Is baseball a sport?

[highpockets]

WAS and Olympic sport...Golf hasn't been an Olympic sport since 1904.

Walking, not golf. But I think you are right anyway, "was," not since 2000. Odd they dropped it; it's very entertaining, if not on a par with curling.

[-Kyle-]

They have sychronized swimming but no bowling in the olympics...very, very sad.

[yankeesr#1]

does anyone think bowling is a sport

[dgarza]

This is a great article about sports, with their rankings.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills

Gotta give this article props. See the #52 ranked sport.

[efin98]

Walking, not golf. But I think you are right anyway, "was," not since 2000. Odd they dropped it; it's very entertaining, if not on a par with curling.

My mistake I missed the 2nd part of your reply there

Walking is an Olympic sport, it's been used as a precursor to the more tough track and field running events: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racewalking

I'm still waiting on when American Football gets its chance on the world's stage- but it still ain't big enough yet according to the rules for admission

[drd]

The Oxford English Dictionary (sorry dont have a Websters to hand) definition that best fits what we are discussing is
SPORT: An activity involving physicial exertion and skill especially one in which an individual competes against against another or others to achieve the best performance
That means pretty much everything on the list is a sport according to them provided you are competing not just playing for fun. You would also have to accept that a bunch of individuals might get together and compete as a group against another group.

Mind you they have a couple of other definitions including one from late middle English which defines it as :
lovemaking especially when seen as a game

[DownUnderDodger]

Reel funny, are you angling to bait me? Are you implying that I'm in seine? Your insults are enough to fillet book

This thread is bream full of interesting comments and I am having a whale of a time. I wonder if I cod cast my own line of debait.

My Websters defines SPORT thus:

1. any activity or experience that gives enjoyment or recreation; pastime; diversion
Opens up a lot of options!
2. such an activity,esp. when competitive requiring more or less vigorous bodily exertion and carried on, sometimes as a profession according to some tradition form or set of rules, whether outdoors, as football, golf etc., or indoors, as basketball, bowling etc.
Pretty much covers any pastime/game etc mentioned previously in this thread.

There are many other meanings however these are the 2 most likely to add fodder to this debate.

Moving onto Wikipedia, their description is as follows:

Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors.
And:
"Sports" derive from the old French desport meaning "leisure"
Plus:
The entertainment aspect of sports, together with the spread of mass media and increased leisure time, has led to professionalism in sports. This has resulted in some conflict, where the paycheck can be seen as more important than recreational aspects, or where the sports are changed simply to make them more profitable and popular, thereby losing certain valued traditions.

The entertainment aspect also means that sportsmen and women are often elevated to celebrity status.

Interesting that card and board games are specifically mentioned in the Wikipedia description, as is motor racing.

In my vote I excluded NASCAR but on reflection I was a little hasty, as under the true definitions of sport noted above, it would qualify.

You can read more from Wikipedia thru the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport

So the answer the the question in the title of this thread "Is Baseball a sport?"
A definite YES

[dgarza]

Mind you they have a couple of other definitions including one from late middle English which defines it as :
lovemaking especially when seen as a game

RMB

[kairosntx]

Here are three seperate posts from the talk tennis message board


I totally demolished your love of that silly game baseball in that thread. Deal with it! BTW I used to like baseball, but then I turned 8 and moved on to real sports. And it seems the rest of Montreal did the same too because we finally got rid of that dead weight of a passtime. Thanks for reminding me about that though because it reminds me what Homer Simpson said in the episode where he attends a baseball game without getting drunk. And I quote "I never realized how boring this game really is".
__________________________________________________ _______________
And I'd add another that says that the 'sport' must not allow the theoretical possibility of a player not doing anything throughout the match (ie: a baseball outfielder spends the whole game without having to make a catch). I'd also add that the 'sport' must not contain any crotch grabbing or tobacco chewing and spitting as part of its tradition.
__________________________________________________ _______________

The main reasons are the slow pace of the game and the silly things sorrounding the game (constant spitting, crotch grabbing, 'manager' wearing a uniform, the often face-to-face arguments between managers and umpires). But the game needs these distractions to try to add some excitement since the actual game lacks it.

[efin98]

Mind you they have a couple of other definitions including one from late middle English which defines it as :
lovemaking especially when seen as a game

Finally a sport we can all enjoy!

Oh wait, that didn't come out right!

[DownUnderDodger]

Here are three seperate posts from the talk tennis message board


I totally demolished your love of that silly game baseball in that thread. Deal with it! BTW I used to like baseball, but then I turned 8 and moved on to real sports. And it seems the rest of Montreal did the same too because we finally got rid of that dead weight of a passtime. Thanks for reminding me about that though because it reminds me what Homer Simpson said in the episode where he attends a baseball game without getting drunk. And I quote "I never realized how boring this game really is".
__________________________________________________ _______________
And I'd add another that says that the 'sport' must not allow the theoretical possibility of a player not doing anything throughout the match (ie: a baseball outfielder spends the whole game without having to make a catch). I'd also add that the 'sport' must not contain any crotch grabbing or tobacco chewing and spitting as part of its tradition.
__________________________________________________ _______________

The main reasons are the slow pace of the game and the silly things sorrounding the game (constant spitting, crotch grabbing, 'manager' wearing a uniform, the often face-to-face arguments between managers and umpires). But the game needs these distractions to try to add some excitement since the actual game lacks it.

