should public speaking be considered a sport?

Answer 1

Sport: an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature

So the answer is no. You can be a couch potato and still be a public speaker. No athletic ability is required.

Answer 2

Take a look at these definitions from the online dictionary:
# a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. b. A particular form of this activity.

# An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

# An active pastime; recreation.

# a. Mockery; jest: He made sport of his own looks. b. An object of mockery, jest, or play: treated our interests as sport. c. A joking mood or attitude: She made the remark in sport.

# a. One known for the manner of one's acceptance of rules, especially of a game, or of a difficult situation: a poor sport. b. Informal One who accepts rules or difficult situations well. c. Informal A pleasant companion: was a real sport during the trip.

# Informal a. A person who lives a jolly, extravagant life. b. A gambler at sporting events.

# Biology An organism that shows a marked change from the normal type or parent stock, typically as a result of mutation.

# Maine See summercater. See Regional Note at summercater.

# Obsolete Amorous dalliance; lovemaking.


Does public speaking fit into any of those definitions.

I do have to laugh because the last definition of sport sounds like today's viewpoint on sex!!

Answer 3

Only if there were a healthy debate involved - between 2 or more people. But speaking for speaking's sake...say, about how annoying chewing gum is (there was this guy on the street corner the other day ranting about the stuff)...well, there's no sense of 'competition', so no matter how sweaty and worked up the person got, it just wouldn't be a sport.

Answer 4

I don't know what's considered a sport but Toastmaster Organization holds competions on a local, regional, state, national and worldwide levels.