Most sports of today only developed in their current form in the 19th and 20th century, though many take their origins from more primitive sports and pastimes of ancient times.
Although it is impossible to know for sure, it is usually considered that wrestling and boxing were the first sports every played. Competitions using the simple mode of human transport, running, would also have been among the first sports played.
In some states, casinos are restricted to 'riverboats', large multi-story barges that are, more often than not, permanently moored in a body of water. Online gambling has been more strictly regulated, however. The Federal Wire Act of 1961 outlawed interstate wagering on sports but did not address other forms of gambling. The history of sports betting is very interesting. Since ancient times it was difficult for a person to stay an indifferent spectator of competitive betting, he aspired to become a part of it. The Earliest Evidence of Gambling While it is almost certain that some forms of betting have been taking place since the dawn of human history, the earliest concrete evidence comes from Ancient China where tiles were unearthed which appeared to have been used for a rudimentary game of chance. The history of gambling stretches back thousands of years, offering disconcerting parallels between the games of chance played by the ancient Greeks, and the $70 billion daily fantasy sports leagues that tens of millions of people play on their lunch breaks every day.
Competitions involving hitting, kicking, throwing a ball like object, as well as sports related to hunting and throwing would also be expected to have be played in early times.
There are many sports that have developed as competitions from means of early transportation, such as horse riding and canoeing, and from military activities such as archery.
At the first recorded ancient Olympic Games in 760 BC, there was only one event, a footrace. Later Games included other events such as wrestling, boxing, equestrian, discus, javelin, and jumping. From around the same time, the only sport mentioned in the Bible is said to be wrestling (see Bible sporting quotes).
The most popular sport played around the world today, Association football (soccer), has its origins from China (see Soccer History). There is evidence in China that military forces around 2nd and 3rd century BC (Han Dynasty) played a game, originally named 'Tsu Chu', that involved kicking a leather ball stuffed with fur into a small hole. Like Soccer, no hands were permitted during the play of the game.
See a timeline of significant events in the history of sport.
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