Why figure skating is not a sport (Article)

[R.D.]

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/to...slug=dw-figsnosport022006&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Now, I just want to see what people think of this guy's interpretation. I think the vast majority will disagree, but...I basically agree with him that any contest that is judged simply cannot be called a sport, no matter how much skill or strength one might need to participate.

JMO. This would also include gymnastics and diving.

 

[Mafke]

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/to...slug=dw-figsnosport022006&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Now, I just want to see what people think of this guy's interpretation. I think the vast majority will disagree, but...I basically agree with him that any contest that is judged simply cannot be called a sport, no matter how much skill or strength one might need to participate.

JMO. This would also include gymnastics and diving.

I think of skating as a _Discipline_. That is, a set of skills done in a particular way and measured against an almost Platonic ideal.

Figures were the absolute embodiment of this, as perfection (a single perfectly geometrical tracing) was essentially unobtainable. But free skating has this element too, so for me excellence of execution is more important than 'pushing the envelope with ugly positions and more and more rotations in jumps and jump combos.

 

[Buzzz]

He has a point. I used to think that the jumps determined the winner in FS, and it is why I grew to love skating. But I guess under this new scoring system the jumps just are not that important any more. But I love figure skating sport or not.

 

[tarotx]

IMO anybody who throws in beauty pageants into this discussion isn't a voice I want to hear. And sport is an athletic competition by definition so what's the point of the debate? It's all semantics.

 

[Mathman]

Tarotx is exactly right. This is semantics. It is not a debate about figure skating, it is a debate about the definition of a word.

Mr. Wetzel, Red Dog, and anyone else are free to invent definitions to suit themselves along the lines of, oh, gosh, the dictionary forgot to mention that judged activities are not sports, or whatever. In the meantime, the rest of us will just have to muddle along with Merriam-Webster.

Figure skating is what it is. It doesn't matter what word we attach to it.

That's what I think, LOL.

 

[julietvalcouer]

I agree with Mathman and tartox. So....any equestrian sports besides show jumping (judged based on time to complete the course and jumps knocked down) and horse racing (whoever crosses the finish line first without fouling anyone substantially wins--oh, wait, if there's an inquiry the stewards get involved, hmmm) aren't sports either because they're judged?

Whatever. Generally the people I see insisting figure skating isn't a sport are either men who are insecure about men wearing costumes and makeup or women who know they wouldn't look very good out there in spandex-lycra mixes.

 

[K-Mo]

I think it's all relative. I mean, they let curling be a sport, so clearly not all people have the same definition of "sport."

 

[Mathman]

Fishing.

 

[ilovepaydays]

I am still trying to figure out how poker ends up so much on ESPN......

 

[Alsace]

Well, knocking out "judged sports" is one way of limiting the number of Olympic events. Additional sports that come to mind immediately include: ski jumping, arials, moguls, and snowboarding's half pipe.

 

[LBC]

Fishing.

I agree with that one. Anybody can get a fishing pole and put a line in the water. People fish without even being there. There is skill to catch a fish but I don't think it has anything to do with it being athletic.

 

[heyang]

I agree - why is Poker on a sports network? It is a competition, but there's not athletics involved.

 

[R.D.]

Let's not forget that ESPN is ENTERTAINMENT and Sports programming network. ENTERTAINMENT is for poker, fluff, etc.

 

[jsteam4501s]

I think that when the writer admitted that figure skaters are athletes, he shot himself in the foot.

Football REQUIRES athletes in order to be played at the highest levels.
Tennis REQUIRES athletes in order to be played at the highest levels.
Baseball REQUIRES athletes in order to be played at the highest levels.

Figure Skating REQUIRES athletes in order to be done at the highest levels.

The writer said figure skaters are athletes. It goes back to that old axiom all of us learn in school - Things equal to the same thing are equal to each other.

Quality-level athletic activities require quality-level athletes. Therefore, football, tennis, baseball, figure skating, and many other athletic activities - they ALL are sports.

 

[R.D.]

That's where I would disagree with him. A contest has competitors, a sport has athletes. If you are performing and are being judged on your performance, then how can that be sport? JMHO.

 

[Vash01]

This writer considers boxing a sport even though it is judged, because a knockout can give a clear result. However, we all know that not all boxing matches are decided by a knockout. They are decided by the votes of judges. Of course there are rules to be applied, points to be given. Still it is being judged, just like figure skating, Tae Kwon do, and number of other sports that have already been mentioned in this thread.

Just because a clock cannot measure something, it cannot preclude it from being a sport. May be he just wanted to stir up a controversy.

Vash

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

ITA Vash.

The discussion so far is begging for a definition of SPORT so that Bridge as well as Poka can be included along with Jacks, Marbles, Chess, Chinese Checkers, etc. And the very athletic Cheerleading!!

Joe

 

[SusanBeth]

So will amateur boxing ever be eliminated from the Olympics? They wear protective headgear to help prevent knock outs and are mainly judged these days, aren't they?

I think we have a better chance of convincing the Merriam-Webster people to change the definition than of convincing naysayers.
Definition-
(1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) : a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in (Added: Yes, that includes figure skating! )

Thay had another definition for sport- sexual play. That should prove that some of the ice dancers are merely engaging in true sport also.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Thay had another definition for sport- sexual play. That should prove that some of the ice dancers are merely engaging in true sport also.

Joe

 

[sk8m8]

hmmmm, does this mean Baseball will be out, there is an judge(umpire) behind the plate to decern whether the baseball is in or out of the strike zone. And it is a very subjective call according to the fans and experts.

boxing and fencing are judged by the number of strikes or punches landed which can be missed, miscalcuated or inflated according to which judge sees what.

Gymnastics would have to go as a "judged sport" and gymnists are alledgedly one of the highest combination of strength and skill that exist in atheletics.

I'm so confused, elite atheletes go to the Olympic "Games" :scratch:

ps, this argument pops up every 4 years, if you troll the internet long enough, similar arguments occured after SLC, Athens, Sydney, etc