11/17/24
April 06, 2004
In last months vote, ten-pin bowling was decided to be a sport (16-7), but bowlers are not athletes (5-18). I'd like to try something a little more controvesial then - Fox Hunting - Is it a sport, and are the houndsmen and houndswomen, athletes?
posted by BigCalm to navel gazing at 11:02 AM - 40 comments
what happened to that guy? remember him, with all the fun "sport or athlete?" posts? god, he's been gone so long... damn. what was his name? i think he was... sporksglovetofu or something. come back fct!
posted by jerseygirl at 11:22 AM on April 06, 2004
no and no, for the record.
posted by jerseygirl at 11:24 AM on April 06, 2004
what about the fox?
posted by garfield at 11:25 AM on April 06, 2004
Absolutely not and hell no.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:30 AM on April 06, 2004
This is a big issue in the UK, correct? NO and NO!
posted by dusted at 11:33 AM on April 06, 2004
Can it be a sport if the dogs and horses do all the work? I say no and no.
posted by Jugwine at 11:38 AM on April 06, 2004
Any kind of animal hunting: NO Hunters: NO
posted by jasonspaceman at 11:38 AM on April 06, 2004
no and no.
posted by goddam at 11:52 AM on April 06, 2004
No & no.
posted by 86 at 11:53 AM on April 06, 2004
This is a big issue in the UK, correct? Yes, I'm trying to get some sort of perspective from people (i.e. You Yankee boys and girls) who aren't directly involved. Personally, I'd say No (pastime), and No (the ability to ride a horse does not make you an athlete). It opens up a further question - should it be banned?
posted by BigCalm at 11:56 AM on April 06, 2004
my cat chases houseflies in the summer and then eats them on the spot. that doesn't make her an athlete or the event a sport.
posted by jerseygirl at 12:09 PM on April 06, 2004
No, no, yes
posted by dng at 12:09 PM on April 06, 2004
Banning? That seems kind of heavy-handed unless there are concerns about the fox population dwindling down or major environmental effects (which very well may be the case, I'm just a hare ignorant of the facts). Besides, it'd be more fun to sabotage the bastards. I do realize that many hunters in the US are very active environmentalists and eat what they kill, etc. etc. But it seems like for every one of those, there are ten of the "spread deer scent and food under a tree and wait for them to come over so we can shoot them from 15 feet above, pay someone to clean it and stick the trophy in my office" variety who, in my opinion, are needle-dicked egoists with a vendetta against a perfectly innocent animal. /rant
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:10 PM on April 06, 2004
my cat chases houseflies in the summer and then eats them on the spot. that doesn't make her an athlete or the event a sport. That said, there would be people willing to bet on it. How would you and the cat feel about summering at Suffolk Downs or Wonderland?
posted by yerfatma at 12:19 PM on April 06, 2004
needle-dicked egoists You say that like it's a bad thing!
posted by Fat Buddha at 12:20 PM on April 06, 2004
can you give a little more background on this activity? is it done in a natural setting (meaning, not on a kind of game farm or enclose area where the foxes are basically boxed in). is there a need for curbing the population of foxes or is it just a traditional activity with no conservation aspects attached to it. if it's done in the wild, there is a need for population control and the kill is done in a humane way then i say it should not be banned. from what little i have read it seems the humane killing part is a big issue. personally i would think using a gun would be more humane than a pack of dogs but some say that hunting dogs kill much quicker than other methods. i don't know. i think if you're going to hunt, you should be the one that does the deed. sending dogs out to do the dirty work seems to be a rather pussy move.
posted by goddam at 12:27 PM on April 06, 2004
How would you and the cat feel about summering at Suffolk Downs or Wonderland? you're on. cats running around circular tracks chasing fake flies on poles. i see heavy mob activity getting involved.
posted by jerseygirl at 12:30 PM on April 06, 2004
Fox/Deer/Quail/bear/etc Hunters: Not Atheletes Fox/Deer/Quail/bear/etc Hunting: Not Sport
posted by scully at 01:46 PM on April 06, 2004
jerseygirl, if we act now you'll be safely embedded before the Hot Dog Safari.
posted by yerfatma at 04:31 PM on April 06, 2004
good god man, mo vaughn is going to be there. did someone alert djacobs!?
