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What makes something a "sport"?


Matt Saternus

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Do you guys consider fishing a sport? I consider it a very fun activity, but sport? I'm not sure. Don't get me wrong, I love fishing, but is it a sport?

 

Fishing really toes the line for me, and I ultimately have to say no. I know that it involves a lot of skill and knowledge, but athleticism? I say no. I would like to hear the argument about why it is from someone who knows a lot about the sport at a competitive level.

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Fishing really toes the line for me, and I ultimately have to say no. I know that it involves a lot of skill and knowledge, but athleticism? I say no. I would like to hear the argument about why it is from someone who knows a lot about the sport at a competitive level.

 

I'm leaning the same way. Even people who do do it competitively, it isn't overly athletic, you can do it sitting down mostly.

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Fishing really toes the line for me, and I ultimately have to say no. I know that it involves a lot of skill and knowledge, but athleticism? I say no. I would like to hear the argument about why it is from someone who knows a lot about the sport at a competitive level.

 

 

I'm leaning the same way. Even people who do do it competitively, it isn't overly athletic, you can do it sitting down mostly.

While you may not see the activity as athletic in the traditional sense, no Joe off the street will win these events. The competition is not judged, it is based upon mass of fish at the end. It is a competition that relies on knowledge of the environment and the fish being sought. The hooks are barbless and therefore the landing of the fish relies on the reflexes of the angler and his or her prior experience and training. Another thing to consider is endurance. These events are not a couple of hours at a pond. These are long, multi-day tournaments. Mental conditioning is required to stay effective.

 

Is it a sport, I don't know. The people who do it though do have a degree of athlete in them, IMO.

 

Overalls, twelve-pack of bud, and bobbers in the swimmin' hole it ain't.

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While you may not see the activity as athletic in the traditional sense, no Joe off the street will win these events. The competition is not judged, it is based upon mass of fish at the end. It is a competition that relies on knowledge of the environment and the fish being sought. The hooks are barbless and therefore the landing of the fish relies on the reflexes of the angler and his or her prior experience and training. Another thing to consider is endurance. These events are not a couple of hours at a pond. These are long, multi-day tournaments. Mental conditioning is required to stay effective.

 

Is it a sport, I don't know. The people who do it though do have a degree of athlete in them, IMO.

 

Overalls, twelve-pack of bud, and bobbers in the swimmin' hole it ain't.

 

Thanks Sactown, exactly what I was looking for. In defense of my "fishing is not a sport" argument, I will submit the following:

 

Endurance does not push me towards making it a sport. Poker requires tremendous endurance and focus, as does working hard at a desk for 14 hours. This does not make either one a sport.

Reflexes may be part of sport, but reflexes are also key to dominating Halo. Halo is not a sport, and reflexes alone do not a sport make.

Training, knowledge, and experience are part of almost all things, sport or not.

 

As I said in my opening post, just because something isn't a sport (to me) doesn't mean that I don't respect it and it doesn't mean that it shouldn't be taken seriously. All in all, this debate shouldn't be taken seriously, it's just a barstool topic that I enjoy.

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Halo. Nice. Video fishing is not a sport.

There are huge video game tournaments in other parts of the world where the winners win lots of cash and are revered as gods. Probably not a sport.

 

I just thought of a backward way to look at it. Take the phrase "Not very sporting." Usually means an unfair advantage, like night vision goggles and hide-n-seek.

The implication there would be that if something was "sporting" it would be a fair contest among participants. Many activities would meet this definition.

 

Just food for thought...

Volvo Intorqueo

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Halo. Nice. Video fishing is not a sport.

There are huge video game tournaments in other parts of the world where the winners win lots of cash and are revered as gods. Probably not a sport.

 

I just thought of a backward way to look at it. Take the phrase "Not very sporting." Usually means an unfair advantage, like night vision goggles and hide-n-seek.

The implication there would be that if something was "sporting" it would be a fair contest among participants. Many activities would meet this definition.

 

Just food for thought...

