sport [spawrt, spohrt]
noun
1. An athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature
2. Diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime.
At some point in our lives, we have all been exposed to a celebrated tradition, game or popular activity introduced to us, for the first time, as a sport. In the United States, some of the most popular sports include NASCAR auto-racing, baseball, football, soccer, tennis and professional boxing. At a glance, the chain of recognized sports may seem considerably small, but dozens of sports exist worldwide. Analyzing more obscure titles among the master list of all sports in creation can lead many of us to ask the focal question of all sporting interests: “Who or what even decides a sport, and what are the most important factors that constitute a sporting activity?”
The critical analysis that goes into what is given the official title of “sport” can be deeper than one might expect. Some sports become popular in culture based on their competitive nature, elaborate rule structure, or simply public popularity. Take baseball and football, a few of the most popular sports in the United States, as an example; both of these sporting activities are nationwide cultural phenomena, and although the fundamental rules of each are drastically different, both Major League Baseball and the National Football League draw exceptionally large crowds to every game. Other sports, such as skydiving (as a matter of fact, it is a sport) are recognized as more casual or private in the sense that they do not generally gain publicity through the national media.
No doubt you’ve seen boxing and MMA on TV, and thought to yourself that these people aren’t the sort you’d like to rub up the wrong way. Indeed, participating in martial arts requires a high pain tolerance, excellent conditioning and a willingness to inflict damage on your opponent.
The Sports Archives Blog 