What Defines a Sport?

[Krazy4Krash]

The subject has popped up into real life discussion several times, and a definite answer is not as simple as it seems. What is the definition of a sport?

One I've heard are that it has to have a ball, but there are several others like "if you change footwear" or "elevate your heart-rate". Activities such as skeet, gymnastics and golf are exceptions to at least one, but are frequently considered sports despite.

Without thinking, I would say a change in heart-rate, to either higher or lower, is a sufficient definition, but is extended to involve competition between opponents. I don't know exactly how to word it. I'm certain there are exceptions that I can't think of now.

 

[TheMasterSword]

FINALLY A SPORTS THREAD> I love you so much at the moment, I reward you with a Diamond Baseball:

In my opinion, me playing sports and in marching band, I believe a Sport is classified as using Multiple muscles vigorously. Every sport uses muscles. Heart rate isn't true, I doubt a golfer has spikes in his heart rate. Muscle Tension, muscle use, etc. This apply to all sports, whether you classify them as a sport or not.

 

[Timeless]

I think a sport MUST involve some type of competition (against yourself, or others) and using
multiple muscles in your body.

For example, Auto racing. Yeah, they sit in a car and turn left for three hours, but there's strategy, and it's dang hard to turn that wheel to. Not to mention the reaction time they need to drive at 200mph

 

[Sydney]

Sport-
Noun:
An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others.

I think it's a little obvious a sport must involved some sort of competition to be even considered a sport, but also involve some physical contact in it as well. I also believe that a sport should involve at least some strategic planning as well. You can't have players running around aimlessly attempting to score a goal without a strategy. In addition to a strategy, I believe it's obvious that to consider something a sport requires teamwork. A coach, a handful of players and others who help out the team would be perfect for a sport.

Without thinking, I would say a change in heart-rate, to either higher or lower.

I agree that with you that it's an insufficient definition. I could easily watch something extremely scary, get scared, and have my heart rate skyrocket. Just saying.

 

[Cel-Shaded Deku]

Sport is one of those words, like art, that is really hard to define. When you come up with a definition you'll encounter a sport that contradicts it and non-sports that fit it perfectly. By some definitions gun fights should be a sport. The way I see it the way our culture defines sports is: The ways in which we deem it socially acceptable to let people injure each other and/or watch people in revealing clothes. If people were injuring each other in ways similar to an American football game (tackling) and they were getting similar injuries it's suddenly considered wrong, rather than an accident. Sure, football players are wearing padding, but what about cheer leading? Cheerleaders are injured in similar ways as football players but they barely wear anything. Just think of how many ways girls could and have gotten hurt when making a human pyramid or tossing each other in the air. Outside of the context of cheer leading dressing like that is inappropriate and those actions are not acceptable because they're too dangerous. When you have the title cheer leader to that then all of a sudden "that's my little girl, having fun with her friends!"

 

[Dan]

I think anything can be considered a sport of a game of chess is considered a sport... I've always associated sports with something exercises your body physically. Although apparently if you tell chess players that chess isn't a sport they get pretty angry.

 

[TF/HH]

Cheerleading is not a sport. Golf is not a sport. Bowling is not a sport. While they're all athletic activities and can be extremely competitive, they are not sports.

A sport has to be athletic, there must be competetion, and it has to have both offense and defense.

Baseball is a sport. Football is a sport. Soccer is a sport. Hockey is a sport. Basketball is a sport. Tennis is a sport. They're all athletic, competitive, and have offense and defense.

I had an argument with my friend who's in my school's show choir, and he claimed that a sport had to be athletic. All of my friends disagreed with him, and I did too. He said he would not shut up about it until we all said that show choir was a sport. I fell down on the ground laughing at that point.

 

[Chilfo Freeze]

The main thing is competition. In order to define a sport, there must be some type of competition, whether 1 v 1 or team v team.

After that - for me - it gets increasingly more difficult to explain. I'm one of those stubborn people that thinks that sports should be about rigorous physical activity, hence it's difficult for me to accept golf as a sport. Oh, and marching band. Is that a sport? My school considers marching band as a physical education credit... I'm one to go against that. Like Cel-Shaded Deku said, it's truly a word that no man can find a perfect definition for; it's one of those things that just has to define itself.

For the purpose of this thread though, I'll say that it's competition and physical activity that make a sport a sport.

 

[zellinkda]

I think a sport is something that requires athletic and physical power and skilll with many players. in almost all things defined as sport, there must be a goal or a point to achieve higher power or rank in the game, and a point where someone or a group of people win the game.