Modern Sports Prevail Over Gymnastics - Essay Example

Modern Sports Prevail Over Gymnastics Physical exercise has long been a highly valued attribute to both men and women, since the beginning of time when humans had to be physically fit in order to survive. Early Greek civilizations developed a sport called gymnastics as a practice for physical exercise, which comes from the Greek word for “disciplinary exercises”. As centuries past and new cultures began to develop their own styles of gymnastics, the values and standards of the practice have changed in varying ways.

Even though gymnastics is still used as a form of exercise as well as competition all over the world today, the emergence of modern sports in the late nineteenth century began to shadow the age-old practice. The foundations of modern gymnastics originated in the earlier eighteen hundreds by a German patriot whose goal was to inspire solidarity and Germanic pride among the youths. That patriot was a man named Friedrich Ludwig Jahn aka “Father Jahn” and his gymnastics training stemmed from the pursuit of national unity and freedom from French rule.

Confident that physical education was key in order strengthen national character and national identity, Jahn used fencing, wrestling, swimming, and throwing, as well as war games which trained the practitioners in war-like scenarios, which was known as Turnen. Even though Jahn developed many of the apparatuses used in gymnastics today such as the horizontal bar, parallel bar, and the pommel horse, his training was never geared toward competition but rather personal improvement and developing skills useful on the battlefield.

In the same way cultures mold beliefs, values, and traditions the culture in the time of Father Jahn created the mold in which modern gymnastics was born. While the various schools of physical exercise, associated with Jahn in Germany, were aimed at developing political and military ideals geared towards creating nationalism, organized competitive sports arose as a social innovation for the urbanized working class. Despite the benefits of sport for survival, military training, exercise, and physical development, sport was not a common recreational activity for humans until the Industrial Revolution.

The growth of factories, working regulations, and advancements of technology correlate with the growth of modern sports due to the fact that it also created a concept of leisure. While the competition of sport gave individuals a certain type of fulfillment, sports also contributed to social and cultural needs of being a part of something and using it as an escape from work, stress, etc. While the gymnastic participants performed seemingly solo acts of physical feat, sports teams worked together to accomplish something more.

Rather than setting records for individual enjoyment, sports teams were able to bond together to overcome an opponent. Modern sports offered something tantalizing and entertaining that was far more than what gymnastics had to offer. During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, divisions in social class led the wealthy to spend leisure time golfing, fencing, or equestrian riding, while the working class spent time in sports that were more affordable. Boxing, football, baseball and many others drew together participants that could afford the game as well as afford the physical toll that came along with the game.

Furthermore, as time continued, these organized sports became professional. Athletes were now being paid to participate in a game that started off as mere leisure time. As fan bases were beginning to follow and regularly pay to be entertained by these sports, it was clear that modern sports prevailed over gymnastics.