Gladiators In The Olympian Style Athletes By P. Gid

Reid’s thesis is in convincing the reader that gladiators under contemporary Roman values and Stoicism are able to transcend their social standings and display virtuous behaviour matching “Olympian style athletes” (Reid 2006: p. 38). She argues that in the Stoic Roman sense, gladiators were athletes, but their contest fails to be a sport while using the Greek model for reference (Reid 2006: p. 37). She breaks it down into three categories: Athletes or Entertainers, Slaves or Volunteers and Heroes or Murders and using the doctrine of Stoicism and Roman values she shows that gladiators while not being voluntary participants are capable of getting better social standing and gain virtue if they accept their position (Reid 2006: p. 38,41). She

The point is that sports and athleticism are a platform made in order to display the benevolence of the aristocrats as a way to solidify their positions. The concept of athleticism and sports is not distinct. The reason we choose the Greeks model rather than the Roman model is mainly due to the admiration of their work and therefore the appropriation of their culture is quick to follow, as people tend to take what is most interesting about a particular culture. We have witnessed this throughout the whole course in the way sport similarities have been found scattered, as in wrestling as seen in The Epic of Gilgamesh which is still practiced some 3800 years later all over the world (Sukava: June 4th). We do not appropriate things that do not resonate with our culture or will not have positive broader social and political ramifications for that culture (Sukava: June 24th). Therefore, the concept of show vs sport, entertainer vs athlete is not distinct; we have many anomalies in our world today that stand in testimony to that. Cirque Du Soleil 's performers are athletes. they hit the boxes that we generally consider to be in athleticism, but their field is considered a show -an act for entertaining. However, again would it also be inappropriate to call it a sport? Is it the comfort we find in saying that baseball, football and hockey are clear sports and that shows are clearly not sport but what excludes Cirque? It can be argued that it is a competition on a large scale that does not have an immediate reciprocation, the focus of excellence and spectacle, respectively athletes and audience centered (Sukava: June 24th). Although, I agree with Reid’s overall take on the munera, I feel as though the nuances of the intricate relationship that is with sport and