Sport or game

[bobroberts]

I have stated I believe that pool is a game not a sport.I know the mental challenges and the hours of practice.You have the same thing with poker and chess.In pool as othe games there are no real physical challenges like in baseball,basketball even swimming. What are your opinions?
Remember no opinion is wrong!!

 

[Str8PoolPlayer]

Pool is a Game, as is Chess, Checkers, Backgammon, & Golf ... There is no simultaneous interaction with other players, as in Sports.

 

[ShootingArts]

Sport by definition

I have stated I believe that pool is a game not a sport.I know the mental challenges and the hours of practice.You have the same thing with poker and chess.In pool as othe games there are no real physical challenges like in baseball,basketball even swimming. What are your opinions?
Remember no opinion is wrong!!

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.

No question that skill is required to play pool at it's best. It is certainly a competitive event also. Mental and physical stamina come into play in long matches as well. It seems that pool has to qualify as a sport according to the definition of a sport.

Hu

 

[jason]

I have stated I believe that pool is a game not a sport.I know the mental challenges and the hours of practice.You have the same thing with poker and chess.In pool as othe games there are no real physical challenges like in baseball,basketball even swimming. What are your opinions?
Remember no opinion is wrong!!

It is my belief is that pool is a sport. It is not an athletic sport, but a sport non the less. My reasoning is that it requires hand-eye coordination. A skill that can separate the good players for the bad. Games like chess and poker are totally mental. No special physical skills required.

According to the dictionary, a sport is an athletic activity. It also lists fishing as a sport! Huh? I wouldn't consider fishing a sport unless your fishing like a bear for salmon and only using your mouth!

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.

I may technically be wrong on my opinion, but I don't care and I'm sticking to my guns! The bottom line is it's just semantics, so people will think what they want.

 

[jason]

Let's not forget that we play a "game" of baseball! I think it is clear that baseball is a sport.

 

[tigerallenyim]

I have stated I believe that pool is a game not a sport.I know the mental challenges and the hours of practice.You have the same thing with poker and chess.In pool as othe games there are no real physical challenges like in baseball,basketball even swimming. What are your opinions?
Remember no opinion is wrong!!

Well, I think pool is a sport, but resides in a special class with some others... and what I mean by that is: it's a recreational sport. Let's say for example, do many consider Bowling a sport? Some do, some don't. But I beleive Bowling is a sport. For me, it's a recreational sport.

That's just my opintion.

 

[mrmagoo42]

Black Widow

Said it best, there is so much hand eye coordination with trained muscle response to be a just game. IMO it is more fun than most games and not as much sweat and pain as most sports just about perfect

 

[bobroberts]

Pleas don't take offence to this but it can be played well in a wheelchair against non-handicapped people.Its a game, a hard one and not a board game like monoply or scrabble but nevertheless a game.

 

[Bobby]

It's most definitely a sport, just not an athletic sport. Chess and backammon are games because it's only about strategy and the moves you make, I mean a paraplegic could play those games, they could just have someone move the pieces for them. You can't do that in pool you have to have the ability to execute the shots.

 

[ShootingArts]

Remember no opinion is wrong!!


Pleas don't take offence to this but it can be played well in a wheelchair against non-handicapped people.Its a game, a hard one and not a board game like monoply or scrabble but nevertheless a game.

?????????????????

 

[TXsouthpaw]

Sport, way too much hand eye cordination and endurance involved for it to be a game.

this same question could be asked about golf.

 

[KJ Cues]

Pleas don't take offence to this but it can be played well in a wheelchair against non-handicapped people.Its a game, a hard one and not a board game like monoply or scrabble but nevertheless a game.

It seems as though you had your mind made up that it's a game even before you started this thread. So why the poll?
Is there someone besides yourself that you're trying to convince?

 

[aj6788]

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.

No question that skill is required to play pool at it's best. It is certainly a competitive event also. Mental and physical stamina come into play in long matches as well. It seems that pool has to qualify as a sport according to the definition of a sport.

Hu

I completely agree with this. IMO Sport all the way. All answers are right, there is no true definition and there are certain lines that can be crossed either way to consider game or sport. To the people who come in the pool hall just to play and have fun, to them it's a game. For someone like me, I take it serious when something is on the line or if I'm practicing. To me, it's a sport because it takes so much endurance to play all day, doing drills. The time and effort I put into it to perfect my hand eye coordination and be able to only put so much power behind each stroke to get that flawless cue ball position!

 

[Tbeaux]

Pool is a "INDOOR RECREATIONAL ACTIVITY". I believe it is also a sport (so are bowling and darts...IMHO). All sports are games. Not all games are sports (Monopoly,Risk etc). Simultanious interaction is NOT necessary to be a sport (think diving, gymnastics, competitive shooting, skiing etc). The real question is if chess and checkers are sports.:smile:

 

[JustPlay]

Pool is a game with very little physical movement. Throwing darts has hand eye coordination just like pool, but its not a sport. I consider a sport a full body, physical activity, which the entire body or its motions working to its fullest capacity to complete a task. Golf, when driving the ball off the tee must use a full body motion when swinging the club. Although I consider Golf the lesser of physical activities.

Wheelchair players play basketball, race in marathons and play pocket billiards. Which of the three would you consider the most physically challenging?

The only reason this is most likely being debated is that alot of people would like to see pocket billiards apart of the olympics. I don't. However, I would like to see snooker apart of the olympics for various reasons. For pool, there are just too many questions and debates and no real standards.....For Snooker, there is just Snooker!!

 

[TX Poolnut]

Surf around the link below for hours of fun on this topic.

http://sports-law.blogspot.com/2009/02/title-ix-and-definition-of-sport.html

 

[hippiepool]

Is golf a sport .....? If golf is a sport , then guess what .....?

 

[14-1StraightMan]

Sport

Pool is a Sport.

 

[sfleinen]

Careful with that "hand-eye coordination" thing

Sport, way too much hand eye cordination and endurance involved for it to be a game.

this same question could be asked about golf.

Be careful with this argument, for it could be turned around and said that video gaming (e.g. WarCraft) could be considered a "sport" because of the "hand-eye coordination."

 

[cmsmith9]

I can't believe pool players think it's a game. How could anyone categorize this with monopoly and poker is beyond me. I've been arguing this with a meathead football player I work with, for years. It may not be as athletically intensive as football or baseball, but with the hand eye coordination, endurance and mental game, it's still a sport. I'll call it a finesse sport if anything.


Christian