What makes a sport a sport, and which sport would be the purest in this sense?

Question

What are the essential qualities of 'sport'

Are or could the following be sports:
-hot dog eating (requires physical training and is competive)
-darts
- poker( its on espn)
-ping pong
-Finnish wife-carrying

Answer 1

By definition, a sport is an activity where at any moment bodily injury or death could occur. Other activities are games.

Hot dog eating: no, but, health risks there.
Poker: If you're playing with the wrong people.
Ping Pong: no.
Finnish Wife-Carrying: Not quite as dangerous as East German Olympic Wife carrying.

My favorite sport: Hockey! Chicago Blackhawks.

Answer 2

A sport:

1. Requires physical skill
2. Requires mental skills coordinated with physical skills
3. Requires ability to overcome a physical and/or mental barrier such as pain, severe distraction, or fatigue
4. Requires spacial awareness (body and mind in tune with environment)

Sport - Ping Pong, possibly finnish wife-carrying
Not a sport - Hot dog eating, darts, poker

Truest sport - Ice Hockey. Speed, strength, stamina, skill, fatigue, spacial awareness, pain, few rules

Go Ducks!

Answer 3

I've heard that something is a sport when there is competition involved.

Then, you have to wonder can a sport be art? I have a friend that plays baseball, and for him that is an art. The way a ball is thrown is artistic for him. He uses creativity as well as skill in throwing a pitch.

I'm a dancer, and I don't really think of dance as a sport, even though it is very athletic. Some people do. When someone asks me if I play a sport, I say "Well, I'm a dancer." I consider it more of a sport when it's a competition. But, I also believe that dance shouldn't be competitive.

It's all trickyness.

Answer 4

eating contests are NOT sports-anything that involves moving your body is what does it for me. "purest" would probably be running or basketball-but there are a lot of awesome sports out there!

Answer 5

right.