February 06, 2004

The votes are in: HORSE RACING is NOT A SPORT (9-5), JOCKEYS are NOT ATHLETES (9-5)....
but RACING HORSES are ATHLETES!(9-5)

=next week's challenge inside=

posted by forksclovetofu to navel gazing at 08:51 PM - 37 comments

For now and forever more, horse racing is not a sport. Unless you're a horse. Go figure. This weeks contender is intended to stir up the pot and see if you care to dethrone a "real" sport. Without further ado: GOLF: Sport or Not a Sport? GOLFERS: Athletes or Not Athletes? Fore!

posted by forksclovetofu at 08:54 PM on February 06, 2004

NO NO NO NO NO (sorry JJ).

posted by billsaysthis at 09:39 PM on February 06, 2004

Golf: sport Golfers: not athletes Golfers' wives: HOT! HOT!

posted by grum@work at 09:51 PM on February 06, 2004

sport not athletes

posted by goddam at 11:05 PM on February 06, 2004

sport not athletes

posted by jerseygirl at 11:32 PM on February 06, 2004

sport not athletes

posted by scully at 07:58 AM on February 07, 2004

Game, not sport. Not athletes.

posted by Bryant at 10:43 AM on February 07, 2004

sport not athletes

posted by squealy at 10:48 AM on February 07, 2004

sport because there is an objective (get the ball in the hole), score is kept (how many strokes were needed to meet objective), and it is played outdoors, subject to the whims of nature, with which all participants must deal equally. athletes because it takes incredible coordination of big and small muscles, and brain, to perform at highest level.

posted by msacheson at 11:43 AM on February 07, 2004

Where is JJ to give his two Euros?

posted by billsaysthis at 12:44 PM on February 07, 2004

Golf: sport Golfers: athletes Golf, the one sport I wish I knew how to play.

posted by jasonspaceman at 12:44 PM on February 07, 2004

Golf, the one sport I wish I knew how to play. It's very easy... You hit the ball. You curse the ball. You chase the ball. You look for the ball. You hit the ball. You curse the ball. Repeat until ball eventually gets in the hole. Drink beer.

posted by scully at 01:15 PM on February 07, 2004

Sport Sometimes athletes, sometimes not.

posted by dng at 01:20 PM on February 07, 2004

dng, based on that, we could say: Sometimes athlete, sometimes not. There are very few sports that contain only atheletes which pride themselves on their physical fitness. Sport, because there's a lot of physical maintenance involved, and athletes, because the majority of serious golfers spend a lot of time shaping their bodies to hit a ball so well.

posted by dfleming at 02:43 PM on February 07, 2004

Golf is a sport. Golfers are athletes. (Yes, many are not athletic, but they are athletes just the same.)

posted by rocket88 at 08:52 AM on February 09, 2004

SPORT NOT ATHLETES

posted by mbd1 at 01:05 PM on February 09, 2004

Golf: Sport Golfers: Athletes, although not always the best specimens. Disc Golf: Superior Sport!

posted by Ufez Jones at 02:28 PM on February 09, 2004

Golf: Sport Golfers: Athletes The fine motor control, concentration, focus, and will, and even strength (try hacking in 3 foot gorse on a links course and tell me it doesn't take strong arms/hips/wrists) make them athletes. I'd be interested, for those saying Not Athletes, do you play Golf?

posted by BigVACub at 02:50 PM on February 09, 2004

Golf is a sport. Golfers are athletes. I once played on my high school's team, though I was never very good. I'd compare an inexperienced try at using a driver to your very first attempt to shoot from beyond the three-point line in basketball. The pros make it look remarkably easy.

posted by rocketman at 04:18 PM on February 09, 2004

Anyone want to tell Tiger he isn't an athlete and doesn't play a sport, go right ahead?

posted by garfield at 04:36 PM on February 09, 2004

Fine motor control, concentration, focus, and will do not a sport make. Else video games would be a sport. Some things are just games.

