What constitutes " a sport?"

[david mcgee]

" I am just going down the park to watch a game of football".

 

Game?

 

Naw! Football is definately a sport.

 

But............. a " game of darts " isnae.

 

Or a round of golf?

 

Not a sport in my opinion, unless a round of drinks is accepted at Olympic level.

 

Motor racing? Not a sport is it?

 

Well not unless pram racing has equal status.

 

What is your definition of a sport?

 

Or more importantly an Olympic sport because it is rapidly becoming a total farce.

[Moriarty]

i have had this exact argument with my flatmates many a time.

 

i reckon a sport is a game which requires skill and also a degree of fitness and physical exertion.

 

so football - yes, both skill and physical exertion are needed at the top level.

darts - no. skill is required but no real physical exertion unless you could getting a slightly tired arm.

motor racing - sport. skill needed and exertion to control the car. this one is borderline tho.

[wibble]

" I am just going down the park to watch a game of football".

 

Game?

 

Naw! Football is definately a sport.

 

But............. a " game of darts " isnae.

 

Or a round of golf?

 

Not a sport in my opinion, unless a round of drinks is accepted at Olympic level.

 

Motor racing? Not a sport is it?

 

Well not unless pram racing has equal status.

 

What is your definition of a sport?

 

Or more importantly an Olympic sport because it is rapidly becoming a total farce.

 

Definition of a sport to me would be a game based around physical participation that can be won by the person or team with the greatest skillset (both physical skills and tactical skills).

 

Poker has been proven (except in the US courts) as being a game of skill, but can't be considered a sport because you don't have to move a muscle.

 

Darts is a sport because it is all about hand-eye co-ordination and relies almost solely on motor skills.

 

Ten pin bowling - sport

Scrabble - not a sport - game of skill

Limp biscuit - spurt

[david mcgee]

Motor racing would be a sport if the twenty best drivers in the World got into identical cars.

 

As they dont, it aint.

 

Witness Button and Hamilton this year.

 

Even swimming is arguing because some swimmers have faster speedos than others.

 

I saw Duncan Goodhew the other day and waved to him, but he couldnt see me because his hair was in his eyes.

 

The ammount of flagrant cheeting and bending of the rules threatens to turn millions off sport.

[wibble]

The ammount of flagrant cheeting and bending of the rules threatens to turn millions off sport.

 

 

Folk keep saying that, but it's not true.

 

Look at a total sham like pro wrestling. Mugs know it's not real but they still go along.

 

The only thing that drives people away from sport is a lack of entertainment and high prices. Scottish football is ****ed.

[wibble]

i have had this exact argument with my flatmates many a time.

 

i reckon a sport is a game which requires skill and also a degree of fitness and physical exertion.

 

so football - yes, both skill and physical exertion are needed at the top level.

darts - no. skill is required but no real physical exertion unless you could getting a slightly tired arm.

motor racing - sport. skill needed and exertion to control the car. this one is borderline tho.

 

Just because the physical exertion is minimal in darts it doesn't mean that you don't have to be a bit special to carry it off.

 

Just like a good golf swing, a good throw in darts is from the practice of many hundreds of thousands of throws.

 

Darts - definitely a sport. Same as the javelin only smaller.

[david mcgee]

Folk keep saying that, but it's not true.

 

Look at a total sham like pro wrestling. Mugs know it's not real but they still go along.

 

The only thing that drives people away from sport is a lack of entertainment and high prices. Scottish football is ****ed.

 

Pro wrestling is massive in America.

 

But they think they live in a democracy for heavens sake

Edit* So do we.

Thats why were in Afghanistan.

[david mcgee]

Just because the physical exertion is minimal in darts it doesn't mean that you don't have to be a bit special to carry it off.

 

Just like a good golf swing, a good throw in darts is from the practice of many hundreds of thousands of throws.

 

Darts - definitely a sport. Same as the javelin only smaller.

