Scuba Diving, Sport or Hobby?

[doctormike]

Realistically I don't think they can do that with dive skills. If so, then driving is a sport. Actually, by my definition of swimming and bicycling being sports, I guess you could call driving a sport because of race car driving and that NASCAR thingy. But I would not call it a sport--exception to my rule.

Race driving is definitely a sport - I don't do it myself, but I have friends who do, and you really need intense concentration, superb reflexes, and excellent fine motor control.

Why couldn't they do that with dive skills? They can do it with gymnastics or figure skating...! Probably not such a great idea though, don't know how many true fans there would be out there to support the games...

 

[KevinNM]

You can't win in climbing either but that too is a sport.

I know a girl who was professional climber, on a team, and completed for money. Now she does crossfit. And Olympic lifting.

 

[halocline]

Disagree. Golf, though not overly physical, is competitive (against others or yourself).

What about chess? Ping pong? Billiards? Thumb wrestling? Paper-scissors-rocks? Bocci? The list is endless. The difference between a game and a sport is hard to pin down....speaking of which, what about bowling? I'm not sure 'competitive' necessarily defines 'sport'. I think an amount of physical skill and demands are more central to the idea of a 'sport' than competition, although I will certainly agree that competition is a big part of most sports.

The hiking reference is an interesting one. I sometimes think of the difference between recreational and technical diving as analogous to the difference between hiking and technical climbing. In each case, additional training and equipment are necessary to function safely in more demanding environments, and there is an overlapping environment that some would consider 'technical' and some 'recreational.'

 

[boulderjohn]

The word "sport" has had many definitions over the years. Betting on horse races is "the sport of kings." Betting in general has been called sport for hundreds of years. A sportsman is a hunter, and the magazine Sports Afield is about hunting.

As a consequence, there are many definitions of a sport, and whenever we have one of these threads (which is about every 6 months), it all comes down to something like this:

Poster A: According to the definition of sport that I use, diving is a sport.

Poster B: Ho, yeah? According to the definition of sport that I use, diving is not a sport.

Poster C: I use a slightly different definition of sport from Poster A, and diving is a sport in some cases bit not in others.

Poster D: Well, I use a completely different definition, and according to mine,.....

etc.
etc.
etc.
etc.

 

[Nemrod]

Sport Diver Magazine?

I am pretty sure we could have competitive diving where skills such as buoyancy control, air consumption, mastery of kicks, maneuvering without use of hands through a series of obstacles, of course I would win .

Let's see, cave diving, where the diver pits himself against death as his competitor.

I think in the US of A gladiator sports such as feeding Catholics to lions in a coliseum, oops, wait, I meant having overweight, steroid monsters chase a ball about in a coliseum is the only thing that qualifies as a sport. I prefer a more liberal and accepted definition of sport and sporting.

I think hunting dangerous game is a sport, if you miss you might get eaten. Sounds sporting to me.

N

 

[seeker242]

It's neither a sport, nor not a sport and neither a hobby, nor not a hobby.

 

[TMHeimer]

Race driving is definitely a sport - I don't do it myself, but I have friends who do, and you really need intense concentration, superb reflexes, and excellent fine motor control.

Why couldn't they do that with dive skills? They can do it with gymnastics or figure skating...! Probably not such a great idea though, don't know how many true fans there would be out there to support the games...

Yes of course race car driving is a sport--I didn't say it wasn't. It is competitive and there is a winner, as well as the physical aspects. So as I said, according to my definitions, regular driving on the street then would also be a sport. Because that is the case with just swimming laps for fun being a sport because swimming is a competitive, record keeping activity. Same with bicycling. But, these two are recognized -- and televised as well-- when there are competitions (like Olympics, Worlds, Tour de France, etc.) Regular driving is not, so it is an exception to my rule. Golf is a sport because it is competitive, either against yourself or others)--and is recognized by a majority of people as a competitive activity. Thus it is also televised. Mountain climbing, skydiving and hang gliding are generally considered sports, but not according to my definitions. These can have extreme physical aspects. But they are rarely televised, and hardly talked about unless you do them and talk to others that do them.
"Sport Fishing"--No. No at all USUALLY physical enough (yes it can be hard to fight a hooked 45 inch Pike for 20 minutes), and no competition, except for special tournaments--that no one hears of unless you fish. Hunting--Not. No competition--yes skill, but physical most likely when you have to drag the Moose to the car.

