260 replies to this topic

[Greg Pappas]

FROM WIKIEDIA... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport

Definition

The precise definition of what separates a sport from other leisure activities varies between sources, with no universally agreed definition. The closest to an international agreement on a definition is provided by SportAccord, which is the association for all the largest international sports federations (including association football, american football, cycling, equestrian sports, baseball and more), and is therefore the de facto representative of international sport.

SportAccord uses the following criteria, determining that a sport should:
*have an element of competition
*be in no way harmful to any living creature
*not rely on equipment provided by a single supplier (excluding proprietary games such as arena football)
*not rely on any 'luck' element specifically designed in to the sport

They also recognise that sport can be primarily physical (such as rugby or athletics), primarily mind (such as chess or go), predominantly motorised (such as Formula 1 or powerboating), primarily co-ordination (such as billiard sports) or primarily animal supported (such as equestrian sport).

There has been an increase in the application of the term 'sport' to a wider set of non-physical challenges such as electronic sports, especially due to the large scale of participation and organised competition, but these are not widely recognised by mainstream sports organisations.

[Icterus galbula]

Car racing just doesn't do it for me, but I think they meet the criteria to be considered athletes.

[Chris B]

WEbster's definition of the word:

A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts.

I'm not disagreeing with the definition...but I just think these types of debates are more opinionated and you can't really show the definition of a word to prove one side is right and the other is wrong.

I just don't put NASCAR drivers (or any racing car drivers) on the same level of those people that play basketball, football, soccer, baseball, etc. Perhaps the reason is that fans don't really "see" the driver; they associate it more with the car that they are driving. (Sure we know the name Jeff Gordon, but everyone also knows he drives(drove?) the Dupont 24).

They're just not in the same category as the stereotypical sports.

[SBTarheel]

I'm not disagreeing with the definition...but I just think these types of debates are more opinionated and you can't really show the definition of a word to prove one side is right and the other is wrong.

I just don't put NASCAR drivers (or any racing car drivers) on the same level of those people that play basketball, football, soccer, baseball, etc. Perhaps the reason is that fans don't really "see" the driver; they associate it more with the car that they are driving. (Sure we know the name Jeff Gordon, but everyone also knows he drives(drove?) the Dupont 24).




They're just not in the same category as the stereotypical sports.

Fair enough.

[DBean]

I say yeah. I think it has to take a certain kind of person that is willing to drive 200 mph in a hot car, and deal with other drivers trying to pass you, while still making sure that you handle the curves well enough not to crash. I don't think I could do all of that.

[mweb08]

Like rshack said, it's a pretty good argument that what they do is as or more difficult than hitting a baseball. Plus, from what I understand there is no "power" anything in those cars, so they need the strength and, especially, endurance to control those cars for several hours with very minimal breaks at the pits, at high speeds and within inches of multiple other cars.

I don't think it's even close to as hard as hitting a baseball.

If you're a kid who's father is involved in car racing or wants to get you involved and has the means to do it, your chances of becoming a professional are far greater than someone taking up baseball at the same age.

Hard and athletic aren't the same thing either. You can argue what they do is athletic and at the end of the day, it's all semantics, but I don't consider them athletes. I consider them competitors that have a challenging task.

[mweb08]

I think the combo of being in good shape, and the competition aspect makes it an athletic event.

So obviously you think they're athletes, but do you think they are on the same level as athletes as lets say basketball players?

[Chris B]

Like rshack said, it's a pretty good argument that what they do is as or more difficult than hitting a baseball. Plus, from what I understand there is no "power" anything in those cars, so they need the strength and, especially, endurance to control those cars for several hours with very minimal breaks at the pits, at high speeds and within inches of multiple other cars.

Oh....I don't know about that.

In terms of all the sports, I think hitting a professionally-thrown baseball is the hardest thing to do.

[SBTarheel]

So obviously you think they're athletes, but do you think they are on the same level as athletes as lets say basketball players?

No.

I think Basketball players are tons the best.

[SportsGuy]

I say no but it may be semantics to be honest.

Seth is right. These guys are in very good shape and this is a competition at the highest level.

But I am not sure that makes them athletes.

However, I would bet many of these guys are athletic. You see Carl Edwards doing backflips and stuff like that. That's athletic,

[Mackus]

I don't think so, although I do recognize what they're doing as being both difficult and physically demanding.

[SBTarheel]

I say no but it may be semantics to be honest.

Seth is right. These guys are in very good shape and this is a competition at the highest level.

But I am not sure that makes them athletes.

However, I would bet many of these guys are athletic. You see Carl Edwards doing backflips and stuff like that. That's athletic,

This.

[SammyBirdland]

Is NASCAR racing an athletic event?

Is a hot dog eating competition an athletic event?

[SBTarheel]

Is NASCAR racing an athletic event?

Is a hot dog eating competition an athletic event?

Is golf a sport or a skill?

[SammyBirdland]

Is golf a sport or a skill?

I consider golf to be a game of skill, like poker or World of Warcraft.

[SBTarheel]

I consider golf to be a game of skill, like poker or World of Warcraft.

The more I think about it, I guess the physical demand has a lot to do with my opinion.

So since NASCAR is physically demanding, I'd consider it an athletic event.

Is that fair, probably not, but that's how I'm going to separate it in my mind.

[SammyBirdland]

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[SBTarheel]

0Yh5XPZ23GI

Man, you really like Tide..

Brilliant.

RIP Mitch.

[Adam Wolff]

There's a lot of different things at play here. Sports and athletes are so intertwined, but I think aren't necessarily dependent upon one another. Meaning, you could be good at a sport (Nascar, golf) and not necessarily be an 'athlete' or you could be an athlete and not be good at any sports.

I dunno. I think like..a welder that has to perform his craft under very uncomfortable conditions is something difficult, that I couldn't do. There are plenty of things that aren't easy to do, but do those that do them well become athletes? I'm not sure.

I tend to go as middle of the road as possible with my arguments, so I'm really not sure how I feel. I tend to think of athletes as having athleticism. By that definition, there are some baseball and football players that really aren't athletes. Is a kicker in football an athlete? Maybe some NASCAR drivers are athletes, and some aren't? Who knows.

[Nuclear Dish]

I consider car racing to be a sport, but I don't think the drivers are athletes and more than fisherman are. They are sportsmen.