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Sports Reporting Why report sports? Sports refer to a playful self-development, self-actualization, and competitive use of physical and mental skills. The history of sports activities is as long as the history of humans. Fitness played an important role in human evolution. The press is the oldest medium regularly informing people about sports. From the beginning, sports teams showed keen interest in print media coverage. Newspapers formed the principal means to disseminate news on events and results of past events. Sports pages enjoy huge readership in every paper. After the introduction of electronic media, especially television, the function of the sports pages changed. Other media were able to report the results and the course of a match or a race much faster than the newspaper. Live reporting on radio or television increased the general interest in sports, but due to lack of time TV and radio reporters could not give enough background information. So it became the newspaper journalists’ task to provide analyses, comments, and reports kind of news. History of sports Reporting One of the first publications dealing exclusively with sports appeared in 18th century, England: the Racing Calendar edited by the English Jockey Club. The first sports magazines were also released in England: Sporting Magazine, founded in 1972 and Sporting Life, in 1821. Both magazines mainly covered horse races. As betting on horses became very popular at that time, people needed information and hints to place their bets. The first televised sporting event was a college baseball game between Columbia and Princeton in 1939. But the first network sports broadcast were NBC’s Gillette Cavalcade of sports, which was premiered in 1944. Way back in 1960, however, televised sports had become so expensive that individual rs found it increasingly difficult to pay for sponsorship of major events by themselves. As far as India is concerned, sports telecast became popular with the colour transmission of Asian games held in 1982 in Delhi. Today there are channels catering exclusively to sports lovers, just as there are magazines exclusively for sports and in certain cases exclusively for different games. Eg. Cricket Today. Since the mid 90s, not only television but also the Internet has started transmitting live pictures of sports events. However, the memory capacity of personal computers and data transfer rates has set limits to this kind of sports broadcasting so far. Therefore television still remains the most important medium for sports reporting. But Internet already offers a lot of interesting options for sports fans today. Almost all sports clubs and successful athletes have their own websites.

The changing face of sports reporting Many people are attracted to sports reporting because of their interest in sports and because they think it's more fun than covering other types of news like crime or business. However sports journalism is a specialized job today. This is because of the following reasons. a) Today the audiences know much more about sports than it used to be. The fans have accurate statistical and technical knowledge of the game as well as about their own favourite teams and stars. This is a challenging situation for today’s sports reporter who has to provide new information and insights each time he sits down to write. b) The print media journalist of today has to write for an audience who perhaps already know the result of a game, which he viewed in the television. This makes the task of the print media journalist all the more challenging. In such a situation he has to go for a more interpretative reporting than limiting himself to the description of the game alone. c) Sports reporting also requires some additional skills that general reporting does not. Personality has become important; knowing sports inside out is not enough anymore. Most news managers look for sports people who can attract an audience with their style of delivery. d) Good organizational skills also are important. The sports journalists of today, irrespective of the type of medium they belong to, must show greater visual sense. The print media must do this because of the competition they face from the electronic media. As far as the electronic media is concerned, it is the challenge before the journalist, to get the best of visuals, quick and crisp editing of key moments of the game etc. Media- a must to popularize sports Today it is difficult to highlight any sports without the help of print or electronic media. Take an example of cricket and media. Increasing media involvement in cricket has boosted the popularity of the game. Today there is greater rush from sponsors to patronize cricket. Many ordinary people know even details and minute rules of the game. All this goes on to show how sports reporting in general, or in a more generic perspective media in general can popularize a game. The world of sports reporting The world of sports reporting: full of clichés, bad metaphors and meaningless statistics. Right? Well, not necessarily. Sports journalism can be dynamic, interesting, informative and original. Writing Sports Stories The main elements of a good sports story are a catchy lead, clear focus and lots of quotes.

