Giving the best of yourself

Introduction

The term “sport” is recent. It stems from the Old French expression desporter or se desporter – which is a derivate of the Latin word de(s)portare – and means to amuse oneself. Eventually, in the early Modern Age the abbreviation ‘sport’ was coined, and from that time on, the term was used to describe the variety of activities that fascinate so many people as athletes or as spectators[1].

This activity that fascinates so many people is a tool to give the best version of ourselves and it brings fulfillment to the human person, as the church says: “when a person gives his very best, he experiences satisfaction and the joy of accomplishment…”[2].

The Catholic church has collaborated in this aspect of human life. ”The Church is interested in sport because the person is at her heart, the whole person, and she recognizes that sports activity affects the formation, relations and spirituality of a person”[3] . The church also says: “Sport can offer us a chance to take part in beautiful moments, or to see these take place. In this way, sport has the potential to remind us that beauty is one of the ways we can encounter God ”[4]. Therefore, sports are more than just fun and entertainment moments or social activities.

“Nowadays sports are considered as a game, competition, or activity needing physical effort and skill that is played or done according to rules, for enjoyment and/or as a job”[5]. Another definition could be “all types of physical activity that people do to keep healthy or for enjoyment”[6]. Practice stimulates the physical, mental and social capacities of those who perform them. “They are distinguished from games, in that sense, by requiring training, concentration and a certain range of skills, and by being considered a discipline that transcends the merely recreational”[7]. “Sport are great, moves the masses, moves and captures the attention of those who practice it, and even those who are spectators”[8].

Sport is not something newly discovered or practiced in the last two centuries. There were sports in ancient world, in Greece and Rome. We have evidence for this. For example, in art, we can find in the museum’s artworks related to this, as: in amphoras showing men fighting, or chariots with horses, throwing spears, etc., these dates from many years before Christ. Also, writers of antiquity put something related to sports in their works, as Homer sings in the Iliad: “Fighting is a great virtue in men, and victory is the greatest of all virtues” or in another chapter “The best is the one who trains the most, and the one who is the strongest in battle”[9].

Now we can see two different points of view about sports and also some similarities. This paper article’s goal is to answer questions about the difference between ancient and modern sports and to see their similarities. And with the answers we will be able to realize how sports are a great tool to become the best version of oneself.

A little bit of history

Sports has been present during the all history of the humanity. There are historical studies where show proves that sports were practiced for the people since 1066 BC. In China gymnastics was very common. In Egypt was very famous javelin throwing, high jump, wrestling, swimming and fishing. In ancient Persia was the martial arts with a strong relationship with the combat skills, and also post they were founded. In the other hand the American civilizations had their sports, as well, among them the most famous one was “ballgame”, it was practiced especially for the Maya community.

Also, sports were present in ancient Greece, and this is where I want to focus, in a general view, its practice was characterized by three factors, the first to show the talent, the second to see the strength of the athletes (person who practice any sports), and the third one to honor the kings and also the gods. The most famous ancient competition is the Olympics, it was celebrated every four years, where the Greeks gathered to enjoy themselves while the athletes competed, and one of its main objectives was to honor the gods of Olympus (hence the name Olympics).

Now, let’s talk in detail about the history of sports in ancient Greece. Sports for the Greeks was not only a fun moment but it was something serious, sports were related to health and medicine, ethical and aesthetic concerns, and also the physical education was one of the main points in civilization life according to the education. For the Greeks, the athletic education had a lot of significance. From infancy to adolescence, they had programs of formation in this area, among the various disciplines, gymnastics was the most important, for this reason many of the paintings or sculptures about sports in the ancient Greece are about the gymnastics.      These program of formations about the physical education helped to child to grow as a human being and also to prepare him for the competitions.

Chapter 1 Answers to questions about the most important factors in sports

Sports in general

What was the conception of sports in ancient Greece, what is our conception and how does the Catholic Church see them?

To answer this question, I want to start by quoting Br. Ernesto Gutiérrez LC, who wrote about this topic, and he gives us a starting point.

In terms of sports historicity, sports are competitive activities with specific rules and involve physical exertion and skill, athletics refer to a specific set of sports, and the term physical activities encompasses any formof physical exerciseinvolving movement and promoting fitness and health[10].

I agree with this definition, because it is based in different cultures, and it is universal.

Now let’s see how this definition, in a way, was fulfilled in ancient Greece.

