Sport, Opinion or Hobby?

We make a big deal about sporting prowess, and nations place great store in sporting achievement. There are many global tournaments, including and not limited to the football world cup, the summer and winter olympics, cricket, tennis, golf, yachting, rowing the list is pretty endless.

So what is sport, and why is it sport and not hobby?

As a work in progress over a long period of time then it should be possible to define what is a sport and therefore what is a hobby.

What is the fundamental premiss behind my sport or hobby theory.

I’m down to this – A sport is a competition between individuals or teams to achieve a result or outcome. A competition that relies on a 3rd party to score the ability, progress or ability of a competitor or competitors is an opinion, not a sport, and a hobby is where you strive to improve against your own previous achievements,

There are games of skill that I don’t really know how to categorise, I’m reminded that in English pubs games of chance weren’t allowed, however games of skill were, including bar billiards, shove ha’penny, draughts/checkers, skittles etc

I should work on a Venn diagram since there are some that could be called sport and yet are a hobby. or a sport and opinion. I’ll put that on my projects list.

Sports

Football, Tennis, Athletics, Cycling, Rowing, Bowls, Yacht racing, Downhill Skiing/Slalom, Boxing, Ice hockey, Field hockey, Netball, Cricket, Motorsports, Golf, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Squash, Badminton, Chess, Snooker, Pool, Ten pin bowling, Beach Volley Ball.

Opinions

Gymnastics, Dressage, Swimming Pool Diving, Tricks based snowboards/skiing events, Boxing, Dancing, Rhythmic Gymnastics

Hobby

Scuba diving, Fishing, Golf, Shooting, Hunting, Ten pin bowling

It’s a work in progress, not definitive or authoritative, or particularly well researched, but it is something that I mull over in the quiet moments when I’m surfing the couch looking for a sport to watch.