Anything where alcohol is consumed is not considered a sport. A competitive sportsman will not consume anything which may ... ]]>

Jolly Good Sport

The question, “is bowling a sport?” has always been asked and debated; it has been asked for many years in the past, and will be asked for many more years to come. There are as many opinions about whether bowling is a sport as there are people interested in it. There will be no end to the theorizing about whether it should be called the “sport of bowling.”

The Wikipedia Dictionary states that, “sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Used by itself, the term, “sports,” commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors.” This definition, in itself, should make it plain that we can call it the “sport of bowling.”

I contend, however, that every sport has various levels – that is, every sport can be considered a game, an entertainment activity, a past-time, or a recreational activity at one time or another. It depends on the degree of seriousness and competitiveness with which the participants approach the sport at the moment they are doing it.

As a game, entertainment, or recreational activity, bowling is fun for social gatherings where people get together to relax. No one is serious about the final outcome, much less the bowling score sheet. They are just enjoying each other’s company and socializing, sort of like the beer softball game or the flag football game at a company picnic. There are really no concerns about who is winning; neither are they even concerned with who’s turn it is. At this level, we would not refer to it as a sport.

Anything where alcohol is consumed is not considered a sport. A competitive sportsman will not consume anything which may impair their ability to win. No one gets better at something when they drink alcohol though I have heard many people proclaim that they bowl better after a few drinks. I cannot disagree more. This argument stems from the fact that many people who bowl in leagues drink alcohol and will seemingly throw more strikes and score higher “after a few.” At this level, league bowlers who consume alcohol in excess should not consider themselves to be participating in a sport. They are more concerned with the alcohol flowing instead of the oil pattern.

At the higher levels of competition

It's true, I'm a misogynist woman basher which is why I love LaVonda Wagner, ... ]]> If there is one thing I know how to do, it’s piss off a large group of people. Being a runner does that to a person. The hours of running alone gives you too much time to think about ways to mess with people’s heads. But I know a lot of people out there that don’t have hours of alone time to take off on a run, yet, they still have the desire to upset the masses.

I’m here to help. Want to piss off a large group of people? Screw religion and politics. Who cares about foreign policy anyway? Hell, even the discussion about sex and abstinence doesn’t come close. Besides, sex is cool. If you really want to upset people, just go and ask them, what defines a sport? And before they can answer give them your own definition and cite examples of games that are sports and not sports.

You: “Hey guys, what do you think sport is?”

Someone else: “Well”

You: “I think sport is anything that involves a ball, like basketball, baseball, lacrosse.”

Trust me, all it takes is one sentence or even just a few wordsit will spell disaster. Then sit back and watch faces turn red, eyes widen, and voices rise. For an added effect, remain silent for the rest of the conversation. It will most likely open up Pandora’s Box.

For example, last week I wrote as a passing thought that gymnastics wasn’t a sport. Immediately people jumped to conclusions and got upset. They thought I was sexist. They thought that because gymnastics is predominately women in college, saying it is not a sport must be linked to that fact.

It’s true, I’m a misogynist woman basher which is why I love LaVonda Wagner, call play-by-play for volleyball, women’s basketball, and softball and, oh yeah, drove 13 hours each way to Salt Lake City to cover the National Gymnastics Competition.

Let me just say for the record, I still think Gymnastics is a sport. Although, I think any event where competitors don’t go head-to-head and it’s scored solely by a judge isn’t a sport. Gymnastics holds on to the sport category for a laundry list of reasons topped by the physical demands put on the athletes year round.

So what is sport?

Well, for one thing, it’snot cheerleading, diving, figure skating, aerial skiing, half-pipe anything, most of the X-games, or the long list of other athletic spectacles that use a judge.

