Organised Greek Games Summary

In “Organized Greek Games,” William J. Baker attempts to inform the reader of the differences and similarities between the modern-day Olympic Games and the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece. In addition, Baker informs the reader of the relationship between athletics and religion in Ancient Greece, overall influence of athletics in Greek society, and what Greek philosophers thought of the role of athletics in life. Since the 1960s, scholars have grown an interest for the subject of sports in history. People now know that sports were a major component of Greek civilization. For thousands of years, athletic festivals were held in Ancient Greece that were a mixture of athletic events and religious ceremonies. Because of

When the games were organized, a schedule was set up for the varying events. The first day of the Olympics was dedicated to religious ceremony. On the second day, the athletic competitions began. By the end of the second day, religious sacrifices and burnt offerings occurred. The third day held the foot races, and the fourth day brought some of the most violent events: boxing, wrestling, armored foot races, and the pancration. Some of the events were more grueling and violent than any competition in modern Olympics. For example, the most popular contest at Olympia was called the pancration, which was a combination of boxing, wrestling, and judo. There weren't many rules, so competitors would do whatever it took to make the opponent give the sign of capitulation. On the fifth day of the festival, prizes were given out, sacrificed animals were eaten, and Zeus was worshiped. Although Greece is near lots of water, there weren't any water-related competitions. In addition, there weren't any ball games because they hadn't been incorporated by the time the Olympic Games was a tradition. Because women were completely banned from the Olympics (including watching and participating), they held their own contests to honor the Greek god Hera. Being an athlete in the Olympic Games became a profession, taking up most, if not all of a person’s