posted by Bryant at 04:48 PM on February 09, 2004

See, that's what I think, but how can Tiger Woods not be playing a sport? That just sounds blasphemous. I don't know on this one. The huge cultural component confuses the sh!t out of me.

posted by garfield at 05:09 PM on February 09, 2004

All you need to hit a baseball is fine motor control, concentration, and focus.

posted by BigVACub at 09:05 AM on February 10, 2004

....and darts, and horse shoes, et al.

posted by garfield at 10:12 AM on February 10, 2004

golf: strike the ball, walk to where it stops baseball: strike the ball, run the bases, run in the field, catch the ball, throw the ball It's a little more complicated than golf.

posted by grum@work at 10:18 AM on February 10, 2004

golf : sport golfers : athletes, except for golf carters.

posted by garfield at 12:24 PM on February 10, 2004

don't forget pitch the ball, grum. Fine motor control, concentration, focus, and will do not a sport make. Other things that require fine motor control, concentration, focus that are not sport: Carrot chopping. Putting in contact lenses. Sharpening a knife. Installing any internal drive to your computer. Painting trim.

posted by jerseygirl at 01:40 PM on February 10, 2004

don't forget pitch the ball, grum. I think that was covered by "throw the ball". :)

posted by grum@work at 01:43 PM on February 10, 2004

garfield: that argument always mystified me. You mean to say that the part of the sport of golf that makes it a "sport" is that these guys walk after the ball? The walking is the sport? The "it's very hot and they're out there for hours" explanation suggests that jackhammer operators are athletes as well. /i've disqualified myself on voting on these, by the by.

posted by forksclovetofu at 04:23 PM on February 10, 2004

grum's description of baseball reminds me of this Robin Williams standup routine: Oscar Lavant said that ballet is the fairy’s football, I say “Yeah”. Imagine you get a ballet choreographer working with a football team: “Alright everybody line up, everyone line up! OH my god a smorgasbord, look at this. Alright, who’s the tight end? Fabulous, you stay right there, I love you, OK.” “Alright, What I want you to do is a simple pattern. Everybody go long, do this, attempt to catch the ball. Everyone else pile on in for as long as possible. Referee throw the flag, throw the flag, throw the flag. I love it... I love it.”

posted by dusted at 04:39 PM on February 10, 2004

I think that was covered by "throw the ball". :) oh. oops. well Pedro pitching is different than say Ichiro throwing it in from the OF. But you're right, covered nonetheless. :) Other things that require fine motor control, concentration, focus that are not sport: Applying mascara. Clipping a baby's finger/toe nails.

posted by jerseygirl at 06:43 PM on February 10, 2004

And masturbating. At least, how I do it, it does. I am definitely an athlete, and it is definitely a sport!

posted by hincandenza at 10:28 PM on February 10, 2004

Hal: that's next week. Keep it in your pants, f'r crissakes.

posted by forksclovetofu at 01:10 AM on February 11, 2004

Hal, you just won the TMI award, previously held by two time champion billsaysthis. forks, i guess i resorted to that because I can't figure what makes golf a sport, rather than just a game, because my gut tells me its a sport, but my head says, 'slow down buckaroo'. The cart thing made sense b/c of the hoopla surrounding the PGA's decision for the 'challenged' competitor ability to use a cart during tournament play. If it mattered so much to them, maybe it was essential in some way to the game. [shrugs]

posted by garfield at 09:10 AM on February 11, 2004

this part scared me: At least, how I do it, it does that's where the "I" became "TM" still, it was funny.

posted by jerseygirl at 09:18 AM on February 11, 2004

I am sad but will pass on the TMI crown to Hal. But buddy, don't expect to hold on to it too long cause I'm feeling a comeback.

posted by billsaysthis at 11:46 AM on February 11, 2004

yikes, most comebacks are never good.......

posted by smithers at 01:36 PM on February 11, 2004

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