Lesson 6:Are You a Team Player?

Other early team sports were also violent.One early version of soccer in the British Isles involvedentire villages and few rules. Kicking other players wasallowed. Brute strength was valued above teamwork.For female players in the past, sports were mostlyoff-limits. They could only play noncompetitive games.This was meant to prepare them for running a homeand raising a family. The thinking then was that sportsweren’t for girls!The Oldest Team SportThe first team sport in history was likely played bypeople who lived in ancient Mesoamerica (present-dayMexico). Two teams had between two and six players.The goal was to move a solid rubber ball past a goalline or through a hoop. The players could not touchthe ball with their hands or feet, and the ball was notallowed to touch the ground. The showdown couldmean life or death. At times, the losing players wereoffered as a sacrifice to their gods.5