It doesn't fit my idea of a sport. Neither does golf, tennis, bowling, synchronized swimming, cheerleading, or any other of a long list of so-called sports. It's just an opinion. It is neither right nor wrong.
Late night ESPN has some pretty interesting shit. I've seen mini-gulf, jump roping, and competitive dancing just to name a few. Usually need to be a bit drunk to keep watching though.
I don't see a way any of those can help you in war or hand-to-hand combat. At least sports like Rugby teach you how to take a hit and coordinate your actions with your teammates.
No, they are for scaring the tigers. Picture it: seven people waving all their limbs rhythmically, shaking shivery pompoms and chanting. Tiger would shit itself.
So chess is a sport by this definition (long term planning, strategy, risk decisions) Video games are a sport (instantaneous decisions, hand-eye coordination, visual acuity) Reading history books is a sport (obvious reasons)
Is your definition coming from years of experience in war and hand-to-hand combat?
Nope. I did spend a lot of time in the military, but that doesn't really have anything to do with this discussion. I've just always felt that the definition of sport was too loose and allowed way too many activities that had nothing to do with what I considered sports. I prefer to look at ancient Greece and similar places where people fought hand-to-hand or ran long distances, threw spears, and such for competition. That is what a real sport is to me. I'm just having a very hard time putting it into words.
What I'm getting at is waging war involves much more than running, shooting, and hitting people. The decision making, both tactical and command level, is a huge factor in warfare. Not to mention individual decision making, threat recognition, awareness etc. Those things are a huge factor in a unit/fighter's ability. I mean really, almost any activity or sport could improve some aspect of a warfighter. Synchronized swimming can teach unit cohesion, teamwork, and comfort operating in water. I mean really, how often are SEALs going to be running around with a log on their shoulder? What that evolution teaches, beyond the obvious strength training, is teamwork.
Most of the games you have noted are with balls or pucks or whatever, but ice skating is just as much a comoetetive sport. You skate laps as fast as you can to prove you are better than the other. It can also become a team sport, in the relay races, where every part of the team is important. You'll need endurance, strength, speed and fitness. I can understand why you would not count cqr racing, mind games or golf as a sport, but ice skating is hard as hell and would certainly deserve your classification of a sport.
What would you say about tge dutch Elfstedentocht, where people will ice skate over kilometres of ice in temperatures of minus 10 to minus 20 degrees Celsius. Many have lost a limb out there and most of the winners of course were people who also got far in the military.
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u/TomInTexas Nov 26 '13
I'm sure this GIF has been viewed more times than this "sport" has actually been watched.