# What makes something a sport? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 21, 2000, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-something-a-sport/37818 "2000-10-21T21:32:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-something-a-sport/37818/41 "2000-10-25T06:29:04Z")
You know, deer didn’t choose to evolve into anything. If I’m a cannibal, is it your fault you get eaten because you chose to evolve into a human? Can human catchin’ be considered a sport (albeit not legally sanctioned :)) You still haven’t answered why hunting is any more a sport than me poking every person I see who happens to be in fencing garb and holding a foil. It’s not like they appeared for the sole purpose of being poked. Sure, when they put on the jacket and mask and picked up the weapon, they expected to get hit… \* but by a person that they were actively engaged in a bout with. \* Sure I’m anthropomorphizing a deer, but at least I’m not saying that the deer got what was coming to him simply for being a deer. If we shoot carnivores/omnivores with no/almost no natural predators, is it still a sport? Bears never “chose” to evolve into something that got killed by other animals… ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-something-a-sport/37818/42 "2000-10-25T14:51:00Z")
iampunha wrote: > [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by tracer \* > > \*\*One criterion might be “it’s a sport if they give out medals for it in the Olympics.” > > > > But then again, the Olympics have curling, rhythmic gymnastics, synchronized swimming, and synchronized diving. If they add Ballroom Dancing as an Olympic medal “sport,” I sewar I’ll never watch the Olympics again. \*\* > > 1. Then American football isn’t a sport? And I guess any martial art not in the Olympics isn’t a sport, either. I don’t think Rugby is, either. No no no no no – if they give out medals for it in the Olympics, it’s a sport, but if they _don’t_ give out medals for it in the Olympics, it may or may not be a sport. Except for curling, rhythmic gymnastics and anything with the word “synchronized” in its title, of course. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-something-a-sport/37818/43 "2000-10-25T14:53:15Z")
ENugent wrote: > [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > Q. Why is a pair of Levi’s like an old fashioned castle? > > > > A. No ballroom. > > > > Mock, mock, mock, mock, mock… > > Huh? No ball room! Get it? Har! ---
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-something-a-sport/37818/44 "2000-10-25T15:07:36Z")
That’s the other thing: while I do consider equestrian to be a sport (it is very physically demanding for the rider), I don’t think it belongs in the Olympics. They’re about testing \* human \* ability, not human & horse. ---
**Author:** ![VileOrb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9e8a1a/32.png) [@VileOrb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VileOrb)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2000, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-something-a-sport/37818/45 "2000-10-25T16:03:52Z")
I don’t have any trouble defining track and field, or even diving, as sports but I do have a problem calling them games. I know there’s a bunch of definitions of games and I suspect the one the olympics committee is using is the mathematical one “A set of rules completely specifying a competition”. I don’t like that one. As a matter of fact, looking through the dictionary I don’t like any of them. Maybe I’m way off base here, somebody help me out. Like some of the definitions of sport given above, I think a game should have an objective scoring system. I can’t think of a way to eliminate track and field without eliminating chess, but I think chess is a game while high jump is not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-makes-something-a-sport/37818.md?page=2)