Race And Religion: The Development Of Sport In The 20th Century

Sports hold a unique place in human history, serving as a powerful reflection of the societies, backgrounds, and cultures in which they are played. They transcend languages and ideologies, uniting people through a shared passion for competition, skill, and athletic prowess. The long 20th century witnessed a remarkable transformation in the world of sports, forever shaping the concept of sport into what we know today. From the birth of modern sporting events to the emergence of professional leagues, from the Olympic Games' vast historical changes to the relentless struggle for equality and inclusion, sports in this time period completely changed the world in political, societal, and economic manners. In this section of “New Directions in History”,

Similar concepts to race and religion are the construct of gender and sexuality, which are also two renowned topics of discussion in the modern day. Over the past century, significant strides have been made to challenge gender and sexuality-based barriers and discrimination within the sporting world. From pioneering athletes breaking through gender norms to advocating for LGBTQ+ rights in sports, the efforts to promote inclusivity and equality have reshaped the landscape of sports in the modern day. This can be proven through the sport of camogie: a team sport played exclusively by women that was similar to the game of hurling. Not only was camogie used as a sport created fairly for women, but also to stand for women’s rights and empowerment in a time where women were heavily oppressed, especially regarding the aspect of sport. During this time period, specifically the late 1800s, it was known that a small portion of upper-class Protestant Irish women and girls played sports, meaning the world of sport was not accessible to all women and religion as it was not the norm at this point in time. While the popularity of men’s sports excelled, women’s sports were slow to grow, especially for the middle and lower classes of women. Because of this, a group of educated feminist nationalists founded and

That said, economic factors have shaped the development of sport in the 20th century both positively and negatively. This can first be proven when talking about sports being considered a “chattel” meaning that players in sport are considered objects or property. Although this is not the case in the modern day, it was prevalent in the 20th century as players had no say in either their contracts or careers, almost as if these players were zombies or slaves to the system. “With all picked players reserved, it was thought that the League might easily retain the control of the business. The effect of this was that a player reserved was forced to sign with the club reserving him, or quit playing ball altogether.” This is significant regarding players in sport are almost like chattel because they cannot have a fair say in their careers, it is either abide by the corrupt rules or suffer the consequences. An individual who went against the system was Curt Flood, a former baseball player who was a successful player at the Cardinals and was unexpectedly traded to the Phillies while under contract. Rejecting the trade and filing a lawsuit against the MLB and commissioner, he challenged the Reserve