I rule out judges for the reason of logic. Logically thinking a judges can’t be 100 percent unbiased? And sport is unbiased. That’s why people say when players in a pick-up basketball game are trying

Overall, professional sports is an aspect of our society that has both positive and negative elements. In positive settings it can unite ... ]]> It is probably fair to say that professional sports is woven fairly tightly into the fabric of today’s American society. This isn’t to say that the entire nation is enamored with professional sports, but it has enough popularity and history that one could argue that it is a key piece of American culture. Granted, professional sports has not always been a part of our history and it is possible that someday it will not be nearly as popular as it is today. Still, sport has been around for thousands of years, and the Olympics continues to be a very popular event worldwide. Today, the professional sports franchise is an icon for some people and almost approaches deity status. People will arrange their schedules to watch major sporting events, even to the point of skipping work or other obligations. Here are a few thoughts on the impact professional sports have on American society.

MONEY

We certainly accept spending money on professional sports. Every year, people spend tens, hundreds, or thousands of dollars to watch their favorite athletes in action. Corporations will spend six-figures to get a “luxury” box where they can watch and entertain clients. This has led professional sports to be a multi-billion dollar business. It has gotten to be so important to some people that cities will spend large amounts of tax dollars on stadiums, even when some billionaire owners could afford to buy the stadium themselves. The fact that athletes get paid millions of dollars to play what is essentially a kids game is not really a big deal to many. Granted, some people lament large salaries, particularly for poor performers, but it does not seem to bother them enough to skip the games.

PRIDE

Professional sports is also about pride, particularly civic pride. People will dress up as pigs, wear armor, paint their faces, and don all sorts of ridiculous outfits in order to cheer for their favorite franchise. It also brings out the best (and the worst) in terms of personal pride. People follow their teams sometimes almost to the point of obsession, which can lead to an unhealthy focus. Granted, it isn’t the team’s fault when people are unnecessarily competitive, but it does become a focal point.

EMULATION

Professional sports is also something that becomes a goal for people as they raise their children. While a small percentage of people actually become professional athletes, parents still treat their kids as if they are going to be the next “star”. This has put a certain amount of pressure on youth sports, and has brought out some of the negative elements of competitiveness, particularly in parents.

Overall, professional sports is an aspect of our society that has both positive and negative elements. In positive settings it can unite people and build civic pride. In negative situations people can obsess, start fights, and allocate public funds that might be better spent on things like education, roads, and social services. Go team!

The impact of professional sports on the American society is huge. It affects them in positive and a negative way. It depends from which perspective ... ]]>

With another Olympic year, and another great year for American swimmers, it is inevitable that American societies will get impacted. Professional sports have one of the biggest impacts on the American society and their current trends. Professional sports have changed the way people look at their career choices, their life, and their country.

What impacts do these professional sports have on the youth and the adults? The popularity of famous sport channels running 24/7 in an American household are a proof that popularity of sports has massively increased in the past few years. The launch of energy drinks and thousands of other muscle, sports enhancers impact the Americans.

* Impact of Baseball: Most baseball players playing in MLB earn well over a million dollars. That is 50 times more than an average American. This will impact the way youth thinks. A lot of teens play baseball in hopes of making it to the professional level someday and making a lot of money. But what they see on television is far from reality. The pros that are on television have spend years training in gyms, have professional coaches and are one of the best players in the world. A lot of teens are not aware of this reality and continue playing baseball for school leagues and college leagues for a minimum amount.

* Impact of Football: American Football is one sport that probably has the biggest impact on the American society. The tough youngsters elbowing each other, jumping on each other and their physical built all affect Americans. A lot of the youth watches Football everyday and the football players are their role models. They like to have muscles, be tough like the football player, elbow each other and play sports.

* American society has changed because of football in many ways. The guys are supposed to be tough and physically fight each other to resolve problems and this can be seen in high schools these days. The amount of fights that police has to deal with everyday is a fact that cannot be overlooked and one of the reasons are sports such as football where there is no mercy for the weak.

* Sports don’t just have negative impacts. Some of the positive impacts that sports have on American Society are:

* Physical Fitness: All sportsmen are fit, have muscles and this helps bring down the obesity rates. When children, teenagers and adults see fit players playing, they also feel like exercising and taking their body to the next level. This causes a lot of them to hit the gym, drop the pounds and get fit. All young teenagers are interested in