What defines a sport?

Bozman

Purely down to a few arguments raised by SPOTY.
Would/should horse racing be classed as a sport if you weren't lowed to gamble?
Golf....it's a walk in the park
Cycling - if you don't race, it's not a sport!

greasedscotsman

Cycling isn't a sport, it's a way of life.

DIESELDOG

Something that you eat at the end of the "Sport".

Love n hugs

DD

graham.

Well. The best definition Iv'e heard is based on the relative fitness of the spectators to the players, ie which group has the higher level.

So. Football, cycling, swimming. = Sport.
Snooker, darts, bowls. = Game.
Graham.

nevman

Something that can be objectively measured eg timed,highest score etc
Short track ice skating= sport
Ice dancing/synchro swimming=not sport
Games, doesnt neccessarily mean it isnt a sport but its hard to draw a distinction between say darts and chess,table tennis and table football?
Err,its quite complicated isnt it?

Bozman

I apologise for the way the post was written, 1 to many in the pub lastnight, the subject was brought up because of the Alan Brazil comments and a few ideas came out but there was no definative answer.

Chrissz

Sports are institutionalised competitive activities that involve vigorous physical exertion or the use of relatively complex physical skills by individuals whose participation is motivated by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors.

J J Coakley 1994 Sport in Society: Issues and Controversies pp21

Not a perfect definition but it can be used to argue that some things are sports, while others are activities

Tom Butcher

I think anything competitive where there is a defined set of rules and that depends on physical ability is a sport - so if you wanted you could turn standing on one leg for the longest into a sport. I'd say darts is a sport, table football is a sport - chess is a game, going for a long walk is neither unless I'm racing someone else in which case it is a sport.

pb21

sport Pronunciation (spôrt, sprt)
n.
1.
a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
b. A particular form of this activity.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
3. An active pastime; recreation.
4.
a. Mockery; jest: He made sport of his own looks.
b. An object of mockery, jest, or play: treated our interests as sport.
c. A joking mood or attitude: She made the remark in sport.
5.
a. One known for the manner of one's acceptance of rules, especially of a game, or of a difficult situation: a poor sport.
b. Informal One who accepts rules or difficult situations well.
c. Informal A pleasant companion: was a real sport during the trip.
6. Informal
a. A person who lives a jolly, extravagant life.
b. A gambler at sporting events.
7. Biology An organism that shows a marked change from the normal type or parent stock, typically as a result of mutation.
8. Maine See summercater. See Regional Note at summercater.
9. Obsolete Amorous dalliance; lovemaking.

Smokin Joe

Anything that appears on the back pages of the newspapers.

All this "My pastime is a sport, yours isn't" is just pure snobbery.

shockedsoshocked

Kenny Powers plays real sport.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=De7rbB2bteE

oldhairylegs

Somebody down the pub said that if you have to change your shoes to do it/play it/ride it etc, then it's a sport.

And if you don't, then it isn't.

Sounded like a decent argument, but then I may have been a bit worse for wear at the time.....