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Ethnic Sports and the Evolution of New Games
~ USA
Things we need to know about….
• From baggataway to lacrosse.• Cultural adaptations of older games(American
football, baseball, ice hockey).• Invention of new games (basketball & volleyball)• Introduction of cricket & polo from UK (still
exclusive)• Evolution of baseball from rounders and gridiron
from rugby football via Ivy leaguecolleges.
Buzz words
• Colonialism• Indigenous• Popular recreation • Adapted• Adopted• Invented• lacrosse
• Frontier spirit• Native American• Pluralistic • Rational
Cultural background of N.A
• Prior to colonialism, sports in the N.A were indigenous.
• European settlers invaded the country and brought with them their sports, customs, culture and religion.
• The ‘original’ population were American Tribes (now referred to as “Native Americans”)
Immigration and pastimes
• Activities during this time were known as popular recreation
• Society was extremely violent. • Games had limited rules and were brutal• The upper classes were more sophisticated
and played games such as polo and hunted.• The working classes took part in blood sports
such as bare knuckle boxing and dog fighting.
Present Day
• The people of America began to see sport as a way of controlling the population (social control)
• Sport became more rational and sports became rule based and big business
• This led the way for a number of new games.
The Games of N.A• The only indigenous game of N.A is lacrosse• However influence from Britain and other
European countries have changed the games which are played
• All other games have either been• Adapted• Adopted• Invented
• With your partner try to dsefine these terms and give an example of each
Lacrosse: the only indigenous sport in the USA
Answer These games tend to
have colonial origins but have been changed to suit the pluralistic culture e.g. baseball stems from rounders and American football (gridiron) stems from rugby
Answer
• Sports that were taken directly from European culture and saw little or no change e.g. tennis, gymnastics & swimming
Answer
• new games that were created by the people of the new world e.g. basketball
From Baggataway to lacrosse
• ‘Baggataway’ = ‘Little brother of war!’• Played by Iroquois Indians of lower Ontario
and Upper state New York well before Columbus arrived!
Why?• To settle disputes between tribes.• As training for war.• As rain or fertility ‘right’• As proof of virility.
How?• With 5 to 1000 a side!• Between whole villages or tribes.• Lasting for between 1 hour and a week!• On ‘pitch’ of no fixed size.• Accompanied by ceremonial dances.• With medicine men as umpires!• Sometimes on horseback.• Using hooked wooden stick with leather thongs &
animal gut as ‘net’ in which to catch ‘ball’ and attack opponents.
• Using rock, wood or animal hide stuffed with hair or grass as ‘ball.’
The big ‘four’
Cultural factors that have shaped American sport .
• Lombardian ethic / American Dream/sport as frontier.• European origins/immigrants escaping old world• WASP dominance.• Sport for National Identity.• Commercialism / media/big business / capitalism.• Isolation from rest of world / size of country/urban
identity.• Pluralism and race identity / stacking and sport / male hegemony in pro sport.• Role modelling / star quality / escape from ghetto.
American Football‘Gridiron’
• Complicated.• Supremely tactical.• Tough.• Highly organised.• Dangerous/violent.• Fast.• Specialised – quarterback as
‘general.’• Skilful.• 11-a-side : but huge squads.
Rugby is a beastly game played by gentlemen.
Soccer is a gentlemen’s game played by beasts.American football is a
beastly game played by beasts!
1972 – a member of the Baltimore Rugby Club.
Mobilechess
A mixture of brute force and
science.
In football there are no winners ~ only
survivors!
Background.
• First rules formulated by Princeton University in 1867.• First University match ~ Princeton v Rutgers in 1869.• Forward pass legitimised in 1874 by Ivy League
Universities.• Dangerous moves to protect ball carrier (which caused
serious injuries & some deaths) banned in 1910.• Taken over by big business from 1945.• Many universities went into debt to build stadia.
Why so violent?
• Speed of play.• De-humanising effect of body armour.
• Rules which allow physical contact between players not in possession of the ball ~ blocks and tackles.
• Any more?
A love of football unites disparate groups
in a pluralist society. In a pluralist society, sport is one of the few institutions
where National Spirit can be encouraged.
Football mirrors capitalist
industrial society with its emphasis on
winning through competition.