Often we find that good sports stories combine background and statistical information, the writer's paraphrasing of a source's quotes, and quotes themselves in a seamless fashion. If an article flows nicely and tells the story, the reader may not even notice the writer. This is good: the story should always be more prominent than the person who wrote it. Keep your paragraphs short, since newspaper columns are thin and long paragraphs can be hard on the eyes. Sports writing is full of devices that can be tough to master, but are very effective when they are used correctly. Sports News Articles These stories are news articles about sports. They should be balanced and be written in an "inverted pyramid" style: the important info at the front of the article and the less important background stuff at the bottom. This way, the editor can cut from the bottom of the story if it is too long rather than taking time to find the right paragraph to chop. About 500 words is usually an adequate length for a sports news story. But, like in news stories, size can be adjusted depending on how much treatment you want to give to an issue. Make sure your quotes add to the story. Do not use a quote that can be turned into text, like a coach saying what their team's record is. And avoid anything that remotely smells of, "We gave 110 per cent," or "We will fight to the end." If it is a cliché discard it. Instead, aim for quotes like this one. Eg. "This was a game you regret the money you spent on the officials," Hillis said. The person being quoted is James Hillis, a University of Regina Basketball coach who is speaking after his team suffered a terrible loss. Talk to several people for a sports article, including players and their family , coaches, athletic directors or other executives. If you are covering a team or a sport, stay in with the coach or a few of the athletes, just to keep up on new developments . Unlike coaches , athletes will be more willing to tell you what they really think and describe how things really are in the dressing room. Some examples of sports news articles are: hiring of a new coach, changes in the athletic budget, and drug use among athletes. Example: Article from Hindustan Times Greece bursts with joy as dream comes true Reuters:Athens, July 5. Millions of Greeks around the world erupted in joyful celebration, hardly believing their eyes after Greece beat hosts Portugal in the Euro 2004 soccer final on Sunday.

"It is true, the dream is real, we are holding the Cup high up, we are in seventh heaven," screamed the commentator for Greek national TV, calling on all Greeks to party until morning. "The Greek soul won, with a bit of help from the German method," said Aspasia Vlahou, on her way to central Athens to celebrate. "If you have faith, dreams really can come true". The Greek squad, coached by German Otto Rehhagel, started the tournament as 80-1 outsiders and fought their way to the final past holders and the fancied Czech Republic before beating the hosts 1-0 in the final. In a well-rehearsed ritual, millions flooded streets and squares across Greece after the final whistle, draped in the national colours of blue-and-white, whistling, setting off fireworks and chanting the national anthem. In Athens, a city supposedly under a partial security curtain before the August 13-29 Olympic Games, hundreds of thousands made their way downtown in cars, on mopeds and on foot, beeping car horns, waving flags and hugging total strangers. Flares turned night to day around central Omonia square, where people climbed up statues, lamp posts and trees, raced their motorbikes in impromptu motorcades and ed marching bands in clapping and singing. "Greeks know how to dream, tonight we will celebrate, Greece will burn, no one will go to work tomorrow," said civil servant Mary Makri. Celebrations were triggered when a 57th-minute goal by Angelos Haristeas united Greeks in a collective scream of ecstasy. Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis jumped up and down in the stands of the Luz stadium in Lisbon, clenching his fists and cheering. "It was a crazy journey from the start, but the team believed in themselves and made all our dreams come true," said Periklis Giannaris, hoarse from cheering after the final whistle. Greek police estimated that more than 250,000 people had gathered in downtown Athens by three am (0000 GMT). No trouble was reported apart from minor injuries and a few damaged cars. Celebrations spread to Greeks around the world, estimated to be around seven million people from New York to London and Melbourne. "This is a victory for Greek people all over the world, we hope we have given them something of our joy and something to carry with them in the future," said Greece captain Theodoros Zagorakis. Thousands of Greeks and Greece fans watching the match in central Berlinerupted in shouts of joy at the final whistle, shooting fireworks into the night sky. "We're all Greeks today," said one of the 4,000 German fans cheering for

