It's Not A Sport

Cup stacking

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sat, 24 May 2008 14:53:00 +0000

Cup Stacking is NOT a sport.

Some examples speedstacking Video (Emily fox) I feel like a saw a higher quality version of this video previously.

None the less, it's just too weird to be considered a sport.

Impressive, but not sport.

Rock Climbing

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:00:00 +0000

For quite some time I was unsure about this one.

It takes physical effort, it has a serious risk of injury and it's not judged.

It sounds like a sport. But it isn't

Rock climbing is NOT a sport. There is no winner, it's just you verses the mountain, so it just isn't a sport.

Then you have the variation of "rock wall climbing" that isn't even all that hard, I mean, the bolted handholds and footholds right on there for you. where is the sport in that ?? I'll tell you where :

Nowhere, cause it's just not a sport.

Peat Bog Diving

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Fri, 09 May 2008 16:50:00 +0000

Peat Bog Diving is not a sport.

There really shouldn't be any debate on this one.

So if anybody posts a comment disputing this below, I would take a moment right now to call them an idiot.

If you are personalty unsure about the issue, viewing this movie of peat bog diving should really be more than enough to prove my point. Although, I feel like the should have been able to find a bog deep enough that they could have actually immersed them selves in.

skiing (judged)

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 01:35:00 +0000

Judged skiing is not a sport.

It's important here to understand the distinction. True skiing is a completive sport . What is at issue is the judged variations. Even at the Olympics , ( or perhaps even more so where politics can enter the equation) The difference between top competitors is only established by the narrow opinion of a few judges. If the winner is selected because the Ski the course in the best time or jump the farthest distance then that is a different issue. But when the winner is selected because he (or she) has more "style" then another .... that defeats the whole point.

It's not a sport.

Bullfighting

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 13:03:00 +0000

Bullfighting is not a sport.

Besides the basic fact that in involves animals, it's just pain mean. Not to mention a little weird.

To some respects this "event" calls back to ancient times where roman masses were appeased by the frequent display of bloodsports in the Coliseum. I'd think it was a fair fight if the bull had much of a chance. but clearly he doesn't because while the fighter might wear his list of injurys like a badge of honor, It doesn't appear that the bull ever survives to take on a second opponent.

Bodybuilding

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 11:26:00 +0000

Bodybuilding is not a sport.

True, it is competitive. But it is judged and at the limits, it is clearly weird
This is particularly true for female body building. ( some of the top competitors , jacked full of male hormones have lost an premise of what it is to look female. If you need genetic testing to prove the sex of the competitor, then you have serious problems. )

But male bodybuilding should not be exempted. The winner is always subjective, and the dietary regiments that the winners perform (even when they are not pumping steroids ) is more than enough to qualify the whole event as 'weird' ..

NOT A SPORT

Qualifications : Handicapped sports

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 11:20:00 +0000

I'm not talking about the special Olympics or other sports for the handicapped (although that is another problem in itself) I am talking about sports where a poor competitor is given an advantage over the better ones "just to make it fair"

Golf and Sailboat races where the competitor is given a handicap to somehow level the playing field. At least they don't do this at the top levels. But were is the spirit of competition when the results of your previous achievements are used against you on the next challenge?

Qualifications : No Grade Inflation

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 03:04:00 +0000

There is an epidemic particularly in children's competition where children are given the impression that they perform at adult levels. Eight year olds are given black belts ( and take part in judged completions) What does that even mean? I'm sure that it gives the child a lot of self esteem, but how can such classifications have any meaning when compared to adult class competitors.

To some respect this is a correctly of the children's sports like Tball where no score is kept and no winner is announced.

Qualifications : No winner or Loser

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 02:57:00 +0000

Things people do as personal challenges like rock climbing or skydiving. It might be an exhilarating experience, but it is not sport. The same would be the case for any de-sportified event that they have children play. (baseball or soccer where no score is kept )

To be a sport, there must be a winner, and if there is a winner, it is required that somebody loses. If you don't have that, it's not competitive, and it's not sport.

Qualifications : No animals

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 11:21:00 +0000

A real sport does not rely on animals.

All manner of "sports" where the the real effort is that of an animal. This is includes things like Horse racing, harness racing, polo, dog racing. Fox hunting ( combines the efforts of horses and dogs at the expense of a fox for the glory of humans ) In these sports the human acts as more of a coach to the animal (kicking it to make it go faster etc.. ) rather than using their own effort to defeat challengers.