For ancient Greece, Sports had an important place in society. It was something essential in that culture. Physical exercise, the practice of sports and the existence of sports competitions are an essential feature of ancient Greek culture. Just as today we cannot imagine a weekend without soccer or a year without the Super Bowl, so the Greeks could not imagine a world without sports, and if they did it was not the Greek world, a non-civilized world, because for them the practice of sports meant civilization. For the Greeks a city had to have public buildings, squares, theater and of course a gymnasium. Civilization for the Greeks meant: progress in the acquisition of skills, knowledge and techniques. The organized practice of sport is one of the manifestations that indicate that a society has reached the highest degree of civilization.

This an example of sports from ancient Greece:

At the core of Greek athletics was an individual’s physical endeavor to overtake an opponent. For this reason, sports in ancient Greece generally excluded team competitions and performances aimed at setting records. Contests included footraces, the long jump, diskos and javelin throwing, wrestling, the pentathlon (a combination of these five events), boxing, the pankration (a combination of wrestling and boxing), horse races, and chariot races. During competition and training, athletes were usually naked and covered with olive oil to keep off the dust. They trained in the gymnasium or xystos (covered colonnade), often coached by past victors. The Greeks believed that their love for athletics, among other things, distinguished them from non-Greeks, and only Greek citizens were allowed to compete in the games[11].

Nowadays, the definition of sports has turned to another way, leaving apart the connection of sports and civilization considered in ancient Greece. According to the Britannica dictionary “Sport is a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other”. Before, we saw how sports were

something more serious, nowadays they are a way to rest, to recreate, and a way to be with more people doing the thing that you like.

In an interview with a professional soccer player, Leticia Méndez, she said that to practice sports is also to follow the dreams and that it is also a way to grow as a person:

At the end, sport in general gives you a lot of values, it teaches you many things that are applied in life. To achieve your dream, you have to work very hard and there will be bad times and good times as happen in life and be one thing or another you have to keep working. And if you have a dream, fight for it.[12]

The Catholic church also has a definition about sports or rather she presents an attitude towards sports. “An attitude of redemption is present in sport when the primacy of the dignity of the person is respected, and sport serves the human person in his or her integral development”[13]

In summary, we can say that sports are a way to grow as a human being, through a “contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other”[14]. Sports are a tool to be a good and civilized person, a way to rest and spend time with other people doing something enjoyable.

Motivations

We do the things that we do because we have a purpose, a motivation. So, what is the motivation of athletes, what was it like in ancient Greece, what is it like today, and what does the Catholic Church have to say about it?

In ancient Greece the persons practiced a sport by three factors, the first to show the talent, the second to see the strength of the athletes (person who practice any sports), and the third one to honor the kings and the gods. We can see this in the following example: “There is an altar of Prometheus in the Akademy [in Athens], and they run from this to the city holding burning torches. The contest is to run and keep the torch burning at the same time… and if everybody’s torches go out, nobody wins”[15] .

Nowadays, I think that motivations have changed from something more transcended to something more superficial like fame, money, comfort or just following a dream. And the Catholic church in one of her documents responds to these superficial values and invites us again to look up. She says that the sport must be practiced under the perspective of wanting to be better and give the best of himself, following the rules, being respectful, doing it with freedom, cooperating with the team and those who help him. Knowing how to sacrifice and balance the

other areas of his life, and enjoying the joy it brings him. In other words: “As sportsmen, I invite you not only to play, like you already do, but there is something more: challenge yourself in the game of life like you are in the game of sports. Challenge yourself in the quest for good, in both Church and society, without fear, with courage and enthusiasm. Get involved with others and with God; Don’t settle for a mediocre “tie”, give it your best, spend your life on what really matters and lasts forever”[16]

Role of the fans

Having the knowledge of what sports are and the why the people practiced them we can talk about an external factor that influences sports and the athletes. The fans. It is known that the role of the fans has a great influence on the athletes, how did this happen in ancient Greece, and how influential are they today? And what is the opinion of the Catholic Church?

From ancient Greece we have this evidence:

Pythagoras replied that human life seemed to him similar to that festival in which the brilliant games were celebrated and attended by people from all over Greece. There, those who had exercised their bodies went to seek glory and the prize of a famous crown; others, who had come to buy or sell, were attracted by the desire for profit; but there was also a kind of visitor, especially distinguished, who did not go in search of applause or profit, but came to observe and contemplate with great attention what was happening…[17]

The author was making a comparison about philosophy, but he made the point that sometimes the human person abandons something to make of himself a slave to other things. And sometimes the environments among the fans got dangerous. The historian Tacitus said: “Around the same time there was a massacre between the inhabitants of Nocera and Pompeii, caused by an unimportant affair at a gladiatorial spectacle. They started insulting each other, then started throwing stones at each other and then took up the weapons”[18]

We see how this role affects a lot, for good or for bad, but it has a powerful influence. People with powerful emotions and passions can move and motivate more people. In a recent interview to a professional Mexican soccer player, we can appreciate the impact that the fans have in the athletes.

