What is a "sport"?

[lmanchur.]

(...my first post as moderator of the "Other Sports" discussion forum :) ...)

With the recent post about ballroom dancing being a sport or not, I think it is time to consider the questions, "What is a sport," and "who is considered an athlete?"

Dictionary.com defines a sport (http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=sport) as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively," and an athlete (http://www.dictionary.com/cgi-bin/dict.pl?term=athlete) as, "A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts."

So now I ask the questoin, is ballroom dancing a sport?... It does require physical exertion, and a lot of agility and endurance. What about chess. Certainly not a sport, as defined by Dictionary.com, but chess players could be considered athelets, as, undoubtedly, chess requries "natural or acquired traits"... not really physically-demanding traits, but traits none the less.

Equestrian?... The horse does all the work!?.. how is that more a sport than ballroom dancing!?

Darts? Pool? Where does the list end?

Are fat pitchers like David Wells "athletes?"... he's not really physically fit, but he has agility, endurance, and skill in throwing a baseball.

What do you think? What is and is not a sport? Who is and is not an athlete?... I throw the debate and question to you.

[NickHammy]

that's a tough question.

[PeterDewar]

This is just one of those questions, and I don't know what to say.

I think its more of an opinion and if someone was to actually define it specifically it just wouldn't be right.

[lmanchur.]

Originally posted by PeterDewar
I think its more of an opinion and if someone was to actually define it specifically it just wouldn't be right.

All right then... I'm asking your opinion, and not to define it!!!

[Marc]

Originally posted by SC-Lee
Equestrian?... The horse does all the work!?
Well, the same could be said for motor racing and NASCAR. Was a great driver like Dale Earnhardt (RIP) an athlete?

My best answer is there should be different types of sports. There are strictly athletic ones and then lesser athletic ones that still take incredible skill like motor racing and equestrian.

[PeterDewar]

LOL....well...

I'd like to say there are two categories: Sports, Recreational Activities.

Sports would include the big 4 (football, baseball, basketball, hockey) as well as things like Lacross, Tennis, Golf, Rugby, Soccer, Cricket, Tracka and Field, Volleyball, ect.

Recreational Activities would include things like bowling, pool, billiard, ballroom dancing (if that), Crouquet, Horse Racing, Horse Jumping, Chess, ect.

[lmanchur.]

Yeah, Marc -- how can auto-racing be a "sport"... there is a certain skill invovled with the G-force, etc., but the car is doing all the work, unlike the "real" sports such as hockey, golf, baseball, etc.....