Is golf a sport?

[Burton58]

Jan 15, 2009 13:35:35 GMT -5 Quartney said:

is war a sport? thats pretty competitive

sure is, just bigger teams and winner takes all

[CumminsJeep]

Jan 15, 2009 17:30:21 GMT -5 Burton58 said:

Jan 15, 2009 13:35:35 GMT -5 Quartney said:

is war a sport? thats pretty competitive

sure is, just bigger teams and winner takes all

[Bucket-O-Karma]

www.huffingtonpost.com/dave-hollander/is-golf-a-sport-seriously_b_100906.html

Not the same view as I have but another perspective all the same.

I'm at birthday party last weekend for my friend's 5-year old and his buddies find out I'm sports writer. Some nondescript LPGA championship is playing on the TV with no sound and one of the fathers tells to me how Lorena Ochoa ought to get more recognition. Another asks me if I think Tiger Woods will pass Jack Nicklaus' hallowed record of winning 18 professional majors - after all, Tiger's halfway there. So I jiggled the ice in my glass and offered a seasoned perspective: "Seriously guys, do you really consider golfers to be athletes?" I was friendless for the rest of the afternoon.

Are golfers athletes? Ichiro Suzuki, the fleet Seattle Mariners outfielder, commented on Tiger's Wood's athleticism last spring in USA Today: "Tiger is a great golfer, but ... when you say athlete, I think of Carl Lewis. When you talk about (golfers or race-car drivers), I don't want to see them run. It's the same if you were to meet a beautiful girl and go bowling. If she's an ugly bowler, you are going to be disappointed." I'll have to ponder the "ugly bowler" analogy a little longer but I think Ichiro raises a larger question: Is golf a sport?

Golf does not even rise to the level of "a good walk spoiled" because the primary action of walking is not required. So says PGA Tour v. Martin (2001) where the Supreme Court ordered the PGA to allow disabled golfer Casey Martin to use a golf cart in between holes rather than walk. The Court supported its decision by finding that whether a golfer walks between holes does not "fundamentally alter the nature" of the game. How can you call something a sport where being ambulatory is not a basic minimum physical requirement?

A "sport" requires athleticism. Athletes are people who demonstrate superior physical skill in the areas of strength, agility and stamina. Think of the mythological gods and heroes who personified the highest physical virtues: Hermes (speed), Hercules (strength), Aphrodite (stamina). There's got to be at least some running to call it a sport. I'd prefer some contact, too. But "no walking required"? You call that a sport?

Just because it's difficult doesn't mean it's a sport. Computer programming and brain surgery are difficult. They are not sports. Just because you compete doesn't make it a sport either. Pretzel vendors compete. Art galleries compete. Hell, a spelling bee is a competition. Golf is recreation--something to pass the time. It is no more a sport than marbles or cat's cradle.

That takes me to my final point: Golf is boring. You want to get a nap in on Sunday afternoon? Turn on golf. Looking for that TV show to help the kids get some shut-eye? Turn on golf. Do you want to see the least amount of physical prowess combined with the greatest dearth of raw emotion? Turn on golf.

Not long ago, I listened to a host on talk radio praise Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Pat Sumerall for his ability to call any sport on television -- even golf. "Golf's easy," said Summerall. "Nothing happens."

That, my friends, says it all.

[HeavyMetal]

IMO that article is full of retardism and biased irrelevent facts, such as "golf is boring"

and tiger could easily swing ichiro like a golf club no doubt

[Bucket-O-Karma]

You have yet to give ways that golf differs from shuffleboard, pie eating, "horse", or even chess for that matter

[HeavyMetal]

Jan 15, 2009 18:08:04 GMT -5 Bucket-O-Karma said:

You have yet to give ways that golf differs from shuffleboard, pie eating, "horse", or even chess for that matter

i already did.. i told u to look for where i did, im not going back to find it in this thread. the reasons i laid out for golf being a sport rules those out...not to mention its ridiculous to even think about

please, where will we draw the line?

golf is obviously a sport, anyone who thinks otherwise is a retard

i say thats the end of the debate for me

[Burton58]

golf can be found in sports illustrated. those that you just named can only be found on espn 8 "the ocho" meaning they are not real

[CumminsJeep]

Jan 15, 2009 18:08:04 GMT -5 Bucket-O-Karma said:

You have yet to give ways that golf differs from shuffleboard, pie eating, "horse", or even chess for that matter

i beg the differ. you are explaining 2 extremes, your naming activities at a county fair while golf is a worldwide sport

[Bucket-O-Karma]

This is all coming from a site that doesn't consider Football (Soccer) a real sport. I'll consider this when talking about "sports" with

[HeavyMetal]

a site that doesnt consider soccer a sport? why not make a poll and prove your ignorance, sir sports a lot

[Burton58]

soccer is a sport, one of the most popular sports of the world in fact. whoever wouoldn't consider that is a moron

[CumminsJeep]

yea who said soccer isnt a sprt?

[Bucket-O-Karma]

I can't find it so might have gotten my sites confused. When searching, all I could find were alot of soccer haters, but nothing about soccer not being a sport. My apologies.....

I still do not consider golf a sport for reasons stated earlier. As for the ESPN comments; The popularity of a game does not make it a sport. ESPN also shows poker, this is another game that I do not consider a sport. Please tell me how golf can be a sport, but the other games I mentioned aren't. All the basic criteria are there. Golf is a game, it might be a very enjoyable game, but still just a game, were you sit and wait for your turn, like billiards, chess, and the rest of the games I have already mentioned.

[HeavyMetal]

because you cant paint with such a broad stroke and expect to come to any reasonable conclusion...assigning general criteria to anything can pair it to other random stuff...at some point you have to apply some common sense and general awareness of the world to the equation

[Buffalo Phil]

Golf not Athletic? I've never seen a 600 lb man play golf....