- an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition
- the occupation of athletes who compete for pay
- (Maine colloquial) a temporary summer resident of Maine
- a person known for the way she (or he) behaves when teased or defeated or subjected to trying circumstances; "a good sport"; "a poor sport"
A sport is an organized, competitive, entertaining, and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play, in which a winner can be defined by objective means. It is governed by a set of rules or customs. In a sport the key factors are the physical capabilities and skills of the competitor when determining the outcome (winning or losing). The physical activity involves the movement of people, animals and/or a variety of objects such as balls and machines or equipment. In contrast, games such as card games and board games, though these could be called mind sports and some are recognized as Olympic sports, require primarily mental skills and only mental physical involvement.
IN HISTORY
There are artifacts and structures that suggest that the Chinese engaged in sporting activities as early as 4000 BC.[5] Gymnastics appears to have been a popular sport in China's ancient past. Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a number of sports, including swimming and fishing, were well-developed and regulated several thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt.[6] Other Egyptian sports included javelin throwing, high jump, and wrestling. Ancient Persian sports such as the traditional Iranian martial art of Zourkhaneh had a close connection to the warfare skills.[7] Among other sports that originate in ancient Persia are polo and jousting.
A wide range of sports were already established by the time of Ancient Greece and the military culture and the development of sports in Greece influenced one another considerably. Sports became such a prominent part of their culture that the Greeks created the Olympic Games, which in ancient times were held every four years in a small village in the Peloponnesus called Olympia.[8]
Sports have been increasingly organized and regulated from the time of the Ancient Olympics up to the present century. Industrialization has brought increased leisure time to the citizens of developed and developing countries, leading to more time for citizens to attend and follow spectator sports, greater participation in athletic activities, and increased accessibility. These trends continued with the advent of mass media and global communication. Professionalism became prevalent, further adding to the increase in sport's popularity, as sports fans began following the exploits of professional athletes through radio, television, and the internet—all while enjoying the exercise and competition associated with amateur participation in sports.
In the new millennium, new sports have been going further from the physical aspect to the mental or psychological aspect of competing. Electronic sports organizations are becoming more and more popular.
ETYMOLOGY AND MEANING
"Sport" comes from the Old French desport meaning "leisure." American English uses the term "sports" to refer to this general type of recreational activity, whereas other regional dialects use the singular "sport". The Persian word for "sport" is based on the root bord, meaning "winning". The Chinese term for "sport," tiyu (体育; 體育) connotes "physical training". The Modern Greek term for sport is Αθλητισμός (athlitismos), directly cognate with the English terms "athlete" and "athleticism."
The oldest definition of sport in English (1300) is of anything humans find amusing or entertaining.[1] Other meanings include gambling and events staged for the purpose of gambling; hunting; and games and diversions, including ones that require exercise.[2] Roget's defines the noun sport as an "Activity engaged in for relaxation and amusement" with synonyms including diversion and recreation.[3] An example of a more sharply defined meaning is "an athletic activity where one competitor or a team of competitors plays against another competitor or group of competitors [with] a conclusive method of scoring...not determined by a judge."[4]
TOP 3 MOST POPULAR SPORTS IN THE WORLDS
1. Association Football: Soccer, the world’s most popular game, has the largest fan following on the planet. Its origin is Chinese, where it was discovered by the English and is now the de facto sport in 93 countries - home to two billion people. It has 208 member nations and thus is easily the world’s richest sport. It also has the largest contingent of diehard fans, players and professional leagues in the world’s largest economy, Europe. The English Premier League and the Champions League are the most popular football leagues, with the matches shown live to half a billion people in 202 countries. Manchester United is the richest club in the world with a valuation of $1.87 billion. The FIFA World Cup is the largest and most lucrative sporting event in the world. The 2006 tournament, with 64 matches featuring 32 nations and television coverage in 214 countries, had a cumulative television audience of 26 billion people. The final between defending champions Italy and France was watched by 700 million viewers.
2. Cricket: With Twenty20, the three-hour, 20-overs-a-side version, One-Day internationals and Test matches, cricket is the second most popular sport in the world. The English gentleman’s game is the most popular sport in the Indian subcontinent, which has a 1.5 billion population. It attracts crazy fans with a religion-like following in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Then there is the West Indies and the 20 million or so non-residential Indians - figures that can be matched only by the soccer buffs of Europe and South America. Cricket is among the top three most popular sports in Australia, England, South Africa, Kenya, Zimbabwe, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Mauritius. The ICC, its ruling body, has 10 Test playing nations and 104 member countries. The game also cherishes the ‘most popular’ tag in 20 countries. The ICC World Cup is the world’s second largest single sporting event, drawing a cumulative television audience of five billion. A final involving India could draw up to 400 million TV viewers (India has 130 million television sets). BCCI is the world’s richest sporting organisation, with a valuation in excess of $2 billion. The IPL attracts two billion and is the most popular and richest cricket league with the average attendance figure of 57,500. India are the defending Twenty20 World Cup champions and Australia the ODI champions.
