Is NASCAR a Sport?

[west]

Simple poll. Let us know what you think.

http://blog.media-freaks.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/nascar.jpg

[west]

My answer is no. I consider a sport to be a form of competition that involves athleticism. I think the physical element is what separates a sport from a game.

[Chiron Jackal]

Eating contests are more sport than NASCAR. I suppose it can make an engaging game of competition, but if TV is any indication the same goes for poker, but that's not a sport now is it?

The only thing I can see that sets NASCAR apart from other competitive games that are taken so seriously is that NASCAR happens quickly and carries a risk of injury, death, and fireballs.

I think the physical element is what separates a sport from a game.
From the Wikipedia page on Major League Gaming (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Gaming):
MLG's aim is to elevate computer and console game tournaments to a viable competitive and spectator event, on the level of real athletic sports.
I say we find those people and kill them.

[west]

who the hell would pay to watch somebody play world of warcraft

[Chiron Jackal]

who the hell would pay to watch somebody play world of warcraft

http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/original/comic%20book%20guy.jpg

[Chriz]

If it's competitive and it takes effort, I have no problem calling it a sport.

If golf is a sport, just about anything qualifies.

[Chiron Jackal]

If golf is a sport, just about anything qualifies.

I'd argue that golf takes more physical effort than NASCAR.

[Eagle Kammback]

NASCAR is an extreme sport, it requires a LOT of skill, endurance, strength (believe it or not)
Drivers feel more g forces in a single turn than most people do in their lifetime combined

[Chiron Jackal]

NASCAR is an extreme sport, it requires a LOT of skill, endurance, strength (believe it or not)
Drivers feel more g forces in a single turn than most people do in their lifetime combined

Skill, strength, and endurance alone do not make a sport. Skill, strength, and endurance are required in occupations such as construction and logging.

I will say I'm impressed with the whole g-force thing though.

In a turn a NASCAR driving can experience up to 5 Gs - the most any of the rest of us are likely to experience is somewhere between 1.5 and 1.8 on wicked-fast rollercoasters.

Click here to read about the amazingly unpleasant conditions NASCAR drivers work in (http://www.usatoday.com/sports/2003-02-27-ten-hardest-race-car_x.htm).

If clicking and reading takes too much effort, at least read this note on the G-forces:

"Elite drivers will put up with 4 to 5 G's sustained in a corner for between five and 15 seconds, maybe even 20," says physicist Brian Beckman, a software architect with Microsoft in Redmond, Wash., and an amateur sports car racer. Since 1990 he has authored a series of articles on the physics of racing. "If you weigh 200 pounds, at 5 G's you're being pushed sideways at 1,000 pounds."

As for my post about golf taking more effort, I take it back. I still think there's a chance it takes more fine-tuned skill, but you're right. NASCAR-style driving will evidently whoop one's ass.

[Chriz]

Skill, strength, and endurance alone do not make a sport. Skill, strength, and endurance are required in occupations such as construction and logging.

Competitive logging is a sport.

Anything that takes skill and some degree of physical endurance and/or strength and operates in a competitive context is a sport.

[Lore]

It's difficult to rate motorsports against non-motorsports really.

But if Formula One is considered a sport then surely NASCAR qualifies as well as World Rally Championship.

[UNODRAGONE]

to me, if it's on ESPN it's a sport :cool:

[Vendetta]

My answer is no. I consider a sport to be a form of competition that involves athleticism. I think the physical element is what separates a sport from a game.
I guess the problem really comes down to what physical element, or just ANY of them? Because target shooting is an Olympic sport, and there's not much overtly physical to that other than skillful precision in aiming and handling the recoil effectively.

I think the problem I'm having with a lot of issues people are bringing up is that they're not really concretely hammering down what makes something a "sport" (Chris being the exception - and whose definition I happen to agree with.)

[Klark]

Definition of Sport: an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.

NASCAR is a sport as it fits the definition of the word.

However I voted no because I can't stand racing as a sport. It's boring to me unless you are the driver.

I suppose I should have voted for the third option, but West's physical attractiveness also is not a sport and I couldn't bring myself to click on it. :p

[Vendetta]

However I voted no because I can't stand racing as a sport. It's boring to me unless you are the driver.
But... but... just because you dislike it doesn't mean you can't count it as a sport. There are plenty of sports I think are boring or uninteresting, but I don't deny them being a sport. I just think they are stupid sports. :D

Also, I think that definition of sport could cover quite a bit (I mean that may be the intention, but do we really need competitive lawn mowing?)

[Klark]

But... but... just because you dislike it doesn't mean you can't count it as a sport. There are plenty of sports I think are boring or uninteresting, but I don't deny them being a sport. I just think they are stupid sports. :D

Also, I think that definition of sport could cover quite a bit (I mean that may be the intention, but do we really need competitive lawn mowing?)

They do have competitive lawn mower races.

And yes, I realize that just because I don't like it doesn't mean it's not a sport, but I opted to look up the definition after I voted. As it turns out, I was wrong.

[Vendetta]

They do have competitive lawn mower races.
That's my point though, anything that involved even the slightest physical "exertion" and was competitive could be called a sport according to that rather loose definition.

Also, what about solo activities? Are they NOT sports because they aren't a competition?

[Chriz]

That's my point though, anything that involved even the slightest physical "exertion" and was competitive could be called a sport according to that rather loose definition.

