Some of the largest and earliest sports activities centered on the Greek Olympics. The various city-states would send their finest athletes to compete. Then, as now, the very best athletes were rewarded, and not just with laurel wreathes.
Roman sports centered on more warlike activities. Trained fighters tried to kill each other, or pretend to kill each other, while bloodthirsty crowds roared their approval in arenas all over the empire.
Today, sports are popular in elementary schools, high schools, colleges, and in professional leagues. Those who own sports teams are wealthy and politically connected, just as they were in Greece and Rome.
Mostly, sports direct attention to human contests. Some like to watch various ball-movers and compare them to others. Others like to see what techniques the coaches use. Others like to see the owners hire and fire their professional managers. In every city, broadcasts about these contests between teams and people are made daily on radio, television, and in the print media. Usually, the order is “News”, then “Weather”, then “Sports”.
People spend a lot of time talking about sports, usually repeating talking points they’ve picked up in the various “Sports” news.
Politicians have always liked sports. Activities from racing cars and horses to moving various objects around on grass, clay, artificial, and ice surfaces keep people busy. Millions are led to keep themselves concentrated on unimportant things while their pockets are being picked.
At the highest levels, the most complicated “sport” is being played between those who want souls to go to Heaven and those who don’t.
