Yes it's a sport. But John Daly is not an athlete.

My use of the words golf, sport and athlete in the same post( see previous post ) has been questioned. So let me clarify.

There is an ongoing debate that takes place whenever a group of people are sitting around drinking alcoholic beverages and watching ice skating on TV ( because the hockey game comes on in 10 mins on the same channel and, even with a remote, no one can be bothered to change the channel and look for something else ). Is it a sport? Which invariably evolves into 'What is a sport?', and 'What is an athlete?'. I am certainly not going to put an end to this debate here on this humble little blog. But I do feel some rules must be established so discussion can take place, without dissolving into this endless debate. So. For the purposes of this blog only, I here by establish The Golfer's Wife standards for determining if something is a sport and if someone is an athlete.

If there is no subjectivity what so ever in determining the winner, it is a sport. Golf is a sport. Ice skating is not. There is no question as to who wins a golf tournament. No discussion, no crunching of numbers and throwing out low scores. Either you had the lowest number of strokes or you didn't. Anything where there is human judging involved, requiring the subjective opinion of one or more people, is not a sport. It is a competition, it is NOT a sport. Swimming is a sport, diving is not. Downhill skiing is a sport, free style skiing is not. Curling is a sport, gymnastics is not. Running the hurdles is a sport, basketball is a sport, even ( and I can't believe I'm saying this ) bowling is a sport. Ballroom dancing is not. All these non-sports are competitions. I'm not saying it doesn't take a lot of work or dedication to perform, or that the participants aren't athletes ( see below ), or that they aren't fun and exciting to watch ( well, except for maybe the ice skating ). I'm just saying they are competitions, not sport. Are we clear on that? Good. Now let's move onto the athlete thing.

Anyone who spends time and effort working to keep their body in considerably better than average shape in order to perform in their given sport/competition, is an athlete. Tiger Woods is an athlete. John Daly is not. Annika Sorenstam is an athlete, Meg Mallon is not. I have never seen a competitive gymnast who is not an athlete. Many ice skaters are athletes. There are many baseball players who are not athletes ( you would think they would work out at least a little, knowing they are going to spend the summer in those tight uniforms ). Only about 1/3 of football players are athletes. Most hockey players are. No pro bowler is an athlete. I admit this is a bit more subjective than 'Is it a sport?', but I'm sure you can see the line I am drawing here.

So You can participate in competitions and be an amazing athlete. But just because you participate in a sport does not mean you are an athlete.

Oh. And I have participated in several sports over the years, but no one has ever mistaken me for an athlete. Ever.

And that is the standard here on TGW. As I said, this is certainly not meant to be the last word on the subject, and your mileage may vary, but that's the way things roll here.

P.S. I LOVE the Westminster Dog Show. Love it, love it, love it. Have forever. I watch every minute. Taped it back in the days of VCR's so I wouldn't miss any, and now it's Tivo'd with the HIGHEST priority. Love the announcers, love the dogs, even like the cheesy little 'dog at home' stories. Love it all. Really. BUT....announcers please. It is NOT a sport, and the dogs are just dogs, they are NOT athletes. Did I mention I love it? I do. But I cringe each time you refer to it as a sport and the dogs as athletes. So please. Stop it. Love you guys. Really.

Comments

[Ryan]

Personal opinion (rant) - sport to me is competition that requires athleticism to be competitive.

Competition exists in anything from a rowing race at the Olympics, bake sale down at the fair to a job interview. The level of competition is not a definer of a sport or game.

Athleticism I think can be defined as requiring not only skill but a physical fitness that is not possessed by regular people. John Daly, Tim Herron, Charles Barkley, Pat Hurst etc are not athletes. They are very skilled and talented at what they do but they are far and away from what you would call fit. That's why I maintain (as a keen golfer) that golf is a fine GAME requiring much skill and practice and is a great way to spend a nice afternoon.

It is not, however much the hordes of overweight businessmen want to call it to sleep better at night, a sport.