The definition of sports is the act of engaging in physical contests. Different cultures have different definitions of sports, but the best ones clarify the relationship between contests, games and play. Play is the opposite of work and has its own objectives and rules. It is also voluntary and involves no financial investment. Moreover, it helps improve one’s mental health and wellbeing. Whether the activity is purely recreational or involves competition, it is generally regarded as a form of recreation.
The development of sports can be traced to the German and Scandinavian cultures of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Johann Christoph Friedrich Guts Muths and Per Henrik Ling developed gymnastic exercises in Sweden and Germany, and these practices were later adopted by school systems in Britain, the United States, and Japan. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, gymnastics flourished in Eastern Europe. It was considered a form of cultural expression by oppressed ethnic groups. Even the Greek physician Galen endorsed gymnastic festivals as a form of exercise to promote good health and wellbeing.
Aspects of sport are not only competitive but also aesthetic. Various philosophers and sportsmen have written about the importance of sportmanship. Pierre de Coubertin and Grantland Rice once famously stated: “Sports are not for winning, but for playing.” According to these philosophers, the fundamental principles of sport are the equal opportunity of participating and equal outcomes. Rules are set up to promote fair play, but participants can still break these rules to obtain an unfair advantage.
