<P> In Chesapeake society (that is, colonial Virginia and Maryland), sports occupied a great deal of attention at every social level, starting at the top . In England, hunting was severely restricted to landowners . In America, game was more than plentiful . Everyone--including servants and slaves--could and did hunt, so there was no social distinction to be had . In 1691, Sir Francis Nicholson, the governor of Virginia, organized competitions for the "better sort of Virginians onely who are Batchelors," and he offered prizes "to be shot for, wrastled, played at backswords, & Run for by Horse and foott ." Horse racing was the main event . The typical farmer did not own a horse in the first place, and racing was a matter for gentlemen only, but ordinary farmers were spectators and gamblers . Selected slaves often became skilled horse trainers . Horse racing was especially important for knitting the gentry together . The race was a major public event designed to demonstrate to the world the superior social status of the gentry through expensive breeding, training, boasting and gambling, and especially winning the races themselves . Historian Timothy Breen explains that horseracing and high - stakes gambling were essential to maintaining the status of the gentry . When they publicly bet a large fraction of their wealth on their favorite horse, it told the world that competitiveness, individualism, and materialism were the core elements of gentry values . </P> <P> On the large slave plantations, the popular male sports were wrestling, boxing, racing, hunting, and fishing . The most popular recreations for women were dancing and singing . David Wiggins says the masters typically tolerated the slaves' pastimes as long as they were ready to work when called upon . The slave children improvised their games . Girls, for example, favored "ring dances," accompanied by songs and riddles . </P> <P> Horse racing remained the leading sport in the 1780 - 1860 era, especially in the South . It involved owners, trainers and spectators from all social classes and both races . However, religious evangelists were troubled by the gambling dimension, and democratic elements complained that it was too aristocratic, since only the rich could own very expensive competitive horses . The Civil War devastated the wealth needed to support the sport in the South . Thoroughbred racing revived in the North in the 1870s . Elite jockey clubs that operated the most prestigious racetracks . They soon face competition from profit - oriented proprietary racetracks especially in resort towns such as Saratoga Springs New York . Gambling was legal at the track, but an even larger amount was wagered off - track by unlicensed bookees, often backed by criminal syndicates . Moral opposition led by evangelical Protestants and social reformers led nearly all states to close their tracks by 1910 . Been well much of the spectator attention shifted to automobile racing, where technology was central rather than gambling . Some tracks had both automobile and horse racing . One example was the Pennsboro Speedway, which opened for horse Racing in 1887, and added automobile racing in 1926 . It was the original home of the Hillbilly 100 from 1967 to 1998; the track became obsolete and closed in 2002 . </P> <P> Horse racing made its comeback in the 1920s, as state governments legalized on - track betting which provided a welcome new flow of state revenues from a voluntary activity without imposing compulsory taxes on all citizens . By the 1950s, more people attended horse races than any other sport . Since the late 20th century, horse racing has struggled against competition from other sports and casinos . PDF </P>

What was the first sport played in america