Greece at Potsdamer Platz square. "We have been shouting non-stop, we are going mad, we will flood the city," said Nikos Chatzigeorgiou, a student watching the game in London. If you notice, the sports news article given above is not specifically a match reporting. But a sports news article based on a victory celebration. The write up is characterized by lavish use of quotes from different groups of people. There is lot of emotion involved in the writing. Interviewing several people, besides observing details are important when a sports news article is written. Game Results Articles Sports reporting is unique from other areas in a newspaper. Unlike sections like news, you will more often end up meeting with the same people on a regular basis a lot of the time. This includes the coaches and players of the teams you are covering. This applies especially to game results stories. This type of article summarizes a game and gives a few post-game quotes from the players and/or coaches. They are very time-sensitive. If the article is not run immediately after the game, it is old news. The following are the three steps involved in writing the game results or match reports Step No. 1 Use a lead which gets the readers' attention. Try to make it answer as many of the five "W"s (who, what, when, where, and why) and an "H" (how) as possible. When writing leads try to use the active voice. This way you can emphasize the current situation. Step No. 2 Here is where the meat of the story is found. Make sure you put the most important information on top, and the least important at the bottom. As well, have no more than one thought per sentence. Aim for clarity rather than flowery language. Step No. 3 Conclusion. Do not editorialize in the conclusion or sum up your article. End your story with the least important fact you have or with an interesting quote. Sometimes, your conclusion may be cut out, if an editor has to fit your story in a tight space. Opinion Pieces / Columns Some newspapers have sports columnists, while others accept opinion submissions from writers-at-large. Either way, opinion pieces are a good way to inject colour and life into a sports

section. The sports columns handled by retired players are often popular for the insights they are able to provide. The fans too are eager to listen from experts the comments on their team. The normal length of an opinion piece is, it should be between 400 and 600 words long, focused on a specific issue relevant to the athletics/game the paper covers. Too often there is a danger of opinion pieces rambling on. Opinion pieces are subjective and create controversies at times. However, opinion pieces add to the variety in a sports page and attracts readers who love get the opinion of experts on what they feel about the happenings in sports. Interviews The main purpose of the sports interview is to obtain quotes that legitimize and back up the story you are telling in the article. , unless it's an opinion piece the reader is more interested in what the athletes and coaches have to say than what some journalist thinks. The best interviews are casual, like conversations with acquaintances. Go into an interview with a short list of five or six open-ended questions to get your subjects talking If you ask the right questions, people will usually provide lots of quotes without much difficulty. But for that you should know a good deal about your subject anyway. to stay on your toes and take notes so you can ask follow-up questions based on their answers. Check your tape recorder often and take notes in case it fails. Save your tougher questions for last, when you are best informed. Below is a checklist for conducting a Sports interview. These tips, of course, are not exhaustive. Rule No. 1 Try to ask open ended questions, inquiries that demand more than a yes or no answer whenever possible. Rule No. 2 When questioning a coach after a game ask questions in of strategy employed in the game. This way you can get into the habit of searching for in-depth information. Rule No. 3 When questioning coaches and team- after a game, ask them to describe turning points in the match. This way you can write with authority how the team(s) reacted at crucial moments. Rule No. 4 Question the coaches and captains of both teams after a game. The readers love to know their reactions to victory and defeat.

