"Sports" Or "Activities"

[MR8]

29 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

 

Do you consider your being an idiot a sport or an activity?

 

Thats more of a condition of a person... a person can be an idiot and still do activities and or play sports.  So neither... Just like being a douche is neither, but you can be one while participating in both. 

21 minutes ago, gobilz said:

Pocket pool ?

 

Duh, SPORT! 

11 minutes ago, Greybeard said:

         Have you seen how heavy some of the major league pitchers are?   I'm sure Met and Yankee fans can name one each.  Yet you called that a sport.    What about Pro Football linemen?    Sumo wrestlers? Weight lifters?

         You can take any sport, by your definition, and turn it into an activity.   Because you can ride a bicycle, doesn't mean the guys that ride in the Tour De France are not competing in a sport.

 

         

 

Yes but if my definition is flawed, then what is your definition which differentiates them? 

[DC Tom]

2 minutes ago, MR8 said:

 

Thats more of a condition of a person... a person can be an idiot and still do activities and or play sports.  So neither... 

 

I don't know.  I think your effort dedication to it qualifies it as a sport.  

[MR8]

2 minutes ago, DC Tom said:

 

I don't know.  I think your effort dedication to it qualifies it as a sport.  

 

Aww thanks skipper, I appreciate the pat on the fanny for a job well done.  How head on back to not contributing some place else, people are trying to have fun debating... you know, without being called names for no reason what so ever...

[DC Tom]

Just now, MR8 said:

 

Aww thanks skipper, I appreciate the pat on the fanny for a job well done.  How head on back to not contributing some place else, people are trying to have fun debating... you know, without being called names for no reason what so ever...

 

You know, most idiots, when they're called idiots, are a lot more entertaining than you are.  You should work on that.

[NoHuddleKelly12]

Running = sport. Track/Field events have to be Title IX compliant at public institutions, and training for a marathon event could hardly be described as a lesser type activity, imho. 

[apuszczalowski]

1 hour ago, Mark80 said:

If you are calling bowling an activity, I think you have to call golf an activity too.

 

I believe Kenny Powers sums it up best:

 

 

Finally, someone said it. Golf is not a sport, John Daly is not an athlete

[May Day 10]

14 minutes ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Running = sport. Track/Field events have to be Title IX compliant at public institutions, and training for a marathon event could hardly be described as a lesser type activity, imho. 

 

I don't think being tough, difficult, or requiring fitness necessarily qualifies it as being a sport.  

 

Personally, I run distance races, I go cycling, go on hikes up and down mountains that make my muscles ache for a week.  This weekend I went on a 28 mile kayak trip.  All of those I would consider hobbies or activities.  I wouldn't get insulted if somebody told me that.  

 

A high school athlete in track and field, who is going against others in a meet.  I would call that a sport.  

Edited August 27, 2019 by May Day 10

[The Real Buffalo Joe]

1 hour ago, MR8 said:

 

There we go, an intelligent response!  

 

interesting... so any activity where individual or teams compete for entertainment and has a physical component is a sport then?

 

That means Log sawing, ax throwing, hell, doing those wonky obstacle courses on reality shows, are all sports? from American Ninja Warrior to Wipe Out to American Gladiators... All sports? 

Yes. They're obscure odd sports for sure. But definitely sports.

[apuszczalowski]

It is really hard to define exactly what is truly a sport as something may or may not fit in that definition but could be considered from either side (similar to the debates over what is a fruit or vegetable)

 

In my opinion, a sport should involve these things

- physical activity (video games are not sports)

- special skills (hitting, catching, throwing, etc.)

- require more then one person to do (golf, fishing, darts, can be done by yourself and points are awarded based on other peoples actions)

- is a competition against others (biking & running can be done alone, but races involve others)

- doesn't involve machines or something other then the human to compete ( Nascar uses people to control a car, equestrian events have people controling horses, etc.)

 

There's probably more too, but that's just some examples

 

The other issue is that sports are usually games or hobbies, but not all games or hobbies are sports. I don't necessarily believe that all sports require people to be in peak physical shape to be good at it because they can require different skills. Baseball for example doesn't require all players to be work out machines, guys like Vladdy Jr. or Prince Fielder don't look like they can beat anyone on the base path, but they could hit a 100 mph fastball into upper decks of stadiums, David Wells and CC Sabathia could throw a ball hard and get guys to miss even though they didn't look like the every missed a post game meal. Football is another example where you have guys who are at both ends of the list with huge linemen appear that they spend more time at buffets then the gym and WRs who look like they spend all their free time working out.

[Nextmanup]

Motor racing is definitely a sport.

Golf is most certainly NOT a sport.

 

 

[MR8]

6 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Motor racing is definitely a sport.

Golf is most certainly NOT a sport.

 

 

 

Now that's an interesting take... an activity where guys sit in a car for 4 hours driving in a circle is a sport, but one where men are out in the elements, performing physical activity and competing against each other is not a sport... please explain. 

[Nextmanup]

8 minutes ago, MR8 said:

 

Now that's an interesting take... an activity where guys sit in a car for 4 hours driving in a circle is a sport, but one where men are out in the elements, performing physical activity and competing against each other is not a sport... please explain. 

You want to fight over an anonymous stranger's opinion of what constitutes sport?

 

Have you absolutely nothing better to do with your time?

 

 

[MR8]

56 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

You want to fight over an anonymous stranger's opinion of what constitutes sport?

