by Simon Wright 

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Created on: October 08, 2007

Sports come in many guises. There are team sports such as soccer, hockey, and rugby. And individual sports such as golf, tennis, and athletics. Some of these sports involve high levels of physical contact, whereas others don't allow for any contact with the opponent.

But what is it that makes a sport a sport?

A quick search for a definition of sport produced the following:

'an active diversion requiring physical exertion and competition'

I think the key here is the need for both physical exertion and competition to be present. A spelling beemay be competitive but it does not include physical exertion and therefore is not a sport. Similarly scuba diving involves physical exertion but is not competitive - again, this means it is not a sport.

The problem that this definition brings is that it does not specifically define the level of physical exertion that is required. Angling is often listed as a sport, though many would argue that it shouldn't be. Then again, there is physical exertion involved in casting a lure over long distances or bringing a large fish to the shore.

It's interesting to note that entertainment doesn't feature anywhere in the definition of sport, though usually sports are performed in front of an audience.

Debates over whether a particular activity belongs as a sport can sometimes be heated. I think, in general though, that is doesn't really matter too much whether an activity is classified as a sport or as something else. It's not going to change the fact that there are certain sports that will continue to be regarded as primary sports such as the various forms of football. And there are other more obscure sports that only really surface (on the public's radar) every four years when the Olympics are on. We should enjoy sports in all their diversity and not worry too much about their classification!

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