Rule No. 5 Try to question two home team players and one or two away team players after each game. This will provide enough interesting quotes for the readers. Rule No. 6 But do not keep a player or a coach occupied for a long period of time after a game. He can be annoyed as he is already a tired person at the end of a game. Rule No. 7 Be thorough with the statistics and track records of teams and players so that you are in a position to ask the right questions. Besides, question the away team first. They are more likely to depart quickly after a game than the home team. Rule No. 8. If you are doing a profile article on a player, set an interview time with the player you are profiling. Have a long list of questions prepared. Begin with non-threatening questions to break the ice. Rule No. 9 Try to ask your questions in a conversational and friendly way. Profile Writing Profiles are feature-style articles that highlight the story or achievements of a particular athlete, coach or team. They tend to be longer than regular sports stories somewhere between 700 and 900 words and require more research than in sports news stories. While sports news stories are written in the past tense (e.g. "The field was horrible," said Smith), profiles are written in the present tense (e.g. "I always trained on that field," says Smith). People are complex. So writing about their lives should not be easy. Too often, sports reporters go out, speak with a coach or player for 20-30 minutes (perhaps an hour), return to the office and write. Sometimes, the story also includes a quote or two from another player or coach. Sports profiles take much more effort than that. They are not easy to write, but one can get better over time if the following points are kept in mind. Conflict – In all good stories, a main character wants something but someone or some thing, stands in the way. Unlike fiction, in these sports profiles the conflict does not always need to be resolved. Conflicts are usually resolved in stories that deal with events that took place in the past. There is nothing wrong with addressing an ongoing challenge; however, you do need to find the main conflict for most profile pieces. (Do not elevate conflicts that are not really there, nor should you create

melodramatic scenes. Instead, spend some time interviewing, observing and researching until you see where the story begins. Keep in mind, some papers are just looking for a short overview profile piece. These are usually not as interesting, but readers do like some of these shorter takes nonetheless.) Eg for conflict can be ‘how a player fought with poverty to make it big or how someone struggled to make it to the Indian team. News angle – Determine the reason you are writing a story on this person. Why this person, and why now? Perhaps, this person is being profiled because of a recent athletic performance or because of a recent hiring. Perhaps, this person is connected to an anniversary of an event (like the 1983 world cup cricket game ) or an amazing season (like the 1972 Dolphins, the last undefeated NFL team.) Perhaps, someone just died, so you are writing a more involved obituary, one that runs days or weeks after the actual death. Either way, make sure a reason is clearly stated somewhere in this story. Setting – Put the person in a place, a physical location, whenever possible. Set the scene early, putting the main character in a certain place. Sometimes, you can describe the setting before you describe the profiled person, especially when the setting takes on the role as character. That’s the case in Pamela Colloff’s terrific story on a fired women’s basketball coach, entitled “She’s Here. She’s Queer. She’s Fired” that was originally published in Texas Monthly. (This piece is one of many superb sports stories also published in the Best Sportswriting 2006). The town, whose morals and beliefs, clash with those of local girls coach, is introduced in the beginning of the story.) IN Bloomsburg there isn’t a stop sign, or even a blinking yellow light, at the center of town—just a bend in a winding twolane road that meanders through the woods toward the Arkansas state line. Every now and then a logging truck piled high with pulpwood rumbles by on its way to the paper mill, scattering twigs and pine needles onto the blacktop below. Otherwise the town is quiet. There is no Dairy Queen, or any diversions to speak of; the closest movie theater is thirty miles away, in Texarkana. Even Bloomburg’s 1A high school is too small and too poor to have its own football team. But every November, when teenagers scrawl “Go Wildcats!” in white shoe polish on the back windows of their pickups, the boys’ and

girls’

varsity

basketball

teams

try

to

make

the

town

proud.

Bloomburg never had much to brag about until six years ago, when the school district hired a young coach out of Arkansas named Merry Stephens. She was the first female coach in Bloomburg history, and also one of its toughest. When just seven girls tried out for the Lady Wildcats during her first year in Bloomburg, Stephens had them practice by playing against the boys. If they were used to making fifty layups at practice, she told them to do twice as many. It wasn’t long before the Lady Wildcats started winning. Stephens led the team to the state playoffs three times, and in 2004, when the team had grown to 25 players, the Lady Wildcats made it all the way to the final four. “Half the town went with them,” said one parent of the six-hour drive to Georgetown, just north of Austin. “We’d never had a team do so well.” The Lady Wildcats didn’t win the

