A new theory of sports origin
The authors analyzed primitive ecological sports by means of literature data and field investigation,and revealed the following findings: the needs and activities of human beings for reproduction and multiplication are one of the causes for the generation of sports.Promotive selection,perfecting the marriage system and enhancing the physical quality of human beings are the value for the generation,existence and development of many traditional sports activities.The fundamental connotation of sports activities of primitive ancestors is to seek for thriving popu-lation and good crop harvests.Sports instruments used by primitive ancestors reflected their worship towards re-production;activity contents were the innuendo of sexual behaviors and the pray for more offspring and happiness;sports activities in the unit of family and clan intensified marriage taboos,promoted race multiplication,and coin-cided with the ultimate interests of early human beings.It is hence concluded that the reproduction and mortification activities of primitive ancestors had boosted the generation and development of folk sports of some nations,and that their sports activities include such a connotation as boosting human reproduction and multiplication.