-Jason Davis

It is probably no coincidence that so many of the games we play today, particularly the team spectator sports that are now big business and cultural institutions, were codified within the span of a few decades during the second half of the 19th Century. An increase in the amount of leisure time for the people of Great Britain and the United States, one result of the Industrial Revolution taking place at the time, might have something to do with it. I'm sure that some study on the subject has attempted to narrow it down through historical study, but it's more likely that it was a complicated coming together of several social factors. Wikipedia credits the lawnmower. Because all of these sports coalesced into their recognizable forms around the same period, their respective history in the countries in which they took hold (or narrowly missed doing so) is easily traceable to a few simple decisions, crucial moments, or quirks of fate.