How does this kind of support from Mexican fans make you feel? Well (it feels) great, it feels very good. Obviously, it feels great, it’s going to be something that I will never get negative words. When you have people in the stadiums who go, who pay, who buy your jersey, who dedicate time out of their lives to go and watch a sport they really like, to go and see you or a player. It is something that I am always grateful for, that I always have it there. For me, gratitude is something that the only way to return it is to give it all, and if they leave happy, welcome, and if they don’t leave happy, it will be for the next one, even when I lose I never leave happy and I always try to do my best. I would love people to know that from my point of view I am always the most self-critical person and I am the one who knows and feels when things do not go well and I always want to try to improve and be a better version day by day.

The Catholic church is aware of the situation regarding the spectators:

Spectators during sport activities and games watch and support together as one body of fans. This common feeling across ages, sex, race, religious belief, is a wonderful source of joy, and beauty. The fans are one and the same community when their team wins, but also in the face of loss and defeat. They are behind their players and respect both the players and the fans of the other team and the referees within a reciprocal fair play. These are moments, events and behavior that make us aware of the joy, the strength and the meaning of harmonious sport. Still, the role of spectators in sports can be ambiguous. In some cases, spectators despise the opposing players and their supporters or the referees. This behavior can deteriorate into violence, either vocally (by singing hateful songs) or physically. Fights between competing fans appear and violate the fair play that always should reign during sport events. An exaggerated identification with an athlete or a team can also exacerbate already existing tensions between different cultural, national or religious groups. Sometimes a fan can use a sport event to spread racism, or extremist ideologies.

Spectators that do not respect athletes also at times attack them physically or continually insult or denigrate them. Such disrespect also sometimes happens toward athletes belonging to the spectators’ own team in the event of poor performance. Teams, conferences and leagues, whether in schools, at the elite level or in professional sports, have a responsibility to ensure that spectator behavior respects the dignity of all persons participating in or attending sporting events[19].

Summarizing this point, I want to say that the role of the fans is powerful and necessary.

There is a lot of good there, just that we must be careful in the moment when the emotions go down or super high because it’s the perfect moment to forget that we are animating and accompanying more people.

Competition

Humans are naturally competitive, and sports provide a structured way for individuals to compete. Sports can be a way to test oneself, develop skills, and prove one’s worth[20]. It is well known that to reach the professional level in a sport requires a lot of talent, effort and training. In the world of sports there is a lot of competitiveness, not all those who want to be professionals become so and sometimes those who are “professionals” do not deserve it. Competitiveness moves the athlete a lot, this is like a trampoline, sometimes this leads him to strive harder to achieve maximum performance or sometimes leads him to want to achieve his goals whatever it takes, just for the reason of wanting to shine and that everyone knows that he is the best. We found two ways of competition. One where the person wants to give his best, strives to achieve the goals. And the other where the interest is more in shining and fame, even hurting other people.

We see that competition is a very important factor in the athlete, sometimes it leads him to something good and sometimes it leads him to do things that are not so good. How was this lived in ancient Greece? How is it lived today? What does the Church think?

In ancient Greece we have the Olympic Games: The Olympic Games were one of the most important and more prestigious competitive events in ancient Greece. They were held every four years in honor of Zeus in the city of Olympia. Athletes competed in various sports such as athletics, discus throwing, wrestling, boxing and pentathlon. We have these evidences where we can find the spirit of competition:

I am Drymos, the son of Theodoros, who announced his Olympic victory here in Epidauros on the same day as the victory, running to the glorious grove of the god, and example of manliness. My fatherland is horsy Argos[21].

Another example:

As Herakleides of Pontos states, Thersippos of Erchia announced the battle of Marathon. But most say that it was Eukles who –running with his armor and hot from the battle and falling in the doors of the prytaneis- could only say “be happy! we have won!” and immediately expired[22].

In the examples we see how competition really moves the athlete, gives him energy. Now let’s look at an example from nowadays. This was an interview with the Brazilian star, Neymar Jr, before a very important match in 2023:

It has been a very serious injury but I am recovered and in my head and body 100% to be with my teammates to help the team and play a good game tomorrow because we know it will be a great game, a great game and we all have to be prepared, thank God, since I am well, I am back with my team to play a very important game and as you said before we are prepared to play this game, we know we are going to face a very good team that has players of great quality but we are also good, we are not going to stay behind we are going to play whatever it takes we are going to defend or attack we are going to be the best we can to win the game. it is not easy because Madrid has players with a lot of quality but Casemiro is for me the best midfielder there is today in his position and well so he will not be missed there for them but with us it is not the same because we have to play and win the game the same way we have to play the best we can and well for them I think it will be a little bit more difficult because they are used to Casemiro but as he is not there for us because he better not play. PSG vs Real Madrid will always be 50-50. For me I think it will never have a favorite because there are players teams that are very good and well we have an advantage but the advantage we have we can’t bring the head and our game we have to do more things we have to play better than we played there in Paris and the choice to play the champions league and it’s always encouraged all good but it’s fine.

