What defines a sport ?

Speed Walking does not consume more energy than running!

Speed Walking consumes about 440 calories an hour (at about 4 mph)
Running consumes about 1550 calories an hour (at 10 mph)

You propaganda spreading ..... Did you read this online somewhere or were just saying whateva ' ?

It cannot be defined abosolute

...which is exactly why I brought it up. It's an intriguing question. :beer:

And Terry ? You must be an avid golfer. :evil: That or you're being sensitive maybe? With comment's like "This conversaton is tired; you're worrying about semantics; you're too funny..."

Either participate or don't but don't get manic about it. I thought it warranted a discussion amongst the peers; I was curiosu what the community thought or what the community defined as sport.

Now...

which seems to be, "If there's no contact and it doesn't make you breathe hard, it's not a sport.".
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Not at all (The contact part anyway's). Tennis does not have contact and is brutally a sport.

I am truly intrigued at what constitutes sport.
 
John_Hudson said:
And Terry ? You must be an avid golfer. :evil: That or you're being sensitive maybe? With comment's like "This conversaton is tired; you're worrying about semantics; you're too funny..."

Either participate or don't but don't get manic about it. I thought it warranted a discussion amongst the peers; I was curiosu what the community thought or what the community defined as sport.
Click to expand...

Manic? No, I believe I've participated without getting "manic". Now you're taking my comments out of context in an attempt to win an argumment(?) Why are you so touchy about my replies?


If you listened to more sports radio, you'd have heard this debate ad nauseum and you'd have made up your own mind by now. :)
 
I've heard the debate Terry. I have'nt heard it amongst the community.

Now unless you have something worthwhile to contribute why don't you go back to posting some Pookielinks.


(Quit trolling my thread man)

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Back to the discussion

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I think Sport should at least require moving more than 5 mph (and not in a Golf Cart). That's one element that should be included. Picking up the legs and moving.
 
I think participating in this thread is approaching sports status.

:grin:

golfmissingshot8st.jpg
 
John_Hudson said:
Now unless you have something worthwhile to contribute why don't you go back to posting some Pookielinks.
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Ahhh... the real reason behind your animosity revealed.

John, I think anyone reading our exchange could see we see things differently. However, I wasn't trolling. I thought we were having an exchange on wheteher golf was a sport and I was trying to explain my view.

Don't worry, I'll stop replying to your thread.
 
Competition, added with physical challenge breeds sport. It is so called sports that need to be judged that need to be re-classed. Things like figure skating, gymnastics (no I am not chauvinist pig, these activities are done by world class athletes, just all I can think of at the moment). There is nothing quantitative to overcome, and in so dependent on somebody's opinion. But golf is a sport, it takes athletic skill in a competition by others with similar skills, and thus it is a sport.
 
So bowling is a sport?

..where do we draw teh line of physicality? .. It stillt akes your hands to move chess pieces.

Excenlt thread BTW John.

- Mikko
 
Ahhh... the real reason behind your animosity revealed.
Click to expand...

Don't get confused at what you think you may know cowboy.

I'll stop replying to your thread.
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Thank you.

Hey, it's your call. If you can offer something intelligent then do so; if you can't go away.

It's a simple conversaton about defining sport. Accusing it of being tired, or worrying about semantics or calling me 'too funny' only serves to annoy me

Continue this in PM if you have further issues please.
 
..I think that I like to consider sport:
"something that tests the physical supreriority of one over another"

- Mikko
 
"something that tests the physical supreriority of one over another"
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Yes yes yes! I like that!


Prairieboy?

What is so athletic about hitting a golf ball ? Nothing. (See Page 1)

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Thanks Mikko. Bowling ? No way ! Figure Skating ? Not without a stick !
 
How physically challenging does it have to be? Ping pong is competitive but its not as physical as football.

I think anything thats a game where you verse somebody physically is a sport. Thats the way I see it. It can be very physical like football or not very physical at all like ping pong.


Don't they consider Hunting a sport too? What about paintball?
 
Ping Pong ? Man it hurts my sensibility to accept Ping Pong into my sports realm. Damn it.

It's almost as if you wan't to say 'Will the ball hurt you if it hits you?'

Hell no.
 
OK, so I have read this thread through completely top to bottom and think that there are two interesting questions: 1. What is a sport 2. is Golf a sport.

Regarding Golf, yes it is a sport. Just like old people softball (since I have pins holding my knees together that's what I play now) has people standing around not moving, golf is a sport. Professional golfers walk the course, sometimes miles a day in the heat, and it is a game of skill, patience, and ability. To say that golf is not a sport, well, that's naive. I would challenge the most physically fit of any board member here to go play 18 holes in the middle of summer in a competitive manner walking the course and not be exhausted. It is like saying that a certain MANiMALwho bats cleanup for those damned Red Sox isn't a baseball player because all he does is hit (that's a completely different subject, though).

