[Closed] It turns out Bridge is not a sport after all.

I'm shocked.

Bit like darts then if the basis is not enough physical activity. Arguably golf too 😛

The question that arises in this case is not the broad, somewhat philosophical, question as to whether or not bridge is a sport

They brought it to gain funding really from the Lottery.

Whilst I agree it's not physical, it's certainly a large participation event and therefore should at least be considered for funding of some sort.

...therefore should at least be considered for funding of some sort.

Those packs of playing cards can be very expensive - I can see how this may be a barrier to people from poorer backgrounds! 😀

My rule of thumb is that if you don't need special shoes, it ain't sport.
This rule kinda breaks down with swimming and martial arts but by and large, it works...

Cycling (with special shoes) = Sport
Cycling (without special shoes) = Dicking about on a bike or commuting
Cricket = A game
Golf = A game
Darts = A game
Rugby = Sport
Football (with special shoes) = Sport
Football (without special shoes) = Dicking about with a football...

See? It seems to work...

I've not read the whole ruling, but whether or not it is a sport seems to come down to whose definition of sport you use.

The English sports council definition does not include games like bridge, but there are other equally valid definitions that would include bridge.

But the sports council are quite within their rights to use their definition, and thus exclude bridge from funding.

or something like that.

Gatsby:

what about 10 pin bowling?

Sadly, it's a sport... However, I'm willing to accept that it falls into that awkward hinterland betwixt sport and game on the basis that you could play it without any problems in normal shoes, apart from the fact that the bowling lane owners insist...

It's quite a clever ploy by the aforementioned bowling lane owners to elevate it to sport status, and thus be eligible for funding.

If only the Bridge powers-that-be had thought of adopting their own special footwear, they wouldn't be in this mess!

Bridge shoe:

[img] [/img]

[quote=gatsby ]Cricket (with special shoes) = Sport

http://www.sportsshoes.com/product/new690679/new-balance-ck4030-cricket-shoes/

I use the rule of "can you do it in trousers"

If yes, then its not a sport.

gatsby - Member

My rule of thumb is that if you don't need special shoes, it ain't sport.
This rule kinda breaks down with swimming and martial arts but by and large, it works...

i reckon it kinda works for swimming and martial arts. if we change 'special shoes' to 'footwear requirements'.

'no shoes' is a footwear requirement.

[quote=Trimix ]I use the rule of "can you do it in trousers"
If yes, then its not a sport.

Good point
[img] [/img]

based on that picture where does 'in your pyjamas' fit into things?

Sport?

[img] [/img]

Oddly compelling ruling

Either way, bloody good fun, especially in the early hours with a malt and/or calvados. Four hour sesh last Friday but disappointed that guests' stamina ran out at 01:00. Lightweights!

This stems from the sense of entitlement of the English middle classes dictating that everything they do is worthy of recognition as being absolutely marvelous

If Bridge is a sport, then so is staying in a ****ing tee pee at Glastonbury, or putting your Ocado delivery away 🙄

Bowling shoes are not to protect the approaches, they're to allow you to slide. Play in normal trainers and you plant your foot and jerk the ball. I reckon it falls into the "golf" category in terms of physical exertion.

Gatsby: You've really never seen a pair of these?

[img] [/img]

My local 10 pin Bowling Alley allow you to play in your own shoes provided they are a one piece rubber sole.

I think the "special shoes" thing works, but perhaps maybe just "can it be played in [b]any[/b] type of footwear" if the answer is "Yes" = Not a sport!

So cycling, football and athletics aren't sports?

Gatsby: You've really never seen a pair of these?

I actually have a pair, very similar but a different brand. And having playing in a pair of Chucks, I can attest to the fact that it would take a helluva a lot more than spikey shoes to improve my game!

Anyway, I always thought they were just a way of aerating the greens and saving the green-keeper a job 😉

Binners, FA to do with class. Get two packs of cards and three mates and off you go - hours of fun!

