A sport is an organized, competitive, entertaining, and skilful activity requiring commitment, strategy, and fair play, in which a winner and loser can be defined by objective means. Generally speaking, a sport is a game based in physical athleticism. Activities such as board games and card games are sometimes classified as "mind sports," but strictly speaking "sport" by itself refers to some physical activity. Non-competitive activities may also qualify, for example though jogging or playing catch are usually classified as forms of recreation, they may also be informally called "sports" due to their similarity to competitive games.

Sports are governed by a set of rules or customs. Physical events such as scoring goals or crossing a line first often define the result of a sport. However, the degree of skill and performance in some sports such as diving, dressage and figure skating is judged according to well-defined criteria. This is in contrast with other judged activities such as beauty pageants and body building, where skill does not have to be shown and the criteria are not as well defined.

Records are kept and updated for most sports at the highest levels, while failures and accomplishments are widely announced in sport news. Sports are most often played just for fun or for the simple fact that people need exercise to stay in good physical condition. However, professional sport is a major source of entertainment.

While practices may vary, sports participants are expected to display good sportsmanship, and observe standards of conduct such as being respectful of opponents and officials, and congratulating the winner when losing.

Etymology and meaning

"Sport" comes from the Old French ''desport'' meaning "leisure". American English uses the term "sports" to refer to this general type of recreational activity, whereas other regional dialects use the singular "sport". The French word for sport is based on the Persian word ''bord'', meaning "winning" or "win". The Chinese term for sport, ''tiyu'' (体育; 體育) connotes physical training. The modern Greek term for sport is Αθλητισμός (''athlitismos''), directly cognate with the English terms "athlete" and "athleticism".

The oldest definition of ''sport'' in English (1300) is of anything humans find amusing or entertaining. Other meanings include gambling and events staged for the purpose of gambling; hunting; and games and diversions, including ones that require exercise. Roget's defines the noun sport as an "activity engaged in for relaxation and amusement" with synonyms including diversion and recreation.

History

There are artifacts and structures that suggest that the Chinese engaged in sporting activities as early as 2000 BC. Gymnastics appears to have been a popular sport in China's ancient past. Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a number of sports, including swimming and fishing, were well-developed and regulated several thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt. Other Egyptian sports included javelin throwing, high jump, and wrestling. Ancient Persian sports such as the traditional Iranian martial art of Zourkhaneh had a close connection to the warfare skills. Among other sports that originate in ancient Persia are polo and jousting.

A wide range of sports were already established by the time of Ancient Greece and the military culture and the development of sports in Greece influenced one another considerably. Sports became such a prominent part of their culture that the Greeks created the Olympic Games, which in ancient times were held every four years in a small village in the Peloponnesus called Olympia.

Sports have been increasingly organized and regulated from the time of the ancient Olympics up to the present century. Industrialization has brought increased leisure time to the citizens of developed and developing countries, leading to more time for citizens to attend and follow spectator sports, greater participation in athletic activities, and increased accessibility. These trends continued with the advent of mass media and global communication. Professionalism became prevalent, further adding to the increase in sport's popularity, as sports fans began following the exploits of professional athletes through radio, television, and the internet—all while enjoying the exercise and competition associated with amateur participation in sports.

In the New Millennium, new sports have been going further from the physical aspect to the mental or psychological aspect of competing. Electronic sports organizations are becoming more and more popular.

Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship is an attitude that strives for fair play, courtesy toward teammates and opponents, ethical behaviour and integrity, and grace in victory or defeat.

Sportsmanship expresses an aspiration or ethos that the activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. The well-known sentiment by sports journalist Grantland Rice, that it's “not that you won or lost but how you played the game", and the modern Olympic creed expressed by its founder Pierre de Coubertin: "The most important thing... is not winning but taking part" are typical expressions of this sentiment.

Violence in sports involves crossing the line between fair competition and intentional aggressive violence. Athletes, coaches, fans, and parents sometimes unleash violent behaviour on people or property, in misguided shows of loyalty, dominance, anger, or celebration. Rioting or hooliganism are common and ongoing problems at national and international sporting contests.

