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Until I read the final sentence on Nelly Korda, I had no idea what sport she played & then I realized, golf isn't a sport, but a game of skill, like pool or blackjack!

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It’s a game of athletic skill, ergo a sport

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There's zero athleticism in golf!

As someone said decades ago, "Golf is a good walk spoiled"!

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Problem said by someone who has never played. 😀

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Doesn't matter who said it, because it's true!

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Usually (mis)-attributed to Mark Twain.

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apparently you've never played and seldom watched golf on tv - that's ok, nothing wrong with that. but if i'm right about you, then you're wrong about golf not being a sport.

and, accd'g to perplexity.ai, the origin of the the phrase "Golf is a good walk spoiled" is murky. however, john feinstein, a sports writer, wrote the book 'A Good Walk Spoiled', about golf. i'm confident feinstein believes golf is s asport.

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My brother-in-law and my son have many spirited conversations about what is and what isn’t a sport. Is archery a sport? bowling? Diving? What is the threshold? Is it sustained exertion? Golf requires a certain amount of strength, a lot of coordination, and, especially if you were walking the course, mild exertion over about four hours. That qualifies in my book. But I would like to know your standards for sports and non-sports.

I note that some schools are now offering sports scholarships to those who play video games. I would draw the line there. I would probably also draw the line somewhere near chess, which is a game. Chess is not a sport anymore than poker is a sport.

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Golf, archery, bowling aren't sports. Neither are video games, chess , poker, checkers or playing monopoly!

There's no exertion in golf, Trump proves that!

Diving is, because it requires actual athletic ability to make those turns & flips in the air. You also must know how to swim, which is also a sport.

Rhythmic gymnastics & ballroom dancing also aren't sports, neither is break dancing which is going to waste time at the Paris Olympics.

Equestrianism isn't a sport for the humans, it is for the horses!

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Possible litmus test — if the contestants (not coaches) could play the game by telling someone else to make all moves/decisions on their behalf, it’s not a sport. I suppose that would label most video games as sports as well, as long as physical dexterity is required (not just strategy).

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I would think that would rule out only chess and other pure mind games.

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I’m OK with that — “sport” seems to be a widely broad term; however, I think a sport does not require “athleticism,” a specific type of physical ability not needed for all sports.

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I suppose pool (pocket billiards) should be a sport. It requires hand-eye coordination and an ability to create different levels of momentum through the use of one’s arm and hands. Putting the right English (spin) and momentum on the cue ball is paramount. If the pentathlon is a sport, why not pool?

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Ballroom dancing at high levels requires all kinds of exertion -- what about all those figure skating and gymnastics events. Your line isn't very clear (mine isn't either, FWIW

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There are many things which do require physical exertion that I don't consider sports and I don't believe just because you compete with other(s) makes something a sport. I would include dancing and certain other artistic/intellectual activities as examples. I also believe any activity that abuses an animal NOT a sport.

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i'll give you 'mostly right' about the lack of exertion in golf, when riding a cart. but when walking golf - which i love - and especially when walking & carrying clubs - which i like - i can guarantee you there is much exertion. you shd try carrying a bag-ful of golf clubs, with the various accessories inside it, around an 18 hole golf course - then report back to us on whether you exxperienced any exertion.

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I prefer the definition I heard long ago: If you can hold a beer while playing, it isn’t a sport.

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Based on a rudimentary search with Uncle Google, A sport is an activity involving physical exertion, skill, and competition. Therefore, all sports are competitions but not all competitions are sports.

So break dancing would be a sport, but chess would not, even though I suspect most of the boomers on this site would feel chess is more "noble" than break dancing.

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Golf, tennis, baseball, track, football, chess, curling, archery, etc., etc., are competitive games. Some require a lot of physical exertion, some do not; some require a lot of mental exertion, some do not. Some require both, some require neither. Some require animals--racing, hunting, polo. Whatever floats your boat. Who cares which are "sports"?

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"...especially if you were walking the course, mild exertion over about four hours."

I'd love to see some of these fatties spend four hours walking around Augusta National. They'd puke, then roll off the 15th green into the pond.

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And do it 4 days in a row!

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Swinging a golf club effectively, which I have never been able to do consistently, seems to me to qualify as a sport. What about arm wrestling?

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The "Wide World of Sports" used to cover it, so it must be!!

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If memory serves, the silly 1974 movie "The Groove Tube" included a sequence portraying sex as an Olympic (hence sports) event. The 75-minute YouTube video from which I once marked that scene's time from about minute 0:58 to 1:04 seems to be no longer available, but anybody who can get access should evaluate it in a "sport or not" context.

Sex = physical exertion / athleticism (check), skill (ideally), competition (too often)?

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Anything that is measured subjectively isn't a sport. To be considered a sport it needs to require athletic skills (physical strength, hand/eye coordination...) and be able scored objectively by time or points etc. Swimming, golf, tennis, base/foot/basket ball auto racing etc.

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All sports are “games of skill”. You could exclude golf on the “physical effort” part of the definition. Could then also exclude other olympic events: archery, curling, diving, equestrian, luge, bobsled, skeleton, shooting, sailing, etc. Also non olympic activities like bowling, auto racing, etc. The “sport” label doesn’t bother me on any of the above. All involve skill and some level of physical effort above those of us watching them from our couch. 😉

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