Keeps my old mum mentally active too.

Binners, FA to do with class.

Indeed. The Salford league is particularly competitive at the moment. Its what they police are attributing a lot of the recent shootings too 😉

golf shoes are also a ploy to attempt to elevate it to "sport".
not even sure I'd call it a game. pastime perhaps. or an outdoor business meeting.

sports usually cannot be done competantly whilst wearing a cravat.. last time tour de france was won in a cravat? last time a grandprix was won in a cravat? last time MO Farah ran in a cravat?..

@totalshell - a modern day cravat is a called a Buff!

Edit

aracer - Member
So cycling, football and athletics aren't sports?

Not my point - you cannot "play" (compete) in those sports in any type of footwear; you must use specific types - boots/trainers/cleats etc so you can't be serious about it in your Grannie's Slippers or Wife's Wellies... but playing bridge or darts or snooker in slippers/wellies/barefoot make no difference at all.

Didn't Sir Stirling Moss wear a Cravat ?

Climbing more or less requires special shoes and yet a lot of participants (only really in the UK to be fair) swear blind it's not a sport. It can be done in trousers and a cravat though so maybe that explains the confusion.
[img] [/img]

The International Olympic Comittee classify Bridge as a sport.

Although going by their reputation, money may have changed hands.

[i]Although going by their reputation, [s]money[/s] diamonds (or possibly hearts) may have changed hands. [/i]

ftfy

The International Olympic Comittee classify Bridge as a sport.

Imagine how long the lists of (life saving) drugs every contestant is on would be...

gatsby - Member
Cycling (with special shoes)

Five Ten Impacts certain are a bit "special" 😆

My rule though goes... if it's boring to watch, it's not a Sport. So that certainly covers Bridge, Darts, Snooker, Golf 😛

My rule though goes... if it's boring to watch, it's not a Sport. So that certainly covers...

No, cos then Great British Bake Off and X-Factor would be sports...

Why can't we just say a it's a sporting if you can only be really competitive/pro at it if your not overweight?

Yes I'm a bit fattest or more accurately obese-its. Btw I'm the heaviest I've been in 10 years but I've got an excuse at the moment, really hating it though

There have been and are fat pro golfers for sure, bridge yep you can be fat and amazing at it I'm sure.
So that'll bin off the shooters and archers unless part of the pentathlon. No probs with that.

Mind you the shot putters and hammer-its would be out, bugger I'm unpicking myself already. Works for most stuff though I think?

What about Sumo? That falls foul of both mine and Keith's definitions of sport...

binners - Member

This stems from the sense of entitlement of the English middle classes dictating that everything they do is worthy of recognition as being absolutely marvelous

If Bridge is a sport, then so is staying in a ****ing tee pee at Glastonbury, or putting your Ocado delivery away

I thought this post was gonna be a full house.

? Middle Class entitlement
? 'Little Englanders'
? Tories
? Ocado
? Greggs
? Thatcher

Not even close! 🙁

I'm happy to bin off sumo tbh, it's wrestling for fatties 😉
More of a cultural thing though isn't it? if we let sumo in then we might as well have Morris dancing too 😉

It is very simple, if you could smoke a fag whilst doing it then it ain't a sport, that wraps up snooker, golf, darts and indeed bridge.

[img] [/img]

I knew someone would post that 😀 obviously that is still in the neutralised zone and hence the racing hasn't started, that and it was a hundred years ago when smoking was considered a sports supplement, loosens the lungs don't cha know!

Trimix » I use the rule of "can you do it in trousers"
If yes, then its not a sport.

[img] ?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=zjt7fXkcdD5A%2FdECqMBItfOiyvUz5zlBGaHfkXx8XGJH%2FmRmXUPo3DJL7Tw7P0oD[/img]

[quote=surroundedbyhills ]Not my point - you cannot "play" (compete) in those sports in any type of footwear; you must use specific types - boots/trainers/cleats etc so you can't be serious about it in your Grannie's Slippers or Wife's Wellies... but playing bridge or darts or snooker in slippers/wellies/barefoot make no difference at all.

