Compare the sports of two of the following cultures.
Roman, Greek, Aztec

Gladiators were given few weapons. They were given a sword to stave their opponent and make him bleed to death. Shields so they could protect themselves from flying arrows or slashes that  were shot directly towards them to cause harm. Gladiators meant pride usually. A gladiator would gain his pride through out Rome, reaching up to the point that they would go to the Coliseums for their fights. A gladiator had to gain the crowds respect for him to survive if the crowds loved him they would ask for their lives to be spared. They had various ways for showing sings of mercy either by the crowd raising their thumbs for the desire of death.  Putting their thumbs down for the spare of life. Commodes a famous emperor went as a gladiator to try to get his respect from the crowd as an emperor. Gladiator was their main sport. Their sport did not honor any god or anything religious. It was plain entertainment. Their entertainment was watching Gladiators plea for their mercy or die.

Aztec was one of the most civilized in Central America. Aztec’s played sports also, their sports were like today’s sports.  Except they were a lot more difficult. Their sports, were similar to soccer, basketball, and baseball. Aztecs mostly played a sport called Tachli this sport was like basketball. It had a few differences, they didn’t have a basketball hoop.  They had a concrete ring where their purpose was to pass a rubber ball through it.

Aztecs sports were always dedicated to their god’s.Tachtli was a sport believed to be that the god’s played. The stadium they played in was supposedly heaven. Their god’s would play with the stars and enjoy their time.  This sport was designed in honor of their god’s. Every time a player would make a “goal” he was allowed to take a piece of clothes from all the audience. That was the bad thing about being in the audience. Some of the people of the audience would disappear before their clothes were taken away. Basically Aztecs sport were made to honor their god’s and a symbolism of wanting to be like them.

As you can tell there is a very big difference between Roman sports and Aztec sports. Romans decided to have their sports for amusement and to just watch the blood and gore and body parts go flying across the coliseum.  Aztecs had their sports for amusement but at the same time it was a way to honor their god’s. It was a symbolism of wanting to be like their gods.

Compare the religious significance of the sports of two of the following cultures:
Roman, Greek, Aztec

To prolong the spectacle, gladiators were given few weapons. A sword to make their opponent bleed to death and a shield for protection. If a gladiator gained popularity throughout Rome, he might go to the Colosseum for his fights. A gladiator had to gain the crowd's respect in order to survive. If the crowds fancied him they might ask for his life to be spared by raising their thumbs.  Putting their thumbs down for the desire of death. Their entertainment was in watching Gladiators plea for their mercy or die. Arising from the religious glorification of physical prowess, one famous emperor, Comodus, went as a gladiator to try and win respect from his subjects. [The movie "Gladiator" kills Comodus only a year into his actual twenty year reign.]

Although Roman sport did not honor any particular god, it was a reflection of a capricious pantheon of deities. It was a crude entertainment of an amoral society which glorified carnage much like the virtual video slaughter games of today. Sparta continues to triumph over Athens.

The Aztecs were hardly more civilized. Central Mexican sports of old were far more challenging than what we have today. Aztecs played a sport called Tachli that was a little like basketball and soccer. It had differences, for example, their "basketball hoop" was a vertically hung stone ring. Their "basketball" was a heavy solid rubber ball.

Aztecs believed Tachtli was the sport their gods played with the stars in the stadium of the heavens. Tachtli was replicated on earth in honor of the gods. The winning team was allowed to take any possession from the spectators. The people of the audience would quickly escape before their clothes were taken away. Worse than being in the audience, was being on the losing team. They were sacrificed. Aztec sports, like Tachtli, were made to honor and imitate Aztec gods.

Roman and Aztec sports were not all that different in that losing players were killed. Whether to incite the Roman throng, or please the Aztec gods, death was carried out before an audience accustomed to blood. Violent bloodshed was the common factor in these Roman and Aztec sports. How do people living worlds apart have such tragic commonalties? It is the result of false religion. Both cultures designed their deities to suit their political and moral aims.