Sports should be defined as ALL competitive activities

A sport is any physical or mental activity that contains a form of competition- here’s why.

The word ‘sport’ is controversial due to opinions about what counts as a sport. For instance, some people think that cheerleading is a sport and others would disagree. Cheerleading is a sport in my opinion because it is competitive, and it takes a lot of physical exertion to do.

A sport used to be linked to military training and hunting, but it slowly geared toward entertainment. The first formal sport was found in Ancient Greece and was used for military purposes, but around the 1800’s, sports were considered to be anything humans find amusing or entertaining.

The Google definition of sport is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” Although this definition is correct, mental exertion also plays a key role as many sports like football and basketball all contain the strategic aspect.

A great example would be chess. Chess is controversial as many people consider it to not be a sport. Chess actually takes a lot of physical exertion as the body needs to stay awake and focused for hours on end. The International Olympic Committee considers chess as a sport because of its competitive nature and skill-based results.

Even with this evidence, many people still consider chess to not be a sport due to the lack of physical usage and athleticism. This is incorrect because, according to Chess.com, chess is physically demanding and it is important for elite chess players to stay in good physical shape.

It is very important for people to acknowledge that a sport includes both physical and mental exertion, as both of these traits typically go hand in hand. A lot of lesser known activities such as cheerleading are overlooked and are not considered a sport by many people. It is crucial to spread the knowledge and help others learn more about the true meaning of sports.