Best Professional Sports

[brainsmile]

Baseball
Football
Basketball
Race Car Driving

Any others to choose from?

[Jihforce]

Originally posted by brainsmile
Baseball
Football
Basketball
Race Car Driving

Any others to choose from?

Where's Hockey? Tennis? Soccer? Rugby?

And race car driving is NOT a sport. Hell, Crew is more of a sport than race car driving.
Golf is NOT a sport, its a recreation.

Yeah I'm probably gonna get a lot of heat for this but, just so that you know, not matter what you say, you won't be able to change my mind. (Had to argue this with my coworkers throughout the year already) Just giving folks fair warning

[Anck Su Namun]

eewwww sports

[Y2J]

Originally posted by Jihforce

And race car driving is NOT a sport. Hell, Crew is more of a sport than race car driving.
Golf is NOT a sport, its a recreation.

Im pretty sure Ive argued this before here, and I wholehartedly agree. Add bowling to the list while you're at it

[welfareloser]

cops. bad boys!

[Anck Su Namun]

Originally posted by Welfareloser


Im pretty sure Ive argued this before here, and I wholehartedly agree. Add bowling to the list while you're at it

hey I like bowling! Not watching it though. I hate watching any sport. But bowling and tennis are fun

[Jihforce]

Originally posted by nefertiti


hey I like bowling! Not watching it though. I hate watching any sport. But bowling and tennis are fun

Bowling is fun! Speaking of which, tomorrow I get to go bowling again (every thursday night). Woo hoo!
Tennis is fun to watch as long as Anna Kournakova is playing

[attgig]

race car driving IS a sport...
you ever race on the streets???? like really race to the point where your knees are shaking and your heart is pounding..

for them to go 500 miles with that adrenaline pumping...dude that's a sport...INTENSE!!!

anyways...

uhhh...if you really want a list of sports...try espn.com, sportingnews.com...
u know...sports sites, I'm sure they'll give u a big list

is boxing a sport? or is it gladiator mutilation junks???

oh, and nobody mentioned lacrosse did they???

[Blu]

Hockey. Only Hockey.

[Memo]

What about CURLING man?!

[Markel]

I could never believe it when Wide World of Sports would broadcast billiards. Come on, it's a game! I wondered when bridge and poker would be next. Or how about Go Ghoti?

[Jihforce]

Just because its on ESPN, doesn't make it a sport folks. ESPN broadcasts anything that will make them money, NOT because they are a sport. When u have an engine do the dirty work for you, you can't call that a sport. Hell, maybe Nike should design a shoe that will allow short people dunk on 10ft rims. Oh wait, they did, didn't they? *BOING**BOING*

[ChrisMG187]

You guys want a real sport??? Water polo. Try swimming as fast as you can back and forth while trying to get the ball and score goals for 30 mins. Also, competitive swimming has the hardest practices. We had the football team giving us a hard time about how swimming shouldn't be a sport last year, so we went to one of their practices and did all of their stuff, and then they came to one of ours and not one lasted more than 20 minutes. Let's just say they respect us a bit more now.

[YanksFanRy]

Originally posted by nefertiti


hey I like bowling! Not watching it though. I hate watching any sport. But bowling and tennis are fun

What about Lawn Bowling and Chess? ;-) Those are rocking sports! HA! Oooh Croquet too!

[pennypinch]

Originally posted by Jihforce
Just because its on ESPN, doesn't make it a sport folks. ESPN broadcasts anything that will make them money, NOT because they are a sport. When u have an engine do the dirty work for you, you can't call that a sport. Hell, maybe Nike should design a shoe that will allow short people dunk on 10ft rims. Oh wait, they did, didn't they? *BOING**BOING*

I mean, you seem to define sports by their relative level of physical exertion. Basketball, football, and hockey players get all sweaty and out of breath, and therefore are athletes. Race car drivers and golfers do not, and are therefore only playing games or indulging in hobbies.

Well, baseball is a sport. I can't imagine anyone denying that. Yet you're telling me a guy with a body like David Wells or C.C. Sabathia or any of the other tubby baseball players (and yes, Cecil Fielder, I know it's "glandular" with you) are more athletic than Tiger or David Duval?

Just because these guys don't have to run does not mean they don't engage in very demanding and difficult physical tests. Trying to control the end of a stick that's four feet long well enough to control a hard, round, smooth ball to within 10 foot tolerances 450 feet away is a sport in my book.

Racing? Apparently, you've never ridden in a sports car before. You know that feeling when your neck is straining to keep itself upright in a turn? Imagine that to 2 and a half G's. Now increase the temperature to 150 degrees. Do this for 3 hours, or until you lose 10-15 pounds. All while trying to drive the machine that is taxing said muscles at an average of 130 miles an hour.

