# What do you consider a "major sport"? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 11, 2020, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262 "2020-03-11T12:05:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/1 "2020-03-11T12:05:38Z")
That’s pretty much it. Poll in a second. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/2 "2020-03-11T12:30:11Z")
It would help if you gave a little guidelines to what context you are speaking of. In my home country? Region? Worldwide? Or is it completely up to person answering the pole. ---
**Author:** ![BlueInfinity](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@BlueInfinity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlueInfinity)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/3 "2020-03-11T13:13:33Z")
If it has stadiums covered with the names of businesses who spent millions for the naming rights, it’s a major sport. I’m not sure how serious I am with this quip. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/4 "2020-03-11T14:36:01Z")
Yeah, context? Cricket is a major sport in many countries but certainly not in the USA. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/5 "2020-03-11T14:43:09Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Yeah, context? Cricket is a major sport in many countries but certainly not in the USA. This. It’s entirely context-dependent. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/6 "2020-03-11T14:57:20Z")
MMA is borderline and I didn’t vote for it. Boxing & horse racing have declined so much I was tempted to not include them, but 100+ years of importance, I decided they deserved a vote. Cricket was an easy yes. Is Rugby really a major sport anywhere? ---
**Author:** ![PlentyFairy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f07891/32.png) [@PlentyFairy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlentyFairy)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/7 "2020-03-11T15:36:49Z")
E-sports is now considered a major sport. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/8 "2020-03-11T15:52:17Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Is Rugby really a major sport anywhere? It definitely is in Ireland, according to my Irish friends. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/9 "2020-03-11T16:00:29Z")
The only one I would definitively rule out is Pro Wrestling. I don’t thing even Pro Wrestling thinks Pro Wrestling is a sport (it’s certainly athletic. but not a sport) ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/10 "2020-03-11T17:48:26Z")
> [@PlentyFairy](#): > > E-sports is now considered a major sport. Not by anybody that matters. 😛 Of course, that just reignites the debate between “sport” and “game.” ---
**Author:** ![Ambihelical\_Hexnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4491bb/32.png) [@Ambihelical\_Hexnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambihelical_Hexnut)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/11 "2020-03-11T18:46:29Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Is Rugby really a major sport anywhere? Rugby is certainly big enough to qualify as a major sport in the UK, Ireland, France, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and a few of the the Pacific Island nations. In fact, in New Zealand and the Pacific islands, Rugby’s not just _a_ major sport; it’s _ **the** _ major sport. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/12 "2020-03-11T19:25:54Z")
Several of the items in the list aren’t even sports at all. E-sports isn’t sport, because although it’s a game, it’s not physical. Auto and horse racing arguably aren’t sports, because they depend more on the ability of the car or of the horse than of the human. Though I suppose you could argue that horse-racing is still a sport for the horses. “Olympic sports” isn’t a sport, because it’s a whole bunch of different sports. Likewise for “X-Games”. And actually, that applies to “e-sport” and “auto racing”, too. Pro wrestling isn’t a sport because, while it is athletic, it’s not competitive. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/13 "2020-03-11T19:58:06Z")
Is this where we cite [George Carlin’s rules about what is and is not a sport](https://youtu.be/aY_7XRUJtDE?t=204)? ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/14 "2020-03-11T20:35:19Z")
I voted the first 5, I struggled with golf a bit but excluded it, though it could be. To me for it to be a major sport it’s a sport that has a annual series and championship which has a regular following and very loyal fans who get personally involved to the degree a fan can, and even go a bit crazy when their team wins. Football, soccer (internationally if not do much in the US) and baseball are the bigger of them, hockey and b-ball certainly in that also. Golf I don’t see fan loyalty that often, though I’m not into it and I said it maybe could be included. Tennis just doesn’t have the following, Boxing I also considered, however it seems like people move in and out of boxing fandom more then loyalty. This 3 however I note are not team sports (though tennis could be), and perhaps I’m considering a team aspect in sports when I should not. Auto racing is a weird one and certainly takes skills and endurance to is a sport. It also has a loyal following. I feel it is not bog enough. Horse racing depends a lot on the horses, and less of a human competition. Also not big enough. Olympics, too rare, so while it’s major and lots of those other things, it just happens too infrequently. Pro Wrestling, may have been big enough back in the late 80’s, but it’s more of a performance. Everything else on the list is not big enough, some have additional issues like e-sports. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/15 "2020-03-11T20:57:13Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Auto racing is a weird one and certainly takes skills and endurance to is a sport. It also has a loyal following. I feel it is not bog enough. NASCAR is often touted as being the boggest 😃 US spectator sport of all. ---
**Author:** ![AlTraina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/altraina/32/50_2.png) [@AlTraina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlTraina)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/16 "2020-03-11T22:25:47Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Or is it completely up to person answering the pole. I take it you’re voting for auto racing? ---
**Author:** ![AlTraina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/altraina/32/50_2.png) [@AlTraina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlTraina)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/17 "2020-03-11T22:27:52Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The only one I would definitively rule out is Pro Wrestling. I don’t thing even Pro Wrestling thinks Pro Wrestling is a sport (it’s certainly athletic. but not a sport) Vince McMahon and the Undertaker successfully lobbied New Jersey to have Professional Wrestling declassified as a sport in order to avoid a tax on professional sporting events. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/18 "2020-03-12T00:41:52Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Several of the items in the list aren’t even sports at all. > > E-sports isn’t sport, because although it’s a game, it’s not physical. > Auto and horse racing arguably aren’t sports, because they depend more on the ability of the car or of the horse than of the human. Though I suppose you could argue that horse-racing is still a sport for the horses. > “Olympic sports” isn’t a sport, because it’s a whole bunch of different sports. Likewise for “X-Games”. And actually, that applies to “e-sport” and “auto racing”, too. > Pro wrestling isn’t a sport because, while it is athletic, it’s not competitive. Who designs and builds the cars? It’s people. It’s a combo athletic and engineering sport. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/19 "2020-03-12T00:58:14Z")
Went by sense of feel, but… for me… I would have added ‘College football’. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/20 "2020-03-12T02:40:32Z")
I almost said “Olympic sports” in addition to the ones I named (mostly at the top of the list), but decided that it is not the sports themselves that matter, but the Olympic nature of them. No one much cares about diving or gymnastics or downhill skiing or curling, except when the Olympics roll around, but that’s not the sports, that’s the Olympics. So I left 'em out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262.md?page=2)