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

af:Sport ang:Indryhtegamen ar:رياضة an:Esporte ast:Deporte ay:Taqikuna anataña az:İdman bm:Farikoloɲɛnajɛ bn:ক্রীড়া ba:Спорт be:Спорт be-x-old:Спорт bar:Sport bo:ལུས་རྩལ། bs:Sport br:Sport bg:Спорт ca:Esport cv:Спорт ceb:Paugnat sa kusog cs:Sport co:Sport cy:Chwaraeon da:Sport pdc:Schparret de:Sport et:Sport el:Αθλητισμός es:Deporte eo:Sporto eu:Kirol fa:ورزش hif:Sport fo:Ítróttur fr:Sport fy:Sport fur:Sport ga:Spórt gv:Spoyrt gd:Spòrs gl:Deporte gan:運動 gu:રમત-ગમત ko:스포츠 hi:खेल hr:Šport io:Sporto id:Olahraga ia:Sport ie:Sport is:Íþrótt it:Sport he:ספורט jv:Olahraga kl:Timersorneq kn:ಕ್ರೀಡೆಗಳು pam:Pasiknangan ka:სპორტი csb:Szpòrt kk:Спорт rw:Umukino ky:Спорт sw:Michezo kv:Чожмӧг ht:Espò (divètisman) ku:Werziş lad:Espor lo:ກິລາ la:Ars athletica lv:Sports lb:Sport lt:Sportas li:Sjport hu:Sport mk:Спорт mt:Sport ltg:Sports mr:खेळ mzn:ورزش ms:Sukan mwl:Çporto mn:Спорт nl:Sport nds-nl:Sport ne:खेल new:कासा ja:スポーツ nap:Sport no:Sport nn:Idrett nrm:Sport nov:Sporte oc:Espòrt mhr:Спорт uz:Sport pnb:سپورٹس pap:Deporte ps:ورزښت pl:Sport pt:Desporto ro:Sport rm:Sport qu:Kurku kallpanchay rue:Шпорт ru:Спорт sah:Спорт sc:Isport stq:Sport sq:Sporti scn:Sport si:ක්‍රීඩාව simple:Sport sk:Šport sl:Šport szl:Szport so:Ciyaaraha sr:Спорт sh:Sport fi:Urheilu sv:Sport tl:Palakasan ta:உடல் திறன் விளையாட்டு kab:Addal tt:Спорт te:ఆటలు th:กีฬา tg:Варзиш tr:Spor tk:Sport uk:Спорт vec:Spor vi:Thể thao fiu-vro:Sport war:Paugnat-ha-Kusog yi:ספארט zh-yue:運動 diq:Spor zea:Sport bat-smg:Spuorts zh:体育

Name	Brandon Jacobs
Width	280px
Currentteam	New York Giants
Currentnumber	27
Currentposition	Running back
Birth date	July 06, 1982
Birth place	Houma, Louisiana
Heightft	6
Heightin	4
Weight	264
Debutyear	2005
Debutteam	New York Giants
College	Southern Illinois
Draftyear	2005
Draftround	4
Draftpick	110
Pastteams	New York Giants (–present)
Status	Active
Highlights	NFC Offensive Player of the Month (October 2007) Super Bowl champion (XLII) BBI Giant of the Year Award (2008)
Statweek	17
Statseason	2010
Statlabel1	Rushing yards
Statvalue1	4,278
Statlabel2	Rushing average
Statvalue2	4.6
Statlabel3	Rushing TDs
Statvalue3	49
Nfl	JAC705688 }}

Brandon Jacobs (born July 6, 1982) is an American football running back for the New York Giants of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Giants in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He played college football at Coffeyville Community College, Auburn and Southern Illinois.

Early years

Jacobs attended Assumption High School in Napoleonville, Louisiana, where he ran for a state-best 3,032 yards in 2000. He earned Class 4A Offensive MVP honors while averaging 215 yards per game and totaling 35 touchdowns. He was a high school teammate of Green Bay Packers defensive back Tramon Williams.

College career

Jacobs' college career started at Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas, under the direction of head coach Jeff Leiker and running backs coach Dickie Rolls. Coffeyville is a member school of the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference. In 2001, his freshman year at Coffeyville, he ran for 1,349 yards and 17 TDs and gained Kansas Jayhawk Conference All-Conference honorable mention. He was also named the team MVP for CCC. In his sophomore season for the Red Ravens he racked up 1,896 yards and 20 TDs on 267 carries for a 7.1 yard-per-carry average. In light of these efforts Jacobs was named a JUCO All-American and to the KJCCC All-Conference First Team. He once again garnered the Team MVP trophy and was also named the recipient of the Reb Russell Memorial Football Scholarship Award. The statistic of 1,896 yards rushing ranks second all-time on the Ravens individual season rushing yardage record.

Jacobs continued his college career at Auburn University, along with first-round draft picks Carnell Williams, Ronnie Brown, and Jason Campbell. Jacobs was the third-string running back behind Williams and Brown. Jacobs gained 446 yards on 72 carries and 2 touchdowns in 2003 for the Tigers. After the completion of the 2003 college football season, Jacobs transferred to then Division 1-AA Southern Illinois. Jacobs' one year at Southern Illinois was another solid one. He led the team with 150 carries for 992 yards (6.6 avg) and 19 touchdowns, one less than the school's all-time leader, Muhammad Abdulqaadir, another great back that got his start at Coffeyville Community College. Jacobs was an All-American first-team selection by The NFL Draft Report and All-Gateway Conference first-team choice and was also named Gateway Conference Newcomer of the Year. He led the conference and ranked tenth in the nation in scoring, averaging 9.5 points per game. Brandon had eight receptions for 83 yards (10.4 avg), returned six kickoffs for 140 yards (23.3 avg) and had five 100-yard rushing games including the playoffs.

