Evidence suggesting men's affinity for sports (throwing football etc.) has any link to Paleolithic hunters?

Question

Is there any evidence to suggest that a male's affinity for sports (throwing football/baseball) has any link to the behaviour of early human ancestors (males throwing spears/rocks to hunt)?

or did women hunt then too?

Answer 1

The coincidence itself is strong evidence.

Modern males, but not females, have strong desire to join a team, run, maneuver, and throw object a great distance.

The bodies of males, but not those of females, are specialized to hunt. The pectoral muscles are especially useful in throwing objects, and women are very attracted to muscular pectorals.

Ancient males, but not females, joined teams, ran, maneuvered, and threw spears long distances in order to survive.

Coincidence? I think not.

Bows and arrows are also an ancient invention, being half as old as the spear. A bow and arrow is like a gun- small object released at very high speeds. I therefore believe that the male affinity for guns is related to the evolutionary history with the bow and arrow.

Answer 2

Yes, men love to be part of a team, and playing competitive sport really rouses our emotions. I think that does hark back to when the men were the hunters (no, the women did not hunt); men are, by nature, more strong physically and faster, and even now being either is a source of pride. Competitive sport settles a mans desire to prove he is big and strong and better than his peers, and believe me, that is important to most of us, which is why I think sport is so popular. I think being able to hunt would have had the same effect and pride attached to it in bygone days.

So yes, I would say there is a link. Not just hunting though, men have always been the protectors as well, in an age when strength was important, and would often get into fights and violence; I think the way we enjoy violent sports now stems from that too, we enjoy the thrill of the fight, the chase, whatever, and we want to prove ourselves.

I think team sports come from the fact that man has had to evolve as a team animal, like a wolf. We always get better results when we work as a team, and probably did when they hunted and fought as a team millenia ago, and so being part of a team would have been good from an evolutionary perspective, which I think gives us our love of team sports now.

I'm not sure if there is any link between throwing a spear and a football specifically though.

Answer 3

People have been throwing things since the beginning of time. As civilization evolved rock throwing was replaced by footballs and so on. Aztec and Mississippian Indians had games where items were tossed and rolled. Evidence of these "stadiums" exist today. As farming and domestication of livestock advanced, there was more free time for art, recreation and personal expression. Even today most people can not resist throwing a stone into a body of water.

Answer 4

I would say yes as some sports like the Highland games as well as the original Olympic games in Ancient Greece mimick skills needed in real life or used those skills in a way that men could show off their strength. I would suggest taking a look at African Tribes such as the Massai tribesmen who will often hunt even if food is not needed simply as a status symbol as the one who can bring down the most game is considered highly amongst the tribe.

Answer 5

The ability to attack ar defend from a (relatively) safe distance ( by throwing objects, and later, weapons) would give humanoids a great advantage over their enemies. The evolution of such weapons goes on today. I think sports is as instictive to humans as pouncing on bees is to kittens. Notice we play our games in goups , just like we (I mean humanity in general) hunt. I don't know what EVIDENCE researchers have come up with, but it seems a sure thing to me that the ability to throw objects would have been very useful to the survival or our early species.

Answer 6

Most studies indicate that women had a role in the hunt, but primarily background-driving the animals, tending to the catch afterward.
Most activities that are typically male-based have a lot to do with our former hunter/gatherer lifestyle:
sports
gathering in bars to brag and compare penises
treatment of women
treatment of others

Answer 7

i believe you have a good point there, but nowadays women are very active in competitive sports.