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What "sports" do you not consider to be sports?

Unspeaked

Unspeaked

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 29, 2003
2,448
1
West Coast
This thread over in the Current Events forum got me thinking about the whole debate over what sports are really sports.

So - what activities that some people call sports do you not consider to be sports yourself?

Let me get the ball rolling with:

Not Sports

Racing (You're just driving a car. Talk about hand eye coordination all you want, but to me it's no different than the afternoon commute.)

Fishing (Sitting in a boat with a six pack is not a sport.)

Poker (Do I even have to explain this one? Sitting on your rear smoking cigars is not a sport, even if you're holding playing cards while doing it.)

Golf (Maybe, just maybe, if you carried your own clubs. Otherwise, walking around and drinking Iced Tea is not a sport.)


Debatably Sports

Pool (You're hitting a ball with a stick. I guess that's kind of like baseball.)

Darts (There's a lot more movement involved than racing...)

Bowling (Arguably very physical.)


Most Certainly Sports

Skateboarding (Grueling, high-risk of injury. This one's as much a sport as any other.)

Ping Pong/Table Tennis (If tennis is a sport, so is this.)
 
Any form of competition can be argued to be considered "sport". Some are organized, some require physical skill, some require mental skill, some utilize props, some use technology, some are individualized, some are team based, some involve physical contact, some make you wealthy, some will drive you broke, some are considered dangerous, some are believed to be completely safe, some pit the individual against nature, etc. etc.

The point is there's no right answer and thus it becomes a matter of individual opinion. And, in a forum like this it will most likely lead to silly arguments.

That being said, in my opinion, all "sports" fall short when compared to:

Rock_paper_scissors.jpg



:D:D:D
 
Unspeaked said:
Not Sports

Racing (You're just driving a car. Talk about hand eye coordination all you want, but to me it's no different than the afternoon commute.)
Click to expand...

Never been in a go-kart? You should read this and this and as much as I don't like left-turn racing, see this.

All of these from a 2 minute google search

- The Lateral G-forces exerted on a driver can be as much as 4.5 G, which means about 25 kg on the neck
- The Longitudinal G-forces exerted on a driver can be as much as 4.5
- Acceleration: to 1G, braking up to 4.5G, cornering up to 3G
- For instance, a F1 car can brake from 185kph to stand still in 3.5seconds and 80 metres (rate of deceleration 4G)
- The heart rate can reach 170 - 190 BPM for example on the starting grid
- During a Grand Prix, the pulse rate of a Formula 1 driver hovers around 160 beats per minute, and has peaks of over 200. The pulse rate of a healthy young man is typically in the region of 60 beats per minute.
- Blood pressure can increase up to 50% whilst racing
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, way off on racing. Sure, it's like driving in traffic. If you have people inches away from your front and rear bumpers and doors. While driving a car with no power steering or A/C. At 200 MPH.

I agree with poker. Why does ESPN show this stuff? Then again, they used to show spelling bees and Magic: The Gathering tournaments.

I don't think table tennis is. In real tennis, you have to run and cover a lot of ground. Not so much in table tennis.
 
Table tennis is not a sport it is an activity. Curling not a sport, or bowling
 
If you have to purchase something which is not "standardized" to a specification found everywhere...its not a sport...its showing who has the best crap.

Take golf or bowling for example.

Both can be played by anyone. But you also can have things custom made for you that give YOU an unfair advantage over someone who either cant afford, or doesnt know about, the object.

Albeit a better driver club or a weighted ball for your twisting right spins.

If its not skills you are showing off, but how you can modify them with something (albeit not steroids, but its not far off) you purchased, its not a sport.
 
anything that requires subjective judging is not a sport, but an exhibition.

activities where there is no significant physical activity (chess, card games, board games, fishing, fussbal)

all "targeting" activities are borderline at best (archery, shooting in any form, darts, bowling, bocce, curling, pool, golf, mini-golf, skee-ball)
 
Sdashiki said:
If you have to purchase something which is not "standardized" to a specification found everywhere...its not a sport...its showing who has the best crap.

