What Makes a Sport a Sport?
Sports like basketball, soccer, american football, tennis, badminton, and more have all come from some form of keeping people busy in their free time while not stacking work. However, sports have come all across the world, and yet, competitions for these sports are globally watched and played in the modern day. what differences does a sport like soccer and a game made by a bunch of kids have then? Both are technically exercise, but why is one activity not a sport compared to another activity that is a sport?
Sports may seem to be simply activities on the outside, but in reality, sports have many more purposes than just be an activity. According to Mary A. Hums, a professor at the University at Louisville, and Eli A. Wolff, who was disability sport advocate, “There are five dimensions to the purpose of sport and play – relationships, education, social change, health and joy.” If sports are meant to build up relationships, learn new skills, create social change, promote health, and create positive emotions in players, then just anything that doesn’t fit those descriptions aren’t sports, right? While those five descriptions are involved with sports, they aren’t necessarily the exact representation of what a sport is. Instead, multiple dictionaries, for example Dictionary.com, defines a sport as “an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess.”
If sports require skill, but at the same time also incorporate the promotion of health and create joy for players, then what’s the difference between a game with a random ball and a stick compared to baseball or softball? The answer is quite blurry as different people view sports and games as different. There are many different perspectives and reasons as to why a game of baseball is different from hitting a tennis ball with a random stick found on the floor by some kids depending on who is questioned. An example of perspectives can be that “A game is any mental or physical activity with rules that is done for fun… Sports are specific physical activities one can compete in.” Sports are very different from games depending on who is asked that question. If a child is asked the difference, they might give an example of a game like hide-and-seek compared to soccer, but an adult may say one is more physical compared to another.
The answer to the question of what makes a sport a sport is simply the physical skill aspect of it according to Dictionary.com. However, the whole answer is also very blurry due to the multiple answers people can have, whether that be, “A game is any mental or physical activity with rules that is done for fun… Sports are specific physical activities one can compete in.” are more competitive games.
Sources:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leighsteinberg/2018/07/28/what-defines-a-sport/
https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/eb/qa/What-Is-the-Difference-between-Games-and-Sports
