no offense intended - but?

[laserbrn]

So are you saying pool isn't ?

A sport? No.

A game? Yes.

Sports are games played by athletes that include an element of strength and speed. It's certainly subjective whether you'd like to consider it a sport, but if you're saying the spelling bee isn't, then pool isn't.

 

[Oregonmeds]

I agree kids just aren't exposed to the game at an age that will make us competitive any more. SVB's parents owned a pool hall, he grew up with it... That's what makes the top talent as adults, but now many kids will never see a pool table until they're already old enough to drink which then by that time they'll be too busy trying to carry a job and get laid to devote too much time to it.

I think the answer is more kids getting drunk smoking doing drugs and getting laid earlier, so all that isn't new from 18-21.

 

[elvicash]

Forget ESPN they think a spelling bee is a sport.

The spelling bee huh, I try to watch it every year, I look forward to it. I love pool but the way it shot for TV it does not leave much to look forward to it is a fun sport/game to play not that good on TV with commercials and jumping forward 5 games etc. I do not know that it is a sport but it is a competitive event and it is watched by alot people and talked about as being in the news on shows such as Leno and Letterman. Young kids trying hard, working to excel and competing is cool. Maybe not a sport but definitly a competition.

The streamers do a better job of getting the sport of pool across especially the ones with multicamera setups and a long term plan but none of them compete yet with the spelling bee. The spelling bee production is comprised of quite a few people and they have substantial budget and a long term audience for a once a year event. That is why they have advertisers. The advertisers want an audience and spelling bee gets that every year. Also the speeling bee is not replayed over and over again to use to fill in dead time for the schedule. ESPN thinks of pool as a filler nothing more from what I can see.

Don't knock spelling, we all have to type words to make this forum thing work.

 

[elvicash]

A sport? No.

A game? Yes.

Sports are games played by athletes that include an element of strength and speed. It's certainly subjective whether you'd like to consider it a sport, but if you're saying the spelling bee isn't, then pool isn't.

Pool is as much a sport as bowling or golf.

Pool is made of games and it is a sport. The WPA is trying to getting it into the Olympics and if rhythmic gymanastics is a sport then I have to think that pool is a sport too, now one pocket, 9 ball and 14.1 those are all games played in the sport of pocket billiards.

Now here is a definition of sport

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.

To play competive pool you have to have strength, timing, heart, eye hand coordination and visualization skills. I thionk pool is a sport.

 

[Drew]

A sport? No.

A game? Yes.

Sports are games played by athletes that include an element of strength and speed. It's certainly subjective whether you'd like to consider it a sport, but if you're saying the spelling bee isn't, then pool isn't.

According to wikipedia:

"A sport is a physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively, sports can be done on land, in water, in the air and in space.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sports:"

Sounds like pool is a sport. Spelling bee, otoh, is not a physical activity. You forgot endurance, coordination, and accuracy...here's a few other "non-sports" per your definition
Archery
Golf
Table Tennis
Shooting
Bocce
Bowling
Fencing
Snooker
Equine
Disc golf
Cross-country running
Cross-country skiing
Auto and bike racing
Skydiving
Croquet
Martial arts

...none of which require any spectacular feats of strength or speed...funny, I see a bunch of these in the Olympics.

 

[laserbrn]

According to wikipedia:

"A sport is a physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively, sports can be done on land, in water, in the air and in space.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sports:"

Sounds like pool is a sport. Spelling bee, otoh, is not a physical activity.

Claiming that pool is a physical activity is ridiculous. Why do people have to try sooooo hard to get it defined as a sport? Is it less of a games if it isn't a sport?

Bowling...not a sport. Just a game. Basically if you can't winded playing, it's not a sport, it's just a game. I mentioned earlier that the definition of "sport" to many players is subjective and this isn't the topic of this thread, but I'll give my opinion.

Golf...barely a sport. Certainly in the "grey" area, not real black or white. John Daly can compete, so that pretty much rules it out as a sport.

I have a few criteria that I use to determine if something is a sport...

Can you eat while you do it?
Can you smoke while you do it?
Can you take a break in the middle of the action to use the restroom or do you just piss/sh*t yourself, because that's what you gotta do in this sport?

