Morgan Robinson

Sports Reflection #2
9/10/15

1-page Reflection
Does sport shape society or does society shape sport?
In my opinion, society shapes sport. Over the times in the past where sports have
changed and developed it is usually because something in society has changed. A
major example is when American Revolution began. Sports were used to prepare
and ready soldiers for war. Sports were, in no means, what they are today. As they
developed even further, President Woodrow Wilson saw sports as a critical way to
prepare future troops for battle. That was when they were formally linked to military
preparedness. So during this time, sports were shaped to prepare men for war which
the big reason that they were needed at the time.
Football, at the time, was one of the major sports played, influenced by Teddy
Roosevelts love for it. When it began, Football was nothing like it is today. Football
was a dangerous sport killing eighteen players from injury is 1905 and even after the
National Collegiate Athletic Association, thirty-three college players died in 1910. By
1892, Walter Camp was considered the father of football. He introduced
guidelines and rules, and basically built the sport up to what it is today. Football
should be a place, he believed, to teach order and obedience with the principles of
teamwork, strategy, and tactics.
In Americas past we went through many times of extreme racism and
discrimination. An example of this is Paul Robenson and when he played Football.
He was the only black on the campus of Rutgers University and still an outstanding
Football player. Though, half the team had pledged to not play if a Negro joined
the team, his coach put him on varsity. After nearly being beaten to death by his
teammates during his first scrimmage, he continued to play. He acknowledged the
challenges of playing with an all white team and faced them with courage. Paul
later became one of the best athletes developed at Rutgers and a representative of
a lot of Negro boys who wanted to play football. This all happened during a time

Morgan Robinson
Sports Reflection #2
9/10/15

of extensive racism in America and was just the beginning of finding ways to fight
racism and have blacks begin to be included in many of Americas growing sports.
These are just some of the examples of how society has shaped our sports in the
past. Depending on what is happening at the time the sports are altered or used for
certain things. People have been discriminated because of racism, but fought
against that, changing societys way of sports forever.