Devotion to recreation jobs developed early in civilization. Recreation became important when people where able to gather enough food and protect themselves from harm by others or by nature. Only when these necessities were taken care of were they able to concentrate on other activities.

Likewise, developing skills for hunting and other outdoor activities became noble. As the upper class developed a liking for certain activities, the negative association of hunting and other activities was lost. This was true for both what people did and where they lived.

The need for recreational areas as well as the growing urban population combined to popularize the notion that large areas of countryside should be left undisturbed for people to enjoy. The countryside was seen less as a farming area and more as a retreat to natural beauty and leisure. With overcrowding and pollution in urban areas increasing, the need to protect the natural environment became more apparent.

Recreation now is a regular part of the average person’s life. Vacations facilities are available. Cities are designing facilities for outdoor activities and nature preserves. Recreation for the elderly, the handicapped, and anyone else who may not have been considered in the past is now being addressed by the people who work in recreation. The business of recreation is booming and it is covering a vast number of areas of concern.

The professional people working in the field of sports jobs and recreation are concerned with meeting the needs of people of all age groups. Most municipalities in the United States have recreation programs for children and adults, and many companies have programs for their employees. Planned recreation programs cover many areas of activity: camping, hobbies, crafts, art, music, dramatics, aquatics, games, and sports.

People are staring to take seriously the words of Henry David Thoreau: “We have lived not in proportion to the number of years we have spent on this earth, but in proportion to the number we have enjoyed.” No longer does youth dominate the services of the recreational system. Seniors, young adults, and special population groups now demand equal recreation opportunities. Many of these people have poor leisure sills or attitudes, and the profession is working to provide opportunities for people to learn to participate in activities that may have been unavailable to them in the past.

Another challenge is to furnish a balance of cultural, social, and educational opportunities to go along with the traditional recreational activities of sports and fitness pursuits. Also, activities for the different skill levels must be provided. The essence of recreation today is the participation of a diverse population with a variety of interests and needs. Thousands of organizations and groups provide various types of recreational facilities and resources. The YMCA and the YWCA for instance are probably the most familiar urban facilities. This type of organization provides facilities for all sorts of exercise and outdoor activities. They may sponsor camps for youths, classes in swimming and other sports, art centers, gyms, and exercise facilities to members of the community for a fee. Schools, universities, churches, civic groups, and a variety of other groups may sponsor facilities to provide recreational services to their members or the community at large.

Staffing may vary from a completely volunteer staff to a full-time trained staff. There are certain restrictions by the local and state governments on who may teach or oversee certain activities. Swimming pools have the most familiar rules. It is unusual to find a pool with a lifeguard who has not taken a lifesaving test. Swimming instructors normally have a lifesaving and CPR certificates as well. Summer is the season when most of the staff is needed at outdoor facilities. Camps, beaches, playgrounds and such require staff as students get out for summer vacation and the weather warms up enough to spend the day outdoors. Seasonal work is very common, and frequently recreational staffs are made up of students and other people looking to get into recreation as a career.

The planning, maintenance, and administration of cultural, historical, and environmental sites requires certain skills in recreation and sports employment. The resource staff should have good administrative skills, with the ability to present proposals, write site-development plans, and determine planning and maintenance costs and schedules, as well as do a variety of other tasks. Likewise, the interest of many localities in developing recreation facilities can be traced to the new public awareness of the need for recreational pursuits.

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