Ancient Roman Gladiators

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Sports play a central role in many cultures and can connect people from across the globe. Today, there are many fans of sports dedicatedly watching and cheering on athletes. It was no different thousands of years ago. Back in the ancient Roman Empire sports were very popular. They were most commonly played by men, but there were women athletes too. Sports played an important role in the Roman Empire because of their variety and health benefits, entertainment, and effect on the military.
There was a large variety in the sports that the Romans played and multiple reasons why they played them. Sports were for both entertainment and exercise. For example, boxing and wrestling were two big ones that were used for building strength and stamina …show more content…
As children, the Romans would play various athletic games. Ball games including handball, soccer, field hockey and others were popular (Fife). There was another style of sports specifically for public entertainment. Chariot races and fighting gladiators were huge events for 50,000 people to spectate in the Colosseum (“Colosseum”). Gladiators were mainly slaves, PoWs, and criminals. (Spielvogel, 347). Gladiator’s fights were not only for them though. Free men would also fight, commonly to prove their prowess. Originally, Gladiator fights were for funerals, but slowly evolved into public events of entertainment. This was because Julius Caesar would host bouts to honour his dead family. As these were became quite popular, the government started to set up state-funded games for the public (Andrew). Chariot races were less dangerous than Gladiator fights, but still very treacherous. The chariots would be moving at highly fast speeds and were very light. The drivers could be thrown off, trampled, crushed, or dragged by the reins and leading to death or injury (“Chariot Races”). These events were a huge part of Ancient Rome by being the entertainment for thousands, which provided distraction and excitement to the daily life, and for being the foundation of fun and exercise for the Roman
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