Elizabethan Era Sports

The Ever-Changing Growth of Sports

The popularity of sports and activities played during the Renaissance influenced the evolution of modern sports and how they are now played. Sports played during the Elizabethan era evolved from the idea of “harmonious fusion of the mind and body” (Covington). From tennis to soccer, the popularity of sports grew and included people of all social classes, an occurrence which eventually influenced and eradicated status boundaries that restricted social mobility. Of the many sports played during the Renaissance, some became obsolete while others evolved into popular sports played today.

The Renaissance changed most of the common sports and gave a new significance to them. Sports and activities were changed

Leap frog was commonly played anywhere in a large, spaced out area. It was played mainly by younger children. Bo-peep was also an activity that was done commonly in a nursery among young children. It consisted of peeping behind something and crying out “Bo” (Dyer). The Elizabethans usually didn’t have very big sporting spectacles. They didn’t have places like the Roman Colosseum or a modern day stadium. On the other hand, they enjoyed smaller events, and watching things such as bull-baiting, bear-baiting and cock-fighting. Queen Elizabeth enjoyed these small displays so much that she forbade play-acting on Thursdays so that bear-baiters would have a day for business (Taylor

Colf, now called Golf, used to be played with a leather casing stuffed with goose feathers, whereas now it is played with a ball made of plastic and a type of rubber. Tennis, also very popular, was played using gloves and a wooden ball (Alchin). In present time, tennis is played with a racket and a rubber ball. Bowls was a game where a ball, called a “jack”, is rolled into “mistresses” to knock them down. This eventually turned into what is now call bowling. In England, soccer most likely was derived from a game called la soule, in which men divided into teams, usually married versus unmarried, and had to get a ball past a goalpost using feet, hands or various sticks. In the present time, the object of the game is still extremely similar, however, it is played with only feet. Hammer-throwing was a sport that required skill, strength and technique. It is now an event in track and field (Dyer). Stool ball, which has Pagan association, was played by having milkmaids throw, eventually hit with bats, balls towards their milking stools to knock them over. This eventually turned into today’s sports of rounders and cricket (Covington). Hunting was often done by men and women in the upper class. Wild boar was most commonly hunted on foot, by men and dogs, with spears (“The Hunt Is