The Evolution of Sport: Speed, Equality, and Strength Over Time
The development of athletics parallels the development of human ambition. When it comes to pushing the limits of human possibility, using speed as a basic premise, what might the history of sports reveal? When we consider sports history through the lens of basic equality, what does it have to say about the history of our society? When we think about innovation in every kind of human performance, where does that put us when it comes to sheer, jaw-dropping strength? This piece considers all three of these angles—speed, equality, and strength—along with recent innovations in the world of sports and what they say about society and our shared human story.
The infographic starts with the swift improvements in Formula 1 racing. Since 1960, the average lap time has dropped substantially, all thanks to innovations in car technology. The piece mentions four key developments—engine speed, chassis construction, telemetry, and hybrid technology—that have led to an infallible obsession with speed. These are real issues, and the piece addresses them, but let’s move to the conclusions in the last two sections. Here’s what’s worth pondering: If there were no speed limit (and no unbreakable safety barrier) and everything was possible, what future technologies do we imagine? And why do we imagine them? More performance for its own sake?
The chart depicts a steady increase in prize money for both men and women. However, it also depicts a disparity in pay that lasted a long time. In 2007, Wimbledon finally awarded the same amount in prize money to the men as they did to the women. This decision came, of course, about four decades after Billie Jean King first hit the ball for equal pay. We can and should celebrate the fact that players at Wimbledon now enjoy exactly the same amount of prize money. However, I find it equally impossible not to regard this occasion with some frustration over the snail’s pace of progress.
The last four decades of weightlifting have highlighted some incredible advances in human strength. We see not just improvement in the performance of the lifters themselves but also in the overall understanding of the techniques used. Nutrition has greatly improved, along with the use of sports supplements that are perfectly legal and safe. Biomechanics and the science of human physiology have made leaps and bounds, and if we were to boil it down to the essentials, the lifters today have a far greater understanding of the Olympic lifts and the demands needed to execute them.
Complications are part of any progress. We can look at what has been accomplished in these areas and marvel at them. Yet, we have to also look at the other side of the coin and confront the societal, ethical, and environmental questions progress in these areas raises.
