Is Golf a Sport or a Game?

[iacas]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

One thing for certain is that having something appear on TSN (or espn - whatever) does not make it a sport. Unless of course dog shows, new car reviews, liesurely riding from town to town on a motorcycle, and people sitting around a table playing cards are sports now. Still I'd rather watch any of those than MMA - every time I skim past it I see how it earned its nickname.

ESPN used to (maybe they still do) show the Spelling Bee. What athletes! :)

[Infamous 273]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

One thing for certain is that having something appear on TSN (or espn - whatever) does not make it a sport. Unless of course dog shows, new car reviews, liesurely riding from town to town on a motorcycle, and people sitting around a table playing cards are sports now. Still I'd rather watch any of those than MMA - every time I skim past it I see how it earned its nickname.

hmph...

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

Technically, you are correct.  Again it comes down to how you define an athlete.  When I think of speed, quickness, and agility, I associate it with a persons ability to move and run, not stand stationary and swing an object.

Now it seems like you are nitpicking.  By this definition, many power hitting first basemen (Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, heck even Mark Teixiera) aren't athletes.  Nor is virtually any pitcher (they can't run) or several of your non mobile NFL QB's.  Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers are the first to come to mind.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

One thing for certain is that having something appear on TSN (or espn - whatever) does not make it a sport. Unless of course dog shows, new car reviews, liesurely riding from town to town on a motorcycle, and people sitting around a table playing cards are sports now. Still I'd rather watch any of those than MMA - every time I skim past it I see how it earned its nickname.

I don't know what it's nickname is, but I agree 100%.  That stuff is barbaric.

[Mr3Wiggle]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I don't know what it's nickname is, but I agree 100%.  That stuff is barbaric.

Human cockfighting.

[MbolicGolf]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

Human cockfighting.

So Wait Boxing is OK but MMA is not? Care to explain why?

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

Quote:

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

I don't know what it's nickname is, but I agree 100%.  That stuff is barbaric.

edited out

If that's a double entendre, then, bingo!

[NM Golf]

Originally Posted by Mr3Wiggle

Human cockfighting.

Originally Posted by MbolicGolf

So Wait Boxing is OK but MMA is not? Care to explain why?

Easy now guys you are getting off topic.

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Now it seems like you are nitpicking.  By this definition, many power hitting first basemen (Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, heck even Mark Teixiera) aren't athletes.  Nor is virtually any pitcher (they can't run) or several of your non mobile NFL QB's.  Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers are the first to come to mind.

I'm not nitpicking at all.  Again, this is simply MY definition of athletic.  All the guys you listed are not very athletic, IMO.  Many professional athletes are not very "athletic", IMO.

I view guys like LeBron James and Calvin Johnson as the best "athletes".

[Shorty]

This debate isn't about whether golf is a sport, but what constitutes a "sport". Don't shooters consider themselves " sportsmen"? Isn't horse racing known as the "sport of kings"? For the above reasons, I don't feel personally slighted when someone says golf is not a sport.

[x129]

If you want to say only about 500 people in the world are athletic then yeah sure pga golfers are not athletic. Guys like Payton get a lot of crap for being stiffs. They are more athletic than 99% of the worlds population. But if your in the top 1%, you will look like a bad when you go up against the top .01%.

Originally Posted by Gresh24

I'm not nitpicking at all.  Again, this is simply MY definition of athletic.  All the guys you listed are not very athletic, IMO.  Many professional athletes are not very "athletic", IMO.

I view guys like LeBron James and Calvin Johnson as the best "athletes".

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by x129

If you want to say only about 500 people in the world are athletic then yeah sure pga golfers are not athletic. Guys like Payton get a lot of crap for being stiffs. They are more athletic than 99% of the worlds population. But if your in the top 1%, you will look like a bad when you go up against the top .01%.

Of course you'd look bad going against any pro athlete in their sport(s).  I'm talking more general athleticism.  I know 99.99% of people can't throw a ball like CC Sabathia or hit like Mark Texiera, but that doesn't make them automatically more athletic than everyone that can't do that, IMO.

[dsc123]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

I'm not nitpicking at all.  Again, this is simply MY definition of athletic.  All the guys you listed are not very athletic, IMO.  Many professional athletes are not very "athletic", IMO.

I view guys like LeBron James and Calvin Johnson as the best "athletes".

I think this more or less ends it, no?

[dsc123]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

Of course you'd look bad going against any pro athlete in their sport(s).  I'm talking more general athleticism.  I know 99.99% of people can't throw a ball like CC Sabathia or hit like Mark Texiera, but that doesn't make them automatically more athletic than everyone that can't do that, IMO.

So you agree that they play sports, but don't think they are athletes?  And golf isn't a sport because it doesn't require enough athleticism?

[Gresh24]

Originally Posted by dsc123

So you agree that they play sports, but don't think they are athletes?  And golf isn't a sport because it doesn't require enough athleticism?

Uh, no.  Not close.  You must have read none of my posts.

I have said multiple times golf is a sport.  I never said any professional athletes aren't "athletes".

I am just saying, AGAIN, that I think a lot of sports don't require a lot of athleticism, AS I DEFINE ATHLETICISM (in a general sense).  I think there are a number of professional athletes, in a number of different sports, that aren't very athletic.  I know most of you disagree with that...

[dsc123]

Ah, sorry.  I've read some, but not all 17 pages.

[Kapanda]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

Of course you'd look bad going against any pro athlete in their sport(s).  I'm talking more general athleticism.  I know 99.99% of people can't throw a ball like CC Sabathia or hit like Mark Texiera, but that doesn't make them automatically more athletic than everyone that can't do that, IMO.

Though I don't completely agree with what you're saying, I get the point.

There's a difference between skill and athleticism. CC's ball throwing relies heavily on skill.

[Golfingdad]

Originally Posted by Gresh24

Of course you'd look bad going against any pro athlete in their sport(s).  I'm talking more general athleticism.  I know 99.99% of people can't throw a ball like CC Sabathia or hit like Mark Texiera, but that doesn't make them automatically more athletic than everyone that can't do that, IMO.

Originally Posted by Kapanda

Though I don't completely agree with what you're saying, I get the point.

There's a difference between skill and athleticism. CC's ball throwing relies heavily on skill.

Well, not exactly.  CC throwing the ball with accuracy requires skill ... but throwing it 95 mph is all about athleticism.  In my opinion, a skill is something that takes talent and practice, and athleticism is all about speed, strength, power, and the like.  He certainly has both.

Golfers as well.  You need strength, speed (not running speed, duh), quickness, etc along with skill to perform it well.