Sociogenesis of Volleyball

During my research on Volleyball, I found a lot of information; some of the information I already knew and some that I found interesting and new. According to Google scholars, 
Volleyball is "a game for two teams, usually of six players, in which a large ball is hit by hand over a high net, the aim being to score points by making the ball reach the ground on the opponent's side of the court." Volleyball originated in Holyoke, Massachusetts in 1895 by a man named William G. Morgan. He used concepts from tennis, handball, baseball and basketball to figure out the structure of the game. He wanted to invite an indoor past time with any number of players. Originally Volleyball was named Mintonette. This was originally for older people who did not want all the aggressive and competitiveness of other sports, but allowing participants to be active. 

In 1895, the first rules written down called for a net 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) high, a 25×50 ft (7.6×15.2 m) court, and any number of players. A match was composed of nine innings with three serves for each team in each inning, and no limit to the number of ball contacts for each team before sending the ball to the opponents’ court. In case of a serving error, a second try was allowed. Hitting the ball into the net was considered a foul (with loss of the point or a side-out)—except in the case of the first-try serve. The game spread during an 1896 tournament and the name was then switched to volley ball (two words, not just yet one). The game spread across the country, and the rules were modified. In 1900 Canada adopted the game and in 1949 the first world match was played. As time went on, rules evolved to be the rules we know today. In the 1900's, rules against hitting from the back row were put in place, a cap of 15 points were put into place. 

                                                

The only difference I found during my research was, the height of the net is now 7 ft 4 1/8 in for women and for men it is 7 ft 11 5/8 in. Also we have matches and the final match is the first to 15 win by two. To some volleyball is not seen as a sport, they just see men and women hitting a ball back and forth over a net, but to many others volleyball is seen as a very competitive sport. 

http://www.ask.com/question/where-did-volleyball-originate
http://www.ask.com/wiki/Volleyball#History
www.google.com/volleyballpics

Sport in the Ancient World

Ancient Greece

Many of the sports played in Greece, were Olympic sports. They had the Sprint, javelin toss, disc toss, and long jump. They were similar to how these sports are played today, except with the sprint if you false start, instead of being disqualified, they were beaten and still had to raise. The winner got large amounts of money, and if there was a tie, they would wrestle to see who the winner is. Unlike the Romans, they did not fight to the death, depending on how well the loser fought, something can be awarded to him as well. In the long jump, they jumped with weights in their hands, and today jumpers just jump. For the javelin toss, there was leather wrapped around the stick to allow a better grip for longer tosses. In the discus event, the thrower did not spin before throwing the disc, they stood still.

Sports was something that everyone except women took part in. This was a way to see who was stronger and better, which family bread winners. They did a lot of worshiping to the Gods, before and after the events. The Gods even worshiped themselves, because of their great bodies, and their strength. For the crowd it is entertainment, and they enjoy seeing the competition. The participants in the games were generally men with great bodies, and in shape. The Olympic sports were seen as a job and were well respected.

Ancient Rome

On the other hand, in Ancient Rome, they had Gladiators. Romans loved to fight to the death, for many men in these fights, these are there first and last fight. The crowd cheers them on to hit each other in the weak spot and end the battle. Most fighters were slaves and were fighting for their freedom, but many failed. The uniform that was worn was to protect your face depending on the level fighter the fighter was. Even though there was some uniform, gladiators could not be fully shielded, so this made the fights interesting. The gladiators winner or loser were lusted after from the women in the community and they had that same motto we have now winner takes all and the loser is just forgotten.

Sport, Society & Me

My connection to sport is both my parents were athletes, and much of my uncles were athletes. I grew up in a predominantly male ran family. I grew up playing a lot of basketball, and tennis. I did not care too much for either one, but since I was a Young and we do not quit, I stuck out with these sports until something better came along. Then I got to high school and was introduced to volleyball. I was very good for my division and someone who had never played volleyball before. I was second in my league for combo blocks and number one for solo blocks. I loved volleyball but I knew that was not what I wanted to do, I could not make a career or living off of it. Before I came to college, sports was my life, I lived for sports. I kept my grades up just so I could play sports. Even during my pregnancy I played basketball, and two months after I had my daughter I was right back on the court playing. Once I got to college, to was not as much of a deal but I still manage to make time to play something, whether it is tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, or helping my daughter with her cheer routines, I do something.

