What is a "sport"

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

The debate in a couple of threads about whether the Indy 500 and/or autor-racing is in fact a sport inspired by the well-promoted participation of Danica Patrick intrigues me.

 

By my own personal traditional definition autoracing has always been a sport. For me sports involve games and competition. The NFL, bowling, autoracing, basketball, torture ball (my own personal favorite as a kid though my summer camp made us stop playing because too many kids ended up in the infirmary) and even lawn jarts were sports as far as I was concerned.

 

I can certainly see how some folks judge autoracing not be a sport because the competition allows a 100 lb. woman to compete with a 200 lb. bigger guy because of her employing better and better applied technology. However, most of the complaining couch potatoes actually are looking for an excuse to either have someone bring them a beer from the fridge because getting up is too much physical exertion for them or they time their beer runs to their potty runs because they aren't wearinf diapers yet, their complaints of autoracing not being a sport are actually mostly laughable.

 

At any rate thanks to the wonders of the Internet (a place where even fact-free opinion can be made to look really cool). I searched the word dictionary and then plugged in the word sport and came oit with the following definifition:

 

sport ( P ) Pronunciation Key (spôrt, sprt)

n.

 

1. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

2. A particular form of this activity.

3. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

4. An active pastime; recreation.

 

5. Mockery; jest: He made sport of his own looks.

An object of mockery, jest, or play: treated our interests as sport.

A joking mood or attitude: She made the remark in sport.

 

6. One known for the manner of one's acceptance of rules, especially of a game, or of a difficult situation: a poor sport.

Informal. One who accepts rules or difficult situations well.

Informal. A pleasant companion: was a real sport during the trip.

Informal.

7. A person who lives a jolly, extravagant life.

8. A gambler at sporting events.

9. Biology. An organism that shows a marked change from the normal type or parent stock, typically as a result of mutation.

Maine. See summercater. See Regional Note at summercater.

Obsolete. Amorous dalliance; lovemaking.

 

This sounds fine to me. By most defintions, particular the first few since driving Indy clearly involves physical exertion under a set of overdefined rules keeping a car from piling into the wall at 200+ mph, this is a sport.

 

It is competition though not fair competition. Just as taller guys and quicker guys have a definite advantage in athletics, a petite person who has the ability to geta job driving for a well-funded racing team has a definite advantage over Joe Slob and would clean their clock in an Indy race.

 

Yet, overall, I think my favorite definition of a sport is the last one the dictionary provided. They may view amrous dalliance and lovemaking as obsolete, but it sounds like great sport to me!

[eSJayDee]

Facinating topic.

I don't know if this is a definition per se, but personally, I'd say that a sport is a competition where one competitors production has an effect on his opponent(s).

I do not consider golf a sport, although I actively participate. I recognize the incredible

skill exhibited by top players (actually, you could argue that my comprehension only reaches to about the level of a scratch man or LPGA player; PGA touring pros are so much above that.) Whether I play w/ Tiger, some hack or someone of equivalent talents as myself, barring certain pychological impacts (which can't be determined), my performace is the same.

I don't know if I would classify Nascar as a sport as I'm not sufficiently familiar w/ it.

It definitely is a competition AND competitors have an influence on how others do. However, how much one competitors performance is based on equipment (car) and how much their innate talent, I have no way of judging.

(Give Tiger a set of hickory sticks & he'll still whip my butt. Put this Danika babe in a '72 Pinto, let me drive her car & w/ a bit of practice, I'd bet I could beat her.)

Football, Tennis, Volleyball, Basketball, all true forms of sport. Baseball sort of gets an asterick as it's mostly Pitcher vs batter, w/ the pitcher having some 'helpers'.

Horse racing is definitely sport for the horses; I don't really think it is for the jockeys, but again, not being that familiar w/ it, I don't know how much the results are dependent

on equipment (horse) or skill/athletic prowess (jockey).

[brihs2005]

I draw the line where unnatural or mechanical means is used to facilitate performance. That pretty much excludes racing from being a sport in my opinion. I have a lot of respect for the people that do it, particularly F1 and Indy car drivers, but really, if the game couldnt have been played 1000 years ago (if someone thought the idea up) it isn't a sport to me.