The Catholic church sustains regarding competition: “In sports, the competitor is participating in a rule-governed contest, not against an enemy who must be annihilated. Indeed, it is one’s opponent who draws out the best in an athlete, and thus the experience can be very enjoyable and engaging”[23].

Chapter 2 What is it about sport that makes so many people spend so much time on it? Whether practicing it, watching it, talking about it, analyzing it, or even spending a lot of money on it

Every person has a desire for more, to belong to something bigger than themselves. We all have a desire for transcendence, to follow what catches our attention and what we like, to enjoy it and to be aware of what is going on. Sport is something universal, every person is attracted to sport, be it soccer, baseball, tennis, athletics, swimming, or whatever. Sport unites cultures, people, social classes.

What do experts say about it today?

In a study made by Pablo Villanueva in 2023[24], we see a list of the most followed sports in the world:

• Soccer: 500 million followers (mostly in Europe and South America).
• Cricket: 500 million followers (mainly in England, Australia and India).
• Basketball: 200 million followers (mostly in North America)
• Field Hockey: 000 million followers (mainly India, Pakistan and Australia)
• Tennis: 000 million followers.
• Volleyball: 900 million
• Table tennis: 900 million
• Baseball: 500 million
• American soccer: 400 million
• Rugby: 400 million

In another study, we found that 85% of Internet users report regularly watching at least one sport online or on television. Sports are especially popular in Latin America, where 90% of the Internet population claims to watch one or more sports online, which raises the global averages. In other regions, at least 3 out of 4 Internet users also show this behavior[25].

The famous CBNC news channel in the United States published an article about the audience following Super Bowl 2024. “Super Bowl 58 was the most watched television spectacle in history, as an estimated 123.4 million people watched the Kansas City Chiefs come from behind in overtime to defeat the San Francisco 49ers”[26].

Following sport is a good thing, it entertains, liberates, unites people and you have pleasant times with others. But it is always good to have a balance. This fact that many people dedicate a lot of time of their existence to sport can also be dangerous, because it can be a means to escape from reality, and instead of dedicating time to their own lives, their environment and families, they dedicate themselves to know everything about a sportsman, and this in the long run has consequences.

What does the Catholic Church think about it?

 The universality of the sports experience, its communicative and symbolic strength, and its great educational and training potential are very evident today. Sport is now a phenomenon of civilization that fully resides in contemporary culture and permeates the styles and choices of many people’s lives”. Sport is one context in which many young people and others from all cultures and religious traditions learn how to give the very best of themselves. These kinds of experiences can serve as a “signal of transcendence” [27].

Conclusion

In the perspective of the Catholic Church, the current world situation and Ancient Greece, we have analyzed and developed important factors in sport. Competition, the role of fans and motivation, and how they influence the athlete’s life and society. We were able to see the positive and negative aspects of them. Sports are helpful, and we must know how to manage them and how much time we dedicate to them; if not, they can cause many problems.

Competition in sports is important. It helps to keep fighting and giving the best that you have. It moves people, teams, organizations, and even the entire world. Every person has the desire to win. This is not something that we just can ignore, no. It is something that we must use in the right way. Sometimes having a lot of energy to compete could be dangerous if we do not know how to control it. We should use this energy to do the best we can.

Fans are important: they support the teams and players, accompany them in the good and hard times. On the other hand, it is important that fans are aware that it is only a sport or a game, and that their lives do not depend on it. This helps to avoid problems with other people and in this way you can be a fan in a very healthy way, a fan that accompanies, rests and make others rest by providing a good and healthy environment.

Motivation is something that every person who practices a sport must have. Because each person has a reason why they do things, and that is what moves the athlete, it leads him to go out of himself, to sacrifice and give the best of himself with a purpose. It is important that the motivations are worthwhile reasons, such as people, family or personal development. We must be careful not to be influenced by artificial motivations, which do not last, such as money, fame or simply the fact of wanting to show to be the best to destroy other people.

When sport is practiced and lived in the best way, using the resources it gives us in a positive way, we can grow in personal development. They provide us with values and form the person to have a good and healthy life in relation to himself and society.

