Is golf a sport?

[KnoxVegas]

Figure skating is not a sport, rather a mode of transportation.

For me, any event that is judged subjectively, by definition cannot be a sport (read 2002 Olympic Winter Games).

[laxfan25]

So diving is not a sport - since it is judged? That is a poor excuse for excluding an activity as a sport. To say that figure skating and gymnastics are not sports is ludicrous. Let's see you go land a triple lutz or see you sequence on the rings (Iron Cross, anyone?).
Just because something is a "game" shouldn't exclude it either - after all we have football games, baseball games, etc.
I find that those that want to denigrate certain activities as not worthy of "sports" designation typically suck at them! i.e. golf, which is most definitely a sport.

[CyLaxKeeper00]

JOHN DALY

[Ken Lovic]

I argue this all of the time with my wife... (she is a swimmer).
I keep it simple-
Sport- must include a ball and opponents must have a DIRECT impact on the outcome. In other words- hitting, checking, changing paths etc.... Now- my definition goes further but that is the nuts and bolts of it.

It is not about can you land a triple lindy... You can be athletic and not play a defined "sport" by my rule. Swimmers are athletic but I believe swimming is not a sport. Touchy subject when you have this conversation with people that swim, run, skate etc....

[LaxRef]

So diving is not a sport - since it is judged? That is a poor excuse for excluding an activity as a sport.

To me, diving is an athletic competition, not a sport, because of the judging.

Something can require extraordinary athletic ability without being a sport. Is breakdancing a sport? Trapeze? Highwire? Climbing a tree while holding your breath? Those all have athletic components without being sports. Does throwing a judge on them suddenly make them sports?

[Ken Lovic]

I agree... judges involved- no sport.
I can not understand how college gymnasts seem to score 10's left and right at competitions yet our Olympic teams can not. Either our college girls are just too busy for the Olympics or judging is not the same across the board.

[BOWSER]

Two things:
I dont like to say that a sport involves a ball(puck or whatever), because i see boxing as a sport. (see applied defense)

I agree with ken, Judging can be too biased. (example: the olympic figure skating scandal between the Russians and Canadians I believe.)

[Ken Lovic]

invovles judges... I understand the defense thing but judging can effect things there as well- Olympics come to mind.... Roy Jones Jr I think

[jessexy]

i wrote a paper on this exact topic (figure skating and gymnastics as sport) in college and came to the conclusion that they were not because of the subjectivity of the judging. I included diving in this paper, and i was a competitive swimmer (varsity for 2 years even).

gymnastics and diving have at least given direction to judging by including the degree of difficulty for the skills performed so that a person attempting an easier skill perfectly isn't graded easier than an athlete attempting a more difficult skill with less success.

Competitive Swimming is a sport because it does include extreme muscular and athletic activity and a sense of competition. heart rates are raised to the brink of what cardiovascular systems are supposed to do and someone always gets to the finish line first. If swimming is not a sport, neither is track & field, and both of those were originally in the Olympics, and I'm referring to Ancient games not 1896.

NASCAR is a sport, even though some may question the amount of physical activity. But race car drivers heart rates are stimulated to upwards of 170 beats per minute, which is just as much as any swimmer, runner, boxer, etc. And their hearts run like that for hours at a time, like a marathoner or triathlete. now, having the cars is cheating but that besides the point.

also, for discussion purposes, we concluded that horse was a sport fo rth horses, but not for the jockeys

[Dulax31]

Anything you do wearing dress pants is definitely not a sport.

[BOWSER]

I discount anything like running, or autosports. They are races not sports. Not to say that they dont require a high ability level.

[JW]

[quote="BOWSER"]I discount anything like running, or autosports. They are races not sports. Not to say that they dont require a high ability level.[/quote

I guess for me to define a sport, I like to have a "Clear cut decisive" winner at the end of the game. Whether it be by time, distance, or a score. I have a problem with gymnastics, figure skating, diving, ski jump, etc as sports because of the Subjectivity of the judging and the outcome of the event. I would classify them under the term ATHLETIC COMPETITION, but not a SPORTING event.

Baseball, basketball, lacrosse, football, hockey, bobsled, track and field events (because they are won by distance, height, length, or time), field hockey, Boxing (although sunjective, it is a bit easier to determine a winner of a round based on punches landed or round dominance), MMA, Downhill Skiing, Auto racing, soccer, HI - LI, i would consider to be sports.

[unclaxman23]

golf is a sport for sure, i have played since i was three, and to be honest if you wanna be good you have to practice as much or more than any other SPORT! Granted golf is played on courses over 7,000 yards but it is the most challenging SPORT for the seven inches between your ears . And i don't wanna sound silly but what is HI-LI?

[Champ]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jai_alai Pronounced High-lie

[FLAK]

I like to ask" is there applied defense?"

So golf and bolwing would not be sports because you can not use defensive strategy on your opponent.

You can't apply defense in golf or bowling.

That is my take.

By your definition, neither is the NBA.

Amen to that...