Do you think bowling is a sport or an entertainment activity?

[SteveDallas]

My personal reasoning on this has been:

To be a sport, it has to involve two elements:

1. Athletic skill
2. Competition against another person to achieve an objectively measurable goal

Therefore, bowling is a sport to me. Gymnastics and figure skating are not: there is competition, but the competition is decided by the subjective judgement of a third party.

At this point I'm sure somebody is saying, "What about football? It's got referees! Does that mean you think football isn't a sport?" Not at all. There are objective standards for deciding the game. Did the football cross the plane of the goal line? Did the player put his foot down out of bounds? These are specific standards. The refs are there to rule on whether the standards have been met, not to pass aesthetic judgment on how well they are met. It's entirely conceivable to imagine a football game with no referees where the teams make their own calls.

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by SteveDallas

My personal reasoning on this has been:

To be a sport, it has to involve two elements:

1. Athletic skill
2. Competition against another person to achieve an objectively measurable goal

I'd like to add that you have to get out of breath at some points. So bowling is a sport to some people, but not most.

[glatt]

Originally Posted by Spexxvet

I'd like to add that you have to get out of breath at some points. [/IMG]

That would rule out Olympic ski jumping. There is an increase in heart rate as they go down the jump, because they are excited, but they aren't panting and gasping for breath. Is Olympic ski jumping not a sport?

[xoxoxoBruce]

Yes, unless you're from Jamaica, then it's entertainment.

[Lamplighter]

It's not a sport unless there is widespread gambling

[Spexxvet]

Originally Posted by glatt

That would rule out Olympic ski jumping. There is an increase in heart rate as they go down the jump, because they are excited, but they aren't panting and gasping for breath. Is Olympic ski jumping not a sport?

That's a tough one. IMHO, it is no more a sport than playing darts, golfing, or figure skating. In all three, the competitors practice their form, and the results are based on how well they execute that form, by a judge, or how close their projectile comes to it's target, or how long they jump.

There's a lot of grey area, though. Pole vaulting, long/high jump, weight lifting?

I don't know. Maybe instead of saying that the competitor has to get out of breath, I'll say that there has to be at least X amount* of physical exertion.

*purposely left vague

[xoxoxoBruce]

If they do it for money, wouldn't be a profession, rather than sport?