For thousands and thousands of years, sports and athletic competition in general have been a part of human culture. Archeologists have discovered amphitheaters in Mesoamerica where the traditional ballgame “ulama” was played as far back as three-thousand years ago. The ancient Egyptians practiced many track and field sports, such as javelin hurling and the high jump, and the ancient Chinese were as proficient in gymnastics in the Qing Dynasty as they are today.
In Greek culture in particular sporting events were of particular importance. Every four years, the various city states would call a temporary truce in whatever wars they were fighting against each other in order for the Olympic games in honor of Zeus to be held, and it is in this tradition that the modern Olympic games were founded. For each city-state, the Olympics provided not only a brief respite from war, but an opportunity to show off the strength of its fighters in a venue where there was no potential for casualties. In this way, a city-state could build up its reputation for strength and vigor in competition without having to risk losing any men.
In the Christian era, the importance of sport waned a bit, but many traditions endured, while at the same time new traditions blossomed. The medieval era saw the rise of the tournament, as depicted in the stories of King Arthur. The competitions included jousts, where two riders with long lances attempted to knock each other off their horses, and melees, essentially fights between competing groups of armed fighters. Like their Olympic predecessors, tournaments were meant as a means of showing off military strength: however, the emphasis was more on the strength of the individual knight than on that of a country as a whole.
It is only in the modern era that what we know today as sports really emerged. After the Civil War, the first professional baseball and American football teams started emerging. These teams played in moderately sized venues against teams from other cities, and spectators played a fee for admission. While their were amateur clubs in every sport, the talent level of the professionals leagues proved much more appealing to the public.
Today, sports are as ingrained into the fabric of daily life as they ever have been. The most popular and talented athletes appear on commercials and sometimes in television, becoming celebrities as much as they are athletes. Yet although the modes have changed, the basis of sports has not changed: the desire to pit strong opponents against each other to see which one is really stronger.