OT: Is baseball a sport? | The Boneyard

OT: Is baseball a sport?

Is baseball a sport?

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Huskyforlife

Huskyforlife

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I find this debate interesting, I'd like to see what the people here think.
 
Of course it's a sport. You may not like baseball but come on get real.
 
My criteria: if the ability to run or move fast is a benefit then it is a sport. Baseball is a sport. Stock car racing ,marbles and golf are not.
 
"Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports...all others are games" -Ernest Hemingway
 
Not close, of course it is. Maybe changed a lot with the use of PED's but it is still a sport. Love to see how many "athletes" who think otherwise can get up there and hit a 98 MPH fastball or after missing one then try to hit a 77 MPH slurve. The go out and dive for a line drive to left field or a hot one hopper in the infield.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is ignorant.
 
mauconnfan said:
Not close, of course it is. Maybe changed a lot with the use of PED's but it is still a sport. Love to see how many "athletes" who think otherwise can get up there and hit a 98 MPH fastball or after missing one then try to hit a 77 MPH slurve. The go out and dive for a line drive to left field or a hot one hopper in the infield.

Anyone who thinks otherwise is ignorant.
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Bring in the physics argument: Try hitting a round moving baseball with a round bat and tell it where to go. It's the toughest sport out there to be great at. You're legendary if you are successful 40% of the time
 
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Do you need to be an amazing athlete to play baseball? I dont think so. However amazing athletes can also be good baseball players. Standing in a box while something throws a baseball at you lightening fast and you are expected to hit it with a bat. Not easy stuff. The movements you have to make are quick and you have to be extremely coordinated. Thats just the offensive side. Infield requires quick movements at the corners and being fast at short and second, and downright athletic in the outfield. I call it a sport.
 
Huskyforlife said:
I find this debate interesting, I'd like to see what the people here think.
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It's not a debate. Baseball is a sport. Watching baseball is a pastime.

That said, there are a number of athletic activities that require more physical exertion than baseball that do not qualify, IMO, but that is not the question being asked.

By the way golf is a sport. The average PGA golf course is about 7,250 yards, which equates to over 4 miles and that represents only the distance from Tee to Hole. It doesn't count the distance from one hole to the next tee. Just because you walk, doesn't make the length any shorter. Secondly it takes a tremendous amount of athletic ability and body control to hit the ball like they do.
 
leisure activities: golf, horse shoes, bowling, lawn darts etc.
 
Jaker said:
leisure activities: golf, horse shoes, bowling, lawn darts etc.
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No way am I inclined to lump golf in with those other three, but (just like the OP) you are allowed your own opinion.
 
Husky25 said:
No way am I inclined to lump golf in with those other three, but (just like the OP) you are allowed your own opinion.
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Golf is a sport. Bowling not so much - lawn darts and horseshoes and gold should never be in the same sentence that's laughable. I am sure it was a joke or someone likes yard games better than actual sports :(
 
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"Let's watch the football game."
"What time is the baseball game on?"
"Who won the UConn game?"
"Regular season games in hockey are meaningless."

So the answer is simple. All major professional leagues are games. None is any more a sport than the others.

And if you need more proof, what do you say when you want to participate in one of these? "Let's play (football, baseball, basketball, hockey)." You play games.

And yes, I voted "sport".
 
Baseball is a sport.

Golf doesn't require "athleticisim" per se but the coordination and muscle control needed is off the charts so I'll go ahead and include that too.

Bowling is more of a "game" or "competition" but it's on an entirely different level than things like horse shoes and lawn darts. You can at least make an argument that bowling is in a gray area. The others, not so much.
 
It's an interesting topic. There are plenty of different definitions of sports. Most old school people don't consider newer activities sports, like skate boarding, but if you use the criteria many do on this thread, that counts. If regular golf is a sport, then disc golf is a sport too (damn near same criteria). But I'm willing to bet most on here wouldn't call DG a sport. I for one consider archery a sport, but I'm sure a lot of people don't include that one either.

It seems the activities individuals consider a sport, are usually the ones they respect/like.
 
Baseball is a sport that relies more on skill than athletic ability. That's why horribly fat and out of shape pitchers can not only make a MLB roster, but be the star of the team. But regardless, baseball does require athletic ability while playing out in the field, so have to say that it's a real sport.

Golf, however, is not a sport since no athletic ability, only skill, is necessary. If golf was a sport, 80 years old wouldn't be able to play. Ever see a foursome of 80 years olds on the course? Yup. Is there a senior PGA tour? yup. Is there a "senior" league in any other "sport"...no.
 
MuchoDogYears said:
Golf, however, is not a sport since no athletic ability, only skill, is necessary. If golf was a sport, 80 years old wouldn't be able to play. Ever see a foursome of 80 years olds on the course? Yup. Is there a senior PGA tour? yup. Is there a "senior" league in any other "sport"...no.
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Isn't their a masters (senior) tennis thing?
 
MuchoDogYears said:
Baseball is a sport that relies more on skill than athletic ability. That's why horribly fat and out of shape pitchers can not only make a MLB roster, but be the star of the team. But regardless, baseball does require athletic ability while playing out in the field, so have to say that it's a real sport.

