IT’S THE ULTIMATE pub chat – what does or does not deserve the grandiose title of ‘sport’.
Debates on the status of darts, pool, snooker, bowling, poker, Formula 1, cheerleading, curling and golf are plentiful but not easily resolved.
In some cases, we even need the strong arm of the law.
Today, the British High Court ruled that bridge (the game played sitting down with cards) is not a sport. Succinct in his explanation, Justice Ian Dove said: “Bridge is a card game.”
He also agreed with funding body Sport England when it said bridge is not a sport because it doesn’t involve “physical activity”.
The English Bridge Union argued this was a “very old-fashioned” definition and pointed towards the ‘sports’ status bestowed on chess, despite its lack of physical exertion.
The ruling, unsurprisingly, started all-out wars in TheJournal.ie HQ.
First, we consulted the dictionary.
An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment/
And then we let at it.
The arguments for… Darts is absolutely a sport.
It takes incredible skill, Phil Taylor dominated for ten years which is insane.
Darts is a sport because it’s played by overweight, beer-drinking men, the modern equivalent of Vikings… And it has entry music.
It’s more technically challenging than archery and they hand out Olympic medals for that ****.
Fat lads can play sports too. People just fight darts ’cause some of the competitors happen to be fat
Darts has tragic figures like Jocky Wilson so it’s a sport.
They’re not allowed drink pints (on stage) anymore.
It’s on Sky Sports, it’s a sport.
This last point was countered with:
I wouldn’t trust Sky on anything, least of all what is or isn’t a sport
Fish-o-mania is on Sky Sports though, so…
And more arguments against…
Darts is absolutely not a sport….
It’s a hobby.
If you can play it drinking pints it’s not a sport
There’s that guy who plays darts at an elite level after drinking half a dozen pints = not a sport
If you don’t get out of breath doing it then it’s not a sport
Darts is not a sport, it’s a game of boozed-up mental arithmetic. Like chess but standing up with pints
Also darts loses on the “for entertainment” part.
Darts could be played regardless of athletic ability
Would we consider a dart player or video game (esports) player sporty? If not it’s probably not a sport.
(Editor’s note: Even including this here is highly controversial)
The arguments for… It’s a sport, obviously
FORMULA ONE IS ABSOLUTELY A SPORT. (Ed note: We think the capslock was the argument here)
MotorSport is a sport
IT’S NOT EASY TO DRIVE FASTER THAN OTHER CARS
People die doing F1 = sport
I’m not going to win any medals for driving home.
They have to endure 5G corners and hold their breath to not pass out at 300+kmh
Most motorsports drivers are extremely athletic, especially mid 00s drivers
Look at David Coulthard’s neck
Those who said it isn’t a sport…
F1 — bah, not a sport. I can drive and I’m not sporty.
People die cooking dinner, that doesn’t make it a sport
Video games are as much a sport as driving or darts.
It’s a sport because…
Snooker is a sport because you need the bodyfat level to look great in a waistcoat.
If you can be a world champion at something it makes it a sport.
It’s a sport because:
Those against…
I give snooker sport status, but not pool.
I distinguish pool and snooker’s sports status by the fact that snooker tables are far, far bigger, meaning you actually have to be relatively fit to stretch for shots. Pool tables are tiny.
If I fall asleep watching something that is so mind numbingly boring as snooker then it makes it difficult to be classed as a sport
A firm no from some…
Cheerleading is more a gymnastic-heavy dance. There can be competitive dance without it necessarily being a sport.
It’s ancillary to other sports.
Gymnastics – an Olympic sportCheerleading – fake gymnastics
If people made human pyramids in golf I’d say it was a sport
I never knew that cheerleading, despite the insane athleticism, was something that people even considered to be a sport. It appears I was wrong. But you’ll never win an Olympic gold medal in cheerleading.
And a yes from others…
But they have competitions in their own right.
I follow a few competitive cheerleaders on Instagram (don’t ask) and their lives are all training I’m calling it a sport.
It’s a sport because…
I guess bowling is technically a sport, but probably the worst of all the sports.
It’s just a game…
Bowling is not a sport at all at all. We could go and play and somebody could score very well. That would not happen in golf/snooker/rugby or even darts…. which is not a sport but is more of a sport than bowling.
The combination of skill and a ball doesn’t equal a sport. If golf’s a sport, then marbles qualifies as well.
Ultimate frisbee is a sport, but it’s the worst sport out there.
In the end this is a pointless argument because sport, like art, is in the eye of the beholder. It’s a sport if enough people call it a sport.
So now, over to you. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.
*Runs, ducks for cover*
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