Can you be injured performing your physical activity? Is this injury common due to the physical stress of the activity?

These help me decide if something is a sport or merely a competetive game. As an avid pool player, chess player, golfer, even bowler and decent darts player I enjoy a good competition, but I don't feel that it makes it any less interesting if it's not a sport and I don't feel the need to rationalize to myself that I'm somehow participating in a sport.

If I wanted to play "sports" I'd go out and play baseball, basketball, or one of the many other sports that I do enjoy playing with friends. Sometimes I play sports, and there's barely any competition going on. We are just enjoying ourselves and playing. Often in pool games there's very much a competition occuring, but I wouldn't consider myself to be playing "sports" with my friends.

 

[Drew]

Claiming that pool is a physical activity is ridiculous. Why do people have to try sooooo hard to get it defined as a sport? Is it less of a games if it isn't a sport?

Bowling...not a sport. Just a game. Basically if you can't winded playing, it's not a sport, it's just a game. I mentioned earlier that the definition of "sport" to many players is subjective and this isn't the topic of this thread, but I'll give my opinion.

Golf...barely a sport. Certainly in the "grey" area, not real black or white. John Daly can compete, so that pretty much rules it out as a sport.

I have a few criteria that I use to determine if something is a sport...

Can you eat while you do it?
Can you smoke while you do it?
Can you take a break in the middle of the action to use the restroom or do you just piss/sh*t yourself, because that's what you gotta do in this sport?

Can you be injured performing your physical activity? Is this injury common due to the physical stress of the activity?

These help me decide if something is a sport or merely a competetive game. As an avid pool player, chess player, golfer, even bowler and decent darts player I enjoy a good competition, but I don't feel that it makes it any less interesting if it's not a sport and I don't feel the need to rationalize to myself that I'm somehow participating in a sport.

If I wanted to play "sports" I'd go out and play baseball, basketball, or one of the many other sports that I do enjoy playing with friends. Sometimes I play sports, and there's barely any competition going on. We are just enjoying ourselves and playing. Often in pool games there's very much a competition occuring, but I wouldn't consider myself to be playing "sports" with my friends.

Is injury likely to occur while throwing a javelin? Is that really your definition of sport?
How is pool not a physical activity? You don't agree that pool requires spectacular feats of coordination and accuracy?

 

[laserbrn]

According to wikipedia:

"A sport is a physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively, sports can be done on land, in water, in the air and in space.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to sports:"

Sounds like pool is a sport. Spelling bee, otoh, is not a physical activity. You forgot endurance, coordination, and accuracy...here's a few other "non-sports" per your definition
ArcheryNot a sport
Golf Not a sport
Table Tennis - Argueably could be considered a sport.
Shooting Not a sport
Bocce Not a sport - Retired people play this...c'mon, some can barely walk and you can play with a cane.
Bowling Not a sport
Fencing hmmm....very physical, I'd say it's a sport
Snooker Not a sport
Equine -Very much a physically demanding sport, did you see how I defined sport or did you just off on your own?
Disc golf - Also, physical activity, but more or less a game.
Cross-country running - how could this not be a sport by my definition?
Cross-country skiing - see above
Auto and bike racing - Bike racing? Definitely a sport by my definition, motorsports, meh. Depends...can be demanding.
Skydiving - Completely physical...don't see what you're getting at here.
Croquet - Not a sport
Martial arts - Did you read my posts at all?

...none of which require any spectacular feats of strength or speed...funny, I see a bunch of these in the Olympics.

Really none of those are competitions that contain "an element of strenth and/or speed"? You might want to revisit your list and come back with one that makes sense.

 

[laserbrn]

Is injury likely to occur while throwing a javelin? Is that really your definition of sport?
How is pool not a physical activity? You don't agree that pool requires spectacular feats of coordination and accuracy?

Is injury likely to occur while throwing something as hard as you possibly can? Uh, yeah.

I didn't argue that spectacular feats of coordination and accuracy make something a sport. If that's your definition of a sport that you've rationalized in your head, then you can consider it a sport.

To me, it'll never be a sport and the only people that would want it to be are people desperate to say that they participate in a sport. lol.

 

[AtLarge]

... I think the answer is more kids getting drunk smoking doing drugs and getting laid earlier, so all that isn't new from 18-21.