 

Blow football?

 

Same as football only smaller?

[Professor Ratbaggy]

It's a sport if you get out of breath doing it.

[wibble]

It's a sport if you get out of breath doing it.

 

Blow football qualifies then.

[I P Knightley]

It's a sport if you get out of breath doing it.

 

Running for the bus

 

Climbing the stairs

 

Sh499ing

 

= all sports

 

I was going to try to define a sport as a game that's played outside but acknowledge that boxing's a sport so that pulls the rug a bit.

 

I do have an exclusion clause though. A pastime is not a sport if, when it's being played, there's ever a chance that you can be put off by the sound of someone winning the jackpot on the puggy.

 

So snooker, pool and darts are definitely not sports

 

Football, rugby & tennis are sports.

 

Golf? I love playing golf and, quite frankly don't care whether it's classed a sport or not. It's true that being physically fit is a great help but there are folk I know with natural skill who most certainly wouldn't be classed as fit (Monty being a prime example).

 

Re: the Olympics. I think it was a JKBer who once said that a sport should only be in the Olympics if the Olympic gold is thought of as the highest possible achievement in that sport. So Football & Rugby (World Cups) and Tennis & Golf (Grand Slam majors) shouldn't be there because the players and the fans just don't care enough.

[deesidejambo]

Is ice dancing a sport?

 

Juggling?

 

Synchronised swimming?

 

 

No.

[The Doctor]

Is the competitive element a factor?

 

Mind you there's poetry competitions and architectural competitions and X-Factor so I suppose that can't be the defining factor.

 

There are Olympic sports in which the Olympic gold is the highest accolade in the field, shooting for example, that we might struggle to define as a sport.

 

You can't say certain things are pastimes not sport either, because although you can say golf's not a sport it's a pastime, for me, playing fives on a Wednesday night might also be a pastime, but there's no doubt football's a sport.

 

This is fraught with pitfalls.

 

I'm going to say it's entirely subjective, if you think playing darts is you participating in a sport, then for you, it's a sport.

 

Some other tricky ones;

Sumo Wrestling

Gymnastics (how do you decide who wins?)

Diving

Weight Lifting

Speedway

Skateboarding (X-Games stuff)

[Bert Le Clos]

Wrote an essay on this at uni.

 

I concluded that a sport requires an amout of skill, physical exertion and your performance has to directly affect that of your opponent.

 

ie. what you do directly affetcs their performance.

 

So darts and golf IMO aren't sport because what you do doesn't affect your opponent.

 

But football, tennis etc. are sports.

[Gavsy Van Gaverson]

Wrote an essay on this at uni.

 

I concluded that a sport requires an amout of skill, physical exertion and your performance has to directly affect that of your opponent.

 

ie. what you do directly affetcs their performance.

 

So darts and golf IMO aren't sport because what you do doesn't affect your opponent.

 

But football, tennis etc. are sports.

 

What you do can so affect your opponent.

 

If you are playing a guy at darts and he is banging in 180 after 180 and also hitting his doubles first time, you'd feel under pressure due to the way the other guy is performing. Therefore, his/her performance is having an affect on you.

[I P Knightley]

So darts and golf IMO aren't sport because what you do doesn't affect your opponent.

 

 

I fully agree on strokeplay (and therefore the main golf championships) but in matchplay, what a golfer does certainly can affect his opponent.

 

For instance, if a guy goes 4 up after 6 holes and then loses the next two holes, his attitude will change from one of comfort to one more panicky. The mental side of it can be compared to almost any other accepted 'sport'.

[Moriarty]

Wrote an essay on this at uni.

 

I concluded that a sport requires an amout of skill, physical exertion and your performance has to directly affect that of your opponent.

 

ie. what you do directly affetcs their performance.

 

So darts and golf IMO aren't sport because what you do doesn't affect your opponent.

 

But football, tennis etc. are sports.

 

im sorry but golf is a sport. there are no two ways about it.

