London Sports

Chapter

Introduction

porting events and changes are influenced by the economic, social and political situations in place at the time. In sociology there are a number of approaches to the study of sport.

Functionalism, Marxism, Social action and Interactionism. Each has a different view on society, the place of sport in society and hence the changes in sport over the centuries.

Medieval period (1200 - 1485)

- People had little time or energy for recreational activities

- Leisure time activities were originally confined to feast days

- Games were local in nature, each village having its own particular activities for feast days

- From time to time the government banned traditional activities in favour of archery training

Tudor and Stuart period (1485 - 1714)

- Traditional folk games and activities flourished in Tudor times

- Puritanism greatly reduced the opportunities to play and types of activity allowed

- After the restoration in 1660, traditional activities were revived

- Sport moved away from its former links with merrymaking and lawlessness

Hanoverian period (1714 - 1790)

- Play and sport were largely ignored by the government

- People of all classes enjoyed their leisure to the full

- Increasing industrialisation demanded regular working patterns

- There was some pressure for Sunday to be a day of rest

- Large gatherings for sport often meant social disorder

- Regular, organised, rule-governed sport on a national scale emerged

Changing times (1790 -1830)

- Traditional sport was under attack from all sides

- Factory owners wanted a regular working week

- Property owners feared the damage caused by large crowds

- Churches criticised idleness, drunkenness and slack morality

- Commercialisation of sport developed, especially in horse racing, cricket and prize fighting