 

Have you absolutely nothing better to do with your time?

 

 

 

Isn't the fact that we're all on a message board in the middle of the day proof that we ALL have some extra time, and doesn't the fact that we're all posting in this thread mean we're here to DISCUSS the topic? 

 

I didn't fight with you, I just asked you to explain your reasoning.  

 

I can't believe how feisty people are on this board, holy cow... I'm getting personal attacks earlier, being called an idiot, and now I ask why you think something and you come at me about how I have nothing better to do than fight, but nothing I said was hostile or fighting...

 

Nice friendly bunch here at Two Bills Drive.... :sarcasm off:

[T&C]

Has frisbee golf been mentioned yet? Not sure how to categorize it but its a walk in the park.

[frostbitmic]

9 hours ago, MR8 said:

 

Curling is proof that not all "Olympic Sports" are actual sports... 

 

Curling is an activity just like Bowling.

 

Archery, and shooting bang bang sticks... also activities.  Highly skilled activities, but activities just like Darts... 

 

Running is in the Olympics, but I still put that in the activity category.  I am a distance runner who does 2-3 half marathons a year, even I'll say it's more of an activity than a sport, and it's one of the "Original sports"...  it's a highly specialized group of people good at their physical activity.

 

Just like Body Building and weight lifting... not sports... activities. 

Tell that to the swedish woman with the broom.

[bdutton]

57 minutes ago, frostbitmic said:

Tell that to the swedish woman with the broom.

 

[apuszczalowski]

7 hours ago, MR8 said:

 

Now that's an interesting take... an activity where guys sit in a car for 4 hours driving in a circle is a sport, but one where men are out in the elements, performing physical activity and competing against each other is not a sport... please explain. 

Neither are 'sports'

Although auto racing does take a lot of conditioning on your body, most racers can lose up to 10 lbs in a race.

Hitting a small ball with a club then driving to it in a cart doesn't appear to be any more physical then controlling a vehicle going at extremely high speeds around turns.

 

I wouldn't consider John Daly or Dale Earnhardt Jr. as 'Athletes'..........

Edited August 28, 2019 by apuszczalowski

[Just Jack]

11 hours ago, The Real Buffalo Joe said:

 I used to say the same about NASCAR. But the pit crew has to be in tip top shape to fix up the car as fast as they do. And while the driver may not be doing much physical activity during the race itself, in order to withstand the 125° heat in that car, they have to keep themselves in peak physical condition. 

 

I saw a race years ago, can't remember which one, or which driver, but he was so spent from the heat that day, in the winners circle had his post race interview done while he sat on the ground. 

 

11 hours ago, MR8 said:

NASCAR is not a sport, I've driven 500 miles in a day... not a sport. 

 

Did you do it in under 3 hours while 40 other drivers tried to push you out of their way?

 

7 hours ago, MR8 said:

but one where men are out in the elements, performing physical activity and competing against each other is not a sport...

 

Out in the elements? They run to the clubhouse to get out of the rain, while the spectators get struck by debris from a lighting strike. 

 

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/at-least-5-injured-in-lightning-strike-at-pga-tournament/

 

[T&C]

30 minutes ago, apuszczalowski said:

Neither are 'sports'

Although auto racing does take a lot of conditioning on your body, most racers can lose up to 10 lbs in a race.

Hitting a small ball with a club then driving to it in a cart doesn't appear to be any more physical then controlling a vehicle going at extremely high speeds around turns.

 

I wouldn't consider John Daly or Dale Earnhardt Jr. as 'Athletes'..........

What if they carried their own bag or pumped their own gas?

[apuszczalowski]

1 hour ago, T&C said:

What if they carried their own bag or pumped their own gas?

I think thats why the PGA forces them to walk the course instead of using Carts

They want to force them to do something to make it seem a little bit more like it could be a sport.........

[Steve O]

If you can consume beer while playing and it actually improves your skill level (up to a point,) it is an activity. If you wait until completion to consume beer, it's a sport.

[The Plastic Cup]

On 8/29/2019 at 3:24 PM, Steve O said:

If you can consume beer while playing and it actually improves your skill level (up to a point,) it is an activity. If you wait until completion to consume beer, it's a sport.

 

Finally, a definitive answer.

 

Thank you.

[That's No Moon]

Things that have a score or a clear winner that is not determined by 3rd parties can be classified as sports. Other things, no matter how difficult they may be in comparison to some sports, are athletic activities. Basically, if it has judges who award points which determine the outcome, it's not a sport. Some things are just games. If one can do the activity reasonably well whilst actively holding a beer it is a game. If one has to put the beer down it can become one of the other two.

 

Sports:

football, baseball, softball, tennis, hockey, lacrosse, water polo, swimming, golf, racing, track and field, downhill, slalom and cross-country skiing, soccer, archery, shooting, biathlon, bobsled, luge, skeleton, speed skating

 

Athletic Activities:

skateboarding, snowboarding, mogul skiing, gymnastics, figure skating, diving, cheerleading, ski jumping

 

Games:

cornhole, darts, poker

 

I'm not sure/could go either way:

Curling, Bowling  - I'm pretty sure you could hold a beer and do those ok but not as well as you could if you put it down.

Wrestling - there is a score but the points are awarded by the referee.  This is sort of borderline for me. The points are usually pretty clear but not always. Gun to my head, it's a sport.