How sports history shaped training and teamwork

Sports history is the study of the history of sport, which extends back to the Ancient world in 7000 BC. These lessons answer how sport has served as training and teamwork across different societies. They trace how physical practice and shared effort have supported individuals and communities.

2 articles, 1 book · about 51 min of reading and viewing

The reading path

1. Read
   

   sports history · Wikipedia · 24 min read

   Sports history in Ancient Egypt is reflected in monuments to the Pharaohs at Beni Hasan dating to around 2000 BC: they indicate that sports including wrestling, weightlifting, swimming, archery and ball games were well-developed and regulated. Renaissance belief in the interrelated health of mind and body renewed public interest in the gymnasium, where citizens could train physically and intellectually. Promoting "sound minds in sound bodies" was also believed to help citizens support their communities and nations.

2. Read
   

   The Little-Known History of How the Modern Olympics Got Their Start · Smithsonian Magazine · 27 min read

   In sports history, English monarchs played court tennis, yet several kings banned ball games because they feared yeomen would neglect archery practice needed to fight for the Crown. The codification of sports history accelerated in the 19th century: cricket, rugby, field hockey and football in Britain; baseball and American football in the United States; lacrosse and ice hockey in Canada; and Australian rules football down under were codified within a relatively short period. De Coubertin was beguiled by this English devotion to sport.

3. Book
   

   The Boys in the Boat · Bookshop.org

   The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown tells the story of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew, from its working-class rowers' victories over elite rivals to the Olympic games in Berlin. Drawing on the boys' own diaries and journals, their photos and memories, Brown describes how their shared dream unfolded in the depths of the Great Depression.

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