Professional sports

The aspect of sports, together with the increase of mass media and leisure time, has led to "professionalism" in sports. This has resulted in some conflict, where the paycheck are more important than recreational aspects, or where the sports are changed simply to make them more profitable and popular, thereby losing certain valued traditions. Indeed, since sport by definition is a leisure activity, "professional sport" does not and cannot exist. However the term is commonplace and accepted to mean a game or other activity, regarded by the general population as sport, which is performed by persons for reward with the intent to entertain spectators. The entertainment aspect also means that sportsmen and women are often elevated to celebrity status in media and popular culture. For this reason, many journalists have suggested that sports should not be reported by the general media but only by specialist magazines.

Politics

Sports and politics can influence each other greatly.

When apartheid was the official policy in South Africa, many sports people, particularly in rugby union, adopted the conscientious approach that they should not appear in competitive sports there. Some feel this was an effective contribution to the eventual demolition of the policy of apartheid, others feel that it may have prolonged and reinforced its worst effects.

The 1936 Summer Olympics held in Berlin was an illustration, perhaps best recognised in retrospect, where an ideology was developing which used the event to strengthen its spread through propaganda.

In the history of Ireland, Gaelic sports were connected with cultural nationalism. Until the mid 20th century a person could have been banned from playing Gaelic football, hurling, or other sports administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) if she/he played or supported football, or other games seen to be of British origin. Until recently the GAA continued to ban the playing of football and rugby union at Gaelic venues. This ban is still enforced, but was modified to allow football and rugby to be played in Croke Park while Lansdowne Road was redeveloped into Aviva Stadium. Until recently, under Rule 21, the GAA also banned members of the British security forces and members of the RUC from playing Gaelic games, but the advent of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 led to the eventual removal of the ban.

Nationalism is often evident in the pursuit of sports, or in its reporting: people compete in national teams, or commentators and audiences can adopt a partisan view. On occasion, such tensions can lead to violent confrontation among players or spectators within and beyond the sporting venue, as in the Football War. These trends are seen by many as contrary to the fundamental ethos of sports being carried on for its own sake and for the enjoyment of its participants.

Physical art

Sports have many affinities with art. For example, figure skating, drum corps, skateboarding, artistic gymnastics, dancesport, and Tai chi can be considered artistic spectacles. Similarly, there are other activities that have elements of sport and art in their execution, such as bodybuilding, free running, martial arts, professional wrestling, performance art, yoga, dressage, and culinary arts. Perhaps the best example is bull-fighting, which in Spain is reported in the arts pages of newspapers.

All sports involve physical and mental activities that are pursued for more than simply utilitarian reasons. For instance, running, when done as a sport, occurs for reasons beyond simply moving from one place to another. Value is gained from this activity when it is conducted simply for its own sake. This is similar to the concept of aesthetic value, which is seeing something over and above the strictly functional value coming from an object's normal use. For instance, an aesthetically pleasing car is one which doesn't just get from A to B, but which impresses with its grace, poise, and charisma. In the same way, a sporting performance such as jumping doesn't just impress as being an effective way to avoid obstacles. It impresses because of the ability, skill, and style that is demonstrated in its performance.

Art and sports were clearly linked at the time of Ancient Greece, when gymnastics and calisthenics invoked admiration and aesthetic appreciation for the physical build, prowess and ''arete'' displayed by participants. The modern term ''art'' as skill, is related to this ancient Greek term ''arete''. The closeness of art and sport in these times was revealed by the nature of the Olympic Games, which were celebrations of both sporting and artistic achievements, poetry, sculpture and architectures.

Technology

Technology has an important role in sports, whether applied to an athlete's health, the athlete's technique, or equipment's characteristics.

As sports have grown more competitive, the need for better and fancier equipment has arisen. Such as Golf clubs, bicycles, American footballs and helmets, tennis rackets, baseball and cricket bats, hockey skates.

Ranging from nutrition to the treatment of injuries, as the knowledge of the human body has deepened over time, an athlete's potential has been increased. Athletes are now able to play to an older age, recover more quickly from injuries, and train more effectively than previous generations of athletes.