Games that are purely mental, I can contenance calling games (i.e., chess or poker: there is no "better" way to move the queen or toss in a check). Activities that require fine motor skills are sports, period.

[ChrisMG187]

Well put pennypinch. Too bad my school only views water polo as an "Activity" and not a sport.

[Markel]

Originally posted by pennypinch
Activities that require fine motor skills are sports, period.

"This week Wild World of Sports is pleased to bring you the International Tiddly Winks Championship. These world-class althletes have been honing their skills for years to reach this event....Also today, we will feature the Bar Darts contest, which pits some of the finest beer guts in any athletic competion against each other."

[g222leav]

i personnally enjoy the national cheerleading championships

[pennypinch]

Originally posted by Markel
Also today, we will feature the Bar Darts contest, which pits some of the finest beer guts in any athletic competion against each other."

Lemme axe ya this: have you SEEN Rod Beck? If you're going to try and tell me that guy is in better shape or is a better athlete than any darts champ, I'll show you a monkey.

Tony Gwynn, this generation's best hitter, has consistently been 30-50 pounds overweight since his rookie year, and yet has still managed to hit .338 lifetime.

[welfareloser]

Originally posted by nefertiti


hey I like bowling! Not watching it though. I hate watching any sport. But bowling and tennis are fun

THAT WASN'T ME! that was my evil twin, Y2J...

i kinda agree tho... bowling is a fun "recreational activity" ... but "sport" is pushin it, even if they do have special shoes...

[Markel]

Originally posted by pennypinch
Lemme axe ya this: have you SEEN Rod Beck?

You ask this of a Cubs fan?

Yeah, I'll admit that some baseball players could match beer guts with the best of them. (Consider what the Babe looked like!) In the case of Beck, he's probably a reliever so he'll almost never come up to bat. For others, they never have to do more than a 120 yard dash.

[PuTangClan]

The only true sport is football. The following are not a sport:

Sailing
Cricket
and Arena Football

[tongyang]

I can't believe nobody has mention THE NATIONAL SPELLING BEE COMPETITION



And trick shots (pool) rule!

[pennypinch]

Originally posted by Markel

You ask this of a Cubs fan?

Yeah, I'll admit that some baseball players could match beer guts with the best of them. (Consider what the Babe looked like!) In the case of Beck, he's probably a reliever so he'll almost never come up to bat. For others, they never have to do more than a 120 yard dash.

I think in the words of Sick Boy of Trainspotting fame, Cecil Fielder dashing anywhere would be a "total ****ing misnomer".

[Devhux]

If you guys are stating stuff like Billiards and Golf as sports, then I've got one for ya:

CHESS.

Seriously, I love playing Chess myself, despite knowing it's not a "true" sport.

[Jihforce]

Originally posted by pennypinch


I mean, you seem to define sports by their relative level of physical exertion. Basketball, football, and hockey players get all sweaty and out of breath, and therefore are athletes. Race car drivers and golfers do not, and are therefore only playing games or indulging in hobbies.

No..I define sports by their relative level of physical exertion AND the person's level of skill. Risk of injury is also taken into consideration. Satisfying those three aspects usually defines what a sport is to ME.

Well, baseball is a sport. I can't imagine anyone denying that. Yet you're telling me a guy with a body like David Wells or C.C. Sabathia or any of the other tubby baseball players (and yes, Cecil Fielder, I know it's "glandular" with you) are more athletic than Tiger or David Duval?

Excuse, but since when did I say that chubby people are more athletic than guys like tiger or duval?? Maybe you should go back and reread what I posted to get a better understanding of what I said.
And to explain this, no, being thin, muscular or tubby has nothing to do with being an athlete. Football IS a sport yet it has both fit (Jason Seyhorn) and overweight (any offensive linemen) athlete.

Just because these guys don't have to run does not mean they don't engage in very demanding and difficult physical tests. Trying to control the end of a stick that's four feet long well enough to control a hard, round, smooth ball to within 10 foot tolerances 450 feet away is a sport in my book.

Sure, golf involves skill & concentration. But that only satisfies 1/3 of what I define as a sport. Golfers don't get injured. There's no risk to their health. Hell, they don't even play through rain for crying out loud. Another issue with golfers is why they make the money they make. Football/Hockey/etc players are more deserving of that kind of money than golfers.