Take golf or bowling for example.

Both can be played by anyone. But you also can have things custom made for you that give YOU an unfair advantage over someone who either cant afford, or doesnt know about, the object.

Albeit a better driver club or a weighted ball for your twisting right spins.

If its not skills you are showing off, but how you can modify them with something (albeit not steroids, but its not far off) you purchased, its not a sport.
Click to expand...

so cycling is not a sport? tennis? even track and field use specialized shoes.
 
heehee said:
The point is there's no right answer and thus it becomes a matter of individual opinion.
Click to expand...

You'd be eliminating 75% of the threads here if we got rid of these types of discussions...

;)


heehee said:
Never been in a go-kart? You should read this and this and as much as I don't like left-turn racing, see this.

All of these from a 2 minute google search
Click to expand...

None of those links even change my mind slightly.

Is riding a NASA shuttle a sport? You probably need to be equally fit to do that...


Don't panic said:
anything that requires subjective judging is not a sport, but an exhibition.

activities where there is no significant physical activity (chess, card games, board games, fishing, fussbal)

all "targeting" activities are borderline at best (archery, shooting in any form, darts, bowling, bocce, curling, pool, golf, mini-golf, skee-ball)
Click to expand...

I think you make the best case yet for how to classify sport from non-sport.
 
Anyone who thinks racing isn't a sport should try driving a NASCAR car. At some of the tracks, they do an even where you can pay some money and drive an actual NASCAR race car for a few laps around the track. If your upper body isn't in great shape, you will be worn out. I can't imagine doing it for several hours straight with several other cars inches away from you.
 
There was a time when I raced shifter karts, and spent more than a few weekends at the track in full sized vehicles, and it's definitely not a 'weekend drive'. In the karts, I've lost as much as ten pounds in the Texas heat racing over the course of a day.

I'm not saying it makes me some sort of athlete, but it's definitely physically strenuous. And usually my sessions on the track were an hour or less in duration. I don't know how the professionals do it.
 
Sports
- Racing, although I'm not a huge fan of Nascar or anything.
- Vollyball, I suck at it.
- Rock Climbing

Not Sports IMO
- Ribbon dancing, lol. (Love that Bernie Mac episode)
- Chess
- Poker (Some one stated earlier)
- Billiards / Darts
- Bowling, I used to bowl on a team definitely not a sport.
- Rollerderby...
- Figure skating
 
Elixer said:
Sports
- Racing, although I'm not a huge fan of Nascar or anything.
- Vollyball, I suck at it.
- Rock Climbing

Not Sports IMO
- Ribbon dancing, lol. (Love that Bernie Mac episode)
- Chess
- Poker (Some one stated earlier)
- Billiards / Darts
- Bowling, I used to bowl on a team definitely not a sport.
- Rollerderby...
- Figure skating
Click to expand...
Devils advocate, if figure skating isn't a sport where does that leave hockey?
 
Don't panic said:
so cycling is not a sport? tennis? even track and field use specialized shoes.
Click to expand...

they arent fair sports at all...its more about being able to show whats the best equipment, not the best person.

this doesnt take away from athletic abilities, but it certainly fails to show them off properly.
 
American Football, since it's just a bunch of corporate-driven, silly neanderthals clobbering and playing grab-ass with each other.
 
MattG said:
American Football, since it's just a bunch of corporate-driven, silly neanderthals clobbering and playing grab-ass with each other.
Click to expand...

I agree that it's too corporate driven, but it's pretty hard to argue against the level of athleticism required to perform at that level. I have the same view of the NBA.
 
Those people who don't consider ping pong a sport because they think you don't run while playing clearly don't know what playing competitive ping pong is like. I get a real workout playing against good players.
 
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