Advancing technology created new opportunities for research into sports. It is now possible to analyze aspects of sports that were previously out of the reach of comprehension. Being able to use motion capture to capture an athlete's movement, or advanced computer simulations to model physical scenarios has greatly increased an athlete's ability to understand what they are doing and how they can improve themselves.

Terminology

In British English, sporting activities are commonly denoted by the mass noun "sport". In American English, "sports" is more used. In all English dialects, "sports" is the term used for more than one specific sport. For example, "football and swimming are my favourite sports", would sound natural to all English speakers, whereas "I enjoy sport" would sound less natural than "I enjoy sports" to North Americans.

The term "sport" is sometimes extended to encompass all competitive activities, regardless of the level of physical activity. Both games of skill and motor sport exhibit many of the characteristics of physical sports, such as skill, sportsmanship, and at the highest levels, even professional sponsorship associated with physical sports. Air sports, billiards, bridge, chess, motorcycle racing, and powerboating are all recognized as sports by the International Olympic Committee with their world governing bodies represented in the Association of the IOC Recognised International Sports Federations.

Highly recognized definition of "sport" on EU level is established by the Council of Europe: "all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels.

Grassroots sport

Grassroots sport is a popular phrase which is used in most of the articles about sport and sport for all. Czech Sports Association defines Grassroots sport as synergy of population active in "sport", sport organisations on the most basic level, essential infrastructure and suitable environment, where the main driving force is joy of "sport" itself. ("Sport" defined by Council of Europe)

Spectator sport

As well as being a form of recreation for the participants, much sport is played in front of an audience. Most professional sport is played in a theatre of some kind; be it a stadium, arena, golf course, race track, or the open road, with provision for the (often paying) public. Large television or radio audiences are also commonly attracted, with rival broadcasters bidding large amounts of money for the rights to show certain fixtures. The football World Cup attracts a global television audience of hundreds of millions; the 2006 final alone attracted an estimated worldwide audience of well over 700 million. The Cricket World Cup is another sporting event which attracts a global audience. The 2007 Cricket World Cup attracted about 2.3 Billion viewers all over the world. In the United States, the championship game of the NFL, the Super Bowl, has become one of the most watched television broadcasts of the year. Super Bowl Sunday is a ''de facto'' national holiday in America; the viewership being so great that in 2007 advertising space was reported as being sold at $2.6m for a 30 second slot.

The benefits of playing youth sports may include:

Better grades

Less risk of drug or alcohol use

Chance at sports scholarships

Health Benefits

The biggest risk for youth sports is the increased risk of injury, including concussions and gym class injuries.

Gender and sports opportunities

The rise of organized sports opportunities for girls has increased dramatically since the passage of Title IX in 1972. The number of female participants continues to rise as variables such as opportunity for involvement, valuing of sports as part of total development and overall fitness for girls and women has increased.

Despite the tremendous gains in sports participation made by girls and women during the last 30 years, there is still a persistent gap in the enrollment figures between males and females. The participation of girls is currently only 39% of the total participation in interscholastic athletics. There has been a slow but steady climb toward gender balance in the percent of female participants, from 32% of the males’ participation in 1973–74 to 63% in 1994–95. Hessel (2000).

See also

Outline of sports

List of sportspeople

List of sports attendance figures

List of professional sports leagues

;Related topics

Athletic sports

Combat sport

Disabled sports

Electronic sports

Fandom

Mind sport

Most popular sport by country

Multi-sport events

National sport

Nationalism and sports

Olympic Games

Paralympic Games

Spectator sports

Sponsorship

Sport in film

Sport governing bodies

Sports broadcasting

Sports club

Sports coaching

Sports equipment

Sports injuries

Sports league attendances

Sports marketing

Sport Psychology

Sports terms named after people

Women's sports

References

European Commission (2007), ''The White Paper on Sport''.

Council of Europe (2001), ''The Europien sport charter''.

Further reading

''The Meaning of Sports'' by Michael Mandel (PublicAffairs, ISBN 1-58648-252-1).

Journal of the Philosophy of Sport

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Sport management is a field of education and vocation concerning the business aspect of sport. Some examples of sport managers include the front office system in professional sports, college sports managers, recreational sport managers, sports marketing, event management, facility management, sports economics, sport finance, and sports information. Many colleges offer this in many degrees.

