OCR PE AS Level - Contemporary studies in PE (the new topics for the current syllabus)

The USA is relatively young - just 200 years old - deeming it new and vulnerable

By 1980 half a million immigrants each year moved to the USA

The USA became a mix of different religions and cultures

• Win ethic - win at all costs
• Commercialism
• Vehicle for achieveing the 'American Dream'

American football Origins:

• Early 1800s - no generally accepted rules
• Rough, wild - some universities banned it
• First University match 1869 - Princeton vs Rutgers
• By 1900 - dangerous, violent, sensational
• Physical force decided the outcome
• Little protective clothin/serious injury/death
• Characteristics - toughness, endeavour, ferocious, courage and phyciality which reflected 'frontier spirit' of early settlers
• Taken over by big buisnesses from 1945
• Many universities went into debt to build facilities

• highly organises
• hugely tactical/complicated
• tough/dangerous/violent
• fast/skilful
• specialised - quarterback as 'general'
• 11-a-side: with huge squads

"Rugby is a beastly game played by gentlemen. Football is a gentlemen's game played by beasts. American football is a beastly game played by beasts." - Baltimore Rugby club member 1972

American football is described as:

• Mobile chess - because of its stop start motions
• a mixture between brute force and science
• in this game there are no winners - only survivors

Vince Lombardi - famous american football coach

A healthy economic start plus ideology of individualism lead to an economic system of individual enterprise known as capitalism

Capitalism - individual or shared ownership of buisness for profit

Capitalism ecourages individuals to accumlate wealth and directing influences the nature of sport in the USA which is a huge profit orientated buisness

"Sport is a mirror of society"

• known as 'footy'
• game is hard and physical but has a solid rule structure and strong culture of fair play
• Originally devised by Tom Wills
• intended as a winter training game for cricketers
• Wills combined aboriginal leaping games with the football tyle game her played as a student at Rugby school in the mid 19th century

Factors that have shaped the development of the game

• media
• australians travelling abroad
• players have conveerted from other styles of football
• schools have pathway programmes

Commericialism of the game:

• most highly attended sport in australia
• flourished with commercialism
• emerged as a result of the golden triangle

• young country
• aboriginal origins
• claimed as a colony of Britain in 1770
• Colonialism
• population of 21 million
• majority of country is uninhabitat
• 85% of people live on 3% of land
• multiculturalism

Nature of sport in Oz:

• sport is a high status nation pre-occupation
• Australians are obsessed with sport
• favourable climate and natural resources (beaches)
• pioneering spirit and endeavour of the early settlers which mirrors the requirement of success in modern sport
• sport is a fashionable past time amoung a relatively young population
• Cathy freeman - role model

"An independent, non-;ocal, predominantly boarding school for the upper and middle classes."

Eton, Winchester, Westminster, Charterhouse, St.Pauls, Merchant Taylors, Harrow, Rugbu and Shrewsbury

Charcteristics:

• Endowed - moveny left by a patron to the school
• Boarding - people would board at the school over term period
• Fee paying - those who attend the school would have to pay to go there
• Spartan - very brutal conditions and environment to live in. Older pupils would treat younger pupils as slaves
• Sons of gentry - rich background, from rich families (lords, dukes, squires)
• Trustees - in modern terms, like a governer. They ran the schools appointing teachers and head teachers
• Non-local - some people would have to travel for days in order to attend

1. (1790-1828: bullying and brutality)

• from violence of mob football to sedateness of cricket, casual boating to informal games against a wall 'Instituationalised popular recreation' (poaching and blood sports) these were activities they played
• They played during their freetime ouside lessons
• they played whenever possible the school grounds and surround countryside
• They played for recreational purposes and to relieve boredom
• Boys behaving like hooligans with the informally arranged activities, ranging from childlike, to barbaric
• Low organisation and structure - reflection of recreation in society
• Swimming was informal and spontaeous bathing in natural facilities
• Rowin was casual boating with boats hired from local boatyards
• Athletics were village 'folk'sports such as hunting, poaching, trespassing, running, exploring the countryside
• football and rugby were played as mob games (cloister football at charterhouse)
• court and racket games, informal (fives- a hand ball game) Tennis against suitable walls/buildings - not law tennis which wasnt invented until 1980's

• They played growing programme games and individual activities as well as boating
• they played more often every afternoon
• the school grounds were where it was played, trespassing outside curtailed and transport not yet freely available for full programme or interschool or club matter
• they were helf for social control
• the games aimed to play the boys as christian gentlemen
• incredibly organised, structure and regulated. Inter house basis
• Swimming was held on a more regular basis and regulated bathing for hygeine, safety and recreational purposes
• more organises rowing occured - rowing clubs and master involvment
• Atheletics was restricted and some activities banned because they gave the school a bad name and were against christian ethics
• football became the place for settling disputes and showing courage and determination - more formalised rules for football
• Cricket continued (still encouraged due to its non-violent nature) rule structured and upper class involvement
• Interhouse matches
• court and racquets games had some purpose built facilities

• A full games and athletics programme according to governing body rules especially the major games of cricket and rugby, association football
• sport was daily and often compulsory
• Magnificent games fields, purpose built facilities hosted the activities. They were on-site and at awat matches against clubs/schools
• They were played fror character development
• sport was played as an obsession or cult/ v. good standards. full structure, organisation, kit, equipment and regulations with sportsmanship and fair play
• swimming was for recreation, health, safety and competitive purposes. changing huts diving boards purpose built facilities galas ans attendents were introduced
• rowing clubs were introduced. School boats oxbridge blues and coaches
• athletics - cross country running steeple chasing and cadet corps. school sports days as major sporting events and social occasions
• formal rules, colours, caps, inter-school fixtures,
• fives continued as a recreational game. racquets as more formal games of higher status. Also squash, lawn tennis in girls' schools, low status in boys schools

'The wheel round which the moral values turned'

• Training of gentleman
• moral/christian values
• muscular christianity
• antidote to homosexuality
• character building
• team spirit
• qualities of leadership
• need for discipline

• Importance of team games
• Codefied sports
• made sport sociall acceptable
• introduced a strong moral code of amateurism - no payment or profit
• Distinction between amateur and professional
• provided a basis for the modern olympic games
• creation of facilities
• blueprint for other schools

Universities - Oxbridge blues, governing bodies, old boys clubs, army, civil service, church, captains of industry

Values: taking part is more important than winning, sportsmanship as opposed to gamesmanship

• The 19th century was a great time of change and it laster from 1800 -1900
• In the 19th centry, public schools such as rugby school promoted and organised sports and games
• Public boarding schools had space and money for sporting facilities and time to play
• Games were thought to develop character and were organised at both inter-house and inter-shool level
• On leaving school and later university public school boys took team games into industry, the community etc
• and amateur takes part in sport voluntarily for the love of the game
• in recent years sport has adopted a more professional approach and is serious, skilful and can be profitable