Sports born in the Victorian eraSports are a way of life for some people and without sports it would seem like a so-called hole in their heart. The Victorian era, which included a variety of sports both professional and recreational, ran from June 20, 1837 to January 22, 1901. It was called the Victorian era because at that time Britain was during the reign of Queen Victoria. The Victorian era helped modernize sports that are still played today here in the United States as well as around the world. Athletics in the Victorian era was very similar to today with many of the same events. ancient sports festivals in Greece and the British Isles. The original Ancient Greek Olympic Games and the Celtic Games of Tailteann date back to around the 9th century BCE. These games hosted the best athletes from around the world, who competed in running, jumping and throwing events in addition to wrestling, archery, and the Greeks swam. Professional athletics had no regulations, with many athletes earning their living. through their skill and talent. There are many stories of sprinters who traveled from town to town in disguise, pretending they had no racing skills, then persuaded many local residents to compete with them and sometimes spectators bet against them. Often the races were handicap events, meaning the locals had an approximate lead of 5 to 10 meters in a 100 meter race. In this way, the athletes were able to earn a substantial living. Long distance races were also very common, often the races were heavily promoted to get extra money. Although cheating was common, professional sports still had... middle of paper... India had a caste dimension. Games, holidays, music, and leisure activities varied greatly depending on the social group into which one was born. As in other aspects of daily life, birth accidents play an important role. So, by studying the recreational lives of people in the 19th century, we can better understand the societies to which they belonged.Work CitedCrego. Robert. “athletics”. Daily life throughout history. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. April 29, 2014 Crego, Robert. "soccer." Daily life throughout history. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. April 29, 2014 Salisbury, Joyce and Andrew Kersten. "Times / Victorian England / Sports and games in Victorian England." Daily life throughout history. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. April 29, 2014 Salisbury, Joyce E. and Andrew E. Kersten. “Leisure in the 19th century”. Daily life throughout history. ABC-CLIO, 2014. Web. April 29. 2014.