What is a "sport?"

[Stephen]

Where is the defense in golf? Yet, that is very much a sport. The challenge of hunting is actually finding the animal. So if you want to get detailed, the woods itself could be defense. Even more so when your hunting somthing that are 1 or 2 every like 200 acres. And as far as points go, read about antler scoring somtime. While its not what drives all hunters...it does drive many.

[Fsiphskilm]

You guys..

[Nate]

[quote="termyt"]A sport has four requirements. You must be a part of a team, there must be a “ball,â€

[Stephen]

It only fits two of termyt's four requirements therefore not a sport.

And at what point did this become the golden measure for whats a sport? I think Keanu Reeves is a decent actor. Does that make him a good actor? Heck no. Read around on the movie board for common view on that. I guess what I failed to realise is that this thread is one persons tainted views of what are and what are not sports.

[Roy Mustang]

Here is the real Definition of Sport.

Sport= Any activity that can lead to losing a body part or using foul language when your team loses or when you lose at the activity that you are playing.

Wingzero22

[Maledicte]

Here is the real Definition of Sport.

Sport= Any activity that can lead to losing a body part or using foul language when your team loses or when you lose at the activity that you are playing.

Wingzero22

wahoo I like that one.

Of course I am in fact a girl but that fact does not shield me from one of Shatterheart's rampages....

Hunting, I believe, was not a sport--it was survival. Survival is not fun unless you are masochistic.

However, when dun-dun-daaaah! civilization came along, along with rich people with nothing to do, hunting became a sport. People hunted in teams, and yes, they did have seasons for it. The "ball" in this instance was the animal, i.e. a boar, fox, etc. Sometimes they even brought the animal themselves and let it loose so that it could at least ATTEMPT to run away before they beat the tar out of it. No I am not an animal rights activist but that is the truth.

Hunting nowadays would be defined with a different "sport", as in doing things "for sport". to me it's just like a combination of hide and seek and treasure hunt, with a dose of tag and (insert title of first player shooter PC game here).

*runs away*

[VioletEyedCat]

And at what point did this [termyt's definition]become the golden measure for whats a sport? I think Keanu Reeves is a decent actor. Does that make him a good actor? Heck no. Read around on the movie board for common view on that. I guess what I failed to realise is that this thread is one persons tainted views of what are and what are not sports.

I know- it seems kinda odd that we are being a bit defensive about termyt's defintion. Believe me, that wasn't the case at first. I argued tooth and nail in defence of my personal definition of 'sport' as the last few pages will show. But, since most definitions of things are relative to the experiences each of us have had in life, it's very hard for people to agree on one single definition of a word. Perhaps some of us (who this 'us' is, I'll never know), including myself, have found termyt's def. to be particularly insightful and well thought out, and have adopted it as our own. If you wish to defend an alternative def. of 'sport', go on ahead. I'd love to chat.

[Stephen]

*shrug* I suppose I would only argue over somthing I had experience with. Thus I really don't feel the need to further explain why hunting is a sport. If you think otherwise, thats fine. I won't force my views on you.

But, since most definitions of things are relative to the experiences each of us have had in life, it's very hard for people to agree on one single definition of a word

Bingo. I would question how someone would call somthing leisure if they have never done it before. It would be like saying weight lifting is easy having never lifted a dumbell in your life....But, I am done. I won't post anymore on this. There is so much hatred towards hunting in this country anymore that hunters are treated like crap...so its no shock that there sport is looked down on, or seen as "easy" But anyway. I shall go back to posting on my horror threads on the movie board *laughs*

[termyt]

Well, I don't think he was saying it wasn't a sport because it was cruel, he was saying it wasn't a sport because it doesn't fit the definitions.

There isn't a credible defense in hunting...unless you had a second guy running in front of the animal to "block" the other hunter's bullet...then it would have a credible defense, but then it really WOULD be cruel and inhumane.

Also, there's no quantitative scoring...well, I guess whoever shoots the animal that weighs the most would get the most points, but I don't know...I know they rank deer by the number of "points," but not all hunting involves deer.

But it doesn't fit the "credible defense" requirement, so by the established definitions, it isn't a sport.

Bingo. And no, golf isn't a sport, either. Trees are not a credible defense, they don't even move on their own. All you have to do is miss them. That doesn’t even factor in that a tree is totally incapable of planning how best to defend against you.

Hunting for “sportâ€

[olorc]

Sport= Any activity that can lead to losing a body part or using foul language when your team loses or when you lose at the activity that you are playing.

hmmm...where does syncronized bowling fall?

[termyt]

I hate to think of the body parts one may loose doing that.

[Mizumi-Kun]

In my definition, a sport is a physical activity done competitively. I used to play soccer, fence, kick-box and box, and sprint before my heart problems stopped me. And if you noticed, only one of those you played with a ball and play on a team, but all the other are sports as well.

[termyt]

Well, that is the point of this thread. And for the record, by my stated definitions, the foil in fencing would definitely count as a ball. You can make a similar argument for the boxing gloves, especially in international competition where scoring is based on the front of the glove making contact. Even still, it fails the team condition.

However, interestingly enough, you have mentioned three athletic competitions that I feel come the closest to "sports" without quite making it. All three utilize all the areas of a good sport except team work. One may say the use of credible defense is greater here then in many acknowledged sports, such as soccer.

But you just can't overstate the importance of teamwork in making a true sport. The idea that one needs more than just one's self in order to succeed is one of the most important lessons we learn from sports.