[deesidejambo]

Argument in a flat in Dalkieth Road. ca 1981.

 

"One man and his Dog" is a sport.

 

No it isnt.

 

Yes it is. End of.

 

No it isn't. End of.

[Tynie b]

Not a Sport:-

 

Darts (Pub Game)

Snooker (See Above)

Pool (see above)

Golf (Someones Hobby...Like saying walking the dog's a sport)

Fishing (See above)

Synchronised swimming (Lassies dancing in water...Is ballroom dancing a sport???)

 

Cricket (Come on, Fat guys can play this Game proffesionally!!)

[conn artist]

Not a Sport:-

 

Darts (Pub Game)

Snooker (See Above)

Pool (see above)

Golf (Someones Hobby...Like saying walking the dog's a sport)

Fishing (See above)

Synchronised swimming (Lassies dancing in water...Is ballroom dancing a sport???)

 

Cricket (Come on, Fat guys can play this Game proffesionally!!)

 

 

it takes a hell of a lot of physical fitness to do some of those moves. as an ex swimmer and water polo player i would have to say it is a sport as there is competition involved. what people see is the silly caps and make up and dismiss it.

[The Old Tolbooth]

Blow football qualifies then.

 

As does dominoes

[P-Dizzle]

Something is a sport, when the game in question has a professional element. Darts, Snooker, Pool, Gymnastics, Professional gaming(e-sports).

 

Sports are just hobbies that can be played at a professional level, before someone says Chess, I'll go ahead and say yes, it's a sport.

[I P Knightley]

Argument in a flat in Dalkieth Road. ca 1981.

 

"One man and his Dog" is a sport.

 

No it isnt.

 

Yes it is. End of.

 

No it isn't. End of.

 

Strong words.

 

Who won the ensuing pagger?

[Basil Hayden]

Heard someone define sport as as requiring defense, thought that worked.

[shaun.lawson]

Agree with everything MelbourneJambo's said. Laughing at everything Ivana's said.

 

After Usain Bolt set another ridiculous world record a few months back, I had a debate with a complete mentalist (and former Kickbacker), who insisted the 100m wasn't a sport, because what Bolt had done "required no skill". So be careful in any definition you try and set: most people who deny until they're blue in the face that snooker is a sport insist that golf is; but in reality, both are. And I'm happy to go along with what BBC Sport classes as sports too.

[Sexton Hardcastle]

Anything that comes under the bbc/sport is a sport. Anything not is a hobby/past time.

 

Such as- Collecting Stamps, Making toy Railways, Peeping Toms.

[hughesie27]

Just because somebody has a mental effect on you, ie Golf, Darts, Swimming it doesn't directly effect your performance. Your goal is still the same. You want to get the ball in the hole the least amount of shots possible. Or the highest score from 3 darts possible.

Using mentality as an argument for darts etc to be a sport would mean that debating could also be considered a sport. Whatever the opposition says effects your ability to come up with relative arguments however your goal from the start and how you will get there remains the same throughout.

Bit hard to understand, sorry.

[hughesie27]

I would say a sport is something that is governed by rules with the eventual result in somebody being able to achieve something. There should also be a professional aspect of sport where you can become an elite at it and continually improve your game. Earn money from it.

Whether or not it becomes a popluar sport is irrelative. So, chess, monopoly can be sports should the uptake and professional bodies come about.

[deesidejambo]

Strong words.

 

Who won the ensuing pagger?

 

Can't remember. All I remember is we made amends by trying to make a trifle but had no sherry so we used vodka instead. It never really set properly but it had the desired effect though. It tasted rank unfortunately. I think it may have been the rich tea biscuits we used instead of the sponges.

[stew mc]

it takes a hell of a lot of physical fitness to do some of those moves. as an ex swimmer and water polo player i would have to say it is a sport as there is competition involved. what people see is the silly caps and make up and dismiss it.

