The Voices of Reason: The Definition of Sport

The Voices of Reason: The Definition of Sport
by Various Authors

Some things are sports, and some things are just called sports. What's the difference?

Question: Which of the following activities should be considered sports, and why: golf, bowling, curling, pole vault, and roller blading?

Oliver Butterick—This question is essentially philosophical, because the real task at hand is to define the nature of sports. It seems to me that this question needs to be answered by coming up with a list of characteristics that define sports, such that an activity must possess all of the characteristics in order to qualify as a sport.

Here is the list of characteristics that I propose:

1. The activity must be competitive. Therefore, rollerblading itself is not a sport. However, speed-skating (racing), or roller hockey both meet this requirement since they are competitive.

2. There must be a significant physical component to the activity, which may include strength, dexterity, stamina, or all of the above. So, competitive activities that are not physical can be ruled out. These might include chess and card games like bridge or poker.

3. The first two criteria seem pretty straightforward, and this entry wouldn’t be interesting if I didn’t take some sort of challengeable stand, so here it is. The competitive, physical activity must have some sort of objective criteria for who wins. This means that “Battle of the Bands,” although physical and competitive, would not classify as a sport, since the winner is determined because of taste and opinion, and there is little objective criteria for determining the winner. This means that many of activities that many people consider to be sports are not, in fact, sports. This includes the whole genre of “performance-sports” that involve a panel of judges to determine the winner. Activities like figure skating, synchronized swimming, and diving, although considered by the IOC to be sports, fail to meet this criterion. Notice that although boxing does have a panel of judges, the criteria used by them seems to be a lot more objective than those used to judge performance sports.

4. The outcome must not be predetermined. This is included pretty much just to rule out Professional Wrestling as a sport, although one may argue that it is not a competitive activity since it is scripted.

Ian Wigley—Golf is a sport, you play it competitively against other people in the interests of winning. Same goes for bowling, curling and pole-vault.

As for roller-blading, that's something posers do on a Sunday afternoon in Central Park.

Sports Illustrated used to run this type of question each week. To broaden things, you could ask whether noughts and crosses is a sport, or chess, or fishing...I say if you compete to win, then it's a sport. Having said this, you go out golfing with your friend on a Saturday morning and you often just play to improve your own best score, not really competing to beat your friend, so are you playing sport, or just golf? Or both? Or neither!! Heck, I dunno...

Listen, I did a philosophy degree...don't get me started!!!

Doug Nickel—Golf, bowling, curling, pole vault and roller-blading should NOT be considered "sports," because no defense is involved. In order to be considered a "sport," an activity must meet the following 6 requirements:

1. Athletic Ability
2. Strength
3. Endurance
4. Strategy
5. Competition
6. Defense - another team or individual can prevent you from accomplishing your goal.

In addition, a "sport" should not be judged, like in diving, gymnastics or figure skating, and one's ability in the activity should not be enhanced by the consumption of alcohol.

If an activity doesn't qualify as a "sport", it can fall into 3 other categories:

Athletic competitions: i.e. 100 meter dash, pole vault, swimming and bicycle racing.
Athletic events: i.e. diving, gymnastics, figure skating and sycronized swimming. Usually involves "impartial" judges that determing the winner. Note: judges are not equivalent to umpires or referees.
Games: Chess, bowling, golf, poker and curling.

I think the word "sport" has been used too generally and should be reserved for activities that meet the criteria describe above. By using those requirements in evaluating activities, one should be able to classify every activity as a "sport" or not a sport.

Dileep Rao—Okay, this is easy. Pole vaulting is a sport. It requires athletic skill and strength. Bowling is essentially aiming and bending. Golf is swinging in maddeningly accurate fashion, but not a sport. It's a contest. I'm disinclined to think curling is a sport either. This is brushing and aiming, kind of like washing your car on your knees. Roller blading is a kind of sport I suppose. There's a prejudice against it because it's new.

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