By: Tamali Smith
What really is a sport? Many people consider games that are extremely popular to be sports, such as soccer, football and basketball. However, contrary to common belief, any activity can be considered a sport. Today, there are many activities played by small groups of people that are considered sports, and even though the idea of sports has shifted through the years, many people are still close-minded to the idea that activities like shot put, archery, golf, firearm shooting and even chess should be considered sports.
According to Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF), a sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively. The GAISF, which is an organization that is internationally recognized, is composed of different sports federations worldwide, which help to assess whether an activity is to be considered a sport and how should it be classified.
There are different elements that categorize an activity as a sport. First, they should incorporate a level of competitiveness. Therefore, games such as archery and firearm shooting, once there are people who can compete for being the best at hitting the target, it should be considered a sport. They already possess a level of physicality and constant training to be the best. Another reason for an activity to be considered a sport is that it should take practice overtime to be good at it instead of pure luck or intellect.
One main characteristic of a sport is the amount of time, energy and money it consumes. Many athletes tend to hunger for the title of being the best and so they practiced tirelessly to get skillful at the sport. GAISF also propose that a sport should not be harmful to another athlete or any creature. Therefore, games like hunting would not be considered a sport. While it possesses the elements of competition and practice, it endangers the life of the creatures being hunted. Golf, archery and rifle shooting do not pose any threat toward any creature and so it is reasonable to classify these as sports.
Vanessa Séfriou, a senior, who plays soccer for Saint Leo University, defined sports by adding that it requires physical and mental effort and skill.
“Each sport demands a set of skills that is unique, and for team sports, it is scaled down to every position. Archery is more emphasized on mental strength, but it also requires the athlete to be aware of all their physical movement, a set of technical skills that is hard to master,” she said. “At the end of the day, all athletes try to aim for the bullseye with a perfect shot, a perfect throw, or a perfect hit.”
Video gaming is another activity that a lot of people do not consider a sport. However, though not physically intense, it is deemed under the category of E-sports. Christy Lear, manager of Athletics Communications was in agreement that video games are already considered a sport.
“They are athletes who practice and trained really hard with a certain level of skill established that an outsider or even a person who plays video games as a hobby cannot comprehend,” Lear said. She also mentioned that there are colleges, like the University of Florida and Florida State Institute, that scout for these athletes giving them scholarships upon entering the university.
“They might not be dunking a basketball, holding their breath under water or running miles per day, but video game as an E-sport is very prominent and is growing with time,” she said.
With this, we can see that video games are no longer just hobbies. Furthermore, video gamers take their sport very seriously.
There are many other activities that people. categorize as just hobbies or recreational activities. However, according to olympicsports.org, activities such as archery, fencing, golf, shooting and trampoline are determined and classified as sports. Winter sports, such as luge and curling, according to olympicsports.org, are also very prevalent. These sports are not very popular among individuals, however, they have managed to be among the activities to be considered a sport. Therefore, people should not judge an athlete by what they do but by how they perform with skills and practice in a competition.