The definition of sport I think is any game played competitively in an individual or team fashion requiring skill. My definition is very loose, obviously including Scrabble, Xbox, and that game where you push a salt shaker across a table to see if you can get it to hang on the edge.

Hunting is considered a gentleman's sport, but the gun is doing the work. What's sporting about that?

I think the big issue is more of a societal one though. In this age of everyone wanting to be special we've opened up our definitions to be so broad that everyone ends up being an athlete. The difference between Hudson and Barry Bonds is indefinable. Everything today is considered sport. They have professional video game competitions where the contestants are called athletes. Could you image in '58 Mickey Mantle being on the same level as a competitive eating participant? In our age of gluttony, over eating, 500 channels, drive through windows, on demand entertainment and knowledge, not to mention the history of humanity on a DVD-Rom disc, it's no wonder our definitions have become so muddy and murky that everything ultimately becomes sport, everyone ultimately becomes special, and every idea has legs to run on.

OK, someone officially start calling me resident rambler, because I don't think I understand my point at all, but I had one.
 
Then again the easiest answer to this question is that there is only one true sport, and that sport is Baseball, and more specifically NYYankees baseball.

Everything else is a game.
 
I'm a competitive sailor is that a sport? Sure wears me out. I spent about 10 years boxing (and still use that as my primary workout) I know that's a sport, but I'm starting to get a bit old for it... My partner is a competitive shooter, some feel that's a sport... What about surfing is that a sport? It certainly takes tremendous physical activity, but it's only you and the water (as you say golf is only the player and the course - not entirely true since you are competing against others just like in surfing).

Golf is not my game, but I think that on balance it is a sport. When Tiger plays it's definitely a sport. When my uncle Joe plays, however, it's a pastime....

Matt
 
Jeeze John, you are 10 posts from 14k!! If posting was a sport you'd be a gold medal winner for sure!


I think hunting is an intersting one: shooting at targets, a sport? no. fishing, no. they test skill. Now an event where first you have to catch the target, that tests phyical agility. Be it moose hunting (which i don't htink should, let alone could, be an olympic sport for example) but simulated for example by the Bi-atlon I think it's fair game. if you miss the target ehn you have to go with the physical agility. But of you dont' have th physical prt there's no point.

ping pong? yeah, that need physical ability - like tenis, btu shorter steps!
figure skating? tough.. as it's somethign that is jusdged i don't think so. Gymastics much the same way. at least from a performance point of view, now comparing flexibilty, ability to do demanding moves, vaults etc.. then yed i's say so. So it takes an outside judge to compare those. Still i'd say that they *do* test physical ablity and therefore I woudl call them both sports.
Bowling.. no way no how.
Golf.. not really. Though it's borderline. Because you do need some physical agility, but it is mostly skill. Still a tough one.
Now all these others.. "motorsports" they are exactly that, sports for the motors (or engines, actually) but the winners are the cars, and the teams, at least in a spoting sence. Skill is the driver, but in no way woudl I call an F1 or Nascar driver an athlete, and only a sportsman in the way they behave "sportsmanship" or "sportsmanlike" - (note: like).

Ok, how about archery? interstign one, it takes strength to pull the bow. I'd say yes. The athlete is providing the power, just as with Javelin or Discus. Not like shooting or driving.

The phisical comparison tends to lead to a test of kinetics, and i think that if the person is the source of that kinetic energy, then it is a sport. If the engery comes from elsewhere then i wouldn't call it a sport.

Ok, quick, someone find a counter-example, I'm going nuts trying to come up with them! :)

- Mikko
 
Thank you Yankee for an insightful reply. Nice rant even if I don;t fully agree.

To me:

Softball is a sport; there is movement beyond 5 mph (unlike golf), it is a physical competition whereas another player dictates your reaction and strategy (Unlike golf) and is not about simply hitting something with a club (unlike golf).

Walking 18 holes? I've done it. Easy as weezy. Done it in rain, sun, wind. Playing 18 holes of golf is not hard physically. Not for me it is not. Might make the lower back a bit tender at the end of the day but so does vacuming (I jest)

Whether or not we call it a sport is the main problem for me; I wan't to try and define what we may or may not generally agree shoudl constitute sport.

I don't consider hunting a sport either; unless you have a knife and are hunting lions.

Now; I'll be back later to chime in on this thread; ironically I'm going to lift and run and play basketball.
 
Precise body control. That is what makes it athletic. We can all through a ball, run, catch, but we can not do it with the ability of the best in the world.
 
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