Although much of ancient Roman life revolved around negotium (work and business), there was also time available for otium (leisure). Ranging from swimming to playing board games to attending theatre performances, athletics and forms of entertainment enjoyed by Romans in ancient times were not much different from those that exist today.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original content at https://www.worldhistory.org/article/98/athletics-leisure-and-entertainment-in-ancient-rom/.