Sports that aren't, well, sports... (1 Viewer)

[ChrisMatson]

The bowling thread picked my interest. What do you think constitutes a "sport" in the true sense of the word? I tend to think of a sport as something different than a pastime or hobby.
A common dictionary definition of "sport" is:

An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

Some things I don't think of as sports, but that I have heard referred to as sports inculde: Billiards/Pool, Bowling, Card Games(Poker, Bridge, etc...) Darts, Fishing, Hunting, and the list goes on...
I think a sport should involve some real physical exertion, like running, throwing, kicking, or jumping. Is golf more of a game than a sport?
What do you think?

 

[Kevin T]

i'm not a big golf fan but i think that the master's requires exertion as they aren't allowed to use carts and must walk the distance. i could be wrong since i don't follow the sport, but i recall something to this effect.

as far a sport that's not a sport...i'm gonna have to go with curling.

kevin t

 

[Brett Hancock]

I would say Golf is definitely a sport. It requires a lot of skill to be able to hit a good golf shot every single time you go out on the course. Certainly a skill that I am trying to obtain. Also walking for 18 holes on a long golf course starts to wear on you. I would say fishing isnt a sport. There is little that you can actually do to help catch a fish once you throw your bait out there.

 

[Nigel McN]

competitive computer gaming

 

[Patrick Sun]

I'd seriously consider golf a sport *IF* the golfers had to carry their bags themselves and did not use a caddy.

 

[Stacy Huff]

I wondered about some of the sports I saw in the Olympics. Are they sports that exist outside of Olympic competition, or do the competitors train for four years simply for the games? For instance, the luge. Is this something that is done outside of the Olympics? Are there other luge competitions? Same thing for the bobsledding. And are these sports that the average person could take up, like regular skiing, or do they only exist for competition? Meaning, is there anywhere that I could go to luge for the weekend? Do people do that?

 

[Eve T]

Let me tell you what I think a true sport is:
Putting panty hose on in the morning. Have you ever tried this????? Those support ones are the worst ever! You have to struggle to get your feet down in the proper place and then you have to struggle pulling them up without snagging them with your fingernails and putting a big runner in them. If they are truly the diffult kind meaning not only support hose but body shaper hose you have to jump up and down to get them up thus raising the heart beat and leaving you exhausted. They should have panty hose putting on as a sport in the olympics sheesh!

 

[Dheiner]

I think anything competitive can be a sport. But, competing in a sport does not necessarily make you an ahtlete.

 

[Mike Broadman]

If the criteria is "exertion," then it's still subjective. Almost every activity has some kind of exertion. Are we talking about a lot of exertion, like so the athletes get really tired and are running around a lot?

In curling, the sweepers are exerting themselves, no? Fisherman exert themselves when they're struggling with a big catch.

To me, a sport requires serious exertion. Football, basketball, track. I wouldn't even count baseball- the only real physical exertion is running around the bases which isn't that much.

However, I think we may all agree on one thing: chess is not a sport.

 

[andrew markworthy]

Why does the amount of physical exertion matter so much? Of course golf is less physically demanding than e.g. American football, but in turn we Brits think American football is for wimps who can't play proper rugby [awaits flames with interest]. What I'm trying to say, gratuitous insults aside (and you know I don't really mean it, guys), is that what matters is the competitiveness accompanied by at least some physical skill. Personally, I'd sooner see a relatively sedate amateur game where people were doing it for the love of it and in the spirit of sportsmanship than a bunch of over-paid professionals going through the motions.

Incidentally, the luge, along with the skeleton and the bobsleigh are competed throughout the winter every year.

 

[Sean Conklin]

Why not bowling?

Bowling takes a certain amount of exertion (if your serious), takes muscle memory skills(to be truly competitive), and it takes skill, and much practice to be competitive.

I most certainly consider competetive bowling a sport.

And golf too for that matter.

 

[Jeff Kleist]

. Are they sports that exist outside of Olympic competition, or do the competitors train for four years simply for the games?

