We like to think that sports are fixed and immutable, but like anything else, they are a product of their time. Just look at the Olympic Games, where events like motorboating, tug-of-war and obstacle course swimming came and went during the 1900s. More recently, breakdancing appeared in last year’s Paris Olympics, while lacrosse will make a return in the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
Alongside this trend, there is a growing pursuit of spectacle and profit from events supposedly marketed as sports. High-profile examples include last year’s Netflix-produced boxing match between influencer Jake Paul and boxing legend Mike Tyson, and the Enhanced Games, also known as the “doping-legal Olympics”.