Just because a sport is silly doesn't mean it's not a sport.

Also, what about solo activities? Are they NOT sports because they aren't a competition?

I think there's a distinction between competitive sporting and "outdoor sports" like fishing and hunting (although one could claim a hunter is competing with nature). When it's asked "is X a sport" most people think of it in terms of competitive sporting.

Some sports are solo in activity but still competitive. An example might be a strongman contest, where participants lift weights and compare their results. They're not competing directly in the way, say, football players are, but they're still competing.

[Vendetta]

Just because a sport is silly doesn't mean it's not a sport.
See that's what I'm trying to nail down. If I attempt to thrown playing cards into a hat, that's also a sport. Also, would that qualify as competitive is no one was around trying to do better than me (or vice versa)?

Also, can you self-compete?

[Chriz]

See that's what I'm trying to nail down. If I attempt to thrown playing cards into a hat, that's also a sport. Also, would that qualify as competitive is no one was around trying to do better than me (or vice versa)?

If "cards into a hat" is set up as a competition, why wouldn't it be a sport? Most people consider pool/billiards a sport. Why not throwing cards to hit a target?

Again, not all sports are equal in the devotion of their fans or their ability to command respect from the mainstream. They're sports nonetheless.

I would consider throwing cards into a hat a sport if two or more people were competing at it using pre-established rules (distance from hat, number of throws, size of hat, etc).

Also, can you self-compete?

In my opinion, no. That's basically called "training," and it's something you do in preparation for competition, not in place of it.

I suppose I could expand on my definition. In my opinion, a sport meets all of the following:

It is a competitive activity between two or more people (although this competition need not be direct, such as in weightlifting).
There are public rules or parameters limiting the participants' behavior and activities, and these rules are establishes prior to a match or game or session. These rules primarily determine what it means to score or otherwise "win" the competition, and usually cover other gameplay ambiguities.
Consequently, there must be a way to win at a game or session in the sport.
The rules do not change radically from game to game, but remain largely consistent and predictable. They may change, but they do so in a gradual, evolutionary fashion.
It is dominated by those who practice or train in the sport (or in general) with the purpose of improving performance. This could mean physical exercise, it could mean improving one's aim or fine motor control, and it could mean simply practicing the action of the sport in order to build up muscle memory and confidence.

I realize this means that PvP in World of Warcraft falls under my definition of sport. So be it. Just because it's a sport doesn't make it worthy of respect, any more than lawnmower racing does.

[Chiron Jackal]

to me, if it's on ESPN it's a sport :cool:

Half the time I flip past the main ESPN network it's men in suits talking...

[west]

I think it's a good question because the definition of the word "sport" is so unclear. People usually use their own opinions to decide what a sport is, so it varies among everyone.

Although I wouldn't say everything on ESPN is a sport, because a couple years back I saw the World Domino Championships, and that's just not reasonable.

Oh thanks to whoever picked option 3 too :p

[Klark]

While I know my definition of the word Sport was considered loose, it should be noted that I posted the defitinition right out of the dictionary, loose or not.

[Vendetta]

I suppose I could expand on my definition. In my opinion, a sport meets all of the following:

It is a competitive activity between two or more people (although this competition need not be direct, such as in weightlifting).
There are public rules or parameters limiting the participants' behavior and activities, and these rules are establishes prior to a match or game or session. These rules primarily determine what it means to score or otherwise "win" the competition, and usually cover other gameplay ambiguities.
Consequently, there must be a way to win at a game or session in the sport.
The rules do not change radically from game to game, but remain largely consistent and predictable. They may change, but they do so in a gradual, evolutionary fashion.
It is dominated by those who practice or train in the sport (or in general) with the purpose of improving performance. This could mean physical exercise, it could mean improving one's aim or fine motor control, and it could mean simply practicing the action of the sport in order to build up muscle memory and confidence.

I realize this means that PvP in World of Warcraft falls under my definition of sport. So be it. Just because it's a sport doesn't make it worthy of respect, any more than lawnmower racing does.
I accept that. I was actually wondering if the codified rules thing was going to come up. And I really wasn't saying that any of the things that fall under that (inlcuding, but not limited to lawnmower racing,) were any less worthy.

While I know my definition of the word Sport was considered loose, it should be noted that I posted the defitinition right out of the dictionary, loose or not.
Ahh, my criticism wasn't of you, it was of the definition itself. Maybe it's just me, but I'm a huge fan of specificity.


OK, bearing all this is mind I have just one question, is skee-ball a sport then?

[Lord Anubis]

Skee-ball? since when do you play that against someone???

[Lord Anubis]

I don't usually double post but anyways.....Ever gone 200mph around a track? I have spent time at tracks and the physical toll on those guys is alot. Its hot and the force on them is large. Sport! A redneckone at that but still a sport

[Shaun]

Not a sport I am a fan of but, people bet on it, you have to be in some kind of shape for it (lets see some fat bastard fit into those cars) and you are competing against other individuals so yeah it's a sport.

[Vendetta]

Skee-ball? since when do you play that against someone???
I would imagine in the same way you'd bowl, albeit on different lanes. Otherwise, what is the point of scoring? (Besides getting tickets to redeem for crap prizes.)

I just want to be a step closer to my dreams of competing in the Olympics.

[Lord Anubis]

hmm competitive skee-ball....interesting.....and all these years i have been just getting those stupid tickets