History of Olympism

The history and philosophy of sport and physical education demonstrates how social institutions often change when ideologies and philosophies that guide values, norms, and behaviors in society change. If we trace the etymology of the word "sport", we discover that it is French in origin from a word with Latin roots, de(s)sporter, meaning "to amuse oneself," (Mechikoff and Estes, 1998, 1). The concepts of play and games have also been important in shaping the history and philosophy of sport and physical education. In looking at history, we are basically measuring change, for as Mechikoff and Estes (1998) maintain, "History is the story of change over time or the lack of change over time," (4).

The concept of "play" is a critical one in the history and philosophy of sport and physical education, mainly because the concept of play is evident in all cultures throughout history and is basically a fundamental aspect of being human. Play provides a basic function to human existence, whether it is enjoyment (amusing oneself) or physical exertion and the rewards it produces in the brain from neurotransmitter systems. Johan Huizinga's studies on play have been an instrumental part in defining the concept and its place in human history. It was in his seminal work Homo Ludens, that Huizinga cultivated the hypothesis that play is precultural and permeates all aspects of human existence (Mechikoff and Estes, 1998). Within this work Huizinga maintained that

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Category: History - H