What makes someone an athlete?

[DodgerKing]

I would like to add this thought. Defense is supposed to prevent you from suceeding, correct?

Therefore "sports" like golf, skiing, Nascar, cycling can be construed to have defense.

For example, the course itself is the defense in golf; doglegs, narrow fairways, sandtraps, water hazards.

Cycling and Nascar share some qualities, both are predominately an individual sport but there is a team element and certainly defense can be argued when the cut each other off to prevent passing or a team mate blocks for another and in cycling, the course again plays defense by being difficult to complete.

Skiing falls along the same lines as golf, the course provides the defense in the sense that the grade of the slope, having to pass through gates, weather conditions all acting in concert to prevent the skiier from finishing, etc.

As for being a game, timed events are a game, it's called beat the clock. I would change your definition to objective scoring in place of game thus ruling out all judged events.

I agree that to be a "sport" there has to be athleticism, an objective scoring system or game as you stated (goal, points, timer, basket), an element of offense and defense and it has to be a competition, meaning winner and losers.

Those are some good points. I should have been clearer in saying that the defense comes from those you are directly competing with. I realize some racing does involve some defense.

 

[salsadancer7]

I still am amazed how no one has ever matched the slob-ness of Gilbert Brown who played for the Packers. He was one huge man!

But as big as he is....I bet he can more than likely out run most here...

 

[salsadancer7]

This is sure to get a reaction:



Jimmie Johnson named AP Male Athlete of the Year - ESPN

Sort of unfair when the car did MOST of the work.....!

 

[salsadancer7]

Right Cosmo.

ESPN was reporting the AP Sports Writers' vote. ESPN did not choose the winner.

To be clear, SPORTS WRITERS consider race car drivers athletes!

BTW, the E in ESPN stands for Entertainment.

NO, because they are sports writers and since racing cars are considered a sport....they were chosen to vote on it. They are going on the merits of HOW MANY wins they had(Jimmy Johnson)....it has NOTHING to do on whether they think he is an athlete or not.

 

[salsadancer7]

They are all athletes, but their athletic event is not a sport. As I stated earlier, not all athletic events are a sport.

excellent post!:up

 

[dfergie]

I guess by most of your definitions Sporting goods stores and departments need to close or change their names...

 

[salsadancer7]

I guess by most of your definitions Sporting goods stores and departments need to close or change their names...

Who's definition?

 

[DodgerKing]

I guess by most of your definitions Sporting goods stores and departments need to close or change their names...

Why would you consider fishing (a way to capture you dinner) a sport?

 

[jwfgeol]

This thread is making my head hurt. From what I can gather, someone can be an athlete but not be athletic, and someone can be athletic and not be an athlete.

 

[salsadancer7]

This thread is making my head hurt. From what I can gather, someone can be an athlete but not be athletic, and someone can be athletic and not be an athlete.

LMAO!

 

[DodgerKing]

excellent post!:up

We agree on something?

 

[Ramy]

But as big as he is....I bet he can more than likely out run most here...

I rather doubt that, at least for me that is.

 

[Ramy]

Sort of unfair when the car did MOST of the work.....!

Whatever!

 

[DodgerKing]

Whatever!

Actually the car does do most of the work, especially when you define work by the Physics definition: The amount of energy transferred or used by a force acting through a distance over time. I can gaurantee you the car uses much more energy in gas than the driver does in calories.

 

[HD MM]

If car drivers are athletes, then so are chess players.

 

[SandraC]

This thread is making my head hurt. From what I can gather, someone can be an athlete but not be athletic, and someone can be athletic and not be an athlete.

Agreed!

Like I said at first, there are no right answers or wrong answers to this, only opinions...


Sandra

 

[salsadancer7]

Agreed!

Like I said at first, there are no right answers or wrong answers to this, only opinions...


Sandra

Wrong.....because there IS scoring, defense AND a game in Chess and poker....but you are not an athlete nor is it athletic competition!

....just saying...

 

[SandraC]

Wrong.....because there IS scoring, defense AND a game in Chess and poker....but you are not an athlete nor is it athletic competition!

....just saying...

Wrong? Are you sure you quoted the right post?

Wrong that these are opinions? Too funny.

Round and round we go...


Sandra

 

[TNGTony]

Sort of unfair when the car did MOST of the work.....!

Sort of unfair to name a home run hitter since the bat did most of the work? I bet none of these men could THROW the ball over the wall!

Nearly every sport has some sort of tool. Motorsports has a motor, but the person behind the wheel needs to have the strength, endurance, ability and agility to control the vehicle in hi G forces for hours at a time. By any definition you care to conjure up

Motorsports is a sport

Race Drivers are athletes.

 

[dfergie]

Agreed!

Like I said at first, there are no right answers or wrong answers to this, only opinions...


Sandra

The voice of reason ...