Lessons from ancient Rome can apply to today's sports

Standing inside the Colosseum in Rome, it's hard not to be in awe. The structure, built more than 1,900 years ago, is often shown from the outside. It's one of the most familiar structures in the west. And yet, it was when I went inside that I was grabbed by the moment, and by the past. During my two weeks in Europe, I didn't watch one second of sports. There was too much to do, too much to see and too much to learn. And yet, standing in that Colosseum, it was hard to not be struck with how different sports were presented in the first century. At the same time, the reasons behind those presentations seem achingly familiar in today's world. One thing I often try to remind myself – especially during big Browns and Cavaliers games-- is that sports is not life and death. Yes, you want your team to win. But win or lose, life will go on. At least that's how it is most times. We've seen how serious what happens on a playing field can be – last year's Damar Hamlin injury is an example. But for the most part, sports – even professional and college sports -- can be excused as fun and games. Yes, they are intense. But they are also enjoyable to play, and enjoyable to watch. Well, almost 2,000 years ago, sports were life and death, at least for the participants. And while the exhibition could be fierce and entertaining to some, it's difficult to envision a gladiator smiled too much while fighting off a hungry lion. It's hard to imagine crowds enjoying the brutality on display at the Colosseum in those days. But they clearly did. The tour guide in Italy said that the gladiators who did survive were held in the same esteem that top athletes are today. And crowds – in the thousands – came to cheer them on. The events in Rome were put on by the emperors, and were done with a specific purpose. They were staged to distract the Romans from the problems in the society. An emperor puts on an exciting event for the people to enjoy? How benevolent. As the tour guide said this, it was hard for me not to think about current events. This was just a few days after the PGA Tour announced it was going into business with LIV, the Saudi Arabian-backed golf organization. LIV's ties with the Saudi government have made the new league controversial. Some – including members of the PGA itself – have accused LIV of "sports washing." Using athletics and entertainment to cover human rights abuses. I knew sports washing itself wasn't a new concept – the Olympics, the World Cup and other events have been accused of the same thing – but I guess I didn't realize how old the concept was. For me, it was a lesson of what was, and what continues to be. It was the biggest sports lesson that I took from two weeks abroad. Well, that and a tour guide in Munich saying that the German people had three favorite sports: Soccer, soccer and soccer. But overall, being away from American sports for two weeks wasn't a bad thing. It was actually refreshing to be away. But the lessons of sports are always there. And they can be as awe-inspiring as the buildings where they took place. Zach Baker is the sports editor for the Review Times and The Courier.