The Greeks were a very religious people. Being polytheists, they believed that particular gods could provide assistance in all aspects of life. The competitive games of the Greek culture grew out of their religious and cultural ceremonies directed at these gods. The Greeks held religious festivals with feasts, dancing, and athletic contests to honor the gods. The most famous of these contests, the Olympic Games, was held in honor of the warrior god Zeus. The Olympic athletes swore to Zeus that they would obey the rules and play fair. The entire first day of the Games was made of religious ceremony including oaths, prayers, sacrifices and the singing of hymns. At the end of the second day, a black ram was sacrificed to the god Pelops, who myth said originated the games. The following morning, one hundred oxen were sacrificed at the altar of Zeus.

It is easy to see at this time that religion and ath

letics existed in harmony, one feeding off the other. Games were a way to honor and please the gods. It was not until the advent of the Roman spectacles that religion and sport diverge and become opposing forces.

The main sporting activity in medieval Europe was the grand tournament, seen as a preparation for war. The origins of these tournaments were practice combats between two knights, but they grew into large lavish festivals filled with ceremony. These ceremonies were filled with semi-Christian rituals because of the deep European belief that God favored the strong and just. Because of this belief, the results of these combats were seen as a judgment by God. However, Christians believed the tournaments to be pagan, cruel, and pompous.

With the Church of England in control in most of the couther colonies, a different sport world emerged. There was a far less restrictive way of life. Southerners were free to drink and gamble without fear of enraging the clergy. Horse racing, fox and stag hunting, and cock fighting quickly emerged. Blood sports such as gander pulling, wrestling, and "rough and tumble" fighting were popular in the back country areas.

A group in the middle colonies felt the same way about sports as the Puritans. Quakers banned nearly all forms of games including stage plays, cards, and dice among

Some common words found in the essay are:
Roman Empire, Zeus Olympic, Greeks Greek, Christianity Puritanistic, Church England, God Hunting, Christian God, Puritans Quakers, Britain England, God Christians, roman spectacles, honor please gods, hunting fishing, honored god, clergy religious, horse racing, please gods, racing animal, greek games, glorified honored god, religious ceremony, glorified honored,
Approximate Word count = 903
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)