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Louis Ades

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Why did humans invent sports and why do so many people love watching and playing competitive sports games?

I'm not asking why certain individuals are attracted to sports. Obviously people find it exciting, thrilling, entertaining etc. My question is why do people find it to be so exhilarating?? Why is it exciting? Why is it entertaining? Why do athletes enjoy sports so much? Is it simply the sublimation of our evolutionary drives in a way that is accepted by society? What are the psychological, historical, scientific, etc. reasons for us creating and participating in competitive sports?

Also, how do you think we can use the popularity of sports to make the world a better place?

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    Lawren Jones 10+

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    Nov 25 2012: "Is it simply the sublimation of our evolutionary drives in a way that is accepted by society?"

    That's precisely what I believe. It's millions of years of tribal instincts adapted to modern civilization.
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      Louis Ades

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      Nov 25 2012: So why do so many people enjoy WATCHING sports?
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      W. Ying 10+

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      Nov 29 2012: Yes!
      It is the bio-recapitulation of our instincts. But it plays in the wrong conditions of today’s highly developed civilization rather than 10,000 years ago.
      Hence, it is INVALID or out of the valid scope of our instincts.
      And thus it gives us INVALID happiness. It wastes our time in vain or even injures ourselves as in the case of football-fan violence.


      (For INVALID happiness, see the 1st article, points 1.1-3, at https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D&id=D24D89AE8B1E2E0D%21283&sc=documents.)

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