What Is a Sport to You?
by Sanjay Kumar
According to Wikipedia.com, “Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors.”
So from this detailed definition of sport, is Xbox Live gaming a sport?
It is governed by a set of rules, and is most of the time competitive.
Granted their is no physical requirement in the world of on-line video games, but there is no doubt some level of mental aptitude necessary to be victorious.
A person that plays chess and eventually becomes a grand master…do they qualify as an athlete?
Or a golfer that is grossly overweight, and does nothing physical except for his swing?
There is no doubt that the interpretation of what is a sport is going to vary by person, but we can all agree that a sport is a competitive event that people gather for.
Typically sports have fans that cheer for a team or individual. Well in the World Series of Poker, people gather to watch the participants climb up the ladder to win the jackpot.
Some even cheer for certain players they like for whatever reason it is.
As I said above, I believe that a sport is an event that is in a competitive environment with people attending, whether it be at someone’s house to watch their friend play Halo 3, to watching their favorite player win Wimbledon.
A sport is what you make it. Shuffleboard at a bar may not require athletic skill, but it’s unbelievably fun, attracts people to watch the games and really get into it. Rounds are played, people win and lose. It’s all a game.
In other words in my view a sport equates to a game in its simplest sense, and is what you make of it.
Here is the full article. Do you agree with the author?
My definition:
a sport is an activity during which 2 or more competitors compete and in so doing starts to sweat a lot.
🙂
Do I agree with the author? No, I don’t. Dictionary definitions can be misleading sometimes. Sports, by most people are interpreted as something physical, regardless what the dictionary states.
Chess is an intellectual activity and/or game.
Anon # 1.
I agree. I sweat alot when I compete every nigh to see who can make the little man in the boat happy.
News Flash Chess Fans!
Chess has lost a great ally today!
Bozo the Clown is officially dead!
http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/07/03/obit.bozo.ap/index.html
Call Slaon, Robers, Laughety, Goichi, Aleri, and Motor-head.
They have lost a family member.
Nope. Golf, tennis, and Chess are all games and not sports. What’s the main distinction between a game and a sport? The crowd.
To be more specific, the noise the crowd gets to make. In basketball the crowd screams when players are at the free throw line. In golf and tennis, everyone has to shut up.
Chess is a sport.
Chess players are not athletes, they are sportsmen and sportswomen.
As long as ESPN televises the hot dog eating contest, the most inclusive definition of “sports” seems appropriate.