Sports Born in the Victorian Era Sports are a way of life for some individuals and without sports it would seem like a so called hole in the heart. The Victorian era, which featured a variety of sports played both professionally and recreationally, took place from June 20, 1837 to January 22, 1901. It was called the Victorian era because at that time Great Britain was under the reign of Queen Victoria. The Victorian era helped modernize sports that are still played today here in the United States and around the world. Athletics during the Victorian era was very similar to the present day with many of the same events. The line of athletics events is from the ancient athletic festivals in Greece and the British Isles. Both the original Ancient Greek Olympics and the Celtic Tailteann Games date back to around the 9th century BC. These games hosted the best athletes from around the world, competing in running, jumping and throwing events as well as wrestling, archery and Greek swimming. Professional athletics had no rules, with many athletes making a living. by their skill and talent. There are many stories of sprinters who traveled from city to city in disguise, pretending to have no talent in racing and then convinced many local people to compete with them and sometimes spectators bet against them. Often the races were handicapped events, meaning locals were given an approximate 5-10 yard advantage in a 100 yard dash. In this way athletes could earn a substantial living. Long distance races were also very common, races were often heavily promoted for extra money. Although cheating occurred frequently, professional sports still had… half the paper… India had a caste dimension. Games, holidays, music and leisure activities varied greatly depending on the social group one was born into. As in other aspects of daily life, the accident of birth played a significant role. Therefore, by studying the recreational life of 19th century people, we can more fully understand the societies to which they belonged. Work cited Crego. Roberto. "athletics". Daily life through history. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2014 Crego, Robert. "soccer." Daily life through history. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 29 April 2014Salisbury, Joyce and Andrew Kersten. “Eras / Victorian England / Sports and Games in Victorian England.” Daily life through history. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. April 29, 2014Salisbury, Joyce E. and Andrew E. Kersten. "Recreation in the 19th Century." Daily life through history. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. 29 April. 2014.