At present, there is a widespread belief in many societies that violence is currently increasing in many spheres of social life, including sport. After a brief review of Elias's theory of civilizing processes, it is shown via analyses of sports in the Ancient world, sports in medieval and early modern Europe, and via an analysis of the initial development of specifically modern forms of sport, that the dominant long-term trend in this field basically confirms Elias's theory. The paper concludes with an analysis of soccer hooliganism and with a discussion of recent social policy in that regard.
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