Topic > Violence in Sport: A Reminder from Ancient Times

George Orwell once observed: "Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play." It is linked to hatred, jealousy, vainglory, contempt for all rules and the sadistic pleasure of witnessing violence; in other words, it's war without the shooting." Sports competitions have provided mass entertainment throughout history. The term sports rage has been used in a growing number of academic and non-academic sports publications to describe the type of incredibly violent incidents that occur at sporting events around the world. Violence is defined as harmful behavior that has no direct relationship to the competitive objectives of the sport and therefore refers to episodes of uncontrolled aggression outside the rules of the sport, rather than highly competitive behavior within the limits of the rules . Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay Violent Origin of Sports: A notable similarity between ancient and modern sports is the existence of violence and aggression in competitions. Theories hold that humans have an instinct for violence, developed during a time when early human ancestors had to resort to violence and aggression to survive and reproduce. Furthermore, these assumptions address the sociological aspects of violence in sports, stating that sports are “mock battles” that can become real fights due to their competitive origin. Violence has always been associated with football since the origins of the game and its ancestors, dating back to 225 BC. Essentially pitched battles between the youths of rival villages and towns (most often played on Shrove Tuesday and other holy days). Medieval football matches involved literally hundreds of men, sometimes more than 1,000, and were commonly used as an opportunity to resolve arguments, personal differences, and land disputes. The rules existed exclusively on a local basis. Acceptance of violence in sport, however, was not widespread and in the early 14th century there were calls for regulations to be introduced into the game. These demands arose not because of the violent nature of the game at the time, but because, on match days, it drove local citizens away from market towns, and was therefore bad for business. At this point the game was already a success. bad reputation among the English royals. Not only for its extreme violence but also for the excessive noise made by the spectators. King Edward III banned the game, not only because of the violence and noise, but also for military reasons. The game had become so popular that it distracted members of the military from taking up archery. King Henry IV and Henry VIII also passed laws against the sport, and Queen Elizabeth I even had football players jailed for up to a week. On 7 February, during the Sydney Riot of 1879, up to 2,000 fans invaded the pitch and disrupted play after an umpiring dispute broke out between members of the visiting English cricket team and the New South Wales Cricket Association. Two English players were attacked and three fans were arrested. Another example involves Andres Escobar, a revered Colombian defender who scored an own goal during a 1994 World Cup match against the United States. The violent act was committed outside a bar upon his return to his hometown of Medellin. Humberto Castro Muñoz, the man who later confessed to the murder, shot and killed Escobar, reportedly shouted "Goal!", regarding Escobar's own goal. Death.