Hunting, fishing, and rodeos are not sports?

[beyurslf]

We just had this conversation this weekend. I said the above are not sports. A friend of mine, who hunts and is invovled in rodeos, says they are sports.

I define a sport as a competitive situation with an equal opportunity for winning. Obviously, hunting with a gun is not a fair fight. Cattle roping is not an equal situation. I told my friend that if coyboys lined up along the edge to shoot at him while he roped the calf that would make it a sport. Or if the deer had guns to soot back that would make it a sport.

He said, anythint that challenges you mentally and or physically can be called a sport.

Ideas?

[Whitacre D_WI]

1. Well...

I know some folks have reasonable objections to rodeos (vis-a-vis the treatment of the animals); but rodeo is definitely a sport.

A damn dangerous one.

I've never had any desire to compete in or watch a rodeo. But it's a sport, fer damn sure.

Hunting and fishing, however, I put in the same category as golf. It sure takes a hell of a lot of skill, but it doesn't take athletic ability (other than fishing for REAL BIG fish and bowhunting, which goes hand-in-hand with archery, which is a sport).

[BlueEyedSon]

2. Have you seen those rodeo guys ride wild animals & stuff?

its physical and competitive (agains other riders and the clock).

Bowling & golf are games though.
:)

[Sandpiper]

3. I have a fairly liberal definition of sport

So I would consider hunting, fishing, rodeos, automobile racing, golf, bowling, billiards, etc. to be sports because they all require a certain level of skill.

I guess sports could be broken into categories of athletic and non athletic sports. Athletic sports are those that require strength, speed, quickness, agility, endurance etc. Hence, fishing is a sport, but a fisherman is not an athlete.

Does that make sense?

On edit: I would consider Rodeo an athletic sport.

[rock]

4. 'Sport' has a wide range of usage

I've heard it used for chess, romancing, and the martial arts. By the way, the directory for Sports in google does list rodeo.

[MrSlayer]

5. No, No, Yes.

Sitting in a tree waiting for an animal to walk by so you can shoot it is not a sport. Dropping a line into the ocean and catching a fish is not a sport. Rodeo is a sport because you can get seriously hurt, which is an essential part. Mostly I just think it's animal cruelty.

[amazona]

6. i think he's right

I thought the same -- anything that challenges you mentally or physically is a sport.

Otherwise, hiking is not a sport; rock-climbing isn't; sailing around the world isn't, etc.

Life is not always about competition and "winning." By your definition, blackjack is more of a sport than getting out and capturing a marlin. I don't think so! The best sports, to my mind, do not necessarily involve scoring or winning.

[PVnRT]

7. Some rodeo events, I would say yes

Hunting and fishing, however, no. Just because an activity requires skill of some kind does not make it a sport.

[jmowreader]

8. Gun hunting isn't a fair fight--the deer has the advantage

The deer knows the terrain, has an enhanced sense of smell and hearing, and is camouflaged to blend into its surroundings. You have a gun and a deer call. If you're a betting man, put your money on the deer because they usually win.

A sport is a competitive situation. Forget that "equal opportunity for winning" crap--any sport has unequal opportunities for winning. I'll give you an example. In 1992, Campbell University won the Trans America Athletic Conference men's basketball championship and went to the NCAA championships. In the first round, they drew Duke as an opponent. Campbell is a fundie school in the middle of nowhere (think "accredited Bob Jones University" and you're on the right track) whose arena seats 760. The tallest guy they ever recruited was 6-7, and they've never put a guy in the NBA. The Fighting Camels are a decent small-conference basketball team that represents their school well. Duke is...well, Duke. Campbell got slaughtered that night, and no one questioned whether that game was a sport.

[Adams Wulff]

9. I think there is a difference between a "game" and a "sport".

Football, baseball, basketball, hockey, chess etc. = all games. I define a game as a competition between people, or groups (teams) of people who may or may not use props to achieve a prescribed goal.
A sport, on the other hand, usually involves an individual in a natural situation, in a battle of wits against nature, their quarry, and in many cases, themselves.
Anything a person does in this situation to maintain a balance of competitiveness is considered "more sporting". Fly fishing is an example of this, as is bow hunting.
I suppose I could go on, but this is just my opinion, and I hope I have added to the conversation.

[HEyHEY]

10. Sport is an activity that requires no team and isn't a structured game

Such as hunting or fishing.

What else can you call them? THey aren't games. :shrug:

[Blue-Jay]

11. It depends on the context, really.

When I go fishing, it's NOT a sport, unless you consider "see who can piss longest" a sport. Additionally, if I decide to jump on a cow's back, it's also not a sport. It's just me being a dumbass.

That said, there's plenty of skill to each. When it's competitive, I suppose you could call it a "sport" provided there's a trophy/money/prestige on the line.

I'll let ESPN decide if it's a sport. If it's interseting, I'll either try it or watch it.

[leftofthedial]

12. right there with auto racing, bowling, darts, and dog shows

not sports

[Don_G]

13. Hunting Is A Sport

It keeps you physically active in tracking the critter, mentally active in trying to out guess the critter and a heck of a lot safer on I-71 at 4:30 AM.