Obviously from people (or a person) who does not like baseball and in my opinon totally irrelevant. It would be just as easy for a baseball fan to come up with some similar trash talk about tennis.

the often face-to-face arguments between managers and umpires

Worth comment on the above.....Someone who has obviously never watched John McEnroe play tennis!!

[Captain Cold Nose]

I guess, but then should we include farming, logging?

Where's the competitive aspect? But that would include, I guess, tractor pulls and the aforementioned log rolling.

I think anyone who quotes Homer Simpson to drive a point home has no point at all. Destroyed? Glass houses, eh?

Not only is synchronized swimming an Olympic sport, but so is synchronized diving. That probably is the most contrived Olympic event since biathlon. Of course, baseball and softball are dropped but ballroom dancing is looked at and if the sport thrives in California, it has a shot.

[RuthMayBond]

Gotta give this article props. See the #52 ranked sport.

I didn't realize you were so into roller skating

[RuthMayBond]

RMB

Now how did *I* get dragged into this?

[RuthMayBond]

Here are three seperate posts from the talk tennis message board


I totally demolished your love of that silly game baseball in that thread. Deal with it! BTW I used to like baseball, but then I turned 8 and moved on to real sports. And it seems the rest of Montreal did the same too because we finally got rid of that dead weight of a passtime. Thanks for reminding me about that though because it reminds me what Homer Simpson said in the episode where he attends a baseball game without getting drunk. And I quote "I never realized how boring this game really is".

Ah, someone who has never had a 95 mph fastball short-hop them (or come at their head)
__________________________________________________ _______________
<And I'd add another that says that the 'sport' must not allow the theoretical possibility of a player not doing anything throughout the match (ie: a baseball outfielder spends the whole game without having to make a catch). I'd also add that the 'sport' must not contain any crotch grabbing or tobacco chewing and spitting as part of its tradition.>

Has the dude ever heard of batting?
__________________________________________________ _______________

<The main reasons are the slow pace of the game and the silly things sorrounding the game (constant spitting, crotch grabbing, 'manager' wearing a uniform, the often face-to-face arguments between managers and umpires). But the game needs these distractions to try to add some excitement since the actual game lacks it.>

See two answers above. Wow, if that is their best, you're wasting time on that board

[RuthMayBond]

Finally a sport we can all enjoy!

Oh wait, that didn't come out right!

"Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks."

[dgarza]

I didn't realize you were so into roller skating

I guess there was a tie for #52. Cheerleading is also #52.

[RuthMayBond]

I guess there was a tie for #52. Cheerleading is also #52.

Has anyone ever seen competitive roller skating? (if they meant roller derby they should have said)

[dgarza]

Has anyone ever seen competitive roller skating? (if they meant roller derby they should have said)

I was thinking roller derby...talk about nerves...that's concrete down there.

[Captain Cold Nose]

I was thinking roller derby...talk about nerves...that's concrete down there.

Maybe, but it's the same two people who hit that concrete week after week after week. That's confidence boosting if there ever was confidence boosting.

[hudsonharden]

Some types of skiing are races

I overlooked that one - skiing should not be considered a sports, racing or jumping.

Boxing then?

I never like it when the judges decide a boxing match... it should continue until there's a knockout.

[RuthMayBond]

This does illustrate the difficulty of trying to nail down a reasonable and consistent definition

[Captain Cold Nose]

I never like it when the judges decide a boxing match... it should continue until there's a knockout.

Fighter's health be damned.

[BiZmaRK]

Not sure if this is the right place for this thread but here it goes. I play tennis regularly and played in college but am more involved in baseball now through coaching my sons team.

I could not believe the results of a poll on the talk tennis message boards. There was a heated discussion about whether or not golf was a sport and then posters started bringing up other sports. Believe it or not people were arguing that baseball is not a sport. It got me worked up so I got in on the discussion with a few posts. That was going nowhere so I started a new thread with a poll to see how many people thought which of 10 sports they considered to be a sport and the results just floored me.

Here's a link to the thread.

http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showthread.php?t=224460

I guess it is a more international group than baseball fever but I cannot account for why so many people (roughly 1/3) don't think baseball is a sport. I thought I would post a similar poll here and see how the results compare.

It all depends on one's definition of 'sport'.
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sport

sport (spôrt, sprt)
n.
1.
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.
2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
3. An active pastime; recreation.
4.
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.
5.
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.
6. Informal
a. A person who lives a jolly, extravagant life.
b. A gambler at sporting events.
7. Biology An organism that shows a marked change from the normal type or parent stock, typically as a result of mutation.
8. Maine See summercater. See Regional Note at summercater.
9. Obsolete Amorous dalliance; lovemaking.

Given the definition at www.thefreedictionary.com, I would say that all of the items - including NASCAR - are sports.

[Captain Cold Nose]

Amorous dalliances are obsolete? Dangit!