Morris Mott: One Solution to the Urban Crisis Essay (Article Review)

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Introduction

The article reviewed in the scope of this paper was written by Morris Mott and published in the Perspectives on Sports and Urban Studies journal in 1983. The article concerns itself with the development of urban sports infrastructure in Winnipeg between 1900 and 1914. As it is known, Winnipeg is a city in Canada with some of the most long-standing traditions of individual and team sports. The article analyzes the social, religious, and intellectual connotations of the development of the so-called “Winnipeg credo” in connection to what is called “Manly sports.”

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According to Mott (57), the desire to reduce the detrimental physical and moral influence of the urban environment inspired the community leaders of Manitoba’s capital to promote and develop “manly sports” as a means of strengthening both body and spirit. Their actions between 1900 and 1914 have left a lasting impression on the city’s views of sports and contributed to the creation of a long-standing tradition of physical and spiritual wellness. In addition, the article states that these tendencies had a direct impact on the existing sports infrastructure, as the community felt that sports practices by young men and women should be organized properly.

Main Points and Arguments

The author presents numerous arguments that seek to explain the sudden and spontaneous development in Winnipeg during these years. Among the most prominent factors, he includes the influence of the community, the economically stable situation in the western hemisphere, and the influence of the Protestant Church. However, there was a multitude of supplemental factors that also played a part in the equation.

Mott (58) names the influence of the Church as a primary catalyst for the development of “manly sports,” such as hockey, cricket, boxing, soccer, football, baseball, and various others in Winnipeg and Canada in general. According to the researcher, the majority of these sports either did not exist or did not see much popularity in Canada until the early 20s, where the Protestant Church spread through Manitoba. The Church was concerned with the degradation of body and spirit in urban congestive environments. They have vigorously promoted sports as a means of remedying that. Another reason was to regain a measure of influence and control over the populace (Mott 62).

The second biggest factor that contributed to the evolution of the urban sports environment is the drastic increase in population. Between 1900 and 1915, the population of Winnipeg increased from 40,000 to over 150,000 (Mott 59). This dramatic increase meant not only the congestion of existing urban environments but also the overload of existing sporting systems. As a result, sports were practiced on an ad-hoc basis, often without proper facilities, which affected the enjoyment, effectiveness, and safety levels. This factor prompted the construction of new stadiums and other facilities.

The third factor that motivated the development of the urban environment is the inclusion of women in the so-called “manly sports.” This effectively bolstered the total number of practitioners by 25-35% (Mott 64). Although women did not enjoy the same amount of inclusion and freedoms as today, they were able to practice a multitude of ball games as well as games that did not require the same hardiness and strength that men were expected to possess. Accommodating female players and spectators led to the development of sports fields and spectator seats.

Lastly, the reason why Winnipeg became the Canadian sports capital was the economic prosperity of the region coupled with the availability of government funding to construct the facilities necessary for healthy sports practices (Mott 61). It became a popular notion among the politicians of Winnipeg who wanted to earn the favor of the electorate. Thus, sports were made not only more organized but also more available to the working-class men and women as well as various minority groups, which helped with their assimilation into the Canadian society.

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Critical Analysis

The article provides sufficient evidence to support its thesis and examine the role of the community and other socio-economic factors in the facilitation of long-standing traditions of wellness as well as the development of the appropriate infrastructure. The author analyzes these factors in comparison to the development of other cities and supports his findings with credible and academic evidence. In that regard, the article is very effective. It is hard to construct and support an argument that would counter the thesis voiced in the paper.

However, the article makes several assumptions that were not supported by evidence. One of them is the assumption that the Church supported sports to reclaim control over the population’s hearts and minds. Although that may be the case, there is no official evidence to support it. The Church in this context is viewed as a sociopolitical force and not as an institution aiming to reconnect people with God. Otherwise, the article contains no overstatements, understatements, or visible flaws in reasoning.

The biggest flaw the article has is in its structure. The formatting and presentation of the arguments within the context of the topic are rather poor, the author jumps from one point to another, with those points being only loosely connected. In addition, there are no headings and subheadings, which makes navigating the text increasingly difficult. Different sections of text are marked with Latin numbers, which say nothing to the reader. The abstract is too small and does not cover or list the main arguments provided in the paper. The overall conclusion is that while Mott provided a good observatory paper on the state of sports infrastructure in Winnipeg during 1900-1914, the formatting and structure of the article are inefficient.

Work Cited

Mott, Morris. “One Solution to the Urban Crisis: Manly Sports and Winnipeggers, 1900-1914.” Urban History Review, vol. 12, no. 2, 1983, pp. 57-70.

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IvyPanda. (2022, June 7). Morris Mott: One Solution to the Urban Crisis. https://ivypanda.com/essays/one-solution-to-the-urban-crisis-article-by-mott/

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"Morris Mott: One Solution to the Urban Crisis." IvyPanda, 7 June 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/one-solution-to-the-urban-crisis-article-by-mott/.

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IvyPanda. (2022) 'Morris Mott: One Solution to the Urban Crisis'. 7 June.

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IvyPanda. 2022. "Morris Mott: One Solution to the Urban Crisis." June 7, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/one-solution-to-the-urban-crisis-article-by-mott/.

1. IvyPanda. "Morris Mott: One Solution to the Urban Crisis." June 7, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/one-solution-to-the-urban-crisis-article-by-mott/.


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IvyPanda. "Morris Mott: One Solution to the Urban Crisis." June 7, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/one-solution-to-the-urban-crisis-article-by-mott/.

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