 

[deesidejambo]

Ladies beach volleyball is a sport.

 

Mens beach volleyball is not. In fact it makes me boak.

[conn artist]

 

what? top sport, one of the oldest olympic sports and pretty violent to boot. the fitness required to play polo at a top level is unreal.

[deesidejambo]

what? top sport, one of the oldest olympic sports and pretty violent to boot. the fitness required to play polo at a top level is unreal.

 

Don't the horses drown if the water is too deep?

[conn artist]

Don't the horses drown if the water is too deep?

 

a classic gag.

[The Doctor]

I would say a sport is something that is governed by rules with the eventual result in somebody being able to achieve something. There should also be a professional aspect of sport where you can become an elite at it and continually improve your game. Earn money from it.

Whether or not it becomes a popluar sport is irrelative. So, chess, monopoly can be sports should the uptake and professional bodies come about.

 

By that rationale many occupations could be classed as sports. A lawyer is governed by rules and I suppose they achieve things. You can become an elite and earn money, continually improving. There needs to be something else, something uniquely sporty!

 

Something is a sport, when the game in question has a professional element. Darts, Snooker, Pool, Gymnastics, Professional gaming(e-sports).

 

Sports are just hobbies that can be played at a professional level, before someone says Chess, I'll go ahead and say yes, it's a sport.

 

There's not a lot of professional gymnasts going about...

 

Ladies beach volleyball is a sport.

 

Mens beach volleyball is not. In fact it makes me boak.

 

Do men do it? That's disgusting.

[P-Dizzle]

 

 

 

There's not a lot of professional gymnasts going about...

 

 

 

What's at the olympics?

 

Also, I saw on the JKB facebook group. You know Alan Milne?

[The Doctor]

What's at the olympics?

 

Also, I saw on the JKB facebook group. You know Alan Milne?

 

Sorry, I'm being naive, I keep thinking that the Olympics are an amateur competition.

 

And why yes, I do know Alan Milne, haven't seen him for over a year, dirty sheep bothering so and so that he is...

[P-Dizzle]

Sorry, I'm being naive, I keep thinking that the Olympics are an amateur competition.

And why yes, I do know Alan Milne, haven't seen him for over a year, dirty sheep bothering so and so that he is...

 

I went to college with him, good guy. Small world

[this_is_my_story]

Not a Sport:-

 

Darts (Pub Game)

Snooker (See Above)

Pool (see above)

Golf (Someones Hobby...Like saying walking the dog's a sport)

Fishing (See above)

Synchronised swimming (Lassies dancing in water...Is ballroom dancing a sport???)

 

Cricket (Come on, Fat guys can play this Game proffesionally!!)

 

What an odd thing to say.

 

Also, whilst not a great fan of cricket, I'd doubt that it could be played at any sort of pro level without a degree of fitness.

[The Gasman]

But all my dominos trophys still prove that in my younger days I used to be an active sportsman, right ?

[Grumpy]

The Olympic motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius." Latin for "Swifter, Higher, Stronger."

 

Seems a reasonable definition of what should be an Olympic sport to me.

[Hungry hippo]

what? top sport, one of the oldest olympic sports and pretty violent to boot. the fitness required to play polo at a top level is unreal.

 

Don't the horses drown if the water is too deep?

 

a classic gag.

 

New thread required to define 'classic' IMO.

[Tazio]

Dictionary definition from the dictionary on my Mac

 

sport |spɔːt|

noun

1 an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment : team sports such as baseball and soccer |

 

The physical exertion bit being the important part.

[I P Knightley]

Agree with everything MelbourneJambo's said. Laughing at everything Ivana's said.

 

After Usain Bolt set another ridiculous world record a few months back, I had a debate with a complete mentalist (and former Kickbacker), who insisted the 100m wasn't a sport, because what Bolt had done "required no skill". So be careful in any definition you try and set: most people who deny until they're blue in the face that snooker is a sport insist that golf is; but in reality, both are. And I'm happy to go along with what BBC Sport classes as sports too.

