ABSTRACT
Sportization. That’s how Norbert Elias refers to the process in which sports as we recognize them today came into being. Raucous and rowdy folk games were brought into a common fold through the application of precise and explicit rules governing competitions. Strict application of the rules ensured equal chances for rivals and supervision by officials guaranteed fairness. So a mixed bag of chaotic and often disordered activities developed into distinct, rule-bound contests, refereed according to strict standards and evaluated according to clearly defined criteria.
