Leisure, Recreation, & Sport: How Industrialization Influenced Their Development - Essay Sample

Introduction

Leisure, recreation, and sport have always been part of people's lives. In the past, people were subjected to hard labor and bad weather, but hey still found time to enjoy themselves. Various factors influenced the development of recreation, leisure, and sport namely demographic changes, increased disposable income, and the industrial revolution. Industrialization was a major factor in the development of leisure. Many people worked for several hours and required time to relax. In the middle ages, more emphasis was placed on work and little time for leisure (Rojek, 2010). Nevertheless, there were games like hunting tournaments, chess and jousting tournaments. The paper examines how the industrial revolution influenced the development of leisure, recreation, and sport.

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The industrial revolution transformed work in the modern world and assisted in creating the contemporary factory setting. Machines revolutionized the production of fabric and fibers, and this eventually resulted in more leisure time for employees. They were engaged for long hours in their work but still had time off. During that time, the majority of employers gave them some holidays. Therefore, workers who had labored from dawn to dusk on farms shifted to large cities and got employed and had leisure time away from their work (Cunningham, 2016). The industrial revolution assisted in creating the idea of leisure time and established a diverse perspective of work and recreation. Industrialization also created wealth that enabled the improvement of the urban environment. People needed recreation to get away from their busy schedules.

The emerging industrial economy in the United States generated transformation in leisure as well. It became greatly separated from work instead of being entangled with it. Employers indicated during the workday time, workers were to devote themselves completely to the responsibilities at work. Apart from separating leisure and work, industrialization also altered their venues. With the increase in factories, fewer laborers worked at home. Although they continued to recreate with their families, they also pursued amusement and sociability in places outside their homes (Zeigler & Camon, 2003). New leisure and recreational areas were initiated ranging from workingmen's libraries and ice cream parlors to unlicensed drinking establishments and brothels.

Based on the analysis, it is clear that the industrial revolution had a huge impact on the way people lived. During that time, leisure became more widely accessible to people which started one of the largest recreation movements. When the working hours were decreased from 61 hours to 54 hours a week, there was more time for leisure and recreation in everyday life. People had the capacity to be involved in sports and other rapidly developing activities like theater and drinking. Generally, there was a huge increase in the interest of sports. Industrialization made work easier due to mechanization of labor which meant more leisure for laborers.

Conclusion

Conclusively, leisure, recreation, and sports have been forming a part of people's lives from the historical era. Numerous people sought leisure because of their busy schedules to enjoy themselves. Industrialization was a major factor that influenced how people enjoyed themselves during free time. Laborers worked for several hours and had little time for leisure. During industrialization, there were games like chess, horse riding, foot races, shooting events and others. In their leisure time, some people opted to read books and drink in bars as they waited for their free time from work to end.

References

Cunningham, H. (2016). Leisure in the Industrial Revolution: c. 1780-c. 1880. Routledge.

Rojek, C. (2010). The labour of leisure: The culture of free time. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.Zeigler, E. F., & Carron, A. V. (2003). Socio-cultural foundations of physical education and educational sport. Oxford: Meyer & Meyer Sport.