This certain profession is slowly increasing in popularity.

See also

International Olympic Committee (IOC)

International Academy of Sport Science and Technology (AISTS)

References

External links

International Academy of Sports Science and Technology (AISTS)

International Association of Assembly Managers (IAAM)

International Association of Venue Managers (IAVM)

North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM)

Category:Management occupations *

playername	Dwayne Bravo
country	West Indies
fullname	Dwayne James John Bravo
nickname	Donnie Darko
living	true
dayofbirth	7
monthofbirth	10
yearofbirth	1983
placeofbirth	Santa Cruz
countryofbirth	Trinidad
heightft	5
heightinch	9
batting	Right-handed
bowling	Right arm medium fast
role	all rounder
international	true
testdebutdate	22 July
testdebutyear	2004
testdebutagainst	England
lasttestdate	5 December
lasttestyear	2010
lasttestagainst	Sri Lanka
odidebutdate	18 April
odidebutyear	2004
odidebutagainst	England
lastodidate	6 February
lastodiyear	2011
lastodiagainst	Sri Lanka
club1	Trinidad and Tobago
year1	2002-present
clubnumber1	47
club2	Kent
year2	2006
clubnumber2	47
club3	Mumbai Indians
year3	2008-2010
clubnumber3	47
club4	Victoria
year4	2009-present
club5	Essex
year5	2010
club6	Chennai Super Kings
year6	2011-present
clubnumber5	47
columns	4
column1	Tests
matches1	40
runs1	2,200
bat avg1	31.42
100s/50s1	2/7
top score1	103
deliveries1	6,466
wickets1	86
bowl avg1	39.83
fivefor1	2
tenfor1	0
best bowling1	6/55
catches/stumpings1	41/–
column2	ODIs
matches2	110
runs2	1,826
bat avg2	24.67
100s/50s2	1/5
top score2	112*
deliveries2	4,363
wickets2	132
bowl avg2	28.93
fivefor2	0
tenfor2	0
best bowling2	4/19
catches/stumpings2	44/–
column3	FC
matches3	97
runs3	5,218
bat avg3	30.87
100s/50s3	8/29
top score3	197
deliveries3	10,763
wickets3	171
bowl avg3	33.78
fivefor3	7
tenfor3	0
best bowling3	6/11
catches/stumpings3	83/–
column4	LA
matches4	150
runs4	2,499
bat avg4	23.55
100s/50s4	1/7
top score4	112*
deliveries4	5,692
wickets4	176
bowl avg4	27.56
fivefor4	1
tenfor4	0
best bowling4	6/46
catches/stumpings4	61/–
date	25 February
year	2011
source	http://www.cricketarchive.com/Archive/Players/44/44613/44613.html CricketArchive }}

Dwayne James John Bravo (born 7 October 1983 in Santa Cruz, Trinidad and Tobago) is a West Indian cricketer. A right-handed pace bowler, Bravo is expected to play a significant role in attempts by the West Indies to return to international prominence in the sport.

Bravo is a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler who has already become one of the West Indies' more reliable one-day bowlers with the ability to contain batsmen towards the end of the innings.

Bravo played for the Mumbai Indians, and was later signed by the Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. Bravo also plays for the Victorian Bushrangers in the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.

Debuts

Bravo made his first-class debut for Trinidad and Tobago against Barbados in 2002, opening the innings and scoring 15 and 16 but not bowling. He scored his maiden first-class century a month later and was included in the West Indies A squad for their tour of England in 2002. In early 2003 he scored another century but it was a spell of bowling in which he took 6-11 against the Windward Islands that brought him to prominence as an all-rounder.

Bravo made his One Day International debut against England in their 2003/04 tour of the Caribbean, in a match in which he failed to bat but took 2-31 with the ball. In the West Indies tour of England in 2004 Bravo made his Test debut when he was selected for the First Test at Lord's in which he scored 44 and 10 and took three wickets. He finished the Test series with 16 wickets and a total of 220 runs with his most impressive performance at Old Trafford in a match in which he was the top scorer in the first innings with 77 followed by a 6 for 55 performance with the ball. The latter remains his best bowling figures in Test cricket.