championship, but they were welcomed back as heroes. When the team’s bus pulled into town, people stood on their porches

and

cheered,

and

the

volunteer

fire

department

led

an

impromptu

parade

But even after the local Wal-Mart named Stephens Teacher of the Year and the district had chosen her as its Coach of the Year no fewer than three times, many residents felt uneasy about her. Stephens, it was rumored, was a lesbian. And in an area where ministers preach against homosexuality from the pulpit and tracts denouncing the theory of evolution sit next to cash s in convenience stores, Stephens’ sexual orientation was not an issue that most residents of Bloomburg, or its school board, could overlook. In December, just nine months after the Lady Wildcats had gone to the finals, Stephens was abruptly put on leave. The woman she lived with, a teacher’s aide and school bus driver named Sheila Dunlap, was dismissed. The board’s actions made this otherwise placid town of 374 people erupt in controversy and became the central issue of the school board election in May. “It’s divided this town,” said history teacher Thresha Jones. “You’ve got people who feel that Merry and Sheila were done wrong. And then you’ve got people who think that what the school board did was the only right thing to do."

Setting is not always so significant, but putting a person in a place allows the reader to follow more easily, so take some notes on the places you go and ask for details from those involved if you could not be there or if the event happened months or years ago. Character – Your main character (or protagonist) needs to be a fully developed person, a person literary critics would call dynamic, or complex – not flat and simple. Show this person through actions, physical description, dialogue, commentary by others and by revealing this person’s thoughts. Do not paint this person as all good or all bad. We are all illogical, inconsistent people. There’s nothing wrong with revealing this, if these points are relevant. Show this person. Speak to as many people as possible to learn about this person. Do not limit your perspective by only interviewing the person to be profiled. Consider the opening for another fine piece, this one by Pat Jordan entitled “The Magician” that focuses on a legendary pool player who is now down on his luck. At midnight on a bitterly cold January 15 the lobby of the Executive West Hotel near the Louisville, Kentucky, airport was crowded with men and a few women, all waiting anxiously for the guest of honor. A man in a yellow windbreaker came through the front door and walked toward the registration desk. A murmur rose from the crowd. Everyone stared at him, a small brown man with slitlike eyes, a wispy Fu Manchu moustache, and no front teeth. He wore a soiled T-shirt and wrinkled, baggy jeans. He moved hunched over, his eyes lowered. People clustered around him. Men flipped open their cell phones and called their friends to say "He's here!" They introduced him to their girlfriends. The man looked embarrassed. Another man thrust his cell phone at him and said, "Please say hello to my son; he's been waiting up all night." The small man mumbled a

few words in broken English. Then the hotel clerk asked him his name. He said, "Reyes." Someone called out, "Just put down 'the Magician.'"

Write with authority – Learn so much about this person that you can tell this story like an omniscient narrator, offering major events and little details related to the story’s main focus. Profile stories take more time and effort than most other sports stories. You can’t just go out and speak to a person or two and fire off a profile story – at least, not one worth reading. Do the proper reporting. Voice – Yes, reporters can have a voice. Like a column, profile stories can include commentary and insights from the author. But do not interject yourself into the story too much. Offer subtle, illuminating points. Unlike a column, a profile story is not about you. Perhaps, the voice is the person being profiled, where you tell the story through their eyes, or from the perspective of this person’s 10year-old sister, if that point of view is relevant. Do not be afraid to take chances. Here are a few more points to consider Make sure the person profiled is acting, or doing, something that propels the overall story. Action means dialogue as well. Be fair. But that does not mean you have to be neutral in these profiles. Look at all sides to any related issues. If a coach has been vilified in the press or on a television show, address those points, even if they were unfair. You can reveal that these comments were unfair through solid reporting. You also need to address aspects of this person’s life that do not reflect favorable upon him. If a person is a known alcoholic, ask this person how he overcomes that handicap each day. If this is not well known, ask if the coach would be willing to share her thoughts on this topic. We need to be empathetic in dealing with them. But there are some aspects of a person’s life that need to be included because they are known or significant. Make sure you have a good reason for using them (and have an honest conversation with this person about your reasons as well.) Get as much access as possible. Let this person know you would like to hang out at practice, attend meetings and speak with other people in their lives. This way, this person will not get worried when he sees you so often. You might also get some suggestions for new story angles. Hang out. Watch practices, attend meetings, observe and take some notes. Use a tape recorder. Nobody can record every detail from a lengthy conversation, so buy a digital recorder and let it roll. Make sure you let people know you will be using this. If they feel

