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Oh dear, the Sumo wrestlers are NOT going to be happy to hear this... You may offend a few NFL offensive linemen too.

It has always been an interesting debate. For us hackers I would definitely say it was not a physical sport but does require hand eye coordination. Despite Mark Twain's reluctance toward the "sport", golf is not a good walk spoiled. However those who are the professionals who walk the courses and practise endless hours may disagree.

It is a sport because you have to use a solid level of physical and mental skill to do the task needed. Same applies in football, basketball, baseball, or hockey. I'm pretty lenient when people says something is a sport. I consider bowling and billiards sports for example. It's the same concept as I brought up in the first sentence. Physical build has nothing to do with it, but you have to be fit. Not everyone can walk a couple miles on 100 degree days during summer wearing khakis. Tour pros can. That's why a lot of people use golf carts. Similarly, it's why NHL players don't wear facemasks. They can deal with a puck to the face.

The only activities I don't consider sports people might say are sports are hunting, fishing, bull-riding, and horse racing. You can't call it a sport when the animal who usually has a say in at least half of who wins, has no clue it's competing in some event. If they could talk and did know that, sure, sports. But that's not the case. They're out there doing their thing, whether it's wandering through the woods, swimming in a lake, getting scared $hitless by a bell, whatever.

As much as people might call me an idiot for saying billiards is a sport and bull-riding isn't, you're wrong and don't understand the concept of a sport.

And I would have to say you do not know the true meaning of the word:

1. an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

so while hunting or fishing does not fall under the true definition, bull riding and other animal related sports certainly do. But remember archery and shooting are part of the Olympic sports. There is no set amount of physical exertion required to qualify as a sport.

If it wasn't shouldn't we be seeing highlights on the Game Show Network instead of ESPN? lol

Even though I don't agree with you about it not being a sport your argument was doing great until you mentioned Statlers weight. Half of the linemen in football are far fatter and bigger than he is and it ain't muscle. They are looking for heavy weighted people to hold that line. Also in the history of boxing there have been some rotund heavy weights. They might not have made it to the top but they were pro's none the less.

Think of what a pitcher, quarterback, or any batter has to do. Hand eye coordination, nothing more. Is swinging at a larger ball with a larger object and running a few bases take any more talent and ability than swinging at a substantially smaller ball with a substantially smaller object and walking (on average for us amateurs) 5.6 miles any less hand eye coordination or exertion? Granted their ball is moving but they don't have to hit it out of 2 inch rough, or behind a tree, or off a little wood peg or off of hard soil, or off of a miriad of other situations.

As far as exertion goes, baseball, hockey, and football players sit on their behinds for at least half of the game and rest. Never seen a golfer rest for long on a 100 degree day or in rain, or sleet or even snow at times. Baseball players in particular stand around or sit around more than any sport in hopes the ball just might come their way. No if any of today's sports is not a sport I would say it is baseball not golf. I believe it is a sport of course, but just saying that to make the point that golf, in fact, for hand eye coordination, ability, talent, endurance far exceeds that of baseball, and yes there have been some fat baseball greats, how about Babe Ruth?

Hey, Fat chicks need love too......................

“Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated; it satisfies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - and it is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented.” - Arnold Palmer

Goynes, I've admired the way you have always seemed to drift your way through forums and never really get into controversy.. your word was the way. This is not one those times.


According to Webster's:

Sport- Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

Game- A competitive activity or sport in which players contend with each other according to a set of rules.

Therefore- According to Webster's: a sport is a game. Golf is a sport within a game.

Glad to see my thread has accomplished its desired effect.

My original post was just to take a friendly jab at Stadler because, let's face it, he's even bigger than his daddy was. Nothing against him, of course...but he's a big ol' boy.

I still think it's just a game though. It is a game that can be great exercise, but to me it's still a game. It does not require an individual to be a healthy human specimen in order to excel.

When I think of sports, I'm thinking of physical endurance/strength/skill tests...like, say, tennis, or more traditional Olympic-style sports like the 100m sprint, or competition swimming. Stuff that requires real athleticism.

Now, there ARE many truly athletic types who play professional golf. Absolutely. And they do tend to perform better for longer. But it's not a requirement. You don't have to be very muscular, or tall, or fast or whatever, to hit a golf ball well. It helps, for sure, but it's not a requirement.

And please remember...I LOVE the game of golf. I don't play anything else...never played football, basketball, whatever. Just golf for my entire life. I think it is the greatest game ever invented, and one that requires more skill and mental fortitude than many sports...but athleticism is not a requirement for proficiency, and therefore I call it a game.

Buster Douglas and the older version of George Forman held the belt at some time.

Procon.org lets people vote on controversial issues. One is "Is golf a sport?" So far the voting is 21-13 yes!

http://golf.procon.org/view.an..

Just like in a democracy, everyone's vote counts the same- even the stupid comments! Lol. One person said that if you sweat, that doesn't make it a sport... sitting in a sauna is not a sport. hahaha.

FWIW, golf is totally a sport. I don't know what makes it enough of a physical activity to cross the line from game to sport, but it's over the line. Easily, in my mind.

You know what............now that I think of it I need to take this statement back because I have seen Joey Chesnut shove 60 damn hotdogs in his face @ the Nathan's Hot Dog eating contest while being aired on ESPN.

If Chris Berman can announce it... it's a sport. Going, Going, Gone... It's in the Hole!

As the Olympics go, I'm not gonna touch that. Some sports like archery are debatable. The others... like I said, I won't go into it and name the ones in question.

But I just don't accept the idea that a living thing like a bull or horse can have such a profound impact on who wins or loses when it has no idea it's being used for such. Just my humble opinion. We agree to disagree.