This is going to sound dumb, but I actually didn't mean to put curling in the post you quoted. But yea...I hear ya.

Basically they're all games. Some are more athletic than others, and adults like to sound like they're grown-ups, so they call them sports. It's more impressive than saying you play a game for a living.

I've had this argument many times. My favorite part is when people announce that something is "definitely a sport" or something like that, but support it either with 1) it just has to be, or 2) a definition of "sport" that they've chosen for the sole reason that it supports their claim that X is a sport. It's fun.

I don't endorse this definition fully, but it's pretty close to what I would consider a sport: http://www.stanford.edu/~sehealey/sport.html

I gotta say i have a problem with #6

"The objective of the activity does not at any time directly involve physically harming an opponent"

Why the fuck not? And if that's the case then football is out too.

Well, the "objective" in football is to score more points than the opponent. When you tackle someone, the objective is not to hurt them, it's to stop them from advancing. I think that's what is meant by objective, in #6.

As far as why the fuck not, i dunno. I guess everyone is entitled to an opinion.

Well i'm sure the majority of boxers don't want to hurt their opponent. Some fo them even hold back when they know their opponent is hurt. That being said, you can't get anymore pure of a sport than 2 guys punching the shit out of each other.

Isn't the goal of boxing to "knock out" your opponent? And sorry, I can't agree that 2 guys punching each other is a sport in my book.

the goal is to "win". KO's aren't as frequent as you think. And i can't agree that a guy walking for 18 holes swinging a club is a sport if boxing isn't. Same goes for some guy sitting in left field picking his ass for 3 hours.

I'm no boxing expert, but as far as I know, the guy that wins is the one who inflicts more pain on the other guy (more or less). Whatever the case, I agree that I wouldnt include #6 in my definition of a sport. I still don't think boxing is a sport though, because the outcome, short of a KO, is decided entirely by a judge. I think a sport needs to have a more significant objectivity to it's scoring.

Tell that to the Seahawks who got jobbed in the Super Bowl on multiple cruicial calls by "judges"

Haha. Well I like to think that games being decided by bad calls in football are the exception to the rule.

Oh, come on.....no one liked my definition? At least I tried to steer us clear of the subjective, opinion based nonsense that went before that. I think it makes sense...a sport is one where there is an offense and a defense, a game is one where you compete within a competitive structure, but no one is actively trying to stop you from doing it. Saying something is a 'sport' does not mean it is better than a 'game.' I dont know....its better than all the macho crap where someone says "something is only a sport if i like it!" I knew I would take some flak for it, but that defintion didnt ring true with anyone?

Drink booze ---> perform better = not a sport

would you then call alpine skiing a game then? or gymnastics?

Your definition doesnt stand up for me, because anyone who says golf isnt a sport has rocks in their head, or is too jock to admit it. There is a physical aspect to it, if youre too fat or too scrawny you arent gonna hit it anywhere (I know Daly, Tim Herron etc are exceptions but there are in any case). Youre walking nigh on 30 miles in 4 days, in heat and swinging a club 280 odd times etc.

Poker=not a sport. I like Bammers definition above, things like darts, pool, etc are easier when a few pints are under the belt so they dont count. Im unsure about gymnastics etc, just because they're at the Olympics doesnt make em a sport. Wasnt ballroom dancing in the Olympics or Commonwealths at one stage?

And that #6 on that link is crap. Youre not trying to hurt someone when youre boxing, or putting a big tackle in rugby/football etc? Course you are, if you hurt them legally then youre at an advantage.

What's not objective about that? Knockout or TKO wins.

Yea, and if that doesn't happen by the time the rounds are up, it goes to a judges's decision.

The thing about boxing and mma is that, although are there judges being used, there actually are scoring methods. Most of the time, it really isn't that hard to determine who got the better of the fight. A pretty easy way to determine who won a boxing match that went the distance is who got more knockdowns.

And to whoever said that if there are judges used, it becomes entertainment, I strongly disagree. The fact that there are judges who keep scores and points and there is a winner and loser is what separates these activities from the acrobats at the circus.

Then again, I really don't understand the argument that if judges are used, it isn't a sport. I don't get how that is relevant. Why is the matter of determining the winner and loser important in defining a sport? It's if there is a winner and loser.

To those who say gymnastics isn't a sport...are you trying to tell me that gymnasts aren't athletes? They are much more so than golfers, that's for damn sure.

From that site:
#7 - The status of a solid inanimate object, movable by the force of one player, is of central importance when play is active. Furthermore, when play is active, the object is not physically attached to any player; and it is not rendered motionless, held, or contained by any player for an extended period of time.

In accordance with this definition, the following are not sports: boxing, canoeing/kayaking, cheerleading, cycling, diving, fencing, figure skating, gymnastics, martial arts, rowing, skiing, snowboarding, swimming, track and field, wrestling.

Yea...I'm pretty sure this definition loses. What the hell does that matter?

I'm sorry, but there is no way anyone can convince me that anything done cmpetitively, with rules, that requires you to be a legitimate athlete is not a sport.

Just because they're in great shape and are really masters of what they do, doesnt make them a sportsman. Golfers as a rule dont have half the fitness gymnasts have, but they play a sport and in my opinion gymnasts dont.