Yup; if everyone could just get those things out of the way by about age 10 or 12, ... :smile:

 

[Drew]

Is injury likely to occur while throwing something as hard as you possibly can? Uh, yeah.

I didn't argue that spectacular feats of coordination and accuracy make something a sport. If that's your definition of a sport that you've rationalized in your head, then you can consider it a sport.

To me, it'll never be a sport and the only people that would want it to be are people desperate to say that they participate in a sport. lol.

Then you might want to take your revised definition of "sport" to Merriam Webster. I'm sure they'd be interested in hearing it.

sport/spôrt/
Noun: An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others.

Or I suppose we could just make new definitions for words as we see fit.

 

[laserbrn]

If you'd like to use Webster you can do that too. But you can't ignore the words "exertion" and "and" and define it as just skill.

So let's see what Webster has for exertion...

Definition: The act or instance of exerting; espeically : a laborious or perceptible effort

Examples of exertion

- He was panting from the excertion of climbing the stairs

synonyms - activity, conditioning, excercise.

If THIS fits into your pool game, you should get out of the house more often. Maybe go for a walk or a run. Get yourself into better physical shape so that you won't be exerting so much energy playing the game such that it turns it into a sport for you.

I won't bother with the definition of "and" it's actually pretty long. But I think everyone who has been past the 1st grade realizes that "AND" and "OR" are different words with different meanings.

 

[dyoung5]

sport

How can someone say that golf isnt a sport. have you ever walked a full 18 or hell even 9 holes while carrying a full bag with 14 clubs and 20 balls with other little nip picks in there as well that averages out to be about 35-40 pounds. That can be pretty draining and if you dont think so then go try it. and if its still not challenging then wait till mid july in south georgia and do it. im willing to bet you want pee after the front 9 because your body will be so dehydrated. Pool is questionable but ill be nice and say it is that way i can consider my self a decent athlete

 

[trustyrusty]

sport, not a sport, fat lazy kids, world caught up....

whatever. The REAL reason that there aren't a bunch of GREAT American players is because there is NO money in it! There are still kids working their asses off trying to get to the good life that they see REAL professional athletes (NFL, NBA, MLB, etc.) making.

If your kid shows excellence in something athletic (hitting, catching, kicking a ball, or has freakish speed and hand eye coordination, or even the all elusive "FEEL" needed in golf, pool, and other games/sports)....are you going to get him/her a home table, take him/her to the poolhall as much as possible, and travel around to as many regional tournaments as you can? You might, but it'd be for enjoyment purposes alone.....THERE IS NO MONEY IN IT! Like ANY competitive endeavor, pool is addictive (everyone here relates, I'm sure). Why would you want to get a kid that shows that "it", addicted to pool, over say, golf, where if he/she did really excel, they could make a future out of it??!

Tiger's dad could have pushed him hard towards pool, and with his drive and fierce competitiveness he just might have dominated it as well.....I think his bank account looks better (even after the Euro hottie model ex took a ton) with the golf choice.

 

[Oregonmeds]

Yup; if everyone could just get those things out of the way by about age 10 or 12, ... :smile:

I was wondering if anyone read a word I said.

One thing about that is true though, kids would start finding school a lot more interesting and attendance would go up.

 

[Scott Lee]

Oregonmeds...Your information is inaccurate. While Shane did grow up around pool (his grandpa, mother and aunt all played very well), nobody in his family ever owned a pool hall. Shane started playing very young, and his love for pool was encouraged by his family. That's one reason why he is so good. He also has a huge amount of natural talent.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

SVB's parents owned a pool hall, he grew up with it.

 

[The Chinchilla]

sport, not a sport, fat lazy kids, world caught up....

whatever. The REAL reason that there aren't a bunch of GREAT American players is because there is NO money in it! There are still kids working their asses off trying to get to the good life that they see REAL professional athletes (NFL, NBA, MLB, etc.) making.

