Sports are activities that are performed for the purpose of improving physical health, recreation, or to compete. The word ‘sports’ is derived from the Greek word ‘sport’ which means an activity done for the purpose of pleasure. Sport is most commonly defined as a physical activity which involves some level of physical competition, including soccer or field hockey. Many forms of outdoor and indoor sports are also known as sports.
Over the years, sports have undergone several major changes, both in rules and in the types of equipment used. The first major change came about with the introduction of organized sports competitions, which required teams to compete. Since then, almost every kind of physical skill has been associated with some form of competitive activity. The definition of sport has also changed from time to time, but the essence of the word remains the same.
The American College Dictionary offers this definition: “the practice of engaging in physical exercise for the purpose of recreation, health, or exercise”. This definition has been repeatedly used since the earliest days of the sport of sports. Since then, the definition of sport has become considerably more flexible, referring not only to a specific type of physical activity, but to a particular set of rules applicable to all types of sporting activity. Today, virtually every form of physical activity that is performed in a public setting can be considered a sport, though the word ‘sport’ is also used to describe a number of sports that don’t fall under the larger umbrella of the term. In general, any physical activity in which participants engage individually and interact with each other is a sport.