This reading by CLR James looks at the author’s view of sports and how important they are to him. He talks about the presence of sports in ancient Greece and how stadiums would be filled to watch to competitions. However, these times faded as theater also gave the crowds excitement, and, like sports, they could cheer for their favorites to win. After the fall of sports there was a long absence when organized sports did not exist. It was not until the mid 1800’s that associations were founded to bring back the structured competitions. Then he explores the meaning of sports in schools. The specific example is the Rugby school and the play of the schoolboys. The competition, says James, made him the man he is today and gave him all the virtues that make him a good person. Then he compares his experienced with British sports to those he saw in America. He says he was shocked at all the complaining and annoyance that were present in American athletes. He was appalled that some players had actually thrown a game and received a payment for it. He concluded that American and British sports have major differences.

Our animal instincs and education

It seems to me that the main theme of these reading was the comparison between sport and our animal ancestors. It goes into a great deal of detail in drawing comparisons between the physical reactions of a gazelle in flight and a runner during a race. The article pushes the belief that sport is a reminder of our roots as animals. The second reading is very different in its reasons and structure. It was written by an educator attempting to convince readers that education is not just about teaching the mind but also about training the body. Not only is sport heralded as an excellent way to take a break from studying, but it also helps to maintain the body which is needed for the development of students. Whereas the first article seems to be directed to a more general audience, the second article forms a much more structure argument meant to convince a specific group of the necessity of sports in education.

Philosophy of Sport

When I heard that there was a class called philosophy of sport, I knew that it was the class for me. I love sports; every aspect of it interests me: the competitive nature, the challenge of building a team that competes, the many arguments that it sparks. I thought that the title “philosophy of sport” would discuss why it is that everyone is so fascinated by sports and become such a major part of our culture. It does seem kind of strange that so many people can be obsessed with their sports teams and go through the highs and the lows along with the team. It’s something that I’ve never been able to figure out. I know that when my teams lose I feel as though I’ve lost. But why? Why is there such an obsession with following your teams movements even when their not playing. The only theory that I was able to come up with was that humans have in their basic nature a need to compete, a need to have an enemy to fight. However, in today’s culture cooperation is seen as the most important quality. To satisfy ones need to compete people find turn the teams into their own and turn the rest of the league into the enemy. The development of television and the internet also played an important role in sports grown because it allowed people to follow their teams even more closely. To me the philosophy of sport is that man needs to compete and sport is an outlet for this aggression.