A “game” is pretty much any activity that involves scoring of some kind. (Not like Beavis and Butthead “huh, huh, huh, I’m gonna score.” I mean like keeping track of points, status, etc.).
A “competition” is a game with an objective set of rules to determine a winner. For me, this rules out figure skating and other such “subjective” judging. It also makes for gray areas. Gymnastics, has a pretty good set of clearly defined rules (2 flips better than 1. Landing on feet better than landing on butt), but still has some subjectivity. Even some sports with subjective refereeing are suspect. This is what drives me nuts about soccer. A race is clearly a competition. Nobody argues about who won a race.
An “athletic endeavor” is any activity (game, or not) that require strength, stamina, power, or speed. Again, there is some gray here. The more of the above that is required, the more something can be called athletic. Gymnastics is clearly an athletic endeavor. Football is clearly one as well. Baseball barely qualifies, even with the posted photos. Bowling is on the edge. It requires one strong arm and body strength helps. Race car driving is pretty far down the list, though it requires endurance. Chess is at the bottom. Chess is a great competition. Not a sport.
A “skill endeavour” is any activity that requires coordination, concentration, strategic thinking, timing, decision making, etc. Bowling – definitely a competition requiring skill. Running a race – not quite so much. There is some technique to running but it’s all about speed and power.
For me, a “sport” must be both an objective “competition” and an “athletic endeavor.” Gray areas make it difficult to draw the line, but it for me the line is always drawn on one of these two points.
So – take any activity and ask – “is it a competition ?” and “does it require athleticism” ? Answer yes to both and you have a sport. Answer “no” to either and you have something else: either a non-athletic competition or an athletic endeavor that is not a competiton. Or, just a game.
Separately, you can ask “does it require skill?” Answering yes or no doesn’t change the answer to the question of “is it a sport.” Some sports require significant skill in addtion to athletic ability. Some sports don’t.
Just because something is not a sport doesn’t mean it isn’t exciting to watch, and doesn’t mean it doesn’t belong on a Sports netowrk. TV Sports are all about competition. Great competitions, whether athletic or not, make for good viewing. They are, after all, the original reality TV.
