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What makes something a sport?

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Which one of these isn't a sport?
Hockey
  
0% [ 0 ]
Ice Dancing
  
71% [ 5 ]
Golf
  
29% [ 2 ]
Total votes: 7
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yovargas
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 3:43 am
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Lord_Morningstar wrote:
We did a debate on the subject of sport once. I'd argue that there are two elements -

1. Competition
2. Results based on physical strength, fitness or skill
Video games fit.


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The OG Borry
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Judged sports arent sports, thats just it. Marching band, dancing, floor gymnastics all not sports. If you have a pre-set plan and are just remembering "two steps left, jump, spin twice, land, four steps, jump..." thats not a sport! It is athletic and I sure as heck cant do it, but its not the same as any other sport. Theres no room for the creativity necessary in other sports. You mess up in dancing, say you fall what do you do? You get up and continue with your routine hoping that youll hold onto enough points to win, in hockey you lose a goal, you can score two to win. Plus if a judge determines the outcome of a match thats just wrong if you cant discern between 12 different peoples exact same routine and need a "professional" to judge each little thing....ridiculous

I dont think golf is a sport either, its just weird...

Horse jumping, well I like the analogy between horse jumping and dog walking. They walk the dog around little obstacles, except in horse jumping youre riding a real big dog, not a sport.
Yeah so i started rambling and totally lost my train of thought...multiple times....:-D
Borry


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Lord_Morningstar
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 4:10 am
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Physical (strength, fitness or skill) rahter than (physical strength), fitness or skill.

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Anthriel
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 4:26 am
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Quote:
They walk the dog around little obstacles, except in horse jumping youre riding a real big dog, not a sport.
:Q

A 1200 lb. "dog". With a brain not much bigger than a dog's, and instincts that make focused concentration difficult. At least on the animal's part. A good rider makes a huge difference. But it takes YEARS of training to be good.

Racing at up to 20 miles an hour. Over fences 4 feet tall, where timing and skill and strength and balance and eyesight and split-second decisions and strategy and plain old fashioned guts count. Where mistakes are potentially deadly. Christopher Reeve was paralyzed jumping horses. And he's not the only one I know of. Anyone you know been paralyzed trotting Fifi around the show ring?

It's timed, for an objective measurement, and tenths of seconds count. If you tie with someone else? They raise the jump heighth, and you do it again. If you can.

Olympic jumpers jump fences up to SIX FEET TALL. That's insanity. Horses who physically can do such a thing are rare. Horses who can physically do such a thing and then be trained to do it well are freaks. People who will ride these powerkeg giants over such amazing courses are... well, they're just crazy.


It's a bit different than walking the poodle around little obstacles. :Q


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Holbytla
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 4:35 am
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Skillz, sports, whatevah. Its all semantics.
Any that compete at a competitive level need to be praised.
They are the best at what they do.
You cannot compare cycling to skeet shooting.
Apples to oranges.

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Eruname
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 5:17 am
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some of those kids could not run a quarter of a mile in gym .... .... what a joke ....
Bull. You'd be suprised how difficult it can be, especially the harder programs. You can't breathe normally because you're blowing all of your air into an instrument, you have to walk very quickly (around 4.5mph I'd say), yet extremely smoothly, do some running during the show, not to mention holding an instrument up that weighs anywhere from 6 to 60 pounds....mocking it shows you don't know anything about it. Or you haven't paid attention to what real marching band is nowdays. Maybe way back when you were in school it was just marching in a straight line up and down the field. It's not like that anymore. It's tough and a good workout. I always remember my friends who participated in DCI (Drum Corp International) losing weight and coming back buff (according to bodybuilding.com, I would burn 762 calories per practice session. The kids who do drum corp probably practice 6-8 hours a day). Here's a good clip for you to watch: Click

So you don't consider marching band a sport. I wouldn't either though it definately contains elements of sport. But at least have some respect. If I could, I'd challenge you to go out and work with those guys. I've seen people who make fun of marching band been put to that test and they come away with their minds changed and with respect for the kids who choose to do it.

Last edited by Eruname on Fri 24 Feb , 2006 5:59 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Lord_Morningstar
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 5:30 am
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I wouldn't really consider marching band a sport because it's the muscial rather than physical talents of the participants that decides winners.

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halplm
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 5:40 am
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sport involves physical activity and competition.

Ask anyone that goes to Ohio state about "dotting the I" and you'll hear how marching band is a sport...

of course, you can make the definition too broad...

I can tell you serious foosball players are quite physical and competative... does that make it a sport? i don't think so...

Golf is only a sport if you don't ride a cart ;)

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Eruname
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Lord_Morningstar wrote:
I wouldn't really consider marching band a sport because it's the muscial rather than physical talents of the participants that decides winners.
That's not correct. Both are equally important. A marching band could play beautifully but if their sets look like crap and they are out of step, that would be considered a very bad performance.

