Discussion: Sports and Religion

Sports and Religion in the Axial Age

Explore this website. about the Mesoamerican ballgame. Take the time to follow the various links and get a good understanding of the ballgame — its rules, its function in society, its relationship to Mesoamerican religious beliefs.

Now go to this website. on the ancient Olympic Games. It’s an easy to follow and very informative page providing comparable information about the ancient Olympics.

Here is the topic to be addressed in essay form and posted in this discussion forum:

Using the websites referenced above and any information you’ve gathered from the textbook, draft a 300-400 word post addressing the following question:

What role did sports play in the two societies, Greek and Mesoamerican? What stands out to you as a distinct comparison of the games in the two civilizations? Use specific examples to support your point of view.

Solution Preview

Ancient games played significant roles in their societies. Some of the famous games played in old time were the Mesoamerican Ballgame and the ancient Olympic games. The roles were mainly economic, social and political.
Social life deals with both cultural beliefs and practices and religious beliefs of the society.

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