oochymp 2,393 Posted February 2, 2015 somebody made a comment in the NASCAR thread about auto racing not being a sport, I don't remember who said it, but I filed the comment away as a good offseason discussion, and now it's the offseason, so the question is fairly straight forward and I'm sure most (if not all) of us have had this conversation at some point IRL, so let's have at it, how do you define "Sport"? please don't just list sports and non-sports, if you want to explain your reasoning that's fine, but what I'm hoping for is something that gets to the essence of sports Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparty 110 Posted February 2, 2015 Something that requires athletic ability or intellect (chess, major league gaming (which involves strategy, just like chess), etc.). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted February 2, 2015 Something that requires athletic ability or intellect (chess, major league gaming (which involves strategy, just like chess), etc.). interesting, I think you're the first person I've ever seen refer to chess as a sport Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) Webster defines sport as "activity engaged in to amuse oneself." So by that broad of a definition, almost anything can be a sport... even the old man who sits in the park doing crossword puzzles. But I think I know what we're all after here. A quick Google search yields me these results for "What is a sport?" "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others" "a human activity capable of achieving a result requiring physical exertion and/or physical skill, which, by its nature and organization, is competitive and is generally accepted as being a sport." "an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively" Based on the above definitions, we have identified these three basic criteria that a sport must have. A sport is... a human activity involving physical skill and exertion. governed by a set of rules or customs. undertaken competitively and capable of achieving a result. There are many activities that are commonly debated whether they are sports, such as fishing, dancing, cheer leading, golf, equestrian, Motorsports, plus many more. Based on the above criteria, are these sports? The examples of golf and cheer leading easily fit the definition of sports when in the competitive form. Fishing and dancing for most people are pastimes and not sports, but there are structured competitions with these activities which make them sports in that form. In the cases of equestrian and Motorsports, there is physical exertion by the riders, but the horse and car are primarily doing the work. On the other hand, there is plenty of skill involved, and they tick all the other boxes. There will always be activities that are borderline and debatable whether they are sports or not. So in the chess example, is it a sport? It doesn't fit criteria #1, but it does #2 and #3. Maybe you could call it a "pseudo-sport." Edited February 2, 2015 by Sarge Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cherry 1,302 Posted February 2, 2015 Any competitive event with a well-defined winner, I'd say. Chess, for example, is a sport. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted February 2, 2015 Maybe it would be purposeful to divide sports into 2 separate yet equally important groups: athletic sports and recreational sports. Athletic sports: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, boxing/mma, etc... Recreational sports: fishing, chess, hunting, bowling, poker(?), etc... Auto racing would straddle the line of both. Fun topic. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted February 2, 2015 (edited) I think there is some physical element required, I'm a pretty big board game enthusiast, but I don't consider them sports, I put them in the broader category of games and so that I don't violate my own rule in the OP, here are what I consider the necessary elements of a sport: 1) competition 2) each competitor's performance is directly influenced by the other competitors 3) objective method of determining the winner 4) physical skill or exertion the broader category of 'games' excludes the fourth element Edited February 2, 2015 by oochymp Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted February 2, 2015 Interesting, so how would you classify things such as hunting/fishing/bowling? Perhaps another way of breaking it down according to my last post would be physical and skill/knowledge-based sports. Physical sports: football, baseball, basketball, hockey, boxing/mma, soccer, etc... Skill-based/knowledge-based sports: auto racing (but you do need somewhat of a physical element), chess, fishing, hunting, golf, poker, bowling, etc... Basically what I'm saying is, I don't think there HAS to be a physical element of something for it to be a sport as long as you are willing to discuss the possibility of different types of sports. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BoneKrusher+ 1,276 Posted February 2, 2015 I would define Sport as: Any type of competition that produces a Winner. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
blotsfan 2,112 Posted February 2, 2015 Sports need to have a physical component. If you can play it on a computer with no real loss then it's not a sport. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sarge+ 3,436 Posted February 2, 2015 What I am saying is that a game is a type of sport without the physical component. Perhaps that's what oochymp was saying in a roundabout way as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted February 2, 2015 Interesting, so how would you classify things such as hunting/fishing/bowling? hunting and fishing are not sports, even when you make a competition out of it competitors don't influence each others' performances (unless you're looking at the competition as man v. animal) bowling is actually a really good example of when the influencing becomes difficult, because when you have bowlers facing each other head to head there's definitely some psychological influence on each other, but I'm not sure if I consider that enough, it definitely meets the other requirements though, so maybe it's close enough Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BJORN 679 Posted February 2, 2015 I agree with Oochy. Traditionally, it's kind of twisted because fishermen and hunters are often referred to as sportsmen (i/e Louisiana is often called Sportsmen's Paradise due to it being great for fishing, hunting, etc.). I think I would classify those as outdoor activities along with camping, hiking, etc. Sports are a sub-category of games, that require physical skill/activity in some sort of competition. I don't really agree with your second criteria Oochy because wouldn't that rule out golf? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oochymp 2,393 Posted February 2, 2015 I don't really agree with your second criteria Oochy because wouldn't that rule out golf? yeah, it can get problematic, but if you include psychological impacts then it makes it a bit easier, and that's definitely there for golf, particularly when playing in groups, but I think you could probably get rid of that element without making the definition too inclusive, I think there was something specific I came up with that for, but I can't remember what it is right now Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bay 2,003 Posted February 2, 2015 Winning a championship with a group of guys must be one of the greatest feeelings there is. This is why I love team sports. I still consider Golf, Tennis, Bowling sports. Just not the same. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted February 5, 2015 (edited) I think athletic sport would have to be anything that puts strain on the body. For that individual to suggest that NASCAR is not a sport is ludicrous and misinformed. Constant turning starts to hurt like hell. Major heat in the cab. Miles upon miles and hours upon hours that sometimes forces drivers to piss themselves and change their eating habits for race day so they don't end up shitting themselves. Jesus Christ, in no universe is racing not a sport. Everything is a sport. Everything is competitive at some level. By that logic, life is a sport. When searching for the right decision, we often reach for the metaphor of "making the best of the hand we're dealt." We refer to the chase for intimacy as "the game." Medical practice has inspired games such as Operation. When chasing an opportunity, we intend to to "take our best shot." If there ever was a term without a concrete definition, it's sport. Edited February 5, 2015 by BwareDWare94 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BwareDWare94 723 Posted February 5, 2015 I think athletic sport would have to be anything that puts strain on the body. For that individual to suggest that NASCAR is not a sport is ludicrous and misinformed. Constant turning starts to hurt like hell. Major heat in the cab. Miles upon miles and hours upon hours that sometimes forces drivers to piss themselves and change their eating habits for race day so they don't end up shitting themselves. Jesus Christ, in no universe is racing not a sport. Everything is a sport. Everything is competitive at some level. By that logic, life is a sport. When searching for the right decision, we often reach for the metaphor of "making the best of the hand we're dealt." We refer to the chase for intimacy as "the game." Medical practice has inspired games such as Operation. When chasing am opportunity, we intend to to "take our best shot." If there ever was a term without a concrete definition, it's sport. Double post fail Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Milla4Prez63 678 Posted February 9, 2015 Being a fan of NASCAR, I've had this debate numerous times. NASCAR and all other forms of racing are motorsports, which is it's own type of sport just like football and basketball would be considered athletic sports. It is a sport but not comparable to other sports, IMO. Some people are just really ignorant with this subject though and refuse to include NASCAR as a sport. I'm not sure why NASCAR is picked on the most though, I don't hear people saying rally races or motocross not being a sport like I hear it with NASCAR. I guess it's just more mainstream and that annoys people, idk. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
