Introduction:
The world in which one lives is one that experiences rapid and gradual change. Change takes place in various ways, and people have to adjust with the trends that come to influence their lives. Some argue that these changes serve as evidence that there is an evolution in process. In terms of sports, research demonstrates that there have been clear signs of evolution. Indeed, players of different sports have largely changed or evolved over time. There are many reasons for these changes. While some athletes now commence their careers earlier, and have more facilities they require for training, others are said to have advantages through being offspring that emerge through a mixed demography, and these are two significant points that may not have affected athletes at the beginning of the twentieth century.
A Natural Process at Work:
It is thought that there is a natural process in place when it comes to athletes evolving. When one says that athletes have evolved from the way they used to be at the start of the twentieth century, it means that today, they are taller and weigh more. There could be two possible reasons for this (Norton and Olds, 2001, 763-83).
The first reason for evolved athletes might be that athletes today are individuals who are offspring from resulting from diverse backgrounds, which might be a result of [Darwinian] natural selection. This process might explain the manner in which athletes born today have the best qualities of both parents, as the process in theory asserts that the goal is to survive and reproduce (Norton and Olds, 2001, 763-83).
Any species, according to Darwin’s theory, will inherit the traits that the parents had for survival. This explains how the newer generations will develop traits that help to withstand external limitations, obstacles and different types of limitations (Olds, 2001, 254 – 261).
Inheriting Traits:
When one talks about athletes inheriting the best traits that allow them to withstand limitations, it can be observed that such athletes have in fact over time progressed through generations, and have had the most suitable traits to put them in the best possible position for being successful (Norton and Olds, 2001, 763-83).
Athletes over the passage of time have realized and trained to overcome obstacles that might inhibit their competitiveness. The two main aspects that are looked at for success in open-ended sports is height and body mass (Olds, 2001, 254 – 261).
Today, there are athletes that have managed to improve their heights and body mass. On the other hand, there are other sports in which athletes are at an advantage if they are smaller and more agile. Such athletes over the course of time have maintained their heights and statures. This is perhaps because it would be disadvantageous to grow smaller, while agility is an aspect that has to be improved (Norton and Olds, 2001, 763-83).
Resources and Opportunities:
The second reason for evolved athletes, which is less debated over, is the opportunity that potential athletes are presented with. As opposed to yesteryears, today, athletes are presented with an array of opportunities. Opportunities are available in the form of corporate sponsors, as well as greater competition with more participants invited (Delforge and Behnke, 1999, 54–60).
Opportunities have also come to exist in the form of lower or no barriers. In the earlier part of the Twentieth century, there was a social demarcation that separated African Americans and people of other ethnic belonging, from the whites[1]. With the passage of time, particularly after the Civil Rights Movement, these racial barriers as well as gender discrimination were reduced. This led to more athletes from different backgrounds being able to compete in events[2].
More Training Equipment is Available Today:
Today, there is also more machinery to improve one’s skills than there ever were many years ago. As opposed to training in the open as many athletes did at the beginning of the 20th century, many athletes now have equipment placed within their homes. They can also go to fully equipped gymnasiums to go through complete training. In addition to this, there is also more knowledge about sports, and pertinent research is more focused today than it ever was before. Through organized approaches in the form of training grounds, as the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA)[3], athletes are more aware of things like circuit training, and how much they can afford to train at different altitudes to improve stamina and strength. This is all because of focused research in various areas that are known to impact an athlete’s life. In fact, most medical research and discovery in one way or another impacts athlete’s lives today (Turocy, 2002, 162-167).
Training Athletes from a Young Age:
Another interesting point to be noted is that many athletes today begin their training from a very early age in contrast to athletes at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is said that the earlier athletes start training in their lives, the more likely they are to develop and sharpen their sports’ skills. This is a general thought that applies to most sports. Some people believe that before a child can understand a particular sport, if they start physically training, they are most likely to be successful at it (Total Training for Young Champions, 2001).
Conclusion:
From the above brief discussion, it can be asserted that there are two possible reasons for the evolution observed with athletes during the 20th century. It has been argued by some that those athletes that start their careers earlier, and have the best training facilities, perhaps have the best advantage in being successful at what they do. Others argue that athletes have advantages because of being offspring that emerge through a mixed demography, which means that they develop the best traits for athletic activity.
Both aspects are interesting to consider. However, it is widely accepted that starting training earlier as well as having more facilities and knowledge of sports has resulted in an evolution of athletes. At the same time, it is not simple to rule out traits being inherited by newer generations of athletes, as athletes for open ended sports appear to be getting taller and gaining more body mass.
References:
Delforge, G. D. and Behnke, R S. The history and evolution of athletic training education in the United States. Journal of Athletic Training. 1999; 34:54–60.
Holt, J. (2000, April 16). Nobody Does It Better. The New York Times. Available online at: http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/04/16/reviews/000416.16holtlt.html
National Athletic Trainers’ Association (2007). http://www.natafoundation.org/
Norton, K. and Olds, T. (2001). Morphological evolution of athletes over the 20th century: causes and consequences. Sports Med. 2001; 31 (11): 763-83.
Olds, T. (2001, 4 April). The evolution of physique in male rugby union players in the twentieth century. Journal of Sports Sciences, Volume 19, Issue 4 April 2001, pages 254 – 261.
Total Training for Young Champions. (2001, Spring). Pediatric Physical Therapy. 13(1): 54-55.
Tucker, K. (2004, Spring). Women, Sport and Film. Available at: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/local/scisoc/sports04/papers/ktucker.html
Turocy, P. S. (2002). Overview of Athletic Training Education Research Publications. Journal of Athletic Training. 2002 Oct–Dec; 37(4 suppl): S-162–S-167.
[1] Holt, J. (2000, April 16). Nobody Does It Better. The New York Times. Available online at: http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/04/16/reviews/000416.16holtlt.html
[2] Tucker, K. (2004, Spring). Women, Sport and Film. Available at: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/local/scisoc/sports04/papers/ktucker.html
[3] National Athletic Trainers’ Association (2007). http://www.natafoundation.org/