Golf, however, is not a sport since no athletic ability, only skill, is necessary. If golf was a sport, 80 years old wouldn't be able to play. Ever see a foursome of 80 years olds on the course? Yup. Is there a senior PGA tour? yup. Is there a "senior" league in any other "sport"...no.
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Your pretty much saying the same thing about baseball and golf. Hand and eye coordination as well as muscle memory for both but you have to run, dive and occasionally move a bit in baseball. Oh wait the PGA tour was just averaging walking about 9-10 miles at the US Open while at Chambers Bay. I'm guessing your comparison to 80 year olds playing wouldn't be doing that now would they? The pros don't play in carts and they are mostly athletic too minus the occasional Tim Heron. 80 year olds aren't hitting the ball 350 yards and walking 10 feet so that analogy is ridiculous. Hell if you want to go that far there are plenty of 40 and over and 50 and over baseball leagues too - hockey too - basketball too. Anyone can play anything as long as they want but can you compete at the highest pro level?

Golf is absolutely a sport, maybe not in the traditional basketball, baseball, hockey, football, soccer sense without contact but it takes many athletic abilities to be real damn good.
 
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Danzz said:
My criteria: if the ability to run or move fast is a benefit then it is a sport. Baseball is a sport. Stock car racing ,marbles and golf are not.
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By this definition...
PascoC_pasmour_869163.jpg
 
MuchoDogYears said:
Baseball is a sport that relies more on skill than athletic ability. That's why horribly fat and out of shape pitchers can not only make a MLB roster, but be the star of the team. But regardless, baseball does require athletic ability while playing out in the field, so have to say that it's a real sport.

Golf, however, is not a sport since no athletic ability, only skill, is necessary. If golf was a sport, 80 years old wouldn't be able to play. Ever see a foursome of 80 years olds on the course? Yup. Is there a senior PGA tour? yup. Is there a "senior" league in any other "sport"...no.
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The question is not what is less of a sport than baseball, but is baseball a sport. No need to bash try to make baseball look better at the expense of another clear sport.
 
mauconnfan said:
Your pretty much saying the same thing about baseball and golf. Hand and eye coordination as well as muscle memory for both but you have to run, dive and occasionally move a bit in baseball. Oh wait the PGA tour was just averaging walking about 9-10 miles at the US Open while at Chambers Bay. I'm guessing your comparison to 80 year olds playing wouldn't be doing that now would they? The pros don't play in carts and they are mostly athletic too minus the occasional Tim Heron. 80 year olds aren't hitting the ball 350 yards and walking 10 feet so that analogy is ridiculous. Hell if you want to go that far there are plenty of 40 and over and 50 and over baseball leagues too - hockey too - basketball too. Anyone can play anything as long as they want but can you compete at the highest pro level?

Golf is absolutely a sport, maybe not in the traditional basketball, baseball, hockey, football, soccer sense without contact but it takes many athletic abilities to be real damn good.
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A golfer doesn't walk 9-10 miles....where did that number come from?

18 holes is about 3.5 miles: (350 yards/hole X 18 holes) / 1760 yards = 3.5 miles). And, a pro golfer walks those 3.5 miles over 4 hours. That's a stunning 0.875 MPH. In comparison, a 5 year old at Disney World doubles or triples that because they go from the time the park opens in the morning until it closes at night.

Golf is a sport if you want to call it that, no harm. I see it as an activity. But golfers are not athletes. Baseball players are...if you exclude some pitchers and/or first basemen.
 
MuchoDogYears said:
A golfer doesn't walk 9-10 miles....where did that number come from?

18 holes is about 3.5 miles: (350 yards/hole X 18 holes) / 1760 yards = 3.5 miles). And, a pro golfer walks those 3.5 miles over 4 hours. That's a stunning 0.875 MPH. In comparison, a 5 year old at Disney World doubles or triples that because they go from the time the park opens in the morning until it closes at night.
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The average PGA course is about 7,250 yards, which basically accounts for the most efficient route (golf shot wise) from tee to center of green, but the distance from one hole to the next tee is not accounted for, nor are deviations from the most efficient route, i.e. over hitting the dog leg into the rough or walking around the green to get a good read on it. I'm not saying the 9-10 miles is accurate, but the distance is probably closer to six miles.

Also, your .875 MPH number is misleading at best. Most people walk at a rate of 2.5-3+ MPH and golfers must stand between shots. Counting the number of steps in a round is a far better metric than saying they walk less than one mile per hour.

Athleticism is a measurement of degree. Of course there are lesser athletes playing sports, just as there are dumb lawyers or extra smart Swiss patent clerks. But of course that is not the question at hand (even your revised question).
 
MuchoDogYears said:
A golfer doesn't walk 9-10 miles....where did that number come from?

18 holes is about 3.5 miles: (350 yards/hole X 18 holes) / 1760 yards = 3.5 miles). And, a pro golfer walks those 3.5 miles over 4 hours. That's a stunning 0.875 MPH. In comparison, a 5 year old at Disney World doubles or triples that because they go from the time the park opens in the morning until it closes at night.

Golf is a sport if you want to call it that, no harm. I see it as an activity. But golfers are not athletes. Baseball players are...if you exclude some pitchers and/or first basemen.
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Check out the articles on Chambers Bay - I won't find them for you but they were walking that far - yes. And they said the same on the LPGA tour this weekend 8-9 miles. Average course probably 5-7 miles - many of the new course have long walks between holes so your math is very inaccurate.Bridges, hills - guess you don't play but you don't walk off the green and reach the next tee everywhere! Again, many are very very good athletes but some you could argue aren't. But the eye/hand/ swing coordination isn't being done at a high level without some sort of athleticism hence why many people really suck. Baseball players, hockey players all can be decent at the game but that's because they are athletes.
 
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Thanks...I learned something today, golfers walk a greater distance than I had thought.

I don't know how I ended up here on this topic, took a wrong turn somewhere...heading up and out, back to BB topics.
 
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