uncomfortable, tell that you just want to make sure you want to get the facts right, which is the truth. Be tenacious, patient and curious. These traits will send you in more directions than you have time, and many paths will lead to amazing stories, news and information. Piece together scenes. Listen for stories from others, them and then tell them in a more concise, compelling manner. Put the reader in the moment based upon the detail offered by your sources. Emphasize story. Have a beginning, middle and end. Save inverted pyramid for breaking news stories. You can write a story narratively, from beginning to end, you can offer a series of stories that lead to the end, or you can insert asides and commentary in the middle of a longer narrative story. There are many ways to tell a story. Read other great stories for ideas. Writing a profile story is something that can be done over time while you work a beat through a season. You do not have to reserve a chunk of time to write these stories, but you do need to spend time reporting and developing the story.

A Brief History of Sports and Games The history of sports probably extends as far back as the existence of people as purposive beings. Sporst has been a useful way for people to increase their mastery of nature and the environment. The history of sports can teach us a great deal about social changes and about the nature of sports itself. Sports seem to involve basic human skills being developed and exercised for their own sake, in parallel with being exercised for their usefulness. Pre-history Pre-historic cave art discovered in , Africa, and Australia, carbon dated up to 30,000 years ago, provides evidence of ritual archery. The art's very existence demonstrates interest in skills unrelated to the functional tasks of staying alive, and is evidence of leisure time being available. It depicts other non-functional and apparently ritual activities as well. Therefore, although there is scant direct evidence of sports from these sources, it is reasonable to infer that there was some activity at these times resembling sport. Captain Cook, as the first Western visitor to the Hawaiian Islands, in 1778, reported on the native people surfing. The Native Americans engaged in games and sports, such as lacrosse-type ball games, foot racing, and other athletic activities before the coming of Europeans. The ancient Mayan and Aztec civilizations played, organized, ritualized ballgames. Some of the courts used at that time are still standing today. It is reasonable to assume from these and other historical sources that sport has origins which lie in the global beginnings of humankind itself. Origins of modern sports in Medieval Europe Many modern sports can trace their roots back to the local games of the rural working class. Games such as the Shrovetide football matches across much of Europe, caid in Ireland and hurling from Cornwall to Ireland often had few rules and were violent and chaotic in comparison with their modern counterparts. Prizefighting also emerged in 17th century England, with the first rules (the London Prize Ring rules) established in 1743.

