The Public's Perception on Pool
- Thread starter ghost ball
- Start date
If you have specific criteria in mind about what makes something a sport, then it's not arbitrary to say that some things are sports and some are not, though it might still be true that the actual border is fuzzy. I don't think pool is close enough to the border though to make it a problem case.
Dictionaries are just sociological reports about how people actually use words. They are not meant to be authoritative about how we should use words, or about what words 'actually' mean. I don't doubt that we sometimes use the word "sport" in such a way that would include pool as a sport, but that doesn't mean that pool requires athleticism to the degree that would make it a genuine sport in my opinion.
Not quite. If I were to argue that two plus two does not equal four, that wouldn't change anything about those numbers, but that doesn't mean the argument is just semantical. I'd actually be wrong.
and beer pong...damnit, don't forget about beer pong! :embarrassed2:
Oh, dictionaries aren't supposed to dictate what words mean? In that case, you are wrong because peanut butter, swordfish flavor popsicle. Volvo spatula unicorn cipher. Pizza popcorn... butt bellybutton earlobe.
Your example shows me that don't know what semantics are. Here, let me help you:
So, a semantic argument is when you argue over the meanings of words or phrases. Arguing about whether or not pool is a sport is really just arguing about what a "sport" actually is.
Thanks for the laugh, much appreciated. Oh, wait, you were serious
I know, it's tough to maintain an open mind. There will still be people curling in 50 years. A pool hall will have vanished 30 years before that.
No, they don't. Dictionaries just report on the way we actually use words. That's why when enough people misuse a word the meaning of the word changes, and dictionaries then report this change in meaning, and the mistaken meaning becomes accepted usage.
The reason what you said doesn't make any sense is not because dictionaries say it doesn't, it's because we don't actually use those words in a way in which what you said would make sense.
No, a semantic argument is one that is only about the meanings of words.
If I argue that pool is not a sport, I'm making a claim about the nature of sports and the nature of pool, not about the meanings of words.
:lol: And I know folks with Olympic medals in curling .. you know any pool medal winners ? :lol: :killingme:
Dave
Enough of the sidebars... here are some of my favorite comments from the article:
"I had never even heard of Snooker until I read this article." David
"I thought the Olympics were for sports" Aaron
"Is this a joke? The next thing they will want flower arrangements in the Olympics" William
"If they can remove wrestling as an Olympic event, then anything is possible." Mike
"Getting to the top in an Olympic event should take years of grueling physical preparation. The athletes should be gladiators. The idea of billiards in the Olympics is freaking nonsense" Wayne
"When will they finally include Foosball or Beer Pong in the Olympics? I can't wait to be an Olympic athlete representing my country - by playing Beer Pong." Mojo
"If Wrestling, the oldest sport in the world, was cut from the Olympics. Why in the #$%$ should Billiards be considered!?" Kevin S
"NO! The Olympic were never intended for this #$%$! We need to get rid of ALL the bull #$%$ and get back to the origins of the game and keep it that way. No billard no snooker PLEASE. Real honest Olympic games. Sorry, I'm finished." Lou
"I'm guessing that if they say yes, video games are going to be a sport at some point in the Olympics" Timmmm
"Terrible idea." Jtodd
"Next we will see the petition for hopscotch!! Dumming down of everything so why not the Olympics?? Sad." Yahoo user
"as if I needed another reason not to watch" Dylan
"Darts is more of a sport." Tom S
"STUPID !!" J...
And my favorite,
"Anything where you can be morbidly obese and still excel at should probably not be an Olympic event." Ken E
"I had never even heard of Snooker until I read this article." David
"I thought the Olympics were for sports" Aaron
"Is this a joke? The next thing they will want flower arrangements in the Olympics" William
"If they can remove wrestling as an Olympic event, then anything is possible." Mike
"Getting to the top in an Olympic event should take years of grueling physical preparation. The athletes should be gladiators. The idea of billiards in the Olympics is freaking nonsense" Wayne
"When will they finally include Foosball or Beer Pong in the Olympics? I can't wait to be an Olympic athlete representing my country - by playing Beer Pong." Mojo
"If Wrestling, the oldest sport in the world, was cut from the Olympics. Why in the #$%$ should Billiards be considered!?" Kevin S
"NO! The Olympic were never intended for this #$%$! We need to get rid of ALL the bull #$%$ and get back to the origins of the game and keep it that way. No billard no snooker PLEASE. Real honest Olympic games. Sorry, I'm finished." Lou
"I'm guessing that if they say yes, video games are going to be a sport at some point in the Olympics" Timmmm
"Terrible idea." Jtodd
"Next we will see the petition for hopscotch!! Dumming down of everything so why not the Olympics?? Sad." Yahoo user
"as if I needed another reason not to watch" Dylan
"Darts is more of a sport." Tom S
"STUPID !!" J...
And my favorite,
"Anything where you can be morbidly obese and still excel at should probably not be an Olympic event." Ken E
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Thanks for the laugh, much appreciated. Oh, wait, you were serious
What I love about AZB is that it's a mirror of life. I ride motorcycles. 43 years of age, but have not got to the point where a cruiser has even entered my mind. I still ride sport bikes, or what the Harley riders call "ricers", "crotch rockets", etc. I have had many a Harley rider make fun of my "toy bike", or ask me how many hamsters are in the engine. I smile...laugh with them. And when we're riding, I sit behind him as he rides beside his buddy (a complete no no if you're a true rider) with his smoke hung out of his mouth, his gut on the gas tank, his assless leather chaps, and the badass brain bucket. Meanwhile, I'm in full riding gear, a full faced helmet, kidney belt, riding boots, and riding in a staggered formation. And the second I get a clean pass, I rip past the guy like he's standing still, tip into a corner at 60mph, and proceed to ride my bike for the reason I ride....I love motorcycles, and could care less about the image, or how I look. There are 80% that ride because of the image, and 20% that ride because they love two wheels. I'm the latter.
Pool is very much the same. There are those that play because it's cooler than bingo. Or because they love action. I play because I love the sound of the balls hitting each other. I can watch balls rolling on a table for hours. But I've never felt the need to make someone else feel stupid because their opinion is different than mine. However, some people feel a sense of entitlement once they become proficient with a cue, and they talk down about the newbies in the pool hall, or the hacks on the table, or the 3s and 4s that never progress in their leagues.
I've never felt the need to promote the sport by putting another sport down. Everyone here feels slighted by the comments on a board regarding pool, yet two people on here then want to retaliate and badmouth rhythmic gymnastics, synchro swimming, and curling as not being any more a sport than pool. They are. Deal with it. There are probably more curlers worldwide than pool players. There are probably more rock climbers than pool players worldwide. I don't see rock climbing as an olympic sport, either, and it's more physically demanding than pool.
So, feel free to badmouth other sports because you feel slighted. It's a reflection on you and your opinions. I choose to have my opinion, and not at the expense of someone else's passion or choice of activity. If you can't accept that "ribbon dancing" is an olympic sport, petition the IOC. But there are lots of little girls all over the world enrolled in gymnastics that thoroughly enjoy that ribbon. And tonnes of moms and dads that are proud of their kids for twirling that ribbon. And you're a complete asshat if you need to put that little girl down about her sport to make yourself feel more like a "man" about pool.
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But jackasses that are die hard pool fans, and never miss a game....can make fun of curling. Got it.
Hey, I resemble that remark.
Blue Hog just happens to be an esspert Ribbon Dancer.
Blue Hog just happens to be an esspert Ribbon Dancer.
Hahahaha. Good catch. You almost made me spit my Molson Canadian.