Long term planning is another characteristic of capitalist society and Pro. football with its complex ‘play-book’ epitomises planning.
The American Dream (striving for advancement
through work) involves aiming high.
Football sustains and validates ‘the Dream’ by providing well
publicised positive role models who have succeeded and
often become upwardly mobile.
The everyday violence of the frontier may have gone, but the ritualistic violence
of football has arguably taken its place.
The States has a belief in and admiration of technology.Football has developed into
a technologically sophisticated game which has not allowed
tradition to stopexperimentation and change.
Ritualised violence within the framework of team effort, specialisation,
mechanisation and variation seems to be acceptable.
The ‘publicised’ footballer on TV seems to be the ideal clean-cut American
boy with a standardised image of masculinity.
He is strong, fast and muscular.Heavy padding emphasises
the shoulders, and ‘skin tight’ trousers emphasise slender hips and the metal head gear.
American society is arguably still divisive ~ and football institutionalises sex differences.
It still reflects the relatively rigid set of expectations of
being male or female in America.
And the women?
…and what about race?
Stacking?Centrality?
Championship for University football – the
Rose Bowl.
Championship for league football – the Superbowl
Baseball• Summer game.• Adapted from rounders (mid C18)• The national ‘down-town’ game &
national pastime.• As with soccer in UK ~ spread due to
expansion of railways.• Grew in popularity from WW2 due to
increased leisure time, influence of TV and admission of previously banned African American players.
• Strong links with the Italian community.
‘Babe’ Ruth
• 1895-1948• Played for Boston Red Sox &
New York Yankees.• Most celebrated athlete of
his time.• Spectacular & Charismatic.• National hero who became a
legend.
Ice Hockey• Adapted from various ice games
including ‘bandy’ from England.• Known as just ‘hockey’ in USA.• Developed in Canada.• Codified by McGill University,
Montreal.• Players travel at 30mph.• …puck at 100mph.• Violent, professional and
masculine, it reflects the commercial and competitive nature of the States.
Basketball
• Invented in 1891.• Indoor winter game
needed that was fast, safe and fun.
• Initially peach baskets used as ‘hoops.’
• Spread rapidly through schools & colleges.
Dr James Naismith ~ Presbyterian Minister and keen
athlete who taught at the Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA invented the game.
Basketball
• Now the ‘city game.• Midnight leagues.• ‘White flight.’ white
players have withdrawn from basketball and it is now a game dominated by African Americans
Volleyball
• Invented in 1895.• By William Morgan of
Holyoak, Massachusetts.• As gentle exercise for
businessmen and older people.
• …who were not fit enough to play basketball.
• Initially called ‘Minonette.’
Exam style questions…
• Account for the violence in the game of American football. Refer to features of the game and to the culture of the USA in your answer. (5)
• Explain the contributions made by the Ivy League Universities to the development of modern American sports. (3)
• By referring to cultural features explain why Americans adapted old colonial games to make their own sports. (4)
The United States seems to have adapted existing games to match the needs of their young multicultural commercial society.
With reference to either American football or professional baseball describe some of the major changes which make them different from their European counterparts. Explain the changes with reference to dominant cultural factors in the United States. (8)
.
The ‘Win Ethic’
• Sport in the USA reflects the country’s culture.
• European games were adapted to suit their environment and rapidly evolving culture.
• New games were invented in the ‘land of opportunity’
• The pioneering spirit of enterprise and drive needed games that were high scoring and action packed.
• ‘Win at all costs’ ethic dominates sport in the USA.
• Very competitive/no draws
• Overtime in the NFL/NBA. Extra innings in baseball.
Win ethic
Watch this video clip:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rFx6OFooCs
How do you think this video clip relates to the American ‘win ethic’?
• Passion• Life/death• Win at all costs• Religious undertones
.• Lombardian ethic / American Dream/sport as frontier.• European origins/immigrants escaping old world• WASP dominance.• Sport for National Identity.• Commercialism / media/big business / capitalism.• Isolation from rest of world / size of country/urban
identity.• Pluralism and race identity / stacking and sport / male hegemony in pro sport.• Role modelling / star quality / escape from ghetto.
Football Baseball
Rules
Scoring
Dress
Facility
Gender role
Admin.
Violence
commercial
Geography
Status
Stacking & centrality
