Those of you who know me, know that I refuse to recognize golf as a sport. It is merely a recreational activity. I know what some of you are already thinking, because I have heard it before.... " Tiger Woods is truly an athlete, he is in great shape and bench presses 400lbs., blah, blah, blah." First off, he is the ONLY golfer that is in that kind of shape. Secondly, that doesn't make golf a sport. If that were the only criteria, then perhaps it is also a sport when Tiger Woods takes out the trash. Heck, it must be a sport anytime someone of athletic prowess takes out the trash if that is the argument being used.
I came up with a theory as to what is a sport and what isn't. It went something like this. Anytime you are in direct physical confiict with an opposing person or animal, that would make it a sport, as long as it applied to something people would at least historically consider to be a sport. In other words, when someone or something else is trying to keep you from accomplishing whatever it is you need to accomplish to win. This theory works great, until you consider track and field competitions, one of the oldest sports around. Sure, you are racing against other people or trying to throw the shot put farther, but they don't get to trip you or grab your arm while you are trying to beat them. Therefore, it doesn't follow the theory.
I have caught some golf and tennis over the past couple of weeks ( as you sometimes do when you only have two television channels). That is where I discovered what truly keeps something from being a sport. The fact that the audience ( after all, recreational activities don't have crowds) has to remain quiet when golfers and tennis players are hitting. Huh? You want to call this a sport, but people have to be quiet at the most critical moments? Seriously? This has to be the clincher for what is and isn't a sport, even more than the first criteria mentioned above.
The whole crowd doesn't have to get quiet when a baseball player is trying to hit the ball, or when a quarterback is throwing a pass, or when sprinters are racing to the finish line, or when a basketball player is shooting a free throw. I just don't get it. It can't possibly be a sport when the audience is supposed to quiet and reserved. No way, no how, period. So, by combining the two theories, it is easy to see what is a sport and what is a recreational activity. It must satisfy both of these criteria to be considered a sport, and not just a recreational activity. Track and Field gets somewhat of a bye due to historical significance and the fact that criteria two carries more weight. It doesn't mean that you can call anything a sport, just because it satisfies the two criteria, I guess you can, but that makes you a moron. Me throwing firecrackers at a spiderman poster while someone tries to block them and three people scream does not constitute a sport. It does not satisfy the first criteria, because that has not historically been considered a sport. New sports to be added to the list will have to stand the test of time in being considered a sport before they are even allowed to be considered against the aforementioned criteria. So, what we have based on that are as follows. ....
Swimming: RA Basketball: Sport
Diving: RA Football: Sport
Golf: RA Baseball: Sport
Tennis: RA Soccer: Sport
Cheerleading: Boring Nascar: Sport ( I said it)
Figure Skating: RA Ping Pong : Sport
Dancing: RA Volleyball: Sport
X-Games: RA Dodgeball: Sport
Mini Golf : RA Mini Golf with "prison rules" : Sport
Bowling: RA Bullriding: Sport
That is the list for now. Please feel free to add any you can think of, or dispute my claims. However, if I don't agree, I just won't publish you comment....fascism...not a sport.
C
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4 comments:
I disagree with the majority of this post. I wont be offended if this comment isnt posted - it's your world. I don't believe a sport is defined by how "rowdy" the crowd is. Spectators are just that, spectators. Also, I do not believe that there has to be physical contact between competitors for an activity to be considered a sport. I think sport is any competitive activity that requires a physical prowess. -- By the way, I like the new layout of the blog.
how is ping pong a sport and not tennis?
In what category would you put the gallon challenge?
If you are going to argue that nascar is a sport, as well as track and field (shot putt, high jump), I have to argue that both tennis and ping pong have to also be considered sports. Yes crowds typically stay quiet, but they are also generally smaller, and is more of a historical respect for the game type of quiet. Also, there is absolutely direct one on one action, where the velocity with which one hits the ball, then angle, spin placed, etc affect the play of the other person.
I would also argue that the 1st sport rule carries more weight than the audience one. Billiards and Poker also fall in this grey area.
One might also call these non sports competitions, rather than just recreational activities, because when done on the professional level, or any level with standings or prize at stake, they are definitely competing, as opposed to just doing it for fun on the weekends.
Another thought, is sex a sport? Or does it depend on how loud your audience is?
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