boxing day debate ;)

what makes a sport a sport??

darts??
snooker??
strongest man??

seriously?

Athleticism. Otherwise it’s just a game.

So, talented as they might be, these are not sports to my mind-

golf
snooker
darts

That is, by no means, a bad thing (except golf, which is an example of everything that’s wrong with humanity).

A score and you need to get out of breath.

Most MTBing is just a pastime unless you race

sport MUST have a predetermined method of deciding on a winner usually by a points based/first past the post method

golf not a sport ?

WTF.

A sport is defined by the ability to buy special shoes for it…

Football – football boots – yes
Tennis – Trainers – yes
Athletics – All sorts for each sport – yes
Bobsleigh – spikes – yes
Snooker – a pair of Hush Puppies – no!

oh, and before you say what about swimming – don’t forget the veruca socks!!! 😉

Rachel

You don’t get out of breath doing it. No sport.

A sport is defined by the ability to buy special shoes for it…

Surprisingly, I think that’s very close to being right.

Breaks down a bit when someone mentions tap dancing though.

Explain to me why golf, in which you drive between points to save energy, is a sport and not just a game like snooker. Or croquet. Or bowling.

an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition

Golf can’t be a game because games are fun.

You don’t get out of breath doing it. No sport.

We’re ruling out anything with a motor involved then

If we rule out darts do we also rule out archery?

How out of breath do you get to throw a javelin?

In my opinion, sport should include both skill and physical exertion. Therefore darts, snooker, golf are out.

if you have to stop when it rains it’s not a sport – yes YOU cricket…. off with you

Its only a sport if the outcome isn’t regularly cheated on or the participants don’t attempt to cheat/unfairly influence the outcomes.

So thats Football out and sadly now Cricket.

Water sports are the best form of sport.

Anything where the result is decided solely by judges is not a sport.

Weightlifting = yes. Bodybuilding = no.
Speed skating = yes. Figure skating = no.

Sport actually has a pretty wide definition, and skilfulness counts for more than exertion.

Something is only a sport if its organised – so riding a bike is only a sport within an organised context otherwise its just transport or fun, but by the same measure playing bridge is a sport ifs played in an organised context.

It needs to be competitive – some one needs to be announced the winner, but someone can be judged to be the winner rather than just measured to be the winner. In boxing someone can win by physically defeating their opponent but they can also be judged to have been a better boxer and thats not different to judging someone to be a better gymnast.

It also needs to be played within a framework of fairness. Thats why football teams change ends at half time. And its the mechanism of fairness or handicap that sometimes defines the sport – Folk Racing would be a good example of that

Anything where the result is decided solely by judges is not a sport.

I once thought that would work, but it doesn’t. Boxing? And other martial arts?

Golf is a sport…Try carrying a 40lb tour bag up a gert big hill, you soon get out of breath

Surely that’s what your caddy is for.

Club golfers/amateurs don’t have caddies and 90% of courses don’t have a carts

Club golfers/amateurs don’t have caddies and 90% of courses don’t have a carts

Thats a lie… Even Happy Gilmore had a caddy.! 😀

Try carrying a 40lb tour bag up a gert big hill, you soon get out of breath

that’s irrelevant. you don’t get points for carrying your bag up a hill. you could play with a 20lb bag, or use a cart…

Good point about boxing matches being won on points, as awarded by judges, rather than a knock out every time.
Aren’t the points allocated per punch that lands or something though ?

Golfs harder to get good at than mountain biking

define ‘good’

Yeah Graham, but it has to be a punch with “sufficient force”, so some can be in a grey area, and if a judge doesn’t see a shot, etc. etc.

Golfs harder to get good at than mountain biking

So is painting and singing.

“A sport is an organized, competitive, entertaining, and skillful activity requiring commitment, strategy, and fair play, in which a winner can be defined by objective means.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport

HTH (-:

Try carrying a 40lb tour bag up a gert big hill

try a smaller bag, i think you watched to much tv and associated big bags with good golf, i carry a pencil bag, 5 balls, hand full of tee’s and a drink and play just as well as when i got my tour bag

if you have to stop when it rains it’s not a sport

Meadowbank and in the past Saffron Lane then.???

“Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill designed for the purpose”

I am Winston Churchill and I claim my five pounds 😆

Sport is what I’m rubbish at doing, games I’m better at.

Has to be physical. Has to have a set of rules. Has to be competitive.

Just asked my dad!

Aren’t the points allocated per punch that lands or something though ?

As judged, but that can only be a judgement.

Carrying your golf clubs doesn’t make golf a sport in the same way carrying bags doesn’t make shopping for shoes a sport. But scoring, skill, handicaps, organisation, leagues, points, winners all make golf a sport.

Actually another aspect is that a sport should be entertaining, but with some sports that entertainment comes more from participation than spectating. A lot of cycling sports are exceptionally dull to watch for instance but football is thought to be the most measurably exciting for spectators which seems to be evident in the fervor you see, I can’t think of many sports where the supporters cry so much, as in real tears of anguish, rather than tears of joy. But even sports that are pretty similar don’t have the same charge for the audience – I did some work with some rugby promotors a few years back and they were saying how frustrating it was that Rugby fans don’t buy tickets for matches in advance – they wait til match day and will only buy a ticket if the weather looks nice.

aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole

impossible

mmm – my shoes theory is still the best I’ve read so far…

mmm – my shoes theory is still the best I’ve read so far…

Its very good

doens’t work for Kabadi though 🙂

Kabadi?? Sounds the perfect thing for a pair of Five.Ten Freerunners to me – loads of grip needed to turn quickly…

If it can be played whilst preparing and smoking a pipe, it is a game and not a sport.