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Lord_Morningstar
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Erunáme wrote:
Lord_Morningstar wrote:
I wouldn't really consider marching band a sport because it's the muscial rather than physical talents of the participants that decides winners.
That's not correct. Both are equally important. A marching band could play beautifully but if their sets look like crap and they are out of step, that would be considered a very bad performance.
Still, the fundamental purpose of a band is to produce music. They would still be a band if they were all sitting down, but not if they were marching without instruments.

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TheEllipticalDisillusion
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 6:39 am
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Let's not get to bogged down in: it's hard, I did it, it was taxing, you coud die,you can't do it, ipso facto it is arguably a sport.

Mountain climbing is physically taxing and you can fall to your death... does this make it a sport?

I think some of the best definitive aspects have been contest (competition), physicality and judgement.

I go skiing every year, but I wouldn't consider it a sport even though it is very taxing on my legs, I spend long lengths of time in the cold and if I hit a tree I could die. I'm not competing against anyone, and no one is judging me.

By the way, don't get too hung up on the poll. I just picked those because they are vastly different than each other. It bears little weight to the argument.

How do video games fit the physical skill aspect of L_M's definition, yova? It looks like a bit of a stretch to me, but I'm willing to hear you out.

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Wilma
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 11:43 am
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For sports that are judged then half pipe snowboarding or skateboarding is out the window since the turns and flips are jusdged. Slalom where the turns are judged that would be out the window too.
What about Faster higher stronger? Are there oppourtunities for these 3 things in horse jumping, figure skating and snowboarding? Heck even speedskating has judging to a degree since it has a ref. Same thing with hockey and football. Someone has to decide how well or how badly something is done whether it's a false start or a triple axel. Someone in soccor(football) decides who gets a red card or a yellow card.

Is curling a sport?

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sauronsfinger
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 12:46 pm
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Marching band is an exhibition that is sometimes judged. It takes talent and skill and lots of rehearsal just like a broadway play. The kids make a valuable contribution to the school and it is a wonderful activity.

Video games --- gimme a break. Just the suggestion of that as a sport is hilarious.

Pro wrestling is an exhibition that is rehearsed just like ice dancing or figure skating.

I would agree with others that simply do not like judged events. A true sport should have you in competition with others or at least a clock where the subjective evaluation of others do not determine the winners or losers.

Some of these things that are more exhibitions are entirely strenuous and require skill or talent. No argument about that. But they are not sport.

And Eruname, I taught in school for 33 years --- I have seen kids in band, taught them, and can also see what shape they are in. Many work hard and have talent but please do not confuse them with athletes in sport. It is apples and cinder blocks.

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Wilma
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 12:54 pm
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With figure skating there is competition with others not next to each but it's still there. Similar situation with horse jumping when it comes to that. With the magic of video tape I would love to see some elements of figure skating done.

SF did you have marching band? I think what Eru is getting at is marching band is different from just band. There was a movie about a marching band. I forget the name of it. :scratch:

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yovargas
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 1:00 pm
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I don't think video games are a sport, but I think they fit LM's definition. Many are competitions mostly based on physical skill (even if it is physical skill with just your fingers). This is especially true for fighting and shooting games (say, Soul Calibur and Halo).


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TheMary
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 1:28 pm
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SF just thinks he's right because he was a teacher when the reality of the situation is he's wrong. Whatever marching band he recalls (however many years ago) obviously wasn't any good because a good marching band no matter the size of it's memebers (:roll:) is very physical and you need to be in pretty good shape to keep up. Not only are you moving around the field forwards, backwards, contorting your body but you're also playing your instrument. Most of you would probably pop an eyeball trying to play the flute sitting down let alone hold one as you move around a field on tip toes backwards.

SF, talk to me after you've spent 10 hours outside in 95 degree weather mid-August in constant motion for two weeks. Yes, I speak of.....band camp :D

Racecar driving is not a sport. The only physical thing about that is when your car flips over and you are rolling around in a ball of fire. Unless someone can prove me wrong. It takes mad skills to drive a car that fast in such close proximity to other cars but I fail to see how that is athletic.

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Wilma
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 1:36 pm
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I am thinking for some people there is a difference between athleticism and sport for some people.

I just keep remebering dancing with the stars and how some thought it would be a walk in the park until they dropped 20 pounds and have six packs (yes one person actually got a six pack).

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TheMary
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 1:37 pm
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So are the Olympics not sports then?? They are after all judged.

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yovargas
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 1:45 pm
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TheMary wrote:
So are the Olympics not sports then?? They are after all judged.
I don't count many of them as sports, particularly the ice dancing type stuff. Just cuz it's physically demanding/difficult doesn't automatically qualify you as a sport. IMO, of course!


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Wolfgangbos
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Posted: Fri 24 Feb , 2006 1:48 pm
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I'd say certain olympic events count as sports. Hockey, the 100 meter dash, the shot put, etc... But any athletic event that requires an entirely subjective judgement of the athletes just doesn't qualify as a sport in my mind.

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