Why Didn’t They Just Play Nice? Sports in the Middle Ages were similar to the athletic competitions that are held today, with one major difference. These sports almost completely lacked any regard for the physical health or well-being of the competitors, whether they be the opposing team members or the animals set against each other in mortal combat. Examples of this stunning savagery are apparent in all forms of physical competition, from the bear-baiting …showed first 75 words of 2036 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2036 total…human safety as more important. Athletic contests began to reflect this change. Rather than a hand to and fight the death, sporting events became entertaining competition with enforced rules for the safety of the competitor. Today athletes are revered and looked up to as role models by millions of children around the world. So the athletic world has made a full circle from dangerous and unruly to integral part of the culture of our world.