Why we engage in sports.

Why we engage in sports

Throughout history, few things are as consistent as man’s love affair with sports.

Sports are just one facet of a much a larger entity, Games. How we define games plays an essential role in how we perceive its benefits. One of the most interesting definitions of a game comes from computer game designer Chris Crawford, “A game is interactive, goal-oriented and involves other agents.”

A book/movie is interesting and entertaining but they are not interactive. As soon as something is both entertaining and interactive we now have a plaything. There are two kinds of playthings, according to Mr Crawford, Toys (which are fun to play with but don’t have any particular goal, for example, toy cars) and a challenge (this provides a bit of an uphill task by trying to achieve a certain outcome). If a challenge only involves one player it’s called a puzzle, but if there are multiple players it’s now called a conflict. A good example of a conflict is a footrace. A conflict where people aren’t allowed to interfere with each other is called competition. However, in situations where people actively interact with each other with the hope of attaining one goal or the other, we now have a game

In the book, The Grasshopper, Bernard Suits described a game as ‘The voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.’ A lot of what people do is geared towards ease, so why seek out more challenges?

We all know that games offer a certain sense of gratification. But how do define this effect?

We first have to look at the positive aspects of sports. It is believed that we developed play as a way to prepare our bodies for life’s challenges later. However looking at animals in the wild, play tends to burn the limited valuable resources/faculties that the animal would need in case of sudden danger. Further still games could very easily generate injuries. The New York Times did a piece on this very issue. It stated that games weren’t there to prepare the body so much as they prepared the mind. Games have been found to strengthen certain parts of the brain. A study carried out on rats showed that play can affect the brain. The study found that some rats which weren’t played with while they were younger had a smaller and lesser formed cerebellum than those which did. It’s not to say that play is the only thing that affects this part of the brain, other methods such as teaching or exercise may have a similar effect.

Knowing this changes the way we view the debate of intellectualism Vs Athleticism. Both have their merits with intellectual games like chess sharpening strategy, and athletic games building muscle and improving general health. Both of these have a similar effect on the human brain. Different kinds of play reflect the needs of animals that engage in it. Less complex animals have games that sharpen reflexes. This enables a quick response to danger giving a sharp fight/flight reaction.

As animals become more complex, their needs change and so does the nature of the games they play.

We have a lot of questions about life and this is reflected in how we’ve designed our games. For example, we’re constantly wondering if the people we’re with are on our side. In team sports this is simplified, every player is colour coded in a way that shows who your allies and adversaries are. In the same way, we’re trying to figure out our purpose. Games also simplify this by giving us goals (a definite point to work towards) and a way to mark/measure if we attain the goal. In life, we make small advances whether it’s in our careers or personal lives and though there are triumphs, it’s often difficult to discern if we have attained anything. Further still in life, feedback is rare or slow so we’re barely sure about if we’re making the right move but in a game the rules are direct, and the moves you make are tied to certain results if you have the superior set of cards you will always win. Sports also provides a sense of belonging in an alienating world. We

see this when people wear the same jersey as the team, over the duration of the game there is no class/rank, race or creed. Just a group of people sharing an experience, and whether it turns out to be a victory or a defeat, at least you shared the experience.

There is a theory that sport replaced warfare. Games such as the world cup allow for adversarial countries to meet in good spirited and fair matches where they settle their differences. The winning country gets to have bragging rights and a symbol of their victory in medals or a cup. This means of modern warfare is better preferred to the alternative. It allows for an opportunity to settle intense emotions on court. During the 1936 Olympics, there was a lot of racist rhetoric centred on racial superiority and this was a cornerstone of the Nazi movement. However, during the 100-meter dash, an African American man, Jesse Owens bested everyone without breaking a sweat. “The world’s fasted runner makes everyone else appear as though they are walking” remarked the commentator. Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe (silver medallist) silenced Hitler and his entire movement through sport.