# What is the difference between a Game & a Sport? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 16, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718 "2006-02-16T00:07:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/1 "2006-02-16T00:07:44Z")
Golf is a Sport. Croquet is a Game. Chess is a Sport. Monopoly is a Game. Soccer/Football is a Sport. Tag is a Game. Billards is sometimes a Sport, sometimes a Game, depending on who you ask. What is the difference between a Game & 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:** [February 16, 2006, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/2 "2006-02-16T00:29:34Z")
I asked the [same question](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=252787) a couple of years ago. Let’s see if you get different answers. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GWVet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/65b543/32.png) [@GWVet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GWVet)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/3 "2006-02-16T00:47:30Z")
My gut reaction is that any game that is played professionally is a sport. Then again, stuff like hunting and fishing (while certainly done professionally) are considered sports too, but in my mind they are not intrinsically competitive. Although they can be. I can also see a distinction betwen whether a game is athletic or not, regardless of its professional status. (I think of chess as a game, not a sport, but it is certainly played professionally) Oh heck, I don’t guess I really know, so I’ll stick to my original answer. ---
**Author:** ![Knorf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/58956e/32.png) [@Knorf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knorf)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/4 "2006-02-16T00:50:07Z")
Chess is a sport? I love the game, but I’ve never heard it called a sport. I think a sport requires physical exertion of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/5 "2006-02-16T01:02:26Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Chess is a sport? I love the game, but I’ve never heard it called a sport. > > I think a sport requires physical exertion of some kind. Just what I was going to say. I’ve never heard chess called a sport. I think the difference is physical exertion…or perhpaps better to say physical prowess. I’ve argued that billards is a sport, even though you don’t break a sweat. It’s still physical prowess. I guess you could say the same for bowling. Tag is a game because it’s played by children. I think that’s aboout the only answer on that one. ---
**Author:** ![Tevildo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Tevildo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tevildo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/6 "2006-02-16T01:13:45Z")
In the UK tradition, “Sport” is Hunting, Shooting and Fishing - anything else is a “Game”. I suppose a working modern definition would be that a sport is something played at a professional level that requires physical skill (not necessarily _athletic_ - darts and snooker/pool can be described as “sports” quite legitimately), whereas a game requires only mental skill. I would agree with other posters that chess can’t really be described as a sport - if so, things like bridge and poker (both played competitively for large stakes) would be sports, too. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/7 "2006-02-16T01:35:35Z")
> [@betenoir](#): > > Just what I was going to say. I’ve never heard chess called a sport. On the one hand, I’d say that’s because “sport” has a connotation of playfulness. It comes from the verb “[disport](http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/disport?view=uk).” Doesn’t really apply to the game of chess. On the other hand, people can be pretty grim about professional sports – but the games themselves are more exuberant. As for why croquet isn’t called a sport – it certainly has been. It’s just that lately “sport” has acquired a connotation of athleticism, (or sometimes just seriousness.) To my mind, there’s not a whit of difference between a “sport” and a “game.” (We have the Olympic Games, after all.) Hockey is a game. It’s also something that requires strength, speed, and skill, which professional players of the game have taken to extraordinary levels. Tiddlywinks is a [sport](http://65.66.134.201/cgi-bin/webster/webster.exe?search_for_texts_web1828=sport). > [@Webster](#): > > That which diverts and makes merry; play; game; diversion; also, mirth. The word signifies both the cause and the effect; that which produces mirth, and the mirth or merriment produced. The concept of sport has been raised somewhat above itself, in so far as people perceive a difference between a “sport” and a “game.” Some sports require a certain amount of athleticism and skill, and some… don’t. Of course, this answer is pretty much what you’d expect from someone who never takes part in athletic sports. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/8 "2006-02-16T01:39:36Z")
IMHO: A sport is an activity involving physical prowness and some degree of winning. A game is an activity involving competition within a set of rules. So football is a sport and a game. Fishing is a sport but not a game. Chess is a game but not a sport. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/9 "2006-02-16T01:42:15Z")
I think most would agree that before anything else is considered, physical exertion is required. So chess and poker are out. I’ve though about creating a heirarchical classification, seperating out “sports” that require defence, races, non-contact contests of strength, judged competitions, etc. Then subclasses, for example races where each person has their own lane vs. jockying for position, races with obstacles like hurdles or slalom. What do y’all think? Also, I think croquet and tag are called games because primarily played recreationally. Plus, how does one “win” at tag? “Ultimate Croquet” (my cousin’s invention) could be considered a sport. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/10 "2006-02-16T04:05:01Z")
> [@](#): > > Plus, how does one “win” at tag? Last one tagged wins. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/11 "2006-02-16T04:17:11Z")
IMHO, the more physical contact between opponents, the more sport-like the activity. ---
**Author:** ![soulmurk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b782af/32.png) [@soulmurk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/soulmurk)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/12 "2006-02-16T06:54:36Z")
A sport requires athleticism, whereas a game only requires physical effort (if even that). A sport requires some degree of strategy that may or may not be immediately obvious to the casual observer, whereas a game’s strategy is more likely to be the centerpoint of the contest, though can even contain no strategy. A sport is usually a team effort, whereas competitions between singular people are usually games. (The only exception I can think of is tennis) It’s not a sport if you can do it drunk. Thus, by failing one or more of the rules: auto racing, bowling, 100-yard dashes (and their ilk), hunting/fishing, golf, billiards, darts and curling (to name a few) are not sports. ---