If your kid shows excellence in something athletic (hitting, catching, kicking a ball, or has freakish speed and hand eye coordination, or even the all elusive "FEEL" needed in golf, pool, and other games/sports)....are you going to get him/her a home table, take him/her to the poolhall as much as possible, and travel around to as many regional tournaments as you can? You might, but it'd be for enjoyment purposes alone.....THERE IS NO MONEY IN IT! Like ANY competitive endeavor, pool is addictive (everyone here relates, I'm sure). Why would you want to get a kid that shows that "it", addicted to pool, over say, golf, where if he/she did really excel, they could make a future out of it??!

Tiger's dad could have pushed him hard towards pool, and with his drive and fierce competitiveness he just might have dominated it as well.....I think his bank account looks better (even after the Euro hottie model ex took a ton) with the golf choice.

Clearly the answer, especially considering we do live in a capitalistic society. Nice post.

I do disagree with Tiger though, if he got pushed in pool it is likely he would have been an average player, as in maybe a strong shortstop. But nobody can ever know. I think being exceptional is based in very specific and rare talent, not necessarily hard work.... hard work is just a requirement.

 

[Oregonmeds]

Oregonmeds...Your information is inaccurate. While Shane did grow up around pool (his grandpa, mother and aunt all played very well), nobody in his family ever owned a pool hall. Shane started playing very young, and his love for pool was encouraged by his family. That's one reason why he is so good. He also has a huge amount of natural talent.

Scott Lee
www.poolknowledge.com

Thanks

That means some commentator in the sport is spreading false info, I heard that about him during some match I was watching.

 

[laserbrn]

I think that's a little "cart before the horse" there. You can't have a game with an industry that makes money unless there are players. Players first, then the money.

Kids don't love basketball because the pro's make a lot of money. That's ludicrous. They are tought the game young, play for their schools, play in youth leauges and THEN enjoy watching the pro's which in turn brings the pro's the $$$.

Same goes for golf. There's Jr. Golf tournaments, lesson clinics at most public courses weekly. Again, people don't play golf because pro's make a lot of money doing it.

 

[trustyrusty]

I think that's a little "cart before the horse" there. You can't have a game with an industry that makes money unless there are players. Players first, then the money.

Kids don't love basketball because the pro's make a lot of money. That's ludicrous. They are tought the game young, play for their schools, play in youth leauges and THEN enjoy watching the pro's which in turn brings the pro's the $$$.

Same goes for golf. There's Jr. Golf tournaments, lesson clinics at most public courses weekly. Again, people don't play golf because pro's make a lot of money doing it.

That is why I mentioned the PARENTS. In the 50's and 60's dads wanted their kids to be pro baseball players. Even if it wasn't 100% money oriented, (I mean the yankee clipper did have Marilyn Monroe ) it was a good goal to have a son be a great baseball player. The Williams sisters (from Compton CA, btw) had a father that pushed them into TENNIS, tennis, in Compton...? I already mentioned Tiger and his dad.

How many father's want to have their kids spending all their free time in poolhalls, with often times, somewhat seedy/shady characters? I know it can be done at home, and I know having a love for all things billiards isn't a recipe for a disastrous life, but I was putting a what would you rather question out there....

If parents have an interest in NASCAR, golf, swimming, heck, even MMA, there's a good chance their kids, being around it, will develop an interest in it as well; same goes with pool. But, as a parent, I would encourage MY kid to pursue interests that keep him out of the, um, less fortunate areas of town, and away from folks that may not have the kids' best interests at heart. Like many, I want my kid to have it better than I have had it, and really would like him to learn life lessons in a less harsh way than I had to growing up.... That may not have ANYTHING to do with sports, or other competitive endeavors, or it might. JMO is all.

The whole $$$$$$ part of my post was referring to seeing real promise in a young-un. More often than not, someone who excels in one thing certainly can in another. Most professional athletes had to choose a road at some point. John Elway was also drafted by the Yankees. Dave Winfield - all Big 10 in BASKETBALL. Babe Didrikson Zaharias could have excelled in ANYTHING. Jackie Robinson, Bo Jackson, Deon Sanders, Jim Brown, Jim Thorpe, etc. were mostly known for just raw athletic prowess, but getting there takes determination and a hunger, that could have propelled them to succeed in ANYTHING.

After all of my ramblings, what I was trying to get at in my first post was...would you want a kid that shows real promise in terms of natural talent and a strong desire to be great at something to put all his/her efforts into pool? Maybe you would....not me