team was not founded until 1922. Despite successes of these African-American teams, the NBA didn't being integration of African-American players until 1950.

The NBA was founded in 1946 and remains the most popular basketball league in the world. The current rulebook of the NBA contains some similar, more complex versions of the original 1891 rules, but also many differences. The original 13 rules made by James Naismith contained some of the basics of basketball like traveling, goaltending, fouls, five-second out of bounds, and delay of game. The current NBA rulebook has been condensed to 12 rules, however, each of these rules has been divided into tens of subcategories. Some of the major changes to the original rules include fix fouls before fouling out instead of two and four 12-minutes quarters instead of two 15-minute halves. Another major change to the rules came when the three-point shot was adopted in 1976 when the NBA and ABA, a rival league founded in 1967, merged.

Uniforms were not introduced until the 1920s and originally consisted of padded shorts and wool jerseys. Modern jersey material was then introduced in the 1930s. Shorts were traditionally short up until the 1990s, when Michael Jordan and the University of Michigan basketball team helped popularize longer shorts. Jerseys have been traditionally tank tops, but in the last year the first sleeved jerseys have been introduced in the NBA.

While there are few challenges facing basketball today, there were many problems of the past. The first challenge came from racial integration as documented previously. Also, in the 1970s and 1980s the NBA had a drug problem, primarily revolving around players' abuse of cocaine. Commissioner David Stern successfully eradicated the drug problem. The main challenge facing basketball today is to continue to try to spread the popularity of the sport in foreign nations.

Jake Packman

Sport, Society & Me

From the moment I was born, sport has played a significant role in my life. The earliest pictures of my infancy consist of me holding a baseball while wearing a San Francisco Giants jersey. While my father was and is still heavily interested in sports, my brother is the one who really made sports an integral part of my life. My brother is nine years older than me and some of my most meaningful memories from my childhood revolve around me watching him pitch for his high school and college baseball teams. I think my brother's excellence during his playing days are what instilled the sport ethic dimension of distinction in me. He won the county player of the year in high school, received a full-ride scholarship to play at Sonoma State University, and would have been drafted into the MLB if he hadn't torn his rotator cuff and broken his wrist, which ultimately ended his career. So growing up watching him, my competitive nature forbids me to lose or let others outperform me. However, my brother was blessed with more natural talent and his work ethic was far less rigorous. I had to make far more sacrifices to achieve the level of success on my baseball and basketball teams. Although my playing days are over, sports still consume my life on an everyday basis. Ultimately, I hope to work in a profession revolving around sports.

Sports play both negative and positive roles in society. In some regards it gives people hope knowing that an underdog can defeat a powerhouse. It also instills a sense of strong work ethic, which can translate to any profession. However, I think it's wrong that athletes receive millions of dollars to play a game when teachers and other professions that are integral to the prospering of mankind are drastically underpaid. Athletes are clearly held in a high position in society, evident by their ridiculously high salaries and overall fame throughout the country. Most young children cite athletes as their role models and almost everyone would like an autograph from their favorite athletes.

Jake Packman

Sport(s) in the USA

There is a common misconception that the only popular sports in America are baseball, basketball, and football. While it may be true that these three are arguably the most popular, sports like Nascar, hockey, and soccer are growing in popularity and are widely viewed throughout the country. With the exception of Nascar, the other sports previously listed have many similarities. They all possess scoring systems using a ball or, in hockey's case, a puck. Once again with the exception of Nascar, each of the other sports are team-oriented. Professional sports in the USA are extremely profitable both for the individual athletes and the organizations as a whole.

Typical game days vary depending on the sport. Some sports like football, soccer, and golf are traditionally played during the day, while sports like baseball, basketball, and hockey are played at night. Regardless of the time of play, pre-gaming and tailgating are an integral part of a game day experience for fans. Success in sport can be measured in several different regards. However, it comes down to one thing for me: winning. Many fans consider an athlete successful if he puts up good statistics or breaks records. However, in my opinion those statistics and records mean nothing when not accompanied by a championship. One can argue that lack of championships for certain players could be a result of poor players surrounding him on his or her team. It's my belief that great players elevate the level of play of their teammates. The idea of championships as a measure of success amongst athletes is particularly evident in the NBA. When debating who is the best player of all time, fans always resort back to the amount of rings a player possesses. That's why Lebron James will never be considered the greatest of all time over Michael Jordan until he equals or eclipses Jordan's six championship rings. Maybe my opinion of winning as the only measure of success stems from my competitive nature and refusal to lose in anything.

The Sport Ethic

Hughes and Coakley refer to sport ethic as the necessary conformity that athletes must adhere to in order to be considered a "real athlete." However, in the attempt to become a "real athlete," sport ethic provides a platform for deviant behavior, such as performance enhancing drugs.

According to Hughes and Coakley, there are four dimensions of sport ethic. The first dimension revolves around sacrifice to the game. This sacrifice can take many forms. It can refer to sacrificing the body in the rigors of training and long season. It can also refer to sacrificing other hobbies and interests as they take a back seat to the attempt to perfect one's craft in sport. The second dimension pertains to seeking distinction. The sacrifices made to perfect one's craft are in an attempt to separate an athlete from his or her peers. Breaking records and winning championships are the ultimate goals for many athletes and achieving these goals makes athletes distinct from lesser competition. The third dimension speaks of taking risks and playing through pain. While physical injury and pain should be expected, mental toughness is arguably an equally important factor in defining a "real athlete." Athletes should always embrace the big moment and never shy away from the pressures associated with defining events. Lastly, the fourth dimension refers to athletes refusing to accept limits in the pursuit of possibilities. Professional sports are largely popular due to viewers admiration of athletes skill and ability. So, the saying "nothing is perfect" should never enter an athletes mind as they continue to strive for limitless perfection.

Humans are born with an innate sense of competition. This competitive drive causes athletes to adhere to these dimensions because winning fuels them. Losing is unacceptable, so sacrifices and distinction are mandatory. I've experienced all four dimensions of the sport ethic. I've lost friends because I put basketball first. I've last range of motion in my fingers because I played an entire season with three broken fingers. I've strived and achieved distinction and perfection when my team went undefeated my junior year.

Jake Packman