 

I have a hard time arguing with the "Why can't we just all be sports?" argument, because it generally fits my demeanor. However, that attitude would not make for a very good thread! Fishing...NO SPORT FOR YOU!

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I have a hard time arguing with the "Why can't we just all be sports?" argument, because it generally fits my demeanor. However, that attitude would not make for a very good thread! Fishing...NO SPORT FOR YOU!

 

Seinfeld reference, nice! The "why can't we all be sports" is my view in real life, I just thought I'd argue a little here.

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would beer pong be a sport then? or competitive eating? (i think yes to both)

endurance and physical conditioning do play into both, maybe not in the classic sense, but if you are a lightweight drinker due to lack of "conditioning" or incapable of handling the sheer volume of food for the same reason, you will not be successful in either.

 

No subjective judging. If Matt says no to fishing, then BOTH BEER PONG AND COMPETITIVE EATING ARE SPORTS!!!

 

(all caps in homage to MSaternus and his fine wood craft and all capping)

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endurance and physical conditioning do play into both, maybe not in the classic sense, but if you are a lightweight drinker due to lack of "conditioning" or incapable of handling the sheer volume of food for the same reason, you will not be successful in either.

 

No subjective judging. If Matt says no to fishing, then BOTH BEER PONG AND COMPETITIVE EATING ARE SPORTS!!!

 

(all caps in homage to MSaternus and his fine wood craft and all capping)

 

You guys are a riot!!!

 

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would beer pong be a sport then? or competitive eating? (i think yes to both)

 

 

endurance and physical conditioning do play into both, maybe not in the classic sense, but if you are a lightweight drinker due to lack of "conditioning" or incapable of handling the sheer volume of food for the same reason, you will not be successful in either.

 

No subjective judging. If Matt says no to fishing, then BOTH BEER PONG AND COMPETITIVE EATING ARE SPORTS!!!

 

(all caps in homage to MSaternus and his fine wood craft and all capping)

 

 

sactown i am not going to capitalize a single letter in this post because you have made me feel self conscious.

 

i love where this thread has gone. i'll go with one at a time, starting with beer pong. beer pong is judged objectively, requires a set of "athletic" skills (mainly hand eye coordination), and depending on the rules you use, you may need fast reflexes (defending the bounce). you also need to be constantly aware of what's going on (don't want to get a second ball in a cup, or have a ball thrown into a cup in hand - game over). if you are not prepared to handle the abuse of the game, you will have a short career/night. i think beer pong is in, by a safe margin.

 

competitive eating...wow, this really stretches it. i have a bad taste in my mouth (no pun intended) because i lost an eating race once because of poor rule enforcement (they said no boot & rally but failed to dq my opponent for said violation), so there is some judging, but that's true of any game (umpires in baseball, etc). if you look at kobayashi, that guy was jacked, so competitive eaters can be athletes (though i don't know if they need to be). it does require physical endurance, no question about that, and a high level of training. i'm inclined to give it the nod, but by a slim margin.

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OK. There is no way in hell that FISHING is a sport. NO WAY!!!! Sure, you buy your Bait in the Sporting goods section of Dicks, still doesn't make it a sport. Fishing is what Athletes do to relax.

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OK. There is no way in hell that FISHING is a sport. NO WAY!!!! Sure, you buy your Bait in the Sporting goods section of Dicks, still doesn't make it a sport. Fishing is what Athletes do to relax.

 

I thought they golfed? :D

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I thought they golfed? :P

only when they are not fishing... :D

Driver - Ping G430 Max 9° | Ventus Blue TR 
Hybrid - :srixon-small: ZX 16° & 18° | GD Tour IZ S

2 Iron - :srixon-small: ZU65 17° | AeroTech SteelFiber 110icw S

Irons -  :srixon-small: ZX7 MKII  4-Pw | TTDGTI S400, std length  1° flat
Wedges - :cleveland-small: RTX 6 Tour Rack 50° 54° 58° | TTDGTI S400, std length 1° flat

Putter -  L.A.B. Golf Link.1 | LA Golf P135 shaft | Garsen Quad Tour grip
 

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