A Lifestyle Guide by Willie Jacobson
After two weeks of unguided lifestyles, there is a genuine need for lost ground to be made up. It pains my heart to imagine all the souls in our society that have been burdened with insecurity and lack of confidence as they have searched longingly, yet not acquired, the weekly Lifestyle Guide. I therefore today consider a topic very dear to my heart: what makes a sport, sport?
- The following are undisputed sports: cricket, tennis, rugby, netball, football (although I will soon argue a contrary view), cycling etc.
- The following are undisputedly not sports: chess, debating, Monopoly, Poker, charades and knucklebones.
- The following are disputed sports: golf, dancing, diving, figure skating, boxing/MMA and Snooker.
The aforementioned sports are merely examples within each category and my mission today is to consider, fairly, the category of disputed sports and make a final, authoritative decision as to their sporting status.
- Golf. This IS a sport. Perhaps the most easily determined sporting status of the disputed list. Golf requires extreme control of the body, coordination, flexibility, power and mental focus. Golf is undoubtedly one of, if not THE, greatest games on the planet.
- Dancing. This is NOT a sport. It is artistic expression. Granted, it requires physical competency, however marks are awarded based on emotional Here’ Say and the current mood of the judge. Nice and pretty hobby, but no sport. Similarly, football regularly falls into the same category due to excessive penalty appeals…
- Diving. This is NOT a sport. It is dancing into water.
- Figure Skating. This is NOT a sport. It is dancing on ice. Again, pretty form of emotional and artistic expression yet the lack of rules and structure remove it from my sporting books.
- Boxing/MMA. This IS a sport. Yes it is violent and the focus is on rendering your opponent unconscious or victory by points superiority however it remains a valid measure of physical competency and technique.
- Snooker. This IS a sport. Although this can be considered a mere past time, when competed in a structured environment, with officiating members and a governing body, Snooker/Pool is most definitely a sport. A frustrating one at that.
As always, feel free to share your views, however uneducated they may be…
Dancing and figure skating are far more physically demanding than golf! And far more of “extreme control of the body, coordination, flexibility, power and mental focus” than golf!
Besides, you already know my views on dancing being a sport, and how I view football and rugby etc as forms of dance.
And who argues that boxing isn’t a sport?! Surely one of the most rugged sports!
Lol at chess and poker being on ESPN though.
The question is not whether dance requires physical competency or not; it is how the winner is determined where the crux of the issue lies