From ancient Greece we can conclude that they teach us and show us points that could be a great tool for the needs of this society and its reconstruction, and for the self-development.

Because we were able to see four factors on them, will, education, organization and religion.

These four points are the foundation for the true citizen that the world is reclaiming today, but it does not find it, because they are looking for it in a wrong way, money, richness, fame, power, possessions, etc. The true citizen is one who knows what the true hierarchy is and seeks how develop it. He put God in the first place, organize his life according to the God’s plan, he strives to achieve it because he knows that it is not easy and seeks to receive all the necessary tools to carry it out, and thus be a good citizen who knows how to control his life and make happy those he loves, God, family and neighbor. this gives us as a result a trained, capable, religious and daring man, an ideal that is not far from the ideals that the ancient Greeks sought to train athletes. we can call this type of men athletes of the true life.

Finally, I want to quote the document base for this paper, which summarizes well the purpose of this paper, saying that sports are a great tool and help for the development of each person in their purpose of being the best version of themselves.

Giving one’s very best is a fundamental theme in sports, as athletes both individually and collectively strive to achieve their goals in the game. When a person gives his very best, he experiences satisfaction and the joy of accomplishment. The same is true in human life in general and in living out the Christian faith. We all want to be able to say one day, with St. Paul, “I have fought to the end the good fight, finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Tim 4:7)[xxviii].

[1] P. GUMMERT, “Sport”, in: Brill’s New Pauly. Ed. by H. Cancik and H. Schneider, English Edition by: Christine F. Salazar, Classical Tradition volumes, June 01st,2018.

[2] “Giving the best of yourself”: a Document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, June 01st,2018. Chapter 1.

[3] FRANCIS, Address to the Italian Tennis Federation, May 8th,2015.

[4] 4“Giving the best of yourself”: a Document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, June 01st,2018. Chapter 1.

[5] Cambridge dictionary.

[6] Cambridge dictionary.

[7] “Deporte”. Autor: Equipo editorial, Etecé. De: Argentina. Para: Enciclopedia Humanidades. Disponible en: https://humanidades.com/deporte/  Última edición: 23 enero, 2023.

[8] ALANM, L., “Will athletes run faster to Heaven?”, September 18th, 2023.

[9] HOMER, Iliad, book 23. 256 – 24.6.

[10] J. ERNESTO. G, “Sports, life and Catholicism”, 2023, in https://95w.ae4.myftpupload.com/2023/11/sportslife-and-catholicism/ 

[11] HEMINGWAY., COLETTE., SEÁN. H., “Athletics in Ancient Greece.”, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000, in https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/athl/hd_athl.htm

[12] Interview with professional soccer player Leticia Méndez, Psicología Perfecta, October 31, 2022, in https://gramapsicologia.com/entrevista-a-leticia-mendez/

[13] “Giving the best of yourself”: a Document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, 2018.

[14] Britannica dictionary.

[15] PAUSANIAS,1. 30. 2.

[16] FRANCIS, Address to members of the sports associations for the 70th Anniversary of the foundation of the CSI (Italian Sports Center), June 7th ,2014, in https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/june/documents/papafrancesco_20140607_societa-sportive.html

[17] CICERO, Tusculanas 5.8-9.

[18] TACITUS, The Annals 14.17.

[19] “Giving the best of yourself”: a Document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, 2018.

[20] J. ERNESTO. G, “Sports, life and Catholicism”, 2023, in https://95w.ae4.myftpupload.com/2023/11/sportslife-and-catholicism/

[21] IG IV2. 1.618. 320 B.C. Cf STEPHEN, M., “Arete, Greek sports from ancient sources”, University of California Press, 2nd Edition, August 26th, 1991. Pag 23.

[22] PLUTARCH, Moralia 347C.

[23] “Giving the best of yourself”: a Document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, June 01st, 2018.

[24] PABLO. V., “Ranking de los deportes más vistos y seguidos en el mundo”, January 30th, 2023, in https://www.eldesmarque.com/otros-deportes/20230130/deportes-mas-vistos-seguidosmundo-g00g_21598172.html

[25] NISA. B., DUNCAN. K., “Sports Around the World report”. Globalwebindex. 2018.

[26] SARAH. W., CHRISTINE. W., “Super Bowl 58 was the most-watched television show ever with 123 million viewers”, February 12th, 2024, in https://www.cnbc.com/2024/02/13/superbowl-2024-ratings.html

[27] “Giving the best of yourself”: a Document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, June 01st, 2018.

[xxviii] “Giving the best of yourself”: a Document on the Christian perspective on sport and the human person, from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, June 01st,2018. Chapter 1.