Controversy

In his next Test series against South Africa in 2005 he scored his maiden century - 107 before getting out to Mark Boucher - in the fourth Test in Antigua, but that was overshadowed when he accused opposition captain Graeme Smith of directing a racist comment at him. At the subsequent hearing no evidence could be found and charges were dropped against Smith, who immediately demanded an apology from the young all-rounder. Bravo, backed by the West Indies Cricket Board, refused to do so and received a hail of criticism from an angry South African press while finding support at home as a human rights campaigner.

2005-06

On the West Indies tour of Australia in 2005, Bravo was controversially not picked for the first Test at Brisbane in which the West Indies were beaten convincingly. He was recalled for the second Test in Hobart and made a superb 113, after coming in at a very difficult stage for the West Indies. His innings lifted the West Indies and helped them regain some pride, forcing the Australians to bat for a second time in the match. In the third and final match of the series at Adelaide, he bowled a superb spell in the Australians first innings taking 6 for 84 including the wickets of Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist.

In West Indies tour of New Zealand in early 2006 Bravo strained his left side in the Twenty20 game at the start of the tour and was unable to bowl but still played in all three tests as a specialist batsman. His selection showed how far he had come in the previous two years and how crucial he had become to the West Indies team.

2006-07

After a disappointing series in India Bravo returned to top form in the ICC Champions Trophy 2006 when he took 7 wickets at an average of 27.57 and scored 164 runs at an average of 41 although most of the runs were scored in a dead rubber with England in which he made his first ever ODI century scoring a majestic 112 not out as part of a second wicket stand of 174 with Chris Gayle. His bowling contained some lethal slower-paced yorkers with which he dismissed Michael Clarke and Chris Read.

Bravo had a disappointing 2007 World Cup scoring 129 runs at an average of 21.50 and although he took 13 wickets at 27.76 his economy rate was 5.56. Against South Africa he conceded 69 runs off 7 overs including 18 off his first over.

During the Third Test against England at Old Trafford on 9 June 2007, Bravo acted as an emergency wicket-keeper in place of Denesh Ramdin who had gone off for treatment after being hit on the head with the ball. In the same Test he took the wicket of England batsman Kevin Pietersen with a bouncer which struck the batsman's helmet knocking the helmet off of his head onto the stumps and dislodging the bails causing Pietersen to be given out hit wicket.

Test centuries

The following table gives a summary of the Test centuries scored by Dwayne Bravo.

The column title Match refers to the Match number of the player's career

{|class="wikitable" style="font-size: 100%" align="center" width:"100%" !colspan=7|Test centuries of Dwayne Bravo |- ! width="40"| !! width="50"|Runs !! width="50"|Match !! width="100"|Against !! width="175"|City/country !! width="200"|Venue !! width="50"|Year |- | [1] || 107 || 13 || South Africa || St John's, Antigua || Antigua Recreation Ground || 2005 |- | [2] || 113 || 15 || Australia || Hobart, Australia || Bellerive Oval || 2005 |- | [3] || 104 || 33 || Australia || Adelaide, Australia || Adelaide Oval || 2009 |- |}

Indian Premier League

Dwayne Bravo played for the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League for the first three seasons. He was picked up by the Chennai Super Kings at the 2011 IPL Auctions.

ICC World Cup 2011

Dwayne Bravo ruled out from the World Cup 2011 outfit due to the knee injury when he slipped at the wicket while bowling to South African batsman on 24th February at Delhi. He was rested for four weeks and could not participate further in the tournament.

Notes

External links

Category:Trinidad and Tobago cricketers Category:Essex cricketers Category:Kent cricketers Category:Mumbai (Indian Premier League) cricketers Category:West Indies Twenty20 International cricketers Category:West Indies One Day International cricketers Category:West Indies Test cricketers Category:West Indian cricketers Category:West Indian cricket captains Category:1983 births Category:Living people Category:Cricketers at the 2007 Cricket World Cup Category:Cricketers at the 2011 Cricket World Cup

fr:Dwayne Bravo mr:ड्वेन ब्राव्हो ta:டுவைன் பிராவோ