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 league
colleges.
Buzz words
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Colonialism
Indigenous
Popular recreation
Adapted
Adopted
Invented
lacrosse
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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 .
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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’
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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!
Mobile
chess
1972 – a member of the
Baltimore Rugby Club.
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?
What is the draft?
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 States has a belief in
and admiration of technology.
Football has developed into
a technologically sophisticated
game which has not allowed
tradition to stop
experimentation and change.
The everyday violence of the
frontier may have gone,
but the ritualistic violence
of football has arguably
taken its place.
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 league
football – the Superbowl
Championship for
University football – the
Rose Bowl.
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)
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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’?
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Passion
Life/death
Win at all costs
Religious undertones
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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