# Tiger Woods injured **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [November 27, 2009, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163 "2009-11-27T19:39:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 26
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/501 "2009-12-14T16:13:28Z")
Sport is to Professional as Game is to Ameture. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/502 "2009-12-14T17:42:34Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Sport is to Professional as Game is to Ameture. Again, a silly attempt at distinction. When I play football, I’m playing a sport. When I play football, I’m also playing a game. “Game” has a broader definition, within which some sports are included, and some are not. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/503 "2009-12-14T18:02:49Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Sport is to Professional as Game is to Ameture. … as fish is to bycicle. This is about as silly as it gets. Essentially every professional sport is also played by amateurs. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/504 "2009-12-14T18:26:08Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > … as fish is to bycicle. > > This is about as silly as it gets. Essentially every professional sport is also played by amateurs. In some things, yes - but the distinction between Golf as a “sport” and Golf as a “game” is often the player - for Professional Players who get paid/make a living at it, it is truly a Sport - while for the regular hacks it is merely a ‘game’ - same stands true for football with a bunch of friends. Nascar driving is a sport - in that the competitors at the televised/making money level have an entirely different focus and preparation than do others - and most of it no one even considers. The distinction I was making is simple - at the Proffesional Level, Golf is indeed a sport - as are many other common ‘games’ that the rest of us folks play. One Man’s Sport is another’s Game. It really isnt that hard to comprehend. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/505 "2009-12-14T18:33:37Z")
> [@simster](#): > > In some things, yes - but the distinction between Golf as a “sport” and Golf as a “game” is often the player - for Professional Players who get paid/make a living at it, it is truly a Sport - while for the regular hacks it is merely a ‘game’ - same stands true for football with a bunch of friends. So it’s not a sport unless the competitors are paid? Why is that? ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/506 "2009-12-14T18:39:25Z")
I think the idea he’s trying to get across is that the otherwise relatively unathletic activity of “amateur” golf (meaning weekend hacker in a cart, presumably) becomes a “sport” when it is practiced by dedicated players, such as the professionals on tour. But this distinction is still missing a point. I can be quite athletic as a golfer when playing a casual 18 on a weekend, depending upon how I approach it. Similarly, one can reduce football to an activity that is hardly strenuous. So “sport” is not dependent upon being dedicated, or professional, or anything of the sort. It has to do with how you approach the particular game or competition. And “sport” is not in contrast to “game.” There are sports that are not games, sports that are games, and games that are not sports. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/507 "2009-12-14T18:40:28Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > So it’s not a sport unless the competitors are paid? Why is that? NM - I don’t think I’ll be able to get my idea accross - > [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > It has to do with how you approach the particular game or competition. This… ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/508 "2009-12-14T18:51:44Z")
> [@simster](#): > > NM - I don’t think I’ll be able to get my idea accross - > > This… Look up the definition of sport in any dictionary. Generally, it refers to, but is not restricted to any physical activity that requires skill and has a set of rules. [Here’s one.](http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=76820&dict=CALD&topic=sports-and-games-generally)[Here’s another](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sport).[More here.](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=znv&defl=en&q=define:sport&ei=bogmS63nNZOktwf8kaWZBQ&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAcQkAE)[And still more](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sport). These restrictions you want to impose on what it means to engage in a sport are just silly. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/509 "2009-12-14T19:02:58Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Look up the definition of sport in any dictionary. Generally, it refers to, but is not restricted to any physical activity that requires skill and has a set of rules. [Here’s one.](http://dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=76820&dict=CALD&topic=sports-and-games-generally)[Here’s another](http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sport).[More here.](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=znv&defl=en&q=define:sport&ei=bogmS63nNZOktwf8kaWZBQ&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAcQkAE)[And still more](http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sport). > > These restrictions you want to impose on what it means to engage in a sport are just silly. I’m not imposing a restriction - they are all games, they are all sports - the competitors themselves are what make any ‘actual’’ distinction between wether they are playing Golf as a ‘game’ (an activity with a set of rules) or a ‘sport’ (an activity with a set of rules practiced competitively) - as the stakes rise (both physically and economically) in the competitive arena, so does the percieved meaning/distinction between ‘game’ and ‘sport’. When in truth, they are all ‘games’ AND ‘sports’. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/510 "2009-12-14T19:06:40Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I’m not imposing a restriction - they are all games, they are all sports - the competitors themselves are what make any ‘actual’’ distinction between wether they are playing Golf as a ‘game’ (an activity with a set of rules) or a ‘sport’ (an activity with a set of rules practiced competitively) - as the stakes rise (both physically and economically) in the competitive arena, so does the percieved meaning/distinction between ‘game’ and ‘sport’. Well, you have a minority and non traditional understanding, then. Amateurs are just as much sportsmen as professionals are. It’s the nature of the game, not the stakes, that define a sport. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/511 "2009-12-14T19:24:34Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Well, you have a minority and non traditional understanding, then. Amateurs are just as much sportsmen as professionals are. It’s the nature of the game, not the stakes, that define a sport. How so ? Is football a game? Is golf a sport? Again, - they are all games by defintion - an activity with a set of rules - its the nature of the competition (if it exists) that elevate it to a sport. And I never said that amateurs were not sportsmen - on average, their level of commitment/competition/skill/etc is very different than those that practice the same sport/game at a professional level. Indeed - it must be, or they would all be one or the other. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/512 "2009-12-14T19:29:03Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Is football a game? Yes. > [@](#): > > Is golf a sport? Yes. > [@](#): > > And I never said that amateurs were not sportsmen You said this : \* Sport is to Professional as Game is to Ameture. \* I assume you weren’t trying to spell _armature_. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2009, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/513 "2009-12-14T21:11:39Z")
**Contrapuntal** , he’s already explained what he means. He’s not trying to draw a distinction on the basis of being paid; he’s using the term “amature” to mean someone who isn’t competitively into a game/sport. In short, weekend hacker at golf. Beating up someone over their choice of words when they’ve indicated their actual intent is pretty pedantic. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/514 "2009-12-15T02:18:53Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > No they aren’t. > > If my 75-year old grandpa could do it, it ain’t a sport. > > Yes, I have golfed on occasion. It’s a great hobby - partially because age literally doesn’t matter - and it was one of the few activities we could do together even as my grandpa got older. > > Still doesn’t make it a sport. Here’s the problem with your analysis: Baseball is more sedentary than golf. Maybe 12 swings of the bat, 5 sprints in the outfield, 20 quick movements in the infield and game over. Unless you’re the pitcher or catcher. Actually, I guess they do have to walk from the dugout to their position and back 9 times, so maybe it’s closer to golf than I was thinking. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/515 "2009-12-15T04:41:43Z")
That depends how you play it. I ran to back up every throw I could when I played outfield. I backed up double plays and charged every ground ball in case it was just deflected. I tried to get next to the other fielders in case they dropped the ball. You can stand around and say you are playing outfield but you are not. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/516 "2009-12-15T05:15:26Z")
> [@gonzomax](#): > > That depends how you play it. I ran to back up every throw I could when I played outfield. I backed up double plays and charged every ground ball in case it was just deflected. I tried to get next to the other fielders in case they dropped the ball. You can stand around and say you are playing outfield but you are not. All true, I was just having some fun. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/517 "2009-12-15T06:36:07Z")
[Uh-oh.](http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=4744216) Not to go too far in linking Tiger to this doctor who is now being tied to performance enhancers, but questions are going to be asked. > [@](#): > > The New York Times reported on its Web site Monday night that Dr. Anthony Galea was found with human growth hormone and Actovegin, a drug extracted from calf’s blood, in his bag at the U.S.-Canada border in late September. He was arrested Oct. 15 in Toronto by Canadian police. > > […] According to the newspaper, Galea has developed a blood-spinning technique – platelet-rich plasma therapy – to help speed post-surgery recovery. > > Galea visited Woods’ home in Florida at least four times in February and March, the newspaper reported, to provide that platelet therapy after his agents were concerned by his slow recovery from June 2008 knee surgery. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/518 "2009-12-15T16:58:47Z")
> [@DSYoungEsq](#): > > **Contrapuntal** , he’s already explained what he means. Yeah, the higher the stakes, the more it becomes sport. He’s wrong. > [@](#): > > He’s not trying to draw a distinction on the basis of being paid; he’s using the term “amature” to mean someone who isn’t competitively into a game/sport. In short, weekend hacker at golf. And he’s 0 for 2. That’s an insufficient definition for amateur. > [@](#): > > Beating up someone over their choice of words when they’ve indicated their actual intent is pretty pedantic. Yeah, it is. If you can show where I’ve done that, I’ll apologize. Failing that, I’ll thank you to keep your false accusations to yourself. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/519 "2009-12-15T17:21:43Z")
{This might be better for GQ} Assuming Tiger’s contracts with Nike, Accenture, ATT, Tag Heuer, etc. had a “morals clause” and Tiger violated those morals clauses, can the companies successfully sue Tiger to re-coup their investment? And FTR, I know most people on this board are not lawyers. ---
**Author:** ![DSYoungEsq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c6cbf5/32.png) [@DSYoungEsq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSYoungEsq)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163/520 "2009-12-15T17:22:36Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Yeah, the higher the stakes, the more it becomes sport. He’s wrong. > And he’s 0 for 2. That’s an insufficient definition for amateur. > > Yeah, it is. If you can show where I’ve done that, I’ll apologize. Failing that, I’ll thank you to keep your false accusations to yourself. I already did. :rolleyes: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163.md?page=25) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-woods-injured/519163.md?page=27)