This particular point is the subject of some debate. I feel the point is that with the possible exception of horse racing ( where the actual animal is given credit for the win) non of these should be considered sports. (dog racing is just too mean to be considered. ( how many other sports require whole charities to crop up just to support the retired athletes ? )

Qualifications : No Wierd stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 03:22:00 +0000

A sport can not be really weird.

This criteria disqualifies all manor of weird things as sports. Curling is only one of eight things the that the Olympics consider a "winter sport".... Men sweeping the ice instead of a rock ?? as a sport ?? At least it's not judged. In Afghanistan they play buzkashi (in fact it's the national sport). This "sport" involves riders on horses trying to get control of a headless goat carcass.

Insane

buzkashi

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 03:08:00 +0000

buzkashi is NOT a sport.

What is it ?? It is that weird thing the afghans play. It's kinda like polo with a goat carcass.

First it's just too weird. I mean it is more like something out of Borat than what you could possibly believe is real game people play.

Robot Wars

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sun, 28 Oct 2007 02:31:00 +0000

Robot Wars is Not a sport.

I mean really ? are you kidding me ?

It's not physical , There is no risk of injury (unless of course a robot explodes and injures spectators) and it's all about the Machines.

Franky the whole thing has always annoyed me. The name doesn't even really work. They aren't even robots they are just remote controlled toys. While they might be cool looking, when you describe a robot (at least in my mind) I think of a self controlled thing. Not a mechanical toy controlled by a radio remote.

At least the the competition isn't normally judged. Usually the winner disables or in some quantifiable way, outperforms the other.

Bicycle Racing

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 20:43:00 +0000

In spite of the fact that it violates the No Machines rule Bicycle Racing is a sport.

The best proof if the point I can think of was when the summer Olympics was in LA. An American cyclist was challenged by a German or French cyclist. In spite of the fact that the American had a high tech bike with the newest composite wheels and frame, he was unable to defeat the European with the more classic bike design.

So, at least at that time it was a test of the abilities of the man, not the machine. As long as that is still the factor tested then I would consider it a sport.

Qualifications : No Machines

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 19:59:00 +0000

This argument is used to disqualify sports like competitive shooting ( pistols or rifles) , archery auto racing (again) or the mental sports (chess, other competitive boardgames). This argument works for somethings but not for others. Many of these things, like shooting require a lot of skill even and physical effort from the competitor. Sailing requires strength and skill but it really is the machine that wins the race. ( It requires BOTH a good crew and a good boat to win a race) Exemptions are granted for simple machines like clubs, bats or rackets. A purest might even challenge these.

I can't say that I agree 100% with the premise that if a machine is used that it's not a sport. but it clearly could be an indicator. I think it is more complicated.

Bicycle racing : Is a sport
Robot Wars: Not a sport

Qualifications : Mainstream

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 10:29:00 +0000

A sport should be mainstream.

This is a rather subjective criteria, basically the argument is if it doesn't draw an audience , it shouldn't be considered a sport. The big sports draw huge crowds in stadiums and in TV viewers. (Football, Baseball, Basketball, etc.. ) The problem with this criteria, is that if a new thing WAS a sport then it would not be considered a sport until it gained enough popularity to pass this imagery line of popularity. But within this point is the internal suggestion that the reason this or that doesn't pull an audience is that it's not really a sport. Soccer from an American perspective fails this test.

Qualifications : Judged sports

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 11:06:00 +0000

Figure skating, Mogul skiing , Most of the "extreme sports". (skateboarding, snowboarding) I think the most basic reason I feel this way is that when I watch these sports and see the judged results, I frequently find myself puzzled as to why one competitor is jugged as better than another. It gets worse when it appears that political concerns have played a part in the judges position. ( this was a big controversy in recent Olympics ). I have a lot of trouble supporting a competition where there is no measurable criteria to judge winners. ( highest score, fasted time, longest distance or greatest weight. ) (bodybuilding,boxing)

It should be apparent to all that watch who the better competitor is. You shouldn't need a special eye or a frame-by-frame camera to see who the winner is. To win in a true sport, the ball goes in the hole or hoop or you cross the line first. In a true sport somebody is clearly faster/better/more enduring.

Qualifications : Physical Effort

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:10:00 +0000

A sport must require great Physical effort.

