How to determine what activities are sports and which are non-sports.

First of all, if you want the full definition click here, if you want to keep it simple keep reading.

So, start with the definition of a sport, taken right out of the dictionary

What is a sport: An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and undertaken competitively.

That seems simple enough doesn't it? So then does that mean that synchronized swimming is really a sport? What about golf or darts or bull riding? In order to determine what really is a sport I had to dig a little deeper. It was necessary to get at the heart of the definition, what does it really mean, in order for us to determine what types of activities can properly be called sports and which cannot.

To do this it was important to establish an objective set of criteria based upon the definition of the word "sport". By comparing an activity with the criteria established by the definition of the word sport, it becomes quite easy to determine what activities can rightfully be called sports and which activities are just wannabes, the non-sports of the world.

So here is how to determine what is a sport and what is not.

The definition of a sport is broken down into four categories: 1) physical exertion, 2) skill, 3) rules, and 4) competition. Then the four categories are broken down into sub categories. By applying a simple scoring system to each of the four categories and then adding up the points you can easily determine what is a sport and what is not.

The scoring system is quite simple. 75-100 points and it's a sport, 74 and lower and it's a non-sport. Think of it this way, an activity only has to receive average grades in order to be considered a sport.

Here is the breakdown of what a score will indicate for a particular activity:

Thus, anything below 75 points is considered a non-sport and should be treated as such by the media, the participants, and those that find enjoyment in watching others participate in the activity.

Here is the breakdown and an explanation for each of the four categories.

The four characteristics of a sport, according to the definition, physical exertion, skill, rules, and competition are broken down into the following measurable categories:

1. Physical exertion (30 points possible): this is to determine the amount of physical exertion required by a competitor in the activity and is based on the following five criteria, all of which are measures of the amount of physical exertion that the activity requires. Each criteria has the potential to receive up to 6 points if it fulfills the definition
a. Conditioning Factor- The degree of physical preparation/conditioning required to participant in the activity
b. Toll Factor- In other words how much of a toll does the activity take on the body, i.e. how many times a week can a participant compete, how much rest is required between competitions?
c. Lifespan Factor- Measures the length of time that a competitor can typically be expected to participate in this activity throughout the course of his or her life. (A longer lifespan would indicate a less physically demanding activity, and a lower score).
d. Injury Factor- Measures the potential for injury in both frequency and severity. In other words the greater the chance of injury the higher the score, because the activity is more physically demanding.
e. Who or what Factor- refers to who or what is actually doing the majority of the exertion in the event? For example it's not the driver in a car race that's doing the work, it's the car, whereas in a marathon it's most definitely the runner. So a higher score would go to a marathoner than a racecar driver for this criterion.

2. Skill (30 Points possible): "proficiency, facility, or dexterity that is acquired or developed through training or experience" . This means that the participants should have acquired skill and trained specifically for this event. The skill factor is broken into the following five criteria, with a maximum of 6 points possible for each criterion.
a. Practice Factor- this measures the amount of practice necessary to really master the activity based on a typical practice schedule for competitors at elite levels.
b. Athlete Factor- an athlete is defined as a person possessing traits such as strength, agility, and endurance that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts. So is true athleticism necessary for the activity? If so, then 6 points will be given.
c. Body Type factor- since skill refers to something that is acquired through training and experience I decided to add this criteria to see if a person's natural body type gives them an advantage over another participant. If so, then there was no special experience or training required which means they have not acquired any particular skills and would therefore receive a lower score. For example, in basketball, if you are tall you have an advantage, through no practice or preparation, no acquiring of skill; the person is just tall, that means luck is involved, they were born that way. Thus basketball would receive a lower score for this criterion.
d. Equipment Mastery Factor- measures the necessity for mastering the use of equipment, which is properly classified as acquiring a skill. Two examples are golf and lacrosse.
e. Equipment Contribution Factor- Determines whether there is some equipment or object that affects the outcome which is independent of the participant using it. For example, in auto racing, a car that can go 200 mph will go that speed independent of the driver, so this would receive fewer points.

3. Rules: this will deal strictly with how is the winner determined. Since every activity has certain rules or guidelines in order to make the activity what it is, we will focus solely on how the rules determine the outcome. Are there arbitrary ways to win like using judges or do the competitors themselves prove who is the winner by their own actions? Is there control over the outcome of the event by scoring points or is it left to someone else to determine who the winner is. The distinction to remember is that judges, like in a beauty contest, express their opinion as to who did the best, thus the participants do not control their own destiny. The greater the opportunity for the participants to control who is the winner, the higher the score will be, up to a maximum of 10 points.

4. Competition: "The act of seeking, or endeavoring to gain, what another is endeavoring to gain at the same time" . It is important to recognize the statement "at the same time". So that means that a gymnast who performs all alone really isn't competing as much as a football player who is running head first into the opposition. Competition is broken down into five factors that demonstrate the amount of influence that the participants have over their opponent during the activity, while also to measure the environment that surrounds the event. The reason for this is that the environment that surrounds the event is highly indicative of the level of rivalry or strife (key components of competition) between the participants.
a. Physical Contact Factor: Measures the amount of physical contact allowed and how much it occurs and does the contact affect the outcome.
b. Offense/Defense Factor: This is an indication of whether there really is a competitive element within the activity. In other words, does one participant need to change strategy (i.e. go on defense) in order to counteract the actions of the opponent?
c. Interaction Factor: Measures the amount of interaction that one participant has on the opponent. Can one participant's actions directly affect the other participants? (i.e. tennis, one player hits the ball, the other must react)
d. Environment factor: This deals with the environment surrounding the participants both as they prepare for the activity and during the activity. This criterion also measures the psychological mindset of the typical competitor. Is the environment friendly or rivalrous? If the environment is rivalrous then it is a more competitive activity and will thus receive a higher score.
e. Head to Head factor: This should be fairly self-explanatory, do competitors compete at the same time or not? The difference between getting a 6 or a 0 is best seen in comparing something like swimming to gymnastics. Swimmers compete right next to each other in different lanes at exactly the same time, whereas gymnasts are never competing in the same event at the same time, so in this case a 6 for swimming and a 0 for gymnastics.

With that said, click here for a sample