For the American League baseball team based in Oakland, California see Oakland Athletics.

Athletics, also known, especially in American English, as track and field or track and field athletics, is a collection of sport events, which can roughly be divided into running, throwing, and jumping. The word is derived from the Greek word "athlon" meaning "contest".

History

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Athletics was the original event at the first Olympics back in 776 BC where the only event held was the stadium-length foot race or "stade". There were several other "Games" held throughout Europe in the classical era:

• The Pythian Games (founded 527 BC) held in Delphi every four years
• The Nemean Games (founded 516 BC) held in Argolid every two years
• The Isthmian (founded 523 BC) held on the Isthmus of Corinth every two years (one year being that which followed the Olympics)
• The Roman Games – Arising from Etruscan rather than purely Greek roots, the Roman Games deemphasized footraces and throwing. Instead, the Greek sports of chariot racing and wrestling, as well as the Etruscan sport of gladiatorial combat, took center stage.

Other peoples enjoyed athletic contests, such as the Celts, Teutons and Goths who succeeded the Romans. However, these were often related to combat training, and were not very well organized. In the Middle Ages the sons of noblemen would be trained in running, leaping and wrestling, in addition to riding, jousting and arms-training. Contests between rivals and friends may have been common on both official and unofficial grounds. Many athletic sports have found favour in Europe throughout the ages. However, in Britain they fell out of favour between the 13th and 16th centuries due to government restrictions on sports aiming to reduce the practice of archery. After this ban was lifted in the 17th century sports began to flourish once more, but it was not until the 19th century that organization began to appear. This included the incorporation of regular sports and exercise into school regimes. The Royal Military College, Sandhurst has claimed to be the first to adopt this in 1812 and 1825 but without any supporting evidence. The earliest recorded meeting was organised at Shrewsbury, Shropshire in 1840 by the Royal Shrewsbury School Hunt. There are details of the meeting in a series of letters written 60 years later by CT Robinson who was a pupil there from 1838 to 1841.

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RT @KMBReferee: My problem with college athletics is that people - players, coaches, etc - constantly ignore the "college" part. @brittw ...
divadoll123 (divadoll123) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:48:21 -0000
RT @KMBReferee: My problem with college athletics is that people - players, coaches, etc - constantly ignore the "college" part. @brittw ...
My problem with college athletics is that people - players, coaches, etc - constantly ignore the "college" part. @brittwhitmire
KMBReferee (Mr. Ref) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:48:02 -0000
My problem with college athletics is that people - players, coaches, etc - constantly ignore the "college" part. @brittwhitmire
Kansas Athletics and ESPN team up | The Shiver, Kansas Jayhawks ...: The University of Kansas and the city of Lawrence a http://url4.eu/wMie
CSR_ticker (Freie Mediale S.) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:46:33 -0000
Kansas Athletics and ESPN team up | The Shiver, Kansas Jayhawks ...: The University of Kansas and the city of Lawrence a http://url4.eu/wMie
@KMBReferee so, again, yr problem w/ college athletics is what again? BCS & concentration of power?
brittwhitmire (brittwhitmire) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:46:06 -0000
@KMBReferee so, again, yr problem w/ college athletics is what again? BCS & concentration of power?
@BSallee_CFN That being said, still pretty hard to envision them leaving best conference in NCAA athletics under any unforced circumstances.
scottc88 (Scott Carter) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:44:20 -0000
@BSallee_CFN That being said, still pretty hard to envision them leaving best conference in NCAA athletics under any unforced circumstances.
Roll 'Bama Roll >> University of Alabama Director of Athletics Mal Moore has persuaded his Southeastern Conference... http://bit.ly/6JmBLD
alabamabuzztap (Alabama Crimson Tide) Wed, 16 Dec 2009 04:38:09 -0000
Roll 'Bama Roll >> University of Alabama Director of Athletics Mal Moore has persuaded his Southeastern Conference... http://bit.ly/6JmBLD

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