Racing? Apparently, you've never ridden in a sports car before. You know that feeling when your neck is straining to keep itself upright in a turn? Imagine that to 2 and a half G's. Now increase the temperature to 150 degrees. Do this for 3 hours, or until you lose 10-15 pounds. All while trying to drive the machine that is taxing said muscles at an average of 130 miles an hour.

Penny, you need to LAY OFF the assumptions ok? Prove your point, set examples, that's fine. But if you don't know me, don't comment about me.

Driving a car takes skill & concentration. I don't deny that, and yes, there are risks involved, but the level of 'physical exertion' is minimal compared to other sports. Motocross is more of a sport than Nascar.

Games that are purely mental, I can contenance calling games (i.e., chess or poker: there is no "better" way to move the queen or toss in a check). Activities that require fine motor skills are sports, period.

You're entitled to your opinion. That's fine. I'm not going to try to change your mind. But I said it before. This is how I define what a sport is. You don't like it, tough. (Refer to 2nd post on this thread)

[welfareloser]

but there's a difference between an "opinion" and just being flat-out wrong. a sport is defined as "an active pastime." the dictionary elaborates with "USUALLY involving physical exercise and having a set form and body of rules; a game." if it involves more exertion than breathing, and is a pastime, then it's a sport, period. feel free to call something like bowling a wussy sport, tho

[attgig]

hmmm, I've seen dog shows in my 'sports' channels.

[pennypinch]

Jihforce in bold...

No..I define sports by their relative level of physical exertion AND the person's level of skill. Risk of injury is also taken into consideration. Satisfying those three aspects usually defines what a sport is to ME.
Pro wrestling is therefore a sport?

Sure, golf involves skill & concentration. But that only satisfies 1/3 of what I define as a sport. Golfers don't get injured. There's no risk to their health. Hell, they don't even play through rain for crying out loud. Another issue with golfers is why they make the money they make. Football/Hockey/etc players are more deserving of that kind of money than golfers.
Au contraire. Golfers get injured all the time. Repetitive stress of such a violent motion wreaks havoc on the hips, knees, and shoulders. It requires strength and, moreover, flexibility. It seems to be classified as not a sport simply because they walk between brief displays of awe-inspiring levels of co-ordination and motor skill.

Furthermore, I contend that golf has among the best systems of compensation. Bad at your sport? You don't eat. Had a lousy year? You took home less money. Economists like to argue that sports are the best meritocracy in American society; yet we still have Bryant "Big Country" Reeves making over $10 million dollars this year. There is no liquidity in hockey or basketball: once you're locked into an asset, you're stuck with it, and you've also raised the market. In golf, you eat what you kill. I respect that greatly. Imagine trying to sell that to a football player!



Driving a car takes skill & concentration. I don't deny that, and yes, there are risks involved, but the level of 'physical exertion' is minimal compared to other sports. Motocross is more of a sport than Nascar.
That's where you're entirely wrong. The physical exertion is very high. Like I mentioned above, you're working in an environment that's incredibly hot, and straining against the forces of physics. Some compare it to a three hour dogfight in a military jet. Regardless, drivers have to be in very good condition, both cardiovascularly and strength-wise. What other sport causes drivers to black out as a result of normal operation (i.e., the Texas Speedway incident last year with CART)?


You're entitled to your opinion. That's fine. I'm not going to try to change your mind. But I said it before. This is how I define what a sport is. You don't like it, tough. (Refer to 2nd post on this thread)

And I'm just saying you're taking an irrationally narrow view that is conveniently inclusive and exclusive of a particular cohort of major sports.

[El Scorcho]

Originally posted by Jihforce
No..I define sports by their relative level of physical exertion AND the person's level of skill. Risk of injury is also taken into consideration. Satisfying those three aspects usually defines what a sport is to ME.

I think i agree with jihforce. But to add just a small detail... i think all three also have to do with athleticism. Sports should be something physcically challenging, they should require athletic skill, and there should be an injury risk related to this athleticism.

Sure golfers get injured... what hip twists n what not. Then again i was walking the other day and twisted my ankle... thats an injury... then again is taking out the trash a sport? No. Ive never heard of a golfer having a heart attack while he was running or something like that. And that one race car driver that fainted... he was just one guy and he probably fainted cause he was going to fast and passed out or whatever.

Personally i think there are sports and there are REAL sports.

Sports where those 3 things are involved are REAL sports and sports where youre having something else do your work for you is just a sport.

Although i dont see golf, nascar, etc. as real sports i dont think theyre not challenging at all. How many people can golf like tiger woods, how many people can drive like Jeff Gordon?

Those are great talents and perhaps those people are better at what they do than most football, basketball, hockey, etc. players are at what they do.


just my 2cents