In US society, to a point I think it is a positive role, because it keeps kids motivated to stay focused and it keeps a lot of kids off the streets. Sports helps with structure and routine. On the flip side, sports can be negative, because so many athletes feel entitled as if the world owes them something. No matter if it is a great team who is number one in the nation, to the worst team that has no hope of ever going anywhere, they act like they are the best thing that was put on this Earth. (No offense to anyone.) Sports in US society teach us about teamwork and how there is no I in team. Sport is something that all parents hope their children get involved in some kind of sport at least one. As a parent myself, I kept hoping and praying my daughter found a love and passion for a sport of some kind. I wanted her to play basketball, or soccer, or volleyball, but she found a love for swimming and cheer. I told her as long as she keeps doing good in school and at home, she can keep taking part in these activities, but when she messes up she will not do any of these activities for a week. Like I mentioned before sport can be a positive role in society. 

In society some athletes are respected, some are hated. For example, Peyton Manning is a well respected athlete in the NFL. Even though he is playing for Denver, when he went back to Indianapolis to play the Colts, he was missed and the crowd loved him. Then we have Terrell Owens was a heck of an athlete but he had a terrible attitude. Now he is at home sitting on his couch instead of getting paid to do what he loves most. He was respected as an athlete but not as an individual yet Peyton is respected for both. 

The Sport Ethic

According to the reading by Jay Coakley, sport ethic is a variety of set norms or standards that are used to guide, evaluate ideas, traits and actions for sports. In other words, this is the team motto, the do's and don'ts of the sport. The four dimensions of this concept is:

1.  The dedication to the game: no matter what sports comes first, they hold a priority over everything else in your life. My little sister tore her ligament in her thumb, and both her ACLs. She had the surgeries and the doctors told her to stop playing. She turned down a full ride academic scholarship to a D1 university, for a D3 full ride sport scholarship to play basketball. 
2. Athletes strive for distinction: No matter what you are always competing, whether it is for a starting position, or to beat a previously set record. You have that drive to be better and stop at nothing.
3. Athletes accept risks and play through pain: During the game your eye is on the prize, you always say to yourself after the game I will take care of it, or just keep playing the pain will go away. I know from personal experience, I had a concussion and played in the regional championship game. I should have set this game out, but it was senior year. I took another charge, and blacked out. I woke up in the hospital to the doctor telling me I cannot play aggressive sports anymore, because one more concussion, or bump of my head can result in serious brain damage. Did this stop me? No, I still played until the end of the season. I just made sure to hold my head up when I fell to the ground instead of "flopping".      
4. Athletes accept no obstacles in the pursuit of success in sports: As the pictures below show, Willis Mcgahee  and his knee injury during the 2003 Fiesta Bowl. This is a prime example of this. In college he was hit and had a severe career ending injury to his knee. Through lots of hard work, drive, and dedication to the game, he came back and finished playing football and is now playing in the NFL. To watch the video of this knee injury click the YouTube link below.

http://a.espncdn.com/ncf/bowls02/s/fiesta_mcgaheesurgery.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_wPOfTGegA

Many athletes conform to these norms, because "only when players show they're willing to put themselves on teh line for the sake of their sport will other players recognize and respect them as athletes." Think about it, whenever an injured player is taken out of the game, this is usually the point where the rest of the team realizes their respect for this player. 

Sport(s) in the USA

Here in America, we have a variety of sports to choose from; whether it is football, basketball, tennis, volleyball, golf or hockey. There is something for every ones taste. The main thing these sports have in common is the competitiveness. There is a feeling of always having to be better than the next man/woman. Even outside of the sports realm, there is always competition, whether it is competing to be the next CEO of a fortune 500 company, or working hard to get the seasonal promotion. Commonly found among the sports world is the large amount of predominantly male ran sports. The men within these sports are generally larger then your average everyday business man, but not nearly as large as a body builder. There is large amounts of money spent on these events, not just with the sport itself, but the advertisement and equipment that is used. 

During football and basketball season, the typical game day is full of excitement for the audience and the players. Much of the morning is spent hanging out at tailgates or friends houses drinking, or eating. There is a lot of trash talking that goes on, but generally it is all out of love, sometimes fights do break out, but not always. Generally there is beer pong that is played, with some BBQ grills going. I know personally my morning would be spent getting my team gear on, either painting my face, or putting a team logo tattoo on my cheek. Then my best friend and I would go to the local bar, get some food and some drinks then head back to our house to finish the pregame celebrations. This would sometimes consist of us taking shots back to back then leaving to the game, or we would mix a drink and walk to the game. The whole purpose of this was to unwind and have fun with those around us. 

The way success in my eyes is measured is by the amount of trophies, rings, and championships a team has. As an individual, I believe success is measured by the better athlete you are, the more money you are offered and the better team you are drafted to. Generally these athletes are the ones with more experience under their belts. These players know the do's and don'ts of the game. Much success to the sports in the USA is from the ability to broadcast the games and of course the number one goal in every ones mind is winning the game.