Got into the old discussion yesterday about what constitutes the difference between games and sports.
I think that we all agreed that things like checkers, chess, and cribbage are games but there was some disagreement about other endeavours like car racing, golf, and bowling.
So, what is it that makes something a sport as opposed to a game or an event?
Anyone have a definitive answer?
4 comments:
I've oft pondered this.
I think I now think that if you have teammates it's a sport. Otherwise it's an activity.
Thus, things like tennis, golf, bowling, cycling and ping pong are activities.
That's not to say they don't involve athleticism and skill. And also, it's a sport if you play in teams (such as Boys Only golf, team cycling).
I'm sticking to it.
Sport: A clear, quantifiable way to determine a winner: number of goals; fastest time, etc.
Activity: Judging how well a triple lutz was performed does not count. Figure skating, diving, or pretty much anything a girl would watch.
Sport: Sustained physical exertion (often causing you to perspire), of certain proscribed actions and including your entire body. Soccer, hockey, etc, e.g. you can kick the ball but you can not touch it. There is a lot of peripheral movement and not alot of standing around waiting for your turn.
Activities: Car racing for example, sweating because the car is hot doesn't count. Darts and golf don't count, they're technical and hardly sustained. I see them as physical video games. Once I get a hold of the Nintendo Wii watch my golf game improve.
Bonus points if you have a number on your back or you play in teams.
That's it. My next golf shirt's getting a "99" on the back of it!
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