Professional career

2005 NFL Draft

Jacobs was graded the 11th best running back available in the 2005 NFL Draft by ''Sports Illustrated''. He was projected an early fourth round pick, and was indeed selected early in the fourth round (110th overall).

{{nfl predraft | height ft = 6 | height in = 4⅛ | weight = 267 | dash = 4.56 | ten split = 1.69 | twenty split = 2.72 | shuttle = 4.49 | cone drill = 7.54 | vertical = 37 | broad ft = 9 | broad in = 10 | bench = 19 | wonderlic = | arm span = | hand span = | note = All values from NFL Combine }}

New York Giants

Going into the 2006 season Jacobs stated that he studied film of famed power running back Eddie George in an effort to refine his running style. George, like Jacobs, was a large, power running back. In the 2006 season, Jacobs carried the ball 96 times for 423 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. He added 11 receptions for 149 yards.

With the retirement of Tiki Barber, Jacobs took over the starting running back spot for the Giants in the 2007 season. He injured his knee in the first game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys, but returned four weeks later against the New York Jets to rush for 100 yards and a touchdown. Jacobs would miss two more games later in the season with a hamstring injury, but finish the regular season with rushing totals of 1,009 yards and four touchdowns on 201 carries. He also added 23 receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Jacobs scored the winning touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Divisional Playoffs. Jacobs started every game in the playoffs as the Giants won Super Bowl XLII.

Jacobs underwent wrist surgery during the 2008 offseason. He returned to play all of the preseason, but missed two games in the regular season due to recurring difficulty with his knee. He finished the 2008 regular season with 219 carries for 1089 yards and 15 touchdowns, similar yardage to 2007, but many more touchdowns. In 2008, he and Derrick Ward became the fifth pair of teammates to rush for 1,000 yards in a single season.

He was the "Earth" in the running back corps of the Giants nicknamed "Earth, Wind, & Fire" with Derrick Ward (Wind) and Ahmad Bradshaw (Fire). He is also nicknamed Juggernaut because of his ability to break multiple tackles and the difficulty in bringing him down due to his impressive size for a running back. Similarly, he has been dubbed "The Creator" by the satirical sports website Ramon Hernandez Put Down The Gun, and is considered complimentary to Justin Tuck, who is known as "The Destroyer."

On February 13, 2009 the Giants placed the Franchise Tag on Jacobs. He signed a four-year, $25 million dollar contract with the Giants a week later and had most of the carries that season.

On December 31, 2009, Jacobs was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury.

On September 19, 2010, Jacobs threw his helmet into the stands at Lucas Oil Stadium and was fined $10,000.

On November 24, 2010, Jacobs was announced back as the number one running back for the Giants against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Professional stats

Regular season

''Source: '' 16 2006 New York Giants season2007 New York Giants season2008 New York Giants season2009 New York Giants season2010 New York Giants season 926

colspan="2"		Rushing							Receiving				Fumbles
! Season !! Team !! GP !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Yds/G !! Long !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Long !! TD !! Fum !! Lost
2005 NFL season	2005	2005 New York Giants season>NYG	|	38	99	2.6	6.2	21	7	0	0	0	0	1	1
2006 NFL season	2006	NYG ||	15	96	423	4.4	28.2	16	9	11	149	43	0	2	1
2007 NFL season	2007	NYG ||	11	202	1009	5.0	91.7	43T	4	23	174	34	2	5	4
2008 NFL season	2008	NYG ||	13	219	1089	5.0	83.8	44	15	6	36	9	0	3	1
2009 NFL season	2009	NYG ||	15	224	835	3.7	55.7	31	5	18	184	74T	1	2	1
2010 NFL season	2010	NYG ||	16	147	823	5.6	51.4	73	9	7	59	22	0	2	2
	Career Total	84	|	4287	4.6	51.0	73	49	65	602	74	3	15	10

Playoffs

1 2007 New York Giants season2008 New York Giants season 83

colspan="2"		Rushing						Receiving
! Season !! Team !! GP !! Att !! Yds !! Avg !! Long !! TD !! Rec !! Yds !! Long !! TD
2006 NFL season	2006	2006 New York Giants season>NYG	|	2	8	4.0	5	0	0	0	0	0
2007 NFL season	2007	NYG ||	4	62	197	3.2	12	3	4	29	11	1
2008 NFL season	2008	NYG ||	1	19	92	4.8	24	0	0	0	0	0
	Career Total	6	|	297	3.6	24	3	4	29	11	1

References

External links

New York Giants Player Bio

TSN.ca NFL Player Bio

– |after=Ahmad Bradshaw }}

Category:1982 births Category:African American players of American football Category:American football running backs Category:Auburn Tigers football players Category:Living people Category:New York Giants players Category:Southern Illinois Salukis football players

da:Brandon Jacobs fr:Brandon Jacobs no:Brandon Jacobs pt:Brandon Jacobs