What sport is not a sport?

[Chippy_Tea]

A 5live discussion that got a lot of calls -

When is a sport not a sport?
What exactly makes something a sport? Does it require physical exertion, a governing body, a high level of skill and technical ability? How does an activity go from being seen as a game or a pastime to being officially classified as a sport?

What sports do you not consider a sport?

One that always gets people going is Dart's which was officially recognised by Sport England in 2005 for me its a game not a sport.

 

[Appleton Brews]

Most American sports.

 

[Rodcx500z]

It is a game but, a very skillful game with most people scoring 26 or less, to hit them trebles and doubles is what makes it so good to watch, i don't class snooker as a sport, i would sooner watch paint dry test cricket is the same totally boring now 20-20 is proper cricket

 

[The Baron]

Sport in my mind is something where physical strength, agility and stamina is involved.
Things like snooker and darts are not a sport but a skill in my thoughts

 

[Pavros]

Any game that can be played while holding and drinking a pint of beer is not a sport.
Therefore any board game and card game. Whilst players exhibit levels of skill, there is little to no physicality.
Darts, snooker and pool are in the grey area.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

One caller said if you can play it in normal shoes its not a sport

Wish i had thought of that one.

 

[Clint]

They'll have flower arranging and bed spread folding in the Olympics before long.

 

[Laner]

Golf just ain’t a sport.

 

[Clint]

Eating sweets...that's not a sport.
To me sport is something I'm not keen on. Never really been interested in playing any or watching any. Sports in school was a bad experience for me...forced to do things like football!
I could run for miles,was interested in weight lifting as I was a skinny boy and often had 7 bells knocked out of me...so I got strong and put a stop to it.
I was also capable at rugby but couldn't be bothered.
Each to their own an all that but I can't see myself taking time off work to watch the cricket.

 

[Rodcx500z]

Golf just ain’t a sport.

Your right it's more, i only realised this after i played a links course, there were some holes were your tee shot had to be 150-200 yards just to get on the fairway, i once managed 68 2 under at Haigh hall Wigan on the belcarres 18 holer

 

[Clint]

Is fishing a sport or a hobby?
You can get a "sporting" ticket at most trout fisheries where you practice catch and release if you don't want to eat what you catch.

 

[Druss]

Probably going to be an unpopular opinion but as far as I'm concerned, Formula one (or any kind of circuit 'racing' in fact) is absolutely not a sport.

Now, before the pile on begins, I realise that there's a huge amount of skill and timing involved, but it's basically Scalextric on a large scale.

Absolutely soul destroyingly boring, how it garners such a huge following is beyond me, people glued to their screens watching the little cars going around, and around, and around...and then, shockingly...around.

 

[Leon103]

What about beer pong?

 

[Rodcx500z]

Anything that makes billions will be classed as a sport, ie tennis all it does is give you a stiff neck

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I realise that there's a huge amount of skill and timing involved, but it's basically Scalextric on a large scale.

I am on the fence on this one, F1 drivers need to be very fit and they need different shoes so leaning towards a sport.

 

[Rodcx500z]

What about beer pong?

What is beer pong

 

[Chippy_Tea]

ie tennis all it does is give you a stiff neck

Sounds like you may have been mixing up your Viagra and ear drops

 

[Agentgonzo]

For me, it must be:
* Competitive
* Be a game/have a set of rules
* require physical exertion

So no, darts, snooker, fishing aren't sports. I'm on the fence about golf as it requires a bit more exertion than just standing up, but not a lot.

 

[Clint]

It does seem like all major sports have lots of money involved.
When I worked in the carbon fibre factory we used to supply at least 10 of the F1 teams with all sorts of vastly expensive stuff!

 

[Clint]

For me, it must be:
* Competitive
* Be a game/have a set of rules
* require physical exertion

So no, darts, snooker, fishing aren't sports. I'm on the fence about golf as it requires a bit more exertion than just standing up, but not a lot.

Match fishing fits that criteria.