It only seems that way in the US, where Olympic sports are ignored except once every 4 years. I believe most of the competitions are in Europe for the winter sports, or just no one hears about them.

 

[Justin Lane]

I consider an activity a sport, if scoring is involved directly dictated by the individual participating in the sport. I would further narrow it down to any activity that involves a ball or similar device (puck, etc.) and involves a team.

There are alot of athletes who have a set of skills and perform in events (skateboarding, bowling, golf) but the events they participate in cannot be considered sports just because they are athletic.

J

 

[Keith Mickunas]

I think things that take a certain amount of some of the following: skill, dexterity, strength, practice, and endurance can be considered sports, for olympic sports strength and/or endurance should be an issue IMHO.

When you are fishing for the big stuff, bringing in the fish is quite a challenge at times, you have to play with it sometimes for a long period of time. So that kind of fishing I would consider a sport. I also think darts, pool, and golf are sports, but perhaps not ones that deserve to be in the olympics. I don't think any card game qualifies. They're trying to get bridge in, and I believe its now an exhibiton sport. That's ridiculous.

I personnally don't think curling should qualify. It would be like in the javelin if you had teammates that ran out there, picked up your javelin after the initial throw, and continued throwing it. I think synchronized swimming is pretty damn silly too.

A lot of the sports people do in the olympics are things someone might do as a past time, or stretch the limits of human capabilities. I doubt many people do a pole vault in their back yard just for fun, but its pretty cool to see someone propel themselves real high by their own power alone.

Oh, and I think bobsledding and luge are done a lot in other countries, maybe even some here. While watching some recently I heard references to other recent competitions and world championships.

 

[Dax Scott]

They should have panty hose putting on as a sport in the olympics sheesh!

Now there's a sport I'd buy season tickets to watch!

 

[Eve T]

They should make panty hose putting on as a sport in the olympics :

Now there's a sport I'd buy season tickets to watch!

It depends who is putting them on....they make those suckers in Queen size too.

 

[DaveF]

I've developed a criteria for distinguishing between sports and games:
It's not a sport if one or more of these is true:
1) You can hold a beer while engaged in the activity.
2) You wouldn't break a sweat doing the same activity at room temperature.
3) You don't need to be physically conditioned to play well.
And so I discover that:
- Baseball is not a sport (1,2,3 apply to various aspects)
- Bowling (2,3, and maybe one)
- Golf (1,2,3)
- Curling (1,3 maybe 2)
It confimrs that these are sports:
- Soccer
- Football
- Basketball
- Swimming
- Ice Skating
- Ballroom Dancing
Still uncertain:
- Ski-jumping (you could hold a beer; standing perfectly still is not normally difficult)
- Archery (not sure the physical demands of using high-tension bows)
- Ping-pong (this is surprisingly demanding, physically. but you may be able to hold your beer)
- Running (your hands are free -- perfect for carrying two beers!)
I hope this helps
(A note: I'm not a skilled athlete and I don't like beer. I just like to define things properly. No disrepect meant to any of the above games or sports mentioned )

 

[Philip Hamm]

I think a sport should involve some real physical exertion, like running, throwing, kicking, or jumping. Is golf more of a game than a sport?

I think that you've probbably never golfed and walked all 18 holes.
These kinds of thread inevitably always end up in closures and suspension so please everyone don't get personal or serious here.

 

[Ike]

The dictionary definition of sport is as follows:

sport Pronunciation Key (spôrt, sprt)

n.

Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

A particular form of this activity.

An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

An active pastime; recreation.

and the dictionary definition of game:

game1 Pronunciation Key (gm)

n.

An activity providing entertainment or amusement; a pastime: party games; word games.

A competitive activity or sport in which players contend with each other according to a set of rules: the game of basketball; the game of gin rummy.

What's that mean? Well, at least according to the dictionary, most games are sports.

 

[ChrisMatson]

Nothing personal or serious here...
I have never golfed 18 holes before, but I shot 9 holes about 10-15 years ago. I have been to the driving range for "target golf" too. Yes, it takes immense skill to play golf. Talk about a humbling experience! It looks so easy on TV.