What is a sport...? Be warned I'm ranting.

[Zaraki Kenpachi]

I am in no way trying to piss people off with this thread. Its a serious discussion that I've had with my friends many times and normally no one agrees with me and I expect that to be the case on this board too.

Here goes...can we stop calling every activity a sport?
Nowadays in most sports not only is athleticism a non-requirement but so is direct competition. I dont care how difficult a feat may be it doesnt make it a sport. Sure riding a bicycle for 90 miles or whatever is really hard to do, but that makes it a physical feat not a sport. Back in the day that would have been called travelling from one region to another now its a sport, uh no.

So I've made a list that regulates what can be called a sport. Only participants in these sports can be called atheletes so therefore all lists of the top 10 atheletes posted all over the web are now null and void.

Requirements to be a sport:
1. To be elite it must take athleticism.
(excluded by this rule...golf, auto racing, horse racing, bowling, badminton, shuffle boarding, archery, shooting sports, cue sports, equine sports, fishing, hunting, table tennis, darts)

2. Must include direct competition.
(excluded by this rule... everyone in #1 except table tennis, all climbing sports, equine sports except polo, cheerleading, paddle sports, board sports)

3. Stop watches alone do not determine the winner.
(excluded by this rule... all races)

4. Judges alone do not determine the winner.
(excluded by this rule...gymnastics, dancing, skating, cheerleading, board sports, diving, snyc swimming)

So my list of real sports is as follows,
Basketball, Football, Soccer, Volleyball, Tennis, Combat sports(all forms so I'm not listing everything seperately), Hockey, Rugby, Baseball (barely), Lacrosse.

Thats all of the ones I can think of that dont get excluded. Did I miss any? (clarification...did I miss any that are actually played in the western hemisphere?)

[Sake Sipper]

Wow, that was pretty dumb.

[Zaraki Kenpachi]

Originally Posted by Sake Sipper

Wow, that was pretty dumb.

LOL, yeah nobody I know likes my idea either.

[souldrum71]

Yep, you're certainly ranting, bro.

Webster's defines a sport as - a specific diversion usually involving physical exercise and having a set form and body of rules.
I believe the dictionary has it right. If it involves physical activity and has rules for competition, then to me, it's a sport.

[ladyfighter]

Originally Posted by souldrum71

Yep, you're certainly ranting, bro.

Webster's defines a sport as - a specific diversion usually involving physical exercise and having a set form and body of rules.
I believe the dictionary has it right. If it involves physical activity and has rules for competition, then to me, it's a sport.

I'd have to agree with souldrum on this...
you can't beat Webster

[Norton]

Tour de France is NOT a sport activity? Yeah, right.


You define riding a bicycle as a form of transportation. So is running. Than,marathons aren't sport activities?


And your exclusions cover almost every kind of sport, anyway.

[Torre]

The only thing that pisses me off to no end is when people call chess a sport :

edit: "cybersport" is also such a term

[Norton]

Originally Posted by Torre

The only thing that pisses me off to no end is when people call chess a sport :

edit: "cybersport" is also such a term

Do they!??!?!

It's silly. It's a game. Such as pool. But I think they're calling it a sport,too.

[N.B]

The thing is, you've kinda said "everything we traditionally call a sport is a sport except: this, this, this, this and this"

Also the rules are unclear. If you say "a sport requires athletism but table tennis is excluded from this rule" you could be saying:
A: table tennis requires athleticism, but it is excluded from this rule, therefore it is not a sport, or...
B: table tennis doesn't require athleticism but it is excluded from this rule so therefore it is a sport.

Where do you draw the line of what constitutes physical exercise? As a badminton player I would say that it does requires physical exercise, although not as much as tennis and squash (which I also play). The reason that it doesn't really show on television is because, like jujitsu/akido/judo, the better you get at badminton the more effortless it looks and the less energy you waste, the same is also very true of squash). Does table tennis require physical exercise? Does bowling? Does golf?

Other thing worth noting is odd quirks you need to be able to be good at a certain sport. For example, Formular One drivers have to have a fair bit of muscle and maintain a good level of fitness, otherwise their bodies can't cope with the extreme cornering forces.

