Sports have become an important source of entertainment for millions of people around the world. These activities are also a major source of national pride and prestige, and transnational corporations are able to market them to a worldwide consumer base. While many of these sports are primarily spectator sports, there is a growing number of players, spectators, and fans from other cultures, and this diversity may be changing the face of sports.
The term “sport” comes from the Old French word ‘desport’, which means “leisure”. The first English usage of’sport’ was around 1300 and means “any activity, game, or entertainment that humans find amusing or entertaining.” In the mid-1500s, the word’sport’ was used to refer to games that involve physical activity.
In addition to these physical activities, sports also involve emotions. These feelings reflect the athlete’s self-evaluation of their performance and their perceptions of the performance of others. Some of these emotions arise before the performance, while others may arise during the performance itself. The athletes must learn to manage these emotions in accordance with the sport’s subculture and the rules governing that culture. For example, athletes may be required to display appropriate behaviour during the national anthem or post-game victory celebrations.
After the fall of the Soviet Union, Western countries began to compete with the Soviet Union. As a result, major sports nations began to establish state-sponsored sports programs.