A Bet's as Good As the Ball

One of the most important factors in the history of sports was the early appearance of the ball. Even by observing animals at play, and watching them gambol about using ball-like objects, one is forced to conclude that there may never have been a time in the history of humanity when some sort of ball substitute was not batted or thrown about. A survey of historical times, esp. Egyptian, Greek and Roman, indicate that these people were quite familiar with it. In the Roman baths, special rooms were set aside for ball throwing, no doubt as part of an exercise routine, or more likely to dump a hated rival into the drink. Mostly, everybody played catch.
As sports became more organized, and people began inventing games to play with these balls, ball manufacture became a thing of high art. Sometimes, they were made of leather strips sewn together, stuffed with whatever was handy -- hair, cloth, feathers, you name it. Other cultures came up with air-filled bladders. If something was to be kicked, nothing like a good stone. The Aztecs had it made, rubber being a natural commodity for them, the rubber ball emerged there before the 18th century according to some historians. Spain, in the sport of jai alai, used a small rubber ball -- brought back from the New World.

The logical creation of a bat was the next step. Stick games appear on ancient urns in the Persian, Greek, and American Indian cultures.Golf, claimed by the Scots, had forerunners in Roman times. Once the idea was paramount to create a game based on some sort of stick hitting a ball, two other factors immediately presented themselves to our historical gamesters: the layout of the play, and how to bet on the game.

Handball games? How about Church courtyards? Court tennis? Courtyards again, in noble establishments -- with king and court no doubt betting heavily on the favorites. In fact, the entire social structure of European society before 1800 probably depended in some part on which games prospered and which didn't. Tennis was a gentleman's game, and football, which was relegated to the rabble, didn't come into it's own until the age of the common man in the 19th century. The rise of spectator sports elevated football to new heights. With each increase in popularity, betting structures paralleled the growth of the sport. It satisfied a need for recreation and participation both on the part of the common man in an industrialized society where leisure was at a premium. Betting satisfies the fundamental need for participation in a group event, there are winners and losers, and camaraderie on both sides of the equation. As a social function, it cannot be denied its important role in sports play, as it literally "grew up" with the game. A bet is as good as the ball, so it is said.

Betting satisfies the fundamental need for participation in a group event, there are winners and losers, and camaraderie on both sides of the equation. As a social function, it cannot be denied its important role in sports play, as it literally "grew up" with the game. A bet is as good as the ball, so it is said.