Sports : NPR

Sports can, through casual or organized participation, improve one's physical health. Hundreds of sports exist, from those between single contestants, through to those with hundreds of simultaneous participants, either in teams or competing as individuals. In certain sports such as racing, many contestants may compete, simultaneously or consecutively, with one winner; in others, the contest is between two sides, each attempting to exceed the other. Some sports allow a "tie" or "draw", in which there is no single winner; others provide tie-breaking methods to ensure one winner and one loser. A number of contests may be arranged in a tournament producing a champion. Many sports leagues make an annual champion by arranging games in a regular sports season, followed in some cases by playoffs.

National organizations developed to standardize rules and regulations, to transform sporadic challenge matches into systematic league competition, to certify eligibility, and to register results. It is unlikely that the 7th-century Islamic conquest of North Africa radically altered the traditional sports of the region. As long as wars were fought with bow and arrow, archery contests continued to serve as demonstrations of ready prowess. The prophet Muhammad specifically authorized horse races, and geography dictated that men race camels as well as horses. As games, chess and basketball are obviously different from leapfrog and playing house. The first two games are competitive, the second two are not.

In the form that survived into the 21st century, Afghan buzkashi is characterized by a dusty melee in which hundreds of mounted tribesmen fought over the headless carcass of a goat. The winner was the hardy rider who managed to grab the animal by the leg and drag it clear of the pack. Since buzkashi was clearly an inappropriate passion for a civilized monarch, polo filled the bill. Persian manuscripts from the 6th century refer to polo played during the reign of Hormuz I (271–273).

It can also be determined by judges who are scoring elements of the sporting performance, including objective or subjective measures such as technical performance or artistic impression. Advancements in sport technology have made quantifying match-play external load (e.g., total distance, sprint distance, number of sprints) a popular option for athletics personnel. These variables of volume and intensity are useful for both objectively monitoring training in field-based sports and for designing [...] Read more. The purpose of the study was to verify the criterion-validity of an existing and reliable, submaximal wheelchair Rugby field test by examining the correlations of selected measures of physical performance between the field test and real games. Per Henrik Ling in Sweden elaborated systems of gymnastic exercise that were eventually adopted by school systems in Britain, the United States, and Japan. These noncompetitive alternatives to modern sports also flourished in eastern Europe during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Artifacts and structures suggest sport in China as early as 2000 BC. Gymnastics appears to have been popular in China's ancient past. Monuments to the Pharaohs indicate that a number of sports, including swimming and fishing, were well-developed and regulated several thousands of years ago in ancient Egypt. Other Egyptian sports included javelin throwing, high jump, and wrestling.

Editor’s Choice articles are based on recommendations by the scientific editors of MDPI journals from around the world. Editors select a small number of articles recently published in the journal that they Sports believe will be particularly interesting to authors, or important in this field. The aim is to provide a snapshot of some of the most exciting work published in the various research areas of the journal.

Kyrie Irving appeared at Brooklyn Nets media day and opened up about his offseason and his decision to remain unvaccinated. He said the choice to remain unvaccinated cost him a ton of money. Boston Celtics players discussed the suspension of Ime Udoka a day before their first team practice, saying they are in a state of shock just like everyone else. Barry Bonds shared Sunday night he was still aiming for a Baseball Hall of Fame even as the steroid era of baseball still clouds his legendary career.

Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid appeared ready to move on from the strong disagreement between the quarterback and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Roger Federer will have his farewell match at the Laver Cup on Friday in a doubles pairing twith another tennis legend, Rafael Nadal. Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, and the rest of Team USA, dominated the first day of the Presidents Cup at Quail Hallow, leading 4-1 after day one.

Ancient Persian sports such as the traditional Iranian martial art of Zoorkhaneh had a close connection to warfare skills. Among other sports that originated in ancient Persia are polo and jousting. The success of performance in basketball relies on both optimal body composition and nutrient intake. The purpose of this study was to examine seasonal changes in body composition , resting metabolic rate and respiratory quotient , as well as dietary intake of [...] Read more. Strength is one of the key physiological performance attributes related to optimal on-court basketball performance. However, there is a lack of scientific literature studying how strength relates to shooting proficiency, as a key basketball skill capable of discriminating winning from losing game outcomes.

Michael Holley and Michael Smith discuss the surprising undefeated start to the season for the Miami Dolphins, led by quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and first year head coach Mike McDaniel. NASCAR personalities review and preview the races from all angles. Michael Smith and Michael Holley discuss the latest in sports, culture and more in their show on Peacock, every weekday at 3 p.m. Sport can be undertaken on an amateur, professional or semi-professional basis, depending on whether participants are incentivised for participation . Amateur participation in sport at lower levels is often called "grassroots sport".