This is argument is used to disqualify things like chess, poker and auto racing (NASCAR etc.) I have herd people use this argument against golf as well. The problem with that particular point is that golf requires both precision and physical effort. OK it's not like basketball well the player must maintain a high level of effort for a long time but it's not easy to smack a golf ball 300 yards. Sports car racing is also physically demanding.
This argument is used to disqualify sports like competitive shooting ( pistols or rifles) , archery auto racing (again) or the mental sports (chess, other competitive boardgames). This argument works for somethings but not for others. Many of these things, like shooting require a lot of skill even and physical effort from the competitor.

Embedded in this point is the idea that you must be in good physical shape to excel in this sport. If you can be successful in the sport while grossly obese, then it probably isn't a sport.

Master List of sports and Non-sports

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:20:00 +0000

(this is a work in progress, this list will be updated as justified)
Not a sport

bodybuilding
buzkashi
bullfighting
bronco riding
chess/checkers + other board games
completive eating
curling
cup stacking
dog racing
figure skating
fishing
Fox hunting
Horse racing
harness racing
peat bog diving
rock climbing
robot wars
skiing (judged)
weightlifting
water polo

Sport

Bicycle Racing
Football
Basketball
Soccer
Skiing (only if not judged)
baseball
polo

Sport/Not Sport (debate continues)

NASCAR
golf
sailing

Qualifications : Risk of Injury

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 14:13:00 +0000

To qualify for "sport-dom" a sport must not only be physical but it must contain in it some risk of injury.

This does not mean that things that contain that risk, are automatically sports. Rock climbing and figure skating contain this risk , but they are not sports. Football, with players frequently pulled from the field on a stretcher and ambulances staged at high school football games ( just in case) clearly contains more than enough risk to justify it's sport-ness.

Wabc Radio's Warner Wolf on what is not a sport

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 02:25:00 +0000

Just a few days ago I herd WABC's Curtis Sliwa ranting about how Warner Wolf says hot dog eating just isn't a sport. The same goes for pie eating, hot pepper eating and any other does not consider to be sports. One of the items mentioned is a favorite of Curtis's , Competitive hot dog eating. ( how many Nathans hot dogs can you eat) I have to say that I agree with Warner on this on. It might be a contest, but its also just weird.

These are easy to disqualify because they fail both the "a fat out of shape man can win this contest " test and the "It's just plain weird" test.

I can't see much of an argument on these.

Undisputed sports

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:04:00 +0000

dictionary.com gives us:

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.

I like the first part of the definition "requiring skill or physical prowess" but I don't like the next part "often of a competitive nature". To me SPORT implies competition. Missing from the enumerated list are other "arena sports" (sports that draw large audiences) like Football, Basketball and Soccer.

Present in the list are items that I don't 100% agree on. (hunting and fishing). And I know people that do not consider golf to be a sport.

Part of the problem is the various meanings of the word sport. Lower down the list of definitions is:

diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.

Clearly this is what is meant when someone talks about a Sport Utility Vehicle or Sports Car. Here we are using sport to refer to recreation, not specific competitive sport. For the purposes of this discussion I will consider "Sport" to mean "a competitive athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess."

Chess, Poker, Checkers and Scrabble

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 00:30:00 +0000

These are not sports. They are games of skill. They are not physical challenges. I am not auguring that these are easy to play. (although computers can give even the best players a run for the money on all of these) It can take a lot of skill but its not physical. Don't give me any of this "it takes stamina to play poker effectively in a 12 to 15 hour per day tournament." That may be true, but as far as I am concerned, any game that can be won by a fat guy with a beer belly is not a sport.

As far as I am concerned, that settles it.

Only, does the same apply to competitive eating ?

Qualifications for being a sport

noreply@blogger.com (Russell) — Sun, 24 Jun 2007 00:15:00 +0000

What is a sport ?

The basic debate might not be resolvable but it certainly has spirited some debate among my friends. In this initial posting I will setup the basic criteria for later discussion.

Some Ideas:

A sport must require great Physical effort.

A sport should also contain some risk of injury.

A true sport is not judged

A true sport is mainstream

No Machines

No Animals

No Weird Stuff

A Sport must have a winner

A true sport does not suffer Grade Inflation

Handicapped competitions do not count as sports.

In future posts I will attempt to take a look at specific sports and make the case that they should be de-listed as a sport.