What qualifies as a "sport", and what disqualifies a "sport"?

[jsarno]

Seeing Matty say that golf isn't a sport kind of got me wondering what qualifies or disqualifies a sport?

I had a run in at work that got me thinking about this as well. A crazy guy came in my store and asked where my guns were for deer hunting. I apologized and said we don't carry guns. He then said to me "what kind of f-ng sporting store is this?" I replied, "see the basketballs, the volleyballs etc...hunting is not a sport it's a hobby."

So what sports do you guys think aren't really sports. And what hobbies do you guys feel are actual sports? (and why?)

[ArtMonkDrillz]

sport - Definitions from Dictionary.com

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
sport Audio Help /spɔrt, spoʊrt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[spawrt, spohrt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
–noun 1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.
2. a particular form of this, esp. in the out of doors.
3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.
4. jest; fun; mirth; pleasantry: What he said in sport was taken seriously.
5. mockery; ridicule; derision: They made sport of him.
6. an object of derision; laughingstock.
7. something treated lightly or tossed about like a plaything.
8. something or someone subject to the whims or vicissitudes of fate, circumstances, etc.
9. a sportsman.
10. Informal. a person who behaves in a sportsmanlike, fair, or admirable manner; an accommodating person: He was a sport and took his defeat well.
11. Informal. a person who is interested in sports as an occasion for gambling; gambler.
12. Informal. a flashy person; one who wears showy clothes, affects smart manners, pursues pleasurable pastimes, or the like; a bon vivant.
13. Biology. an organism or part that shows an unusual or singular deviation from the normal or parent type; mutation.
14. Obsolete. amorous dalliance.
–adjective 15. of, pertaining to, or used in sports or a particular sport.
16. suitable for outdoor or informal wear: sport clothes.
–verb (used without object) 17. to amuse oneself with some pleasant pastime or recreation.
18. to play, frolic, or gambol, as a child or an animal.
19. to engage in some open-air or athletic pastime or sport.
20. to trifle or treat lightly: to sport with another's emotions.
21. to mock, scoff, or tease: to sport at suburban life.
22. Botany. to mutate.
–verb (used with object) 23. to pass (time) in amusement or sport.
24. to spend or squander lightly or recklessly (often fol. by away).
25. Informal. to wear, display, carry, etc., esp. with ostentation; show off: to sport a new mink coat.
26. Archaic. to amuse (esp. oneself).
—Idiom27. sport one's oak. oak (def. 5).

The funny thing is that hunting doesn't really fit that first definition, even though it's used as an example.

[jsarno]

I know several hunters that go out and sit around and drink beer all day and wait for a deer to show up. One guy actually said he never even stood up out of his chair and shot a deer. How the hell is that a sport?

[BDBohnzie]

One man's sport is another man's hobby...

AMD - It does take skill and being competitive to hunt. Whether the competition is with your buddies or with nature itself, plus you have to be a decent shot to have any kind of success.

jsarno - sitting in a stand drinking all day and shooting your gun is not a sport, that is a hobby. A sport is when it's a competition.

There is a fine line between many sports/hobbies. I think it has to do with execution.

Take golf for example: If you are out with your buddies for 18 holes, drinking beer and goofing off...it's a hobby. If you are golfing in some sort of competition, whether it be high school, college, amateur tourneys, pro tourneys, leagues, etc, then it's a sport.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Hell, I was a two sport phenom last night.
I at dominated first base for my kickball team and then I made a strong (albeit short lived) showing in a 1-on-1 beer pong tournament.
I'm about ready for the offseason.

[jsarno]

Originally Posted by ArtMonkDrillz

Hell, I was a two sport phenom last night.
I at dominated first base for my kickball team and then I made a strong (albeit short lived) showing in a 1-on-1 beer pong tournament.
I'm about ready for the offseason.

beer pong sounds like fun.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by jsarno

beer pong sounds like fun.

I think I'm slowly starting to out grow it, but it can still be fun from time to time.

[jsarno]

So does this mean (even by definition) that playing playstation is a sport?

[GTripp0012]

To me, a sport would entail (and I've taken an entire college course based around this question) any activity that involves competition, rules, and requires physical or spatial/locomotion acumen.

Auto Racing, so long as it is competitive and outlined in rules, would be a sport because to be successful, one needs to perceive the physics and movement of all the other cars around them, in order to pick the correct move and it's done in real time. Golf, by the same definition, would also be a sport, in the sense that one must perceive the flight of the ball prior to it being struck, and then actually use physical force to move the ball.

Chess is not a sport by this definition, because the physical/locomotion aspect is a non essential feature of chess. If the pieces were robotic instead of moved by the players themselves, it wouldn't really take away from the game at all. Same thing with poker.

So Car Racing/Golf=sports, Poker/Chess=non-sports.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by jsarno

So does this mean (even by definition) that playing playstation is a sport?

I would have to say no. No structured rules system there, especially from game to game.

[Schneed10]

Ugh. Golf is definitely a sport. It's not even close to not being a sport. It takes intense coordination, strength, flexibility, skill, strategy, and smarts.

Just because it doesn't get your heartbeat going doesn't mean it's not a sport.

[BleedBurgundy]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

To me, a sport would entail (and I've taken an entire college course based around this question) any activity that involves competition, rules, and requires physical or spatial/locomotion acumen.

Auto Racing, so long as it is competitive and outlined in rules, would be a sport because to be successful, one needs to perceive the physics and movement of all the other cars around them, in order to pick the correct move and it's done in real time. Golf, by the same definition, would also be a sport, in the sense that one must perceive the flight of the ball prior to it being struck, and then actually use physical force to move the ball.

Chess is not a sport by this definition, because the physical/locomotion aspect is a non essential feature of chess. If the pieces were robotic instead of moved by the players themselves, it wouldn't really take away from the game at all. Same thing with poker.

So Car Racing/Golf=sports, Poker/Chess=non-sports.

I like this definition.

[MTK]

The term sports very general by definition. I guess my basic take on Daly is he's not an athlete is the sense of someone who trains hard physically and is in great condition. Is he great at what he does? Sure. Would I be able to compete with him in golf? No way. But I gurantee I could run circles around him in just about any other sort of physical competition. But that doesn't make me an athlete either. So in the end I don't know what I'm saying.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by jsarno

So does this mean (even by definition) that playing playstation is a sport?

Well there are plenty of gaming leagues and competitions these days... but is a Madden tournament for example qualify as a sporting event? Probably not I guess.

[SmootSmack]

Is playing Nintendo Wii a sport? Physical action, competition