I will intervene at this juncture, in the hope of curtailing an interminable discussion.
A sport is a contest of physical prowess. Chess is not a sport because it depends on mental ability, not physical ability. Running outside of a race is not a sport because there is no contest, only exercise.
Physical prowess breaks down into three main areas: strength, speed, and agility (which includes hand eye coordination). Different sports, and, in some cases, different team positions, emphasize different things. Competitive weightlifting emphasizes strength, foot racing emphasizes speed, and skiing emphasizes agility.
Sports are not commonly judged on their machismo, as the term is used indiscriminately for male and female physical contests.
On the other hand, some sports might legitimately be said to hold more dramatic interest, or to allow spectators a greater chance to marvel at feats of physical prowess. Football has rather well- defined dramatic action, for example, and figure skating has marvelous feats of agility and strength, as well as a nice choreographic element.
On those scores, it is probable that soccer is not as compelling as some other sports, and that it popularity around the world depends more on its cheapness and ease of play.
Still, it is a contest depending on speed and agility, and, to a limited degree strength, and therefore a real sport..... |