[elcrusho]

A foul's a foul

A Bat's a Bat

10 feet on the east side is 10 feet on the west side...

Football, is Football unless it's football

[fatKID_II]

I will defer to the master himself to decide what a sport is....

 

George Carlin can clearly define what IS and what IS NOT a sport...

 

GEORGE CARLIN AND SPORTS

 

To my way of thinking there are really only three sports: baseball, basketball, and football. Everything else is either a game or an activity.

 

Hockey comes to mind. People think hockey is a sport. It's not. Hockey is three activities taking place at the same time: ice skating, fooling around with a puck, and beating the sh-- out of somebody. If these guys had more brains then teeth, they'd do these things one at a time. First go ice-skating, then fool around with a puck, then you go to the bar and beat the sh-- out of somebody. The day would last longer, and these guys would have a lot more fun. Another reason why hockey isn't a sport is that it's not played with a ball. Anything not played with a ball can't be a sport. These are my rules, I make 'em up.

 

Soccer. Soccer is not a sport because you can't use your arms. Anything where you can't use your arms can't be a sport. Tap dancing isn't a sport. I rest my case.

 

Running. People think running is a sport. Running isn't a sport because anybody can do it. I can run, you can run. For Christ sakes, my mother can run! You don't see her on the cover of Sports Illustrated, do you?

 

Swimming. Swimming isn't a sport. Swimming is a way to keep from drowning. That's just common sense. Sailing isn't a sport. Sailing is a way to get somewhere. Riding the bus isn't a sport, why the !@#$ should sailing be a sport?

 

Boxing is not a sport either. Boxing is a way to beat the sh-- out of somebody. In that respect, boxing is actually a more sophisticated way of hockey. In spite of what the police tell you, beating the sh-- out of somebody is not a sport. When police brutality becomes an Olympic event, fine, then boxing can be a sport.

 

Bowling. Bowling isn't a sport because you have to rent shoes. Don't forget, these are my rules. I make 'em up.

 

Billiards. Some people think billiards is a sport, but it can't be, because there's no chance of serious injury. Unless, of course, you welch on a bet in a tough neighborhood. Then, if you wind up with a pool cue stickin' out of your ass, you know you might be the victim of a sports-related injury. But that ain't billiards, that's pool, and that starts with a P, and that rhymes with D, and that brings me to darts.

 

Darts could have been a sport, because at least there's a chance to put someone's eye out. But, alas, darts will never be a sport, because the whole object of the game is to reach zero, which goes against all sports logic.

 

Lacrosse is not a sport; lacrosse is a faggoty college activity. I don't care how rough it is, anytime you're running around a field, waving a stick with a little net on the end of it, you're engaged in a faggoty college activity. Period.

 

Field hockey and fencing. Same thing. Faggoty college sh--. Also these activities aren't sports, because you can't gamble on them. Anything you can't gamble on can't be a sport. When was the last time you made a !@#$in' fencing bet?

 

Gymnastics is not a sport because Romanians are good at it. It took me a long time to come up with that rule, but goddammit, I did it.

 

Polo isn't a sport. Polo is golf on horseback. Without holes. It's a great concept, but not a sport. And as far as water polo is concerned, I hesitate to even mention it, because it's extremely cruel to horses.

 

Which brings me to hunting. You think hunting is a sport? Ask the deer. The only good thing about hunting is the many fatal accidents on the weekends. And, of course, the permanently disfigured hunters who survive such accidents.

 

Then you have tennis. Tennis is very trendy and very fruity, but it's not a sport. It's just a way to meet other trendy fruits. Technically, tennis is an advanced form a Ping-Pong. In fact, tennis is Ping-Pong played while standing on the table. Great concept, not a sport.

 

In fact, all racket games are nothing more the derivatives of Ping-Pong. Even volleyball is, technically, racketless, team Ping-Pong played with an inflated ball and raised net while standing on the table.

 

And finally welcome to golf. For my full take on golf, I refer you elsewhere in the book, but let it just be said golf is a game that might possibly be fun, if it could be played alone. But it's the vacuous, striving, superficial, male-bonding joiners one has to associate with that makes it such a repulsive pastime. And it is decidedly not a sport. Period.

 

From George Carlin's book Napalm and Silly Putty