**Author:** ![cerberus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cerberus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cerberus)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/13 "2006-02-16T08:02:15Z")
A sport is expected to involve significant athleticism. Having said that, “sport” in actual usage has eroded to include less physically demanding pursuits such as bowling or golf, or pursuits involving highly specialised physicality, such as baseball or race car driving. And then there’s _Curling_ … At this point, I suppose that it’s officially a “sport” if someone corporate will sponsor you, if people will pay to see you do it, or if ESPN oe some other “sports” network will cover your thing. A game is expected to involve some sort of skill, and may or may not be competitive. So…_Bocce_ is a game, unless someone does up some sort of **Xtreme! Bocce! Challenge!** , then it’s a “sport.” ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/14 "2006-02-16T15:22:41Z")
Rough guide: if you can smoke while playing, it’s a game. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/15 "2006-02-16T16:03:17Z")
> [@cerberus](#): > > A sport is expected to involve significant athleticism. Having said that, “sport” in actual usage has eroded to include less physically demanding pursuits such as bowling or golf, or pursuits involving highly specialised physicality, such as baseball or race car driving. And then there’s _Curling_ … > > At this point, I suppose that it’s officially a “sport” if someone corporate will sponsor you, if people will pay to see you do it, or if ESPN oe some other “sports” network will cover your thing. > > A game is expected to involve some sort of skill, and may or may not be competitive. > > So…_Bocce_ is a game, unless someone does up some sort of **Xtreme! Bocce! Challenge!** , then it’s a “sport.” There are world Bocce Championships every year and they are sponsored events with large purses and often broadcast on TV in Italy. There is also a drive to have bocce made into an olympic sport, so by your definition I would think bocce qualifies as a sport. It is probably the oldest sport too, at 7000 years old. ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/16 "2006-02-16T19:47:46Z")
> [@Bryan Ekers](#): > > Rough guide: if you can smoke while playing, it’s a game. This has usually been the clincher for me, but you can smoke while hunting and fishing. ---
**Author:** ![jwalter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@jwalter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jwalter)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/17 "2006-02-16T20:54:39Z")
> [@soulmurk](#): > > A sport requires athleticism, whereas a game only requires physical effort (if even that). > > A sport requires some degree of strategy that may or may not be immediately obvious to the casual observer, whereas a game’s strategy is more likely to be the centerpoint of the contest, though can even contain no strategy. > > A sport is usually a team effort, whereas competitions between singular people are usually games. (The only exception I can think of is tennis) > > It’s not a sport if you can do it drunk. > Thus, by failing one or more of the rules: auto racing, bowling, 100-yard dashes (and their ilk), hunting/fishing, golf, billiards, darts and curling (to name a few) are not sports. The Team effort thing I have to disagree with. Downhill skiiing, all those extreme sports (bmx, snowboarding, rock-climbing), ice skating, long distance skating/skiing, marathon running, jai alai, etc. Also, and most importantly, auto racing is most definately a sport Generally attributed to Hemingway (tho up for debate): “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.” When I get off track, especially for enduros, I’m exhausted. Anywhere from 2hrs to shared track time up to 24 hrs. F1 drivers need an impressive physique to compensate for high g loads that would snap most people in half. To be at the pointy end of the grid, you have to have a good deal of muscle control and stamina. Pit strategy, strategy involved in when and how to pass, qualifying strategy…there’s more to it then most casual observers realize. I do road courses, but the roundy-round (nascar) guys also qualify, as much as I hate to admit it. 🙂 How about this (Mirriam-Webster) Sport : a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in Athlete: a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina At the pinacle of racing, F1, WRC, Moto-GP, etc, physical strength, (some) agility, and lots of stamina are required. ---
**Author:** ![dotchan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9d8465/32.png) [@dotchan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dotchan)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/18 "2006-02-16T21:34:23Z")
What about Calvinball? 😃 And what if you can _drink_ while playing? 😃 (or perhaps :eek: ) ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/19 "2006-02-16T22:15:55Z")
> [@dotchan](#): > > What about Calvinball? 😃 > > And what if you can _drink_ while playing? 😃 (or perhaps :eek: ) If you’re playing Calvinball, and you’ve not been drinking, you’ve got some 'splaining to do 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2006, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718/20 "2006-02-16T22:21:31Z")
My favorite definition is one that was offered up by a writer in Sports Illustrated: “A sport is any type of organized athletic competition in which defense is employed.” So, chess isn’t a sport because it isn’t athletic in nature While at the same time, marathon running also isn’t a sport, but rather an athletic competition. Because while it is definitely athletic, there’s no defense, you can’t interfere with the other runners in any way (that I know of?) Stuff that would clearly be sports under this definition: Football (all kinds) Baseball Basketball Tennis Boxing Wrestling Cricket Polo Ping Pong Stuff in that vein. Stuff that would not be a sport because it isn’t athletic: Chess Poker/other card games Billiards Stuff that wouldn’t be a sport because defense is not employed: -Virtually all track & field which rely purely on athleticism but no interference between the competitors -Swimming competitions of virtually all types -Gymnastics -Golf -Croquet The best fit for those things would be “athletic competitions” but not actually sports. Then stuff that is hard to define: -Auto-racing in which defense is employed (is it athletic?) -Hunting/fishing (does it count when the animals try to avoid getting killed?) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-difference-between-a-game-a-sport/344718.md?page=2)