Creativity in Sports

Because of my involvement with sports, it has been interesting to see the many ways in which sports can be creative. I can remember as a kid constantly wanting to create different ways to play a sport. My friends and I loved establishing new sets of rules and using anything found in our homes to use as the equipment. Since this was many years ago, the games we created are lost in my memories, but it is fascinating to look back and realize the creative process we took to create an entertaining, new game.

A large amount of creativity in sports is seen through the way the sport is created. Many sports have been created because of the previous sports that exist. Like we read in Boards on the Move: Surfboards, Skateboards, Snowboards, and Kiteboards written by Johnny J Moye and John M. Ritz, "snowboarding was created from people using a surfboard on snow" (7). It is these modifications that led to the advancement of a new sport. It has been so interesting to see the different examples of the way sports were created. I never realized the, sometimes simple, process it took to create a new way to compete! "Modifications were needed, but these new sports all resulted from people using their imaginations and modifies other technologies to fit their new uses (7)".

Even though creativity is mostly seen through this creative process, creativity is also found from sports in the following: coaching techniques, making up creative moves/tricks, intrinsic motivation to perform, communication during the game (i.e. codes used during baseball and softball), and improvisation of the game.

Realizing this creativity of sports, I am now appreciating more the idea of sports in my life.