To respond to another post, things like chess--no. Nothing physical even though competitive. This is a Game.
Baseball is a Sport, and Activity and a Game. Some things are all 3. Some 2, some 1.
Billiards--Yeah maybe. Borderline--not much general interest, TV coverage, etc.
Ping Pong-Sport.
Figure Skating--yes sport. Judges grade on specific techniques and overall presentation. It is competitive, very physical-- and well known. Scuba skills.............You could grade on who's got the most perfect buoyancy and who can flip around doing tricks best in an aquarium. What else? Nowhere near cuts it for me as a sport.

Now, the difference between Sport and Sporting............

 

[Nemrod]

I think you guys should just stick to the dictionary of accepted word definitions rather than creating your on ebonics and criteria which is accepted only by yourself. If it fits an accepted definition then it is and if it does not then it is not.

Football, well, maybe it is not a sport, it is instead a game in which a score is kept, kind of like Bridge or checkers.

N

 

[CuzzA]

For me it depends on what you're doing. Trophies? Check. Purse and prizes? Check. Skill? Check. Competitions? Check. Big crowds? Check. Winners and losers? Check. Sport? Check.

Can a person get certified one weekend and win this tournament the next? Nope. Not going to happen.

Hundreds participate in world's largest spearfishing tournament in St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG — Hundreds of fishermen packed the ballroom of the Magnuson Hotel at Marina Cove Sunday morning, discussing who caught the weekend's biggest fish during the St. Petersburg Underwater Club's 48th annual St. Pete Open, the world's largest spearfishing competition.

Stories of 80 pound groupers, close encounters with sharks and secret spots where the fish seemingly jump onto the end of a spear weren't told with the usual bravado that accompanies tall tales. These stories were all true, told between sheepish smiles and prodding from friends and family.

“These guys are pretty humble, but they're tough,” said Bryan Anderson, president of the St. Petersburg Underwater Club. “When they're out fishing, they're fighting off sharks not just sitting on the dock making up stories. It's a lot of work and there's a lot of respect for each other in this sport.”

The St. Pete Open has maintained it's reputation as the largest competition of it's kind because of the tough demeanor of its entrants. This year, 329 spearfishers from across the globe spent two days fishing while free diving, scuba diving, and even standing on the shore, racking up pounds come rain or shine. Some of the biggest fish in the world have been caught during the competition, which started with barely 30 people, Anderson said. But beyond the high caliber of fishermen, the one thing that really separates the competition from others is that it has not once been cancelled.

“This one's special because they're going to do it regardless of the weather, whether it's high tide, low tide or a hurricane coming” said Justin Moraine, who traveled from Fort Meyers for the competition. “It really separates the men from the boys.”

Moraine walked away with a first place trophy for spearing an 82.15 pound grouper, which he plans to serve at his wedding Oct. 19. But it didn't come without a battle. He picked up a few scars from where an angry fish bit through his wet suit.
​

 

[TMHeimer]

I think you guys should just stick to the dictionary of accepted word definitions rather than creating your on ebonics and criteria which is accepted only by yourself. If it fits an accepted definition then it is and if it does not then it is not.

Football, well, maybe it is not a sport, it is instead a game in which a score is kept, kind of like Bridge or checkers.

N

I googled Sport and there is a long definition with a few "sometimes" and "usuallys", leaving it somewhat up to how you wish to define or interpret it. Your opinion that we should stick to the accepted dictionary definition is valid, because the OP asked for our opinions. In my opinion football is definitely something that fits pretty much all of the dictionary's broad definition. I disagree with several posts and agree with others, thus my opinion.