posted by jerseygirl at 05:13 PM on April 06, 2004
did someone alert djacobs!? There's another guy who hasn't been too visible lately. But I digress. Isn't a large part of the controversy in the UK happening because this is an upper crust activity? What if they brought in some inner city kids to ride, would the protests simmer down? Is this a sport waiting for its, so to speak, Jackie Robinson?
posted by billsaysthis at 09:46 PM on April 06, 2004
Fox/Deer/Quail/bear/etc Hunters: Not Atheletes Fox/Deer/Quail/bear/etc Hunting: Not Sport But clay pigeons, that's fine. 'Cos clay pigeons are fuckers! sorry, just thought we could use a little izzard
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:34 PM on April 06, 2004
wait till they hit the ground then shoot them! Much easier. < /izzard>
posted by lilnemo at 12:34 AM on April 07, 2004
Isn't a large part of the controversy in the UK happening because this is an upper crust activity? Yeah, this is revenge for them fuckers banning my cock fights and dog fights.
posted by dng at 05:46 AM on April 07, 2004
Careful you don't combine the two: there's two great tastes that don't taste great together. "But it's your dog!"
posted by yerfatma at 07:12 AM on April 07, 2004
Absolutely not a sport, and not very sporting besides.
posted by Samsonov14 at 08:35 AM on April 07, 2004
No and no.
posted by grum@work at 09:41 AM on April 07, 2004
Not a sport and certainly not athletes. Underworked and over priviliged snobs who send 50 starving hounds onto some farm land to corner then rip to pieces an animal just in case he might eat a chicken. If they want sport, why don't they put the "hunters" in a field with the hunt sabs and let them go at it? I'll pay good money for that.
posted by kWaCkY at 09:48 AM on April 07, 2004
My girlfriends grandparents did this. I do not consider either of them athletes, so I also will say no and no. Although, I got some cool hunting china out of the deal. They are now in the stage of giving away their life's possessions and then accusing you of stealing them weeks later. Real athletes do not act like that.
posted by usfbull at 04:02 PM on April 07, 2004
Can't believe I'm saying this, but -- yes, and yes. I consider thoroughbred jockeys to be athletes, and the difference between them and fox hunters in terms of what they do isn't qualitatively different. Despite the fact that I find it barbaric and absolutely pointless since the late 1700's, and if no one ever did it again it wouldn't be missed by anyone save for whoever sells those breeches the hunters wear, I can't think of an argument against this being a sport that isn't classist or speciesist. So it's one of the original activities to have been called a sport (pace, ancient Greece), and the snooty snobby assclowns on the horses, loathsome as they may be, are athletes.
posted by chicobangs at 12:31 PM on April 08, 2004
No and No. It's just plain mean.
posted by sixpacker at 01:40 PM on April 08, 2004
through all of these votes, I still am searching for a universally applicable answer to the question: what makes a certain game a sport, while other games are merely games?
posted by garfield at 02:01 PM on April 08, 2004
sport. A sporting chance. Same rules for both sides. Level(ish) playing field. A game can be enjoyed by just one of the participants. Cats play games with mice.
posted by kWaCkY at 01:10 PM on April 09, 2004
Same rules for both sides. So if the fox gets away they shoot and eat the hunters? Wow, if that is true I would like to change my answer.
posted by scully at 01:44 PM on April 09, 2004
not a sport, not athletes. The fox and horse in the equation might be considered athletes in a "most dangerous game" kinda way.
posted by forksclovetofu at 01:20 PM on April 11, 2004
Yay, forks is back. Now we find out if he's going to get angry that someones muscled in on his turf.
posted by dng at 01:49 PM on April 11, 2004
Watch out for the driveby!
posted by forksclovetofu at 02:10 AM on April 12, 2004
/BigCalm cowers in fear.
posted by BigCalm at 01:49 PM on April 12, 2004
Hm. As far as I can tell, there isn't any competition in foxhunting, which prevents it from being a sport in my mind. That's not the dictionary definition but it's one that works for me. Athletes... a harder question. Probably, yeah. Obviously not everyone who fox hunts is an athlete, but not everyone who plays softball is an athlete either.
posted by Bryant at 03:40 PM on April 13, 2004
(brought to you via the Forksclovetofu appreciation society)