Sports: The Historic and Current Impact on Society

Political ideologies, cultural and social beliefs, climate change, reproductive rights, and gun laws all have something in common: they divide our nation. With constant fragmentation across our country, it’s imperative to maintain discourse and items of entertainment that unite us. Sports do just that. The documented history of sports goes back at least 15,000 years. Each year, sports evolve to new countries and new continents. Each year, sports inspire cultural unity among fanbases. And each year, sports have a significant economic impact, generating billions of dollars for global economies. This monetary contribution, often overlooked, is a testament to the power and reach of sports. While many may view sports as merely entertainment or unserious, sports’ global impact illuminates the simplicity of our passions and the similarity of our desires.

The evolution of sports is genuinely fascinating and prompts questions we may never know. According to Catawiki, wrestling was the first documented sport, dating back 15,300 years ago in Lascaux, France. Historians continue to identify cave paintings that display men wrestling. This discovery leaves even more questions for modern historians: How was wrestling connected to the innovation of other sports? To answer this question, we must think about what makes a sport. These traits could be physicality, entertainment, etc. It makes perfect sense that sports like basketball and football have many of these traits. Just like these sports bring a sense of pride and culture to fans today, wrestling likely provided social cohesion and hierarchy in ancient tribes. More importantly, this training allowed for the practice of survival skills and provided viewers with a form of live entertainment.

Over 150 decades later, sports have evolved in nearly every facet. Sports play an essential role in tourism, hospitality, and dining. According to Sports Insider, the NFL brings roughly 5 billion dollars annually in ancillary revenue to the US government, just a fraction of the 12 billion dollars the league earns. The NFL employs nearly 4,000 people, which is far fewer than the total jobs associated with organizations, TV networks, and stadium workers. Shockingly, the NFL isn’t even the largest-grossing sports organization; the global soccer market was valued at nearly 22 billion dollars in 2022, adding thousands of jobs to economies worldwide (FIFA). These are just two prime examples of the economic impact, but the effect on day-to-day lives is even more significant. Restaurants stay open longer to parallel game times, and hotels and airlines charge more during and after big games. This economic impact is substantial and influences various industries, a fact that is often overlooked but is crucial to understand. 

Sports provide an avenue to endless opportunities. Sports even allow many to escape the daily stress of life. More importantly, sports unite people, cities, and countries. In a time of darkness for people around the globe, athletes from 206 countries traveled to Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. This event perfectly represents the power and unity that sports provide the people. Putting politics and race aside, 10,500 athletes poured their heart and soul into competing for their country. The Olympics should inspire future generations that war, disputes, and rivalry should not prevail over love, fight, and unity. Nothing else is quite like it.

While sports certainly aren’t perfect, their authentic and monumental impact on lives trumps the imperfections. Understanding the nuances of sports’ history is imperative to understanding where sports stand today. Witnessing all people, regardless of race, gender, or physical disabilities, be given the opportunity to showcase skills and achieve dreams is nothing short of inspiring. As our nation has progressed socially and culturally, sports have been intertwined through it all. As we continue to evolve, the unique capability of sports to inspire athletes, connect countries and people, and impact the economic landscape of countries will remain a testament to their lasting power in society.