I was having a discussion with some friends this morning about sports. The question came up, what is the requirement to qualify as a sport? One response was:
"Well, let’s figure it out. It’s got to be athletic and competitive. Not by score alone by judges, but by defeat of another athlete or team of athletes. Boxing is the only tricky one here because there can be a winner without a knockout and I consider that a sport. May be the exception to the rule. Whadda ya think?"
That's tricky, because what about that crazy ski jumping? How about snowboarding halfpipe? I don't know if i have the answer. I look at golf and think it's more of a game, but then again, you do need to have some athletic prowess.
I know we usually do politics here, and i might be the only one here who cares about this question, but if anyone out there has an opinion, lets hear it.
21 comments:
yeah seamoors, that's what a lot of non-athletes would say.
getlive, these guys are sick athletes, better than a lot of traditional sport athletes, like baseball players. And then how about ping pong? its athletic, its directly against a competitor. Do we call that a sport but not snowboarding?
sick shape? No sea, i said they're sick athletes. And the things they do couldn't be done by 99% of the population. I think you have to consider snowboard halfpipe a sport. same with skateboarding, and the vert ramp bike stuff, and a bunch of the other x-games stuff. The problem for me is when you start talking about figure skating. I mean these people are athletes, but i can't see calling it a sport. It's like dancing. i know it's hypocritical of me, so i'm trying to figure out a way to reconcile it.
we don't talk about those days....... but no that's not why.
If you sweat, someone will probably call it a sport. NASCAR takes skill but if you can turn on air conditioning to spell your sweat, than it's probably not a sport but a hobby...albeit an expensive redneck hobby.
that would be cool if those cars had air conditioning!
You know maybe that's the answer, maybe it's ok because we catagorize it.
Motor sports/team sports, etc. like when seamoors and getlive do their ice dancing routine we can call it fruit sports.....
An athlete is someone who wears expensive foot gear...expensive foot gear allows you to get athlete's foot...thus having athlete's foot makes you an athlete.
I think the term athlete is subjective. Anyone can be an athlete if they compete in a sport. It doesn't mean they're good athletes, or world class athletes, but a professional hockey player isn't more of an athlete than a professional ski jumper, or a skate boarder. All of these things require agility (most important in my opinion) and strength, and speed. they require hand i coordination and or quick reflexes. So again, anyone can be an athlete, but a world class or professional athlete is a different story.
True dat Rhino, in fact I'm Tiger Woods! But while we are on this topic, since you always dis baseball, I wanted to ask you this question. Could a three hundred pound lineman or you for that matter, even make contact with a 97 mph slider from a professional baseball player? Wouldn't someone that could not just make contact but also drive a ball thrown like that, be a world class athlete?
personally, i can't hit the slow in the slow pitch batting cage, but i don't play baseball. I never did, always thought it was kind of boring. To me having that hand eye coordination isn't really athletic. It's like skeet shooting, those guys don't have to be athletic, but i bet most baseball players that don't shoot regularly couldn't hit those clay pidgeons.
Now if you ask me if baseball is a sport, of course i think it is, but theres more to baseball than just hitting. That's why i think a lot of pitchers especially are not good athletes. Some of them can't run, almost all of them can't hit to save their lives, and a lot of them are bad fielders. In football, a 300 pound offensive lineman has to fend off a 300 pound defensive lineman, has to have good foot work, has to be able to run, especially a guard or center who have to pull on a lot of running plays etc. that takes strength and agility. and even speed in some cases, like kevin mawae for example who is one of the better athletes on his team. In general football players are far superior athletes to baseball players, and maybe to any athletes in any sport.
Hockey players are great athletes, but football players are better. Stamina to me isn't a defining factor, nor is fighting. and since fighting isn't a official part of the game it doesn't count anyway. and if you're counting the ice, it's not very natural to go across the middle of the field when you know ronnie lot is waiting to drive his head through your sternum. It's not natural to be able to hit a baseball either, that stuff comes with practice.
Heres a good idea. If you're average NFL running back grew up in Canada instead of florida or wherever, and he grew up playing hockey instead of football, do you think he could be in the NHL? I do, but i don't think it works the other way around. Bear in mind, i'm not talking about the BEST in each sport, like if Mike Vick is the best athlete in the NFL, and Jagr or whoever is the best athlete in hockey, they both could probably cross over, but i'm saying the average guys. I just think the football players are superior athletes. I also don't think baseball or basketball guys could do it either.
But Kevin Mawae or and most other centers and linemen couldn't catch a perfectly spiraled ball thrown a little above their heads or a ball hit 350 down the line on the diamond...Your point is moot. There are all types of athletes, centers are more athletic that a regular lineman whose job it is to put their fat bodies in harms way in football but not as athletic as a short stop or centerfielder in baseball...Be honest. I'd say most QB's are as athletic and HB's, FB's, some receivers are too...It takes all types of athletes to win an athletic contest. You need the QB and pitchers to be more athletic than for example the first baseman or the lineman. Most lineman couldn't hit a 97 mph fastball even if they have better than 20/20 vision although they might make contact...and a first baseman couldn't be expected to stop a 300 lb rusher although he might get in the way, giving a QB enough time to throw the ball... but a 1B can crush a 97 mph fast ball out of the park with less than 20/20 vision...they are strong and athletic in different ways.
Getlive...I agree, hockey and soccer players are by far the most conditioned athletes...there is no stop and start. They just go, go, go...
fly, again i don't think you need to be an athlete to hit a ball. Same with stamina. Football players don't go all out for 1-2 minutes at a clip like hockey players, but if they had to, they would train differently and they could. They don't hit a 97 mph fastball either, but i think both of those things can be learned, it's about conditioning. hitting a baseball maybe not, but still that's not athletic. Again, i think agility is the most important thing in athletics, hockey players are super agile, so i rank them ahead of baseball, and probably even with basketball but football players, even the fat lineman have to be agile, strong, fast (relatively) and they take a pounding on every play! Hockey guys recieve big hits sometimes and have a little contact most of the time, football players have contact on every play, most of them have hard contact on every play, some of them have a little, like DB's and WR's, but they are definitely sick athletes. Only Qb's and K's don't have contact on every play.
slaying women should be a sport
Not for me...I lay 'em down and smack 'em whack 'em...w/hardly a sweat broken, very little agility and a white man's stamina...Excuse me stewardess but do you speak jive?
Ok, so here's where i stand once again. Football is the best athletes because they need as much agility as hockey or basketball players, they need more strength than both of them, and they need to be able to take physical punishment more than any other sport. I think i put hockey at 2, with basketball 3. Baseball is number 4 of the majors, but i think a lot of minor sports (america) guys need to be better athletes than baseball. for example, soccer, rugby or australian rules football etc.
That's just, like your opinion, man...Good post though...this kind of conversation could go on forever...I think where it ultimately stands is that many people define athlete many different ways...Ultimately, if you can find your niche playing a game, make some coin, and look cool performing than like Nike says: JUST DO IT
days later....fly, who are you or rhino to talk bout rednecks? Jersey and Long Isand aint exactly Hyannis. Y'all just fake white guys tryin to be brahmas. Embrace your inner mullet (rinotwitstanding). HILLJACK POWER!!!
must be hockey season if getlive is comemnting.
isnt hockey the sport that small rich white guys that couldnt play LAX played?
Aw... how cute "the enforcer". I will give you one thing, you longislanders really did try your best and without a doubt was the 3rd or 4th best area of NY State LAX
take it easy hilljack. Just because you grew up on a indian reservation doesn't mean you're jim brown.
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