After an interesting conversation this weekend about what defines a sport I did some research and ran across the  blog below and thought that I would open this can of worms.  This blog says it perfectly and has a  few interesting replies.

I will do my best to follow up on this topic and see if we can get a blog forum.  For now post your thoughts on Poker Talk

What Defines A Sport?

I've had this argument a few times over the weekend, so it's time to bring it to the blogosphere. What is the definition of a sport? What makes one thing a sport, and another just a game? The reason i bring this up is because i don't like the way our society defines sports vs. games vs. competitions these days. Its inconsistent and it doesn't reflect what i always believe was the essence of sports.
In my mind, sports are athletic competition. There must be competition, and it must require athletic ability for it to be a sport. It also has to be man powered; if you are operating a self powering mechanical device, its not a sport. And no, i dont consider a baseball bat or a hockey stick to be a mechanical device. But I don't consider NASCAR a sport, either. Car racing is a sport for the car, not for the driver. It takes a great deal of skill to drive a car that fast for that long, and it takes a great deal of talent. I couldn't do it. But that doesn't make it a sport. Fishing is not a sport. Fishing by throwing a spear into the water like Tom Hanks in Cast Away, if done in a competitive manner, is a sport. Hunting with a rifle is not a sport. Hunting with a knife is a sport.
Chess is not a sport. Rock climbing is a sport. Riding a motorcycle is not a sport, but riding a bicycle is a sport. Darts, billiards, bowling, and the world series of poker are games, not sports. The reason i define all these things as games and not sports is that although they take a great deal of talent, hand eye coordination, and/or brain power, they do not require athletic ability. You can be a great bowler and still be a fat out of shape bastard, you only have to be strong enough to throw the ball down the lane.
Golf is a sport. Horse racing is a sport for the horse, but not for the jockey. Snowboarding is a sport. Skateboarding is a sport. Motocross is not a sport. Dogsled racing is a sport for the dogs, but not for the rider. Dog showing is not a sport for any parties involved. But the doggie skill competition where they jump through hoops and shit is a sport for the dog, but not the handler. Gymnastics is a sport. Cheerleading is a sport. Playing in the marching band is not a sport. That's the way I see it, anyway. But our society grants all of these activities the title of sports these days. I think that's wrong, and that it takes away from true athletes. Sure, the dragon lady is nasty at pool; does she really belong in the same class as Jesse Owens? Does Bobby Fischer belong in the same category as Michael Jordan, since they both completely dominated their respective "sports"? Our society thinks so. I'll take Jordan in a footrace over Fischer any time, but I'd take Fischer over Jordan any day in a spelling bee. A spelling bee, by the way, is not a sport; in case you were wondering. What do you think?
 

Posted by John at August 4, 2003 11:14 PM | TrackBack
 

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