[souldrum71]

N.B, table tennis is SO a sport. Haven't you seen Balls of Fire?

[Jason]

1 [C] a game, competition or activity needing physical effort and skill that is played or done according to rules, for enjoyment and/or as a job:

That would include a lot of stuff, but there are sports, and also wimp sports. Curling is a wimp sport.

[Zaraki Kenpachi]

Originally Posted by N.B

The thing is, you've kinda said "everything we traditionally call a sport is a sport except: this, this, this, this and this"

Also the rules are unclear. If you say "a sport requires athletism but table tennis is excluded from this rule" you could be saying:
A: table tennis requires athleticism, but it is excluded from this rule, therefore it is not a sport, or...
B: table tennis doesn't require athleticism but it is excluded from this rule so therefore it is a sport.

Where do you draw the line of what constitutes physical exercise? As a badminton player I would say that it does requires physical exercise, although not as much as tennis and squash (which I also play). The reason that it doesn't really show on television is because, like jujitsu/akido/judo, the better you get at badminton the more effortless it looks and the less energy you waste, the same is also very true of squash). Does table tennis require physical exercise? Does bowling? Does golf?

Other thing worth noting is odd quirks you need to be able to be good at a certain sport. For example, Formular One drivers have to have a fair bit of muscle and maintain a good level of fitness, otherwise their bodies can't cope with the extreme cornering forces.

Actually table tennis was the exception for direct competition. It was excluded by rule #1. However rule #2 excluded all members of rule #1 except table tennis as it does have direct competition, just no athleticism.

As you most assuredly could agree the sports excluded from these lists are accurate per their rules. You cant take the competitors that were excluded in rule #1 and expect them to compete at any notable level in my real sports due to their deficiencies in athleticism.

[N.B]

Originally Posted by Zaraki Kenpachi

Actually table tennis was the exception for direct competition. It was excluded by rule #1. However rule #2 excluded all members of rule #1 except table tennis as it does have direct competition, just no athleticism.

Yes but we couldn't tell just from those rules if you thought table tennis requires atheleticism or not...I think I've confused myself there.

Originally Posted by Zaraki Kenpachi

As you most assuredly could agree the sports excluded from these lists are accurate per their rules. You cant take the competitors that were excluded in rule #1 and expect them to compete at any notable level in my real sports due to their deficiencies in athleticism.

Yes, but a hockey player couldn't go through the same amount of distance running that a world class football player would do in a game. Most volleyball players could not compete in rugby. A lot of sports require atheleticism in one area and not in others. So you couldn't get competitors to compete at a notable level from one sport to another anyway. Epecially when you also factor in the skill which is also needed for individual sports.
Also, paddle sports are classed as not being a sport under these rules yet they require a huge amount of upper body strength and fitness. Volleyball is a sport but it is arguable whether or not it requires a particularly great deal of fitness compared to hockey, swimming, taekwondo etc.

[Jason]

Originally Posted by Zaraki Kenpachi

Actually table tennis was the exception for direct competition. It was excluded by rule #1. However rule #2 excluded all members of rule #1 except table tennis as it does have direct competition, just no athleticism.

As you most assuredly could agree the sports excluded from these lists are accurate per their rules. You cant take the competitors that were excluded in rule #1 and expect them to compete at any notable level in my real sports due to their deficiencies in athleticism.

What exactly do you mean by athleticism?

[Miticis]

Zaraki Kenpachi,

Your analysis is highly subjective, but also confusing. You seemed to make allowances for some sports but then defined what in your opinion are actual sports differently?

From Websters Online:

Noun
1. An active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition.

2. The occupation of athletes who compete for pay.

3. Someone who engages in sports.

4. An organism that has characteristics resulting from chromosomal alteration.

5. Verbal wit (often at another's expense but not to be taken seriously); "he became a figure of fun".

Verb
1. Wear or display in an ostentatious or proud manner; "she was sporting a new hat".

2. Play boisterously; "The children frolicked in the garden"; "the gamboling lambs in the meadows"; "The toddlers romped in the palyroom".

From Wikipedia (subjective)
Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors.

In my opinion any activity performed competitively (very key word) with the expression of developed skill (physical or mental) can be called a sport. Even cricket spitting,paper football, or World of Warcraft