3. Basketball: Amongst the most popular sports in the USA, China, Russia, the Philippines, Argentina, Canada, Germany, Italy, Spain and Puerto Rico. The National Basketball Association (NBA), with 30 teams and an average attendance of 17,500, is the richest and most popular basketball league and arguably the most viewed American sporting action in the world, attracting an accumulative television audience in excess of a billion. Induction of players of different nationalities to the NBA has ignited the general population to take up and follow the sport in a big way across various nations. The FIBA world championship and Olympics are the major international events, with Spain and the United States is the respective current gold medalists.
UNKNOWN SPORTS IN THE WORLD
In the ancient time plays and music were considered to be part of the Olympics to the Greeks
One sport which is most likely not to have been heard of by anyone is Octopush. This is a 'fancy' word for under-water hockey. Each player has their own goggles/mask and snorkel, right/left handed rubber glove, and the 'hockey-stick' - which is about eight inches in length and one inch wide. It is a cross between hockey and football because the goals are weighted to the floor of the swimming pool, and the situation is almost like a game of football - but with water. Of course, the idea is to score as many goals against the other team as you can by using complex skills, strategies and tactics.
Disc golf is similar to traditional golf in that it has a tee and a hole. But instead of balls and clubs, players use different types of discs. Each throw is related to a stroke in conventional golf. Competitors start at a tee and aim at a hole.
Regular golf has the Professional Golfers' Association of America and disc golf has the Professional Disc Golf Association. There are courses throughout the globe, and there is even a traveling PDGA Tour. Like conventional golf, disc golf players must strategically choose the perfect disc for the perfect shot. Discs of different weight and size allow players to throw shots up to great lengths or shots that are very close. Some discs even move in a curved pattern to fly around obstacles.
Luge, a type of small sled in which one or two persons, lying face up, slide feet first down snowy hillsides or down steeply banked, curving, iced chutes similar to those used in bobsledding. Steering is accomplished by shifting weight, pulling straps attached to the runners, or using the feet. Popular in the Alps and in other parts of Europe since the early 20th cent., luge has been an event (men's and women's singles and men's pairs) in the Winter Olympic Games since 1964.
Koppball, a British game wear a ball is carried in a cup to be scored in a goal as in football. It is run by the International Kopp Ball Association, or the IKBA. For the full rules of the game go to www.ikba.webs.com or contact them at their e-mail, www.ikbaemail@googlemail.com. Koppball is the modern reconstruction of an ancient Celtic game, that wasn't played for 2 thousand years. IKBA have modified it and wish to get it back on it's feet.
POPULAR ATHELETES IN THE WORLD
Tiger, Kobe Tie For Most Popular Athlete
July 21st, 2010 3:38 PM by Free Britney
Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant
For the first time in years, Woods no longer holds the title of America's most popular sports star. Not by himself, anyway. NBA star Kobe Bryant is now tied.
Rising from fourth place last year, Kobe rose into a statistical dead heat with Tiger in a Harris Interactive poll, which Woods has won every year since 2006.
Woods' affair with Rachel Uchitel and countless others became huge news last year, and he has yet to regain the form that made him the world's #1 golfer.
He hasn't shown much respect for the game, either.
Kobe BeefCatch a Tiger
A sex scandal can't slow down this star ... or this other star!
The survey among 2,227 adults was conducted online from June 14-21. Even before the debacle that was "The Decision," LeBron James had from third to sixth.
Michael Jordan fell from second to seventh, Yankees star Derek Jeter leaped from fourth to third, with the annoying, possibly retired Brett Favre in fourth.
WEIRD SPORTS
Weird Sport #1. The Ultimate Test: Man v.s. Horse
If you thought the sport had anything to do with strength, then you’re wrong. The annual Man Versus Horse marathon requires stamina and agility. Taking place in the Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells, the marathon puts human contestants up against mounted horse contestants.
The event started in 1980, when a landlord decided to hold the event after hearing two men arguing about whether or not an individual could beat a horse in a cross country race.
Weird Sport #1. The Ultimate Test: Man v.s. Horse
If you thought the sport had anything to do with strength, then you’re wrong. The annual Man Versus Horse marathon requires stamina and agility. Taking place in the Welsh town of Llanwrtyd Wells, the marathon puts human contestants up against mounted horse contestants.
The event started in 1980, when a landlord decided to hold the event after hearing two men arguing about whether or not an individual could beat a horse in a cross country race.
Weird Sport #2. Where Love Is The Key To Success
First introduced in Finland, wife carrying is an actual sport where male competitors race while carrying a female teammate. The objective is for the male to carry the female through a special obstacle course in the fastest time. Major competitions are held in Sonkajarvi, Finland, Monona, Wisconsin and in Marquette, Michigan.
Even though it does seem kind of gross, bog snorkelling is a sporting event where competitors swim in a water-filled trench cut through a peat bog. Competitors must wear snorkels and flippers and can only complete the course by swimming with their flippers and not using traditional swimming techniques.
A popular activity for children, toe wrestling is now a competitive sport. The World Toe Wrestling Competition first started at a pub in Derbyshire, UK in 1976. Locals thought it would be a great idea to hold a competition where individuals lock toes together and force their opponent’s foot to the ground. The organizers applied in 1997 to get the sport included in the Olympics, but unfortunately, it was not accepted.
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