 

Laughing uproariously at the humour contained within or laughing with sneering condescension at the lack of insight and composed thought behind the posts?

 

As a bit of a supporter of the BBC, I thought about agreeing with your final comment but then checked the BBC Sports homepage and saw that it has 'Snooker' among the main headings and "Darts" under "Other Sports" so I can't, based on my previous comments, fully agree.

 

How can it be a sport when the standard clobber worn to compete includes your work trousers, a waistcoat and a bow tie?

 

Maybe another clause creeping into my definition is, "you have to get changed out of your pub clothes to partake in the sport" or "after competing in a sport, you ought to have a shower and get changed."

 

I like that.

 

I think I've solved the problem.

[shaun.lawson]

Laughing uproariously at the humour contained within or laughing with sneering condescension at the lack of insight and composed thought behind the posts?

As a bit of a supporter of the BBC, I thought about agreeing with your final comment but then checked the BBC Sports homepage and saw that it has 'Snooker' among the main headings and "Darts" under "Other Sports" so I can't, based on my previous comments, fully agree.

 

How can it be a sport when the standard clobber worn to compete includes your work trousers, a waistcoat and a bow tie?

 

Maybe another clause creeping into my definition is, "you have to get changed out of your pub clothes to partake in the sport" or "after competing in a sport, you ought to have a shower and get changed."

 

I like that.

 

I think I've solved the problem.

 

The former, of course. And yep, the dinner suit and bow tie requirements are just ridiculous. This chap - the man without whom, snooker would never have been anything - had the right idea if you ask me:

 

[david mcgee]

Laughing uproariously at the humour contained within or laughing with sneering condescension at the lack of insight and composed thought behind the posts?

 

As a bit of a supporter of the BBC, I thought about agreeing with your final comment but then checked the BBC Sports homepage and saw that it has 'Snooker' among the main headings and "Darts" under "Other Sports" so I can't, based on my previous comments, fully agree.

 

How can it be a sport when the standard clobber worn to compete includes your work trousers, a waistcoat and a bow tie?

 

Maybe another clause creeping into my definition is, "you have to get changed out of your pub clothes to partake in the sport" or "after competing in a sport, you ought to have a shower and get changed."

 

I like that.

 

I think I've solved the problem.

 

Is it sport when they roll that cheese down the side of a mountain and about 100 nutters try to beat it to the bottom?

 

You would need to change out of your pub clothes, and you would need a shower after competing, so it passes your criteria.

 

Cheese rolling is far closer to being a "real" sport than synchronised swimming in my opinion.

 

You could probably sneek home without taking a shower after synchronised swimming, so it even fails Ivanas rules.

[I P Knightley]

You could probably sneek home without taking a shower after synchronised swimming, so it even fails Ivanas rules.

 

 

I'm not sure I'd be allowed on the bus in my swimming trunks

[david mcgee]

 

I'm not sure I'd be allowed on the bus in my swimming trunks

 

If you tried to get on near Calton Hill youd likely be tossed off.

[wibble]

If you tried to get on near Calton Hill youd likely be tossed off.

 

I got tossed off up near Calton Hill once.

[Bert Le Clos]

What you do can so affect your opponent.

 

If you are playing a guy at darts and he is banging in 180 after 180 and also hitting his doubles first time, you'd feel under pressure due to the way the other guy is performing. Therefore, his/her performance is having an affect on you.

 

Wrong, IMO. It is their lack of ability that affects their performance.

 

I'm not talking about pressure. I'm talking about physically affecting what your opponent can do. If you had to throw darts while being chased by someone trying to tackle you, that would be a sport (actually, that sounds quite interesting!).

 

That was just my opinion though. But going by what you are saying, you could have two artists drawing pictures against each other for 30 seconds each and that would be s sport because if one of them drew a good picture the other would be under pressure?