History of Sport

Sporting events and changes are influenced by the economic, social and political situations in place at the time. In sociology, there are a number of approaches to the study of sport - Functionalism, Marxism, Social action and Interactionism. Each has a different view on society, the place of sport in society and hence the changes in sport over the centuries.

Medieval period (1200 - 1485)

• People had little time or energy for recreational activities
• Leisure time activities were originally confined to feast days
• Games were local in nature, each village having its own particular activities for feast days
• From time to time the government banned traditional activities in favour of archery training

Tudor and Stuart period (1485 - 1714)

• Traditional folk games and activities flourished in Tudor times
• Puritanism greatly reduced the opportunities to play and types of activity allowed
• After the restoration in 1660, traditional activities were revived
• Sport moved away from its former links with merrymaking and lawlessness

Hanoverian period (1714 - 1790)

• Play and sport were largely ignored by the government
• People of all classes enjoyed their leisure to the full
• Increasing industrialisation demanded regular working patterns
• There was some pressure for Sunday to be a day of rest
• Large gatherings for sport often meant social disorder
• Regular, organised, rule-governed sport on a national scale emerged

Changing times (1790 -1830)

• Traditional sport was under attack from all sides
• Factory owners wanted a regular working week
• Property owners feared the damage caused by large crowds
• Churches criticised idleness, drunkenness and slack morality
• Commercialisation of sport developed, especially in horse racing, cricket and prize fighting

Victorian Sport (1830 - 1901)

• Sport developed in the context of industrial capitalism and class inequality
• Sport became linked to a moral code defined by the middle classes:
  • it was accepted that sport developed character and morality
  • competition had to be fair and rule-governed with similar conditions for all players
  • sport was to be played, not for reward, but for its own sake
• Nationwide sport developed through the influence of technology, the public schools and the national governing bodies
• For the masses, Saturday afternoon free from work was the turning point, enabling them to play and spectate
• Amateur and professional sport became increasingly separated
• Working class sport in school was limited largely to drill and therapeutic gymnastics

Edwardian Sport (1901 - 1918)

• Organised sporting involvement expanded rapidly across all classes
• Increasingly, the different classes played their sport separately
• Public school athleticism still dominated sport
• Male working class influence increased, notably in football in England and rugby in Wales. However, working class women were largely excluded from sporting involvement
• Commercialisation of sport continued with large numbers of spectators and increased numbers of professionals in major sports
• Sport was increasingly a matter of national concern

Between the world wars (1918 - 1940)

• Steady growth in sports participation continued for all classes of society, although working class worm were least involved
• Most sports were still class orientated
• Football (in all its versions) continued to increase in popularity and by the 1930s, was the most popular sporting activity
• Lack of facilities became an issue, particularly when national teams failed
• There was little government involvement in sport, apart from physical education in schools
• School physical education moved from therapeutic exercises to creative physical training
• Commercialisation of sport expanded rapidly, especially the provision for spectator sport
• Sport, as a part of a national culture, now extended to the majority of the population

British Sport (1940 - Today)

• An improved standard of living has enabled greater participation in sport for most social groups
• Amateur administrators only reluctantly allowed commercial forces to enter the world of sport
• Professional sports people had a long battle to be given fair rewards
• Television coverage increased in importance for sport and the sponsors
• The definition of amateurism for competition was replaced by the concept of eligibility
• Central government involvement in sport has always been fragmentary
• There has been a long standing under funding of sport by central government
• An advisory Sports Council was established in 1965 and the independent executive Sports Council in 1972
• Physical education was established in the 1944 Act for its educational value
• The movement approach conflicted with traditional games teaching
• Physical education moved away from educational values towards physical recreation and more recently towards health-related fitness
• Various academic qualifications in physical education stimulated scrutiny of the subject (for example, BEd, CSE, GCSE, A-Level)
• Physical education is now established in the national curriculum as a foundation subject
• There has been an increasing influence of market forces on schools, physical education, sports facilities and sport

Associated Pages

The following Sports Coach pages should be read in conjunction with this page:

• Articles on Coaching
• Coaches Corner
• Coaching Philosophy
• Coaching Resources
• Coaching Skills and Roles
• Coach Assessment
• Communication Skills
• Coaching Styles
• Code of Ethics and Conduct for Sports Coaches
• Principles of Training

• Training Books
• Training Products

Associated Books

The following books provide more information related to this topic:

• The Successful Coach, P. Crisfield et al., ISBN 0 947850 16 3
• USA Track and Field Coaching Manual, J.L. Rogers, ISBN0 88011 604 8
• Strength Training for Coaches, B. Pauletto, ISBN 0 88011 371 5
• Mental Skills - An Introduction for Sports Coaches, C. Sellars, ISBN 0 947850 34 1
• Advanced Studies in Physical Education and Sport, P Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 4482345
• Physical Education and the Study of Sport, B. Davis et al., ISBN 0 7234 31752
• Essentials of Exercise Physiology, W.D. McArdle et al., ISBN 0 683 30507 7
• Physical Education and Sport Studies, D. Roscoe et al., ISBN 1 901424 20 0
• The World of Sport Examined, P. Beashel et al., ISBN 0 17 438719 9
• Advanced PE for Edexcel, F. Galligan et al., ISBN 0 435 50643 9
• Examining Physical Education, K. Bizley, ISBN 0 435 50660 9
• Sport and PE, K Wesson et al., ISBN 0 340 683821
• PE for you, J. Honeybourne, ISBN 0 7487 3277 2