# 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:** 2
**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 12, 2020, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/21 "2020-03-12T03:07:24Z")
NASCAR might be an engineering contest, but engineering contests aren’t sports. ---
**Author:** ![Calavera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calavera/32/70_2.png) [@Calavera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Calavera)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/22 "2020-03-12T13:40:47Z")
At least 3 people so far think the world’s #1 sport with a bullet is not a “major sport” ---
**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 12, 2020, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/23 "2020-03-12T13:46:05Z")
> [@Calavera](#): > > At least 3 people so far think the world’s #1 sport with a bullet is not a “major sport” Your math is faulty, 49 people voted in all, so it looks like 9 didn’t vote for what I call Soccer. _(40/.8163) = 49_ I assume you meant soccer. If the voter is taking an American-centric view, it is legit, if a world view it is not. Myself I voted for soccer as I was trying to take a worldview. ---
**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 12, 2020, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/24 "2020-03-12T13:51:59Z")
FYI criteria for making the poll list was simply “Does ESPN cover it?” I went to [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com), looked at their navigation ribbon, and copied down all of the unique sports listed. It’s certainly not comprehensive, and “Olympic sports” is admittedly overly broad and ambiguous. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/25 "2020-03-12T14:12:48Z")
Football, basketball, baseball, and hockey come to mind. They are the traditional ones. Internationally, soccer is the biggest, but not here. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/26 "2020-03-12T14:28:17Z")
Kabaddi? ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/27 "2020-03-12T14:34:18Z")
I was confused by “Olympic sports”. Does that mean the Olympic Games themselves, or the sports that, as **Ulf the Unwashed** pointed out, we only really pay attention to in Olympic years - figure skating, track and field, swimming, _et al_? The Olympics are a huge deal, of course, but sports like synchronized swimming, fencing, and bobsled only register on the public conciousness every four years. (That said, 200,000 people came out to watch the Olympic Marathon Trials in Atlanta two weeks ago.) ---
**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, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/28 "2020-03-12T14:36:27Z")
I voted Olympics assuming it meant _the Olympics_. In the aggregate, of course it’s a major sport. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/29 "2020-03-12T14:36:38Z")
I voted for the usual suspects- the top five, plus golf, MMA and olympic sports. I chose golf, because it’s something a surprising number of people watch on TV, even if they’re not necessarily golf enthusiasts and go to tournaments, etc… MMA because it’s sort of its own subculture, and is VERY popular in certain crowds. Olympic sports was chosen with the caveat of _“during the Olympics”_. I mean, nobody really watches most of the Olympic sports outside of the Olympics, but most everyone keeps up with the Olympics every four years, so while it’s periodic, it’s definitely major. ---
**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 12, 2020, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/30 "2020-03-12T14:54:31Z")
> [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > I was confused by “Olympic sports”. Does that mean the Olympic Games themselves, or the sports that, as **Ulf the Unwashed** pointed out, we only really pay attention to in Olympic years - figure skating, track and field, swimming, _et al_? I assumed it was the latter, since all the other poll options refer to sports themselves, not the events at which those sports are played. “Baseball,” for example, includes the World Series and Little League games. ---
**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 12, 2020, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/31 "2020-03-12T15:04:55Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Kabaddi? Next time I go to Bangalore (who knows when that will be at this point) I need to get a Bangalore Bulls jersey. Go Bulls! ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/32 "2020-03-12T16:49:12Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I assumed it was the latter, since all the other poll options refer to sports themselves, not the events at which those sports are played. > > “Baseball,” for example, includes the World Series and Little League games. True, but then, as **Chronos** noted, “Olympic sports” comprises a wide range of competitions, from bicycle racing to skeleton to archery. None of them as popular (at least in the US) as basketball or football, but varying hugely in their audiences. In 2018, the last year for which I could find data, the US Fencing Association had 31,000 members, only 16,000 or so who were competitive. That’s approximately the size of the field for this year’s Boston Marathon, which is just one race amongst hundreds in the US every year - the Peachtree Road Race alone, draws 60,000, and turns away thousands more. While neither fencing nor marathoning can be compared to, say, the NBA in terms of fanbase, clearly road racing is a much more popular sport than fencing. In fact, given the tens of thousands of foot races that take place every year all over the world – from 100 mile ultramarathons to local 5Ks and fun runs – I think an argument could be made for considering running a major sport. ---
**Author:** ![boffking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/858c86/32.png) [@boffking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/boffking)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/33 "2020-03-12T17:08:04Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > FYI criteria for making the poll list was simply “Does ESPN cover it?” I went to [ESPN.com](http://ESPN.com), looked at their navigation ribbon, and copied down all of the unique sports listed. It’s certainly not comprehensive, and “Olympic sports” is admittedly overly broad and ambiguous. ESPN has commercials. Does this make marketing a sport? ---
**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 12, 2020, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/34 "2020-03-12T17:13:13Z")
> [@boffking](#): > > ESPN has commercials. Does this make marketing a sport? “Commercials” is not a category on their navigation ribbon. I don’t have any issue with criticism, but how about you actually read what you’re quoting before you criticize it, hmm? ---
**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 12, 2020, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/35 "2020-03-12T20:24:49Z")
A 100 mile ultramarathon and a 5k are both clearly sports, but I’m not sure I would say that they’re the same sport. There will be almost no overlap between those who are good at one and those good at the other. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/36 "2020-03-12T21:22:00Z")
What are these ‘major sports’ you speak of? I look around, and I don’t see any major sports! 😉 ---
**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, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/37 "2020-03-12T21:28:42Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > NASCAR might be an engineering contest, but engineering contests aren’t sports. Nascar is NOT an engineering contest since all the cars are the same, essentially. But I would still call it a sport because, you know, It’s a motorSPORT. Says so right in the name. And anyone who says drivers aren’t athletes dont know jack about motorsports at the highest levels. Formula 1 in particular. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/38 "2020-03-12T21:59:54Z")
I voted for the American big four, soccer, rugby, tennis, golf, cricket, Olympic sports and something else. My something else is Australian Rules football. I’ve been to Melbourne, it’s pretty damn major there 🙂 Motorsports and MMA/boxing both seem a different category to me, not sure I can explain why. I follow WWE, but it’s not a 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 12, 2020, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/39 "2020-03-12T22:54:12Z")
Certainly, being a race car driver involves certain skills, that the pros have developed to a much greater degree than most of us have. And maybe those skills are, at least in part, athletic. But it’s still not primarily an athletic contest. If some guys are shooting a cheap, generic basketball on a public-playground court, and Lebron James suddenly shows up for a pick-up game, he’s still going to absolutely dominate, even with the cheap equipment. But put a top race driver in a cheap beat-up car, he’s not going to be able to do anything near what he can do in a top-end precision-engineered race car. The equipment makes a huge difference. ---
**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 12, 2020, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262/40 "2020-03-12T23:00:23Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The equipment makes a huge difference. Most motorsports go to great lengths to make sure there is no difference in the equipment. Drivers are on a much more level playing field than, say, horse jockeys. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-consider-a-major-sport/849262.md?page=3)