Introduction
It is no secret that sports phenomena were relevant in Greece and Rome and still matter in modern America. However, the status and attitude towards them on the part of the Greeks and Romans were different simply because of the specifics of each culture. A similar judgment can be expressed about the United States at the moment. Nonetheless, it would be reasonable to focus on a brief analysis of sports among the Greeks, Romans, and Americans and how it was treated. Comparing and contrasting Greek, Roman, and American attitudes toward sports is what is emphasized in this paper.
Comparing
Primarily, one must recognize that sport is a critically significant activity for Greeks, Romans, and Americans. Sport is integral to modern American society, affecting many social spheres. Sports tend to coincide with public values, and political agencies, as it tries to define the morality and ethics attributed to the entire American society. However, one could observe a similar attitude toward sports in Greek and Roman cultures (Carter 493). Furthermore, sports games additionally highlighted the values and ideology essential to Greek and Roman societies: perseverance to victory, discipline, courage, and much more (Carter 493). As one knows, Americans today have an identical attitude to sports, and the manifestation of such qualities in sports is crucial. For example, the famous American basketball player LeBron James and his team won many championships due to these qualities. Thus, it should be stated that sports in America, Greece, or Rome are primarily a “school” for the education of persistent, purposeful, and brave athletes (Turdimurodov 226). Therefore, sports had, for Greeks and Romans, and still have for Americans, a special significance both for individuals and for the whole society.
Moreover, another noteworthy detail that should be mentioned is that, as the Romans and Greeks believed earlier, as well as modern Americans, think spectacle and entertainment components should be inherent in any sport. Every game in the USA turns into an entertaining event, turning into an object of pride, unity and motivation to strive for perfection (Petrova 1). Nevertheless, this does not negate the fact that sports in America, and sports in modern and ancient Greece and Rome, are primarily aimed at the public and should amaze them with their beauty, entertainment, artistry, and many other relevant aspects.
Moreover, Americans believe that sport allows people to unite, as did the Greeks and Romans. For example, in ancient times, the principle of competition played an important role, because all major city politicians competed with each other and strived to become famous for this. If wars divided the Greeks, then sports and competitions united them. In a sense, the same can be said about the Romans. In America, it is understood that almost all citizens of the country love sports and sports games, which is one of the means that unites people of any nationality and class.
Contrasting
As mentioned earlier, for the Romans, Greeks, and Americans, sport is an essential component of culture and people, but giving preference to different sports. Baseball, football, and basketball are the sports that Americans give the most choice to reinforce national identity and separate from the outside world (Martinez 1). In general, Americans’ approaches and attitudes to sports are expressed mainly in the desire and impulse to stand out and play their games, as well as the willingness to spread their way of life to all corners of the world (Martinez 1). In the cultures of Greece and Rome, athletics, boxing, wrestling, and pankration were preferred more (Carter 493). However, for the Romans, the sport was instead a bloody entertainment, and sport for the Greeks was bloodless and considered a spiritual experience and moral elevation.
Sports was not a semantically neutral phenomenon in Greece or Rome and are not such in modern America. Instead, it belonged to the realm of both the sacred and the profane, and the everyday, but the ratio was different in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome and remains in the United States. For example, sports are a huge part of Americans’ everyday life and culture. In a sense, a “profane” attitude to sports prevailed in Rome, and sports activities were more private there. The ratio was the opposite in Greece, at least in the archaic and classical eras. In other words, in Greece, everything related to the sphere of socio-political life automatically acquired sacred features.
Conclusion
For Romans, Greeks, and Americans, a sporting event is a unique spectacle and celebration, and the athletes’ task is to maintain the interest and satisfaction of the public. In addition, sport is entertainment and perfection, tempering athletes’ will, spirit, and character. It is an activity that allows one to unite different people. Nevertheless, Americans like national games more and prefer football, baseball, and basketball. The Greeks and Romans loved athletics, boxing, wrestling, and pankration more. For most Americans, sport is a part of everyday life; for the Romans, it was more “painted in bloody colors,” and it had a sacred nature in Greece.
Works Cited
Carter, Michael J. “Combat Sports in Ancient Greece and Rome.” The Cambridge World History of Violence, edited by Garrett G. Fagan, Linda Fibiger, Mark Hudson, and Matthew Trundle, Cambridge University Press, 2020, pp. 493-511. Web.
Martinez, Andrés. “America’s Place in the World Order: The Effect of Sports Globalization.” New America, Web.
Petrova, Alexandra. “The 10 Most Popular Sports in the USA.” TheSporting.blog, Web.
Turdimurodov, D.Y. “Education of Moral-Volitional and Psychological Qualities in Athletes.” Problems And Scientific Solutions, vol. 1, 2022, pp. 226-233, Web.
University of Toronto. “As the Olympics are Played, Students Explore Pankration and Other Ancient Games.” Phys.org, Web.