No one is certain when sports first evolved, but children have always included these games in their play. Prehistoric art depicts hunters pursuing prey with joy and abandon. As ancient civilizations became more affluent, the art of hunting was taken up by the elite, and it even became an end in itself. The Romans and Greeks adopted the practice, as did northern Europeans. While there are no documented records of the first games, some evidence suggests that they were adapted from other forms of play.
Aside from improving physical fitness and general health, sports also teach a child to deal with pressure. While winning is always fun, losing can also cause depression and disappointment. However, both emotions are natural and healthy to experience in sports. Learning to manage and cope with each of these emotions helps children build good mental health. The importance of sports cannot be overstated. If we do not play sport as often as we should, we will become more susceptible to illnesses.
The aesthetic element survives in some sports, but the emphasis in modern sports is on quantitative achievement. The transition from Renaissance sports to modern sports can be traced to a change in semantic meanings. The word “measure” originally connoted a sense of proportion and balance, but later on it became synonymous with numerical measurements. As the emphasis on sports intensified, the term “record” was introduced, and it became a part of the English language.