if Pool is a sport, then define "sport'

S

smashmouth

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
It seems that too many people who participate in competitive, physical, recreational activities become peeved at the idea of their
game being excluded as a sport.

The most important aspect to my definition of a sport is quite simple,



any game requiring the simultaneous attempt of your opponent(s) to prevent your progress...obviously there would be other requirements as that definition alone would qualify Video Games and other such competitions...but that's the gist...




Football, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, Boxing, Wrestling etc...would constitute classic examples.

These types of games introduce a level of dynamics and psychology that are simply not present elsewhere.

I believe it is very difficult to understand these concepts unless you have played such games at a relatively high level and/or have
studied sporting competitions of many types over many years.

It is also my belief that these games are the most difficult of all requiring overall skill levels which dwarf those skills required to compete in other games, and generally speaking, the participants of which are derived from the deepest talent pools available.

Billiards obviously would not qualify under my definition,

nor would other games which are most often considered sports
such as Track and Field events, Swiw races, Gymnastics, and many more which in my view fall under the category of "competitions" requiring a certain level of athleticism

I welcome all input (except from bowlers)
 
anything that requires full physical movement, an opposition and holds a degree of difficulty that is not met by most.
 
Any athletic activity that requires both mental and physical skill to compete, where the individuals mental and physical skills are used to either a) perform the athletic activities prescribed function for score, or b) alter the oppositions athletic activity by direct or indirect means, or c) both a & b.
 
Just because there aren't sweaty bodies rubbing against each other doesn't mean it isn't a sport. I've played college sports, and nothing compares to the athleticism it takes to play pool.

Most of the popular sports have similar objectives. In pool, you are trying to project an object at another object, to project it at another object. The execution is what makes it a sport.

On a very basic level, it looks like a small table compared to something like a soccer field, but the table itself, is massive.
 
Yep - and Buddy Hall is one of the best "athletes" out there - Pool/Billiards is a game.
 
smashmouth said:
It seems that too many people who participate in competitive, physical, recreational activities become peeved at the idea of their
game being excluded as a sport.

The most important aspect to my definition of a sport is quite simple,



any game requiring the simultaneous attempt of your opponent(s) to prevent your progress...obviously there would be other requirements as that definition alone would qualify Video Games and other such competitions...but that's the gist...




Football, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, Boxing, Wrestling etc...would constitute classic examples.

These types of games introduce a level of dynamics and psychology that are simply not present elsewhere.

I believe it is very difficult to understand these concepts unless you have played such games at a relatively high level and/or have
studied sporting competitions of many types over many years.

It is also my belief that these games are the most difficult of all requiring overall skill levels which dwarf those skills required to compete in other games, and generally speaking, the participants of which are derived from the deepest talent pools available.

Billiards obviously would not qualify under my definition,

nor would other games which are most often considered sports
such as Track and Field events, Swiw races, Gymnastics, and many more which in my view fall under the category of "competitions" requiring a certain level of athleticism

I welcome all input (except from bowlers)
Click to expand...

Your definition would also exclude golf which I think is the most difficult "sport" on the planet. It's true you don't have bodies banging into each other but golf at a high level requires tremendous physical and mental stamina. Think about a sport where you can play almost perfectly for 63 holes and then blow the entire tournament on one bad swing.

I'm not sure whether pool could be considered a sport but it is certainly a very challenging and beautiful game. It is underrated and under appreciated because it takes someone with a fair amount of knowledge of the game to understand the skill required.

Just IMO... :cool:
 
I don't define words, I let other people do it:

dictionary.com:
an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.
Click to expand...

I think long sessions on the table constitutes a certain level of "athletic activity."

Miriam-Webster is even more permissive:
Definition of SPORT
1
a : a source of diversion : recreation b : sexual play c (1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) : a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in
2
a : pleasantry, jest b : often mean-spirited jesting : mockery, derision
3
a : something tossed or driven about in or as if in play b : laughingstock
4
a : sportsman b : a person considered with respect to living up to the ideals of sportsmanship <a good sport> <a poor sport> c : a companionable person
Click to expand...

Comparing any two sports is like comparing apples and oranges. I don't know why we bother. There's room enough in the world for all of them.
 
a sport is - any competitive undertaking that requires mental strategy and physical dexterity.

basically the definition of pocket billiards !
 
Last edited:
smashmouth said:
It seems that too many people who participate in competitive, physical, recreational activities become peeved at the idea of their
game being excluded as a sport.

The most important aspect to my definition of a sport is quite simple,



any game requiring the simultaneous attempt of your opponent(s) to prevent your progress...obviously there would be other requirements as that definition alone would qualify Video Games and other such competitions...but that's the gist...




Football, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, Boxing, Wrestling etc...would constitute classic examples.

These types of games introduce a level of dynamics and psychology that are simply not present elsewhere.

I believe it is very difficult to understand these concepts unless you have played such games at a relatively high level and/or have
studied sporting competitions of many types over many years.

It is also my belief that these games are the most difficult of all requiring overall skill levels which dwarf those skills required to compete in other games, and generally speaking, the participants of which are derived from the deepest talent pools available.

Billiards obviously would not qualify under my definition,

nor would other games which are most often considered sports
such as Track and Field events, Swiw races, Gymnastics, and many more which in my view fall under the category of "competitions" requiring a certain level of athleticism

I welcome all input (except from bowlers)
Click to expand...

Sports
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_oOLQi5-is
 
Perhaps we need a way to separate a game from a sport.

perhaps, by defining the difference between a game and a sport would be a good start. ie all sports are not games and all games are not sports.
 
krupa said:
I don't define words, I let other people do it:

dictionary.com:


I think long sessions on the table constitutes a certain level of "athletic activity."

Miriam-Webster is even more permissive:
Click to expand...

Just a note about dictionaries. Dictionaries are sociological reports--they don't offer prescriptive or authoritative definitions for words, they simply report on actual usage. It is how a word is actually used within a linguistic community that determines what a dictionary reports as its definition. This is why what we think of as a word's meaning can change over time.
 
smashmouth said:
wow, tough to argue that
Click to expand...

We got up early to do stretches on the tracks and exercises. Then we did laps because bobby came late. Then bobby would miss by a few seconds and we did more laps. Bobby came on time sometimes. I hate Bobby and coach. Sometimes it was fun when we scrimmaged, but most of pre-season was endurance training.

"You're as strong as our weakest link, guys"---coach

Then we hit the weights after training every other day for an hour. Yip we had boyish figures for the entire summer, then it goes away.

Training for pool--Once you're there, it's never gone. Those guys are still beasts.
 
Sex can be a sport, can't it? Also, I'm calling bs for giving bowling a free pass.

If this were a poll, I'd vote yes for billiards being a sport. However, the label is not that important.

You could also call it gambling, thereapy, recreation, whatever.
 
If you don't sweat or get out of breath doing it, it's not a sport. If you sweat and get out of breath playing pool, you are the complete opposite of and athlete.
 
Sport meets Game

A red-neck was out hunting (sport)
He saw a gorgeous woman.
He said "Man,I'd like some of that!"
She smiled and said "I'm game."

...so he shot her....:shocked2:
 
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