Thanks for the clarification, so we're talking about activities where footwear can make a difference.

wheelchair basketball = pastime
kayaking = pastime

My tuppence is that if you can recreate it so you can play over the internet i.e. using a keyboard and a webcam, say, and be just as good, then it's not a sport.

This does include snooker, darts etc in the sports category, but since coming to this definition I've become a little more open minded about it.

The one little loophole there that bugs me is the professional gamers who actually train to be able to operate that mouse and keyboard better, but as they are self described gamers they count themselves out I think.

I say we should just adopt my definition and to hell with all the swimmerists, kayakers and wheelchair-basket-ballers...

With a few rule changes, wheelchair basket ball could be reclassified as light entertainment, along with Robot Wars.

Lets also ditch F1 since most of the practice they do is sitting down and on an Xbox... They could race each other virtually instead.
And they wear silly shoes too..

No real training involved, just swinging your wrists around a bit and holding your head up and proding a few buttons with yer thumbs...

Hardly a sport that.

@aracer earlier

[img] [/img]

I'm happy to bin off sumo tbh

Sumo most definitely is a sport

[url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/451/19334072450_37e5fd7874_c.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/451/19334072450_37e5fd7874_c.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/vsub9J ]60729088-DHP_6290[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/47933770@N07/ ]Allan[/url], on Flickr

😉

Well it clearly is there, you're wearing special shoes!

swanny853 - Member

The one little loophole there that bugs me is the professional gamers who actually train to be able to operate that mouse and keyboard better, but as they are self described gamers they count themselves out I think.

Game and sport aren't mutually exclusive, but professional gamers would say they're in e-sports I reckon. And hand/eye coordination and dexterity is the same thing whether you're clicking a million times a minute in DOTA, or ruining a walk playing golf.

I still reckon it's the physical that makes something a legit sport, but computer gaming [i]is [/i] physical, as is darts. (if darts isn't a sport then neither is javelin chucking, or curling)

For me - any game involving a ball where the ball isn't moving already when at least some of the players interact with it - is a hobby or pastime.

Ruling out golf, pool, snooker, billiards and bowls in one fell swoop...

opinions? 😉

Billy the Kid played Croquet:

[img] [/img]

you can tell him 😉

🙂

I love croquet - not sure it is a sport though.

And why is Ice Dance a sport and Ballet not?

I don't know anything about bridge, but whilst I am sure there is a lot of mental skill and technique involved, am I right in thinking that there is an element of chance too? Sports should not involve chance.

I am sure there could be a Turing test for sport, if you can programme a computer to do it (competitively at the level you are Playing) it is not sport.

I still reckon it's the physical that makes something a legit sport, but computer gaming is physical, as is darts.

Pretty much why I'd include it if I really had to choose, even if if the mean-spirited side of me can't help but feel the term e-sports is a bit of a contradiction in terms.

I never really understood why people accept javelin but not darts- darts actually involves aiming too.

Competitive "duplicate" bridge takes the chance out of the game - everyone has exactly the same cards.

Most "sports" have large elements of chance - the lucky bounce, the rub of the green etc

Not sure chance is a defining factor....

Bazz - Member
I knew someone would post that obviously that is still in the neutralised zone and hence the racing hasn't started, that and it was a hundred years ago when smoking was considered a sports supplement, loosens the lungs don't cha know!

[img] [/img]

Also, while we're here:

[img] [/img]

Probably my favourite photo in the world

[i][b]Ernest Hemingway[/b] — 'There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.[/i]
And all may be done whilst wearing trousers (but probably require special shoes)

I think Hemingway was onto something there.

Probably my favourite photo in the world

I can see a cockatoo in that photo... 😉