In contrast, the game of Calcio Fiorentino, in Florence, Italy, was originally reserved for the aristocracy. The aristocracy would also favour sports as patrons. Horse racing, in particular, was a favourite of the upper class in Great Britain, with Queen Anne founding the Ascot Racecourse. Development of modern sport A number of the English Public Schools, introduced sports for their pupils, particularly variants of football. These were described at the time as "innocent and lawful", certainly in comparison with the rural games. With the coming of the Industrial Revolution and the movement of the populace from the country to the cities, the rural games moved to the new urban centres and came under the influence of the middle and upper classes. The rules and regulations devised at English public schools began to be applied to the wider game, with governing bodies in England being set up for a number of sports by the end of the 19th century. The rising influence of the upper class also produced an emphasis of the amateur, and the spirit of 'fair play'. The industrial revolution also brought with it increasing mobility, and created the opportunity for English public schools, and universities in Britain and elsewhere, to compete with each other. This sparked increasing attempts to unify and reconcile various public school games in England, leading to the establishment of the Football Association in London, the first official governing body in football. Modern history The influence of British sports and their codified rules began to spread across the world in the late 19th and early 20th century, particularly association football. A number of major teams elsewhere in the world still show these British origins in their names, such as AC Milan in Italy, Corinthians in Brazil, and Athletic Bilbao in Spain. Cricket became popular in a number of the nations of the then British Empire, such as Australia, South Africa and India. The revival of the Olympic Games by Baroun Coubertin were also heavily influenced by the Amateur ethos of the English public schools. Baseball became established in the urban Northeastern United States, with the first rules being codified in the 1840s, while American football was very popular in the south-east. After the civil war the game of baseball started spreading to the south, and American football spreading to the north. In the 1870s the game split between the professionals and amateurs; the professional game rapidly gained

dominance, and also marked a shift in the focus from the player to the club. The rise of baseball also helped squeeze out other sports such as Cricket, which had been popular in Philadelphia prior to the rise of Baseball. American football also has its origins in the English variants of the game, with the first set of intercollegiate football rules based directly on the rules of the Football Association in London. However, Harvard chose to play a game based on the rules of Rugby Union. This variant would then be heavily modified by Walter Camp in the 1880s, with the modifications also heavily influencing the rules of Canadian football. Some historians – notably Bernard Lewis – claim that team sports are primarily an invention of Western cultures. The traditional teams sports, according to these authors, springs from Europe, primarily England. This ignores some of the ancient games of cooperation from Central America and the Indian subcontinent. The Industrial Revolution and mass production brought increased leisure which allowed increases in spectator sports, less elitism in sports, and greater accessibility. With the advent of mass media and global communication, professionalism became prevalent in sports. This further sports popularity in general. Perhaps in a reaction to the demands of contemporary life, there have been developments in sport which are best described as post-modern. There is also a move towards adventure sports as a form of escaping or transcending the routines of life, examples being white water rafting, paragliding, canyoning, BASE jumping and orienteering. Development of Sports in India Present day India has not much to crow about its achievements in the field of sports and games. This does not mean that this very important aspect of life was absent from our culture and traditions. In fact the three ancient cultures of the world, the Greco-Roman culture, the ancient Indian and the ancient Chineese cultures give enough evidences of sports and games having a place in their cultures. The swayamvarah of Sita in the Ramanaya involved a sport competition of some sort. The game of Chaturanga is mentioned in the Mahabharatas. We have enough historic proofs to believe that the game of chess in its initial version originated in India. Swordfight as a sport was prevalent in India, including northern Kerala, where kalarippayattu used to be held. Other sports like wrestling, archary etc was also popular in India. Hockey, the national game of India had its origin in India. Other than these each local culture had its own unique kinds of sports and games. Women's sport history

Women's competition in sports has been frowned upon by many societies in the past. The English public-school background of organised sport in the 19th and early 20th century led to a paternalism that tended to discourage women's involvement in sports, with, for example, no women officially competing in the 1896 Olympic Games. The 20th century saw major advances in the participation of women in sports, although women's participation as fans or athletes remains in general less than men's. Mass involvement tends to favour sports such as swimming and aerobics, and tends to stress the competitive aspects less than men. The increase has been partly related to the drive for more women's rights. In the United States, female students participation in sports was significantly boosted by the Title IX Act in 1972, preventing gender discrimination and equal opportunity for women to participate in sport at all levels. Pressure from sports funding bodies has also improved gender equality in sports. For example the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and the Leander Rowing Club in England had both been male-only establishments since their founding in 1787 and 1818, respectively, but both opened their doors to female at the end of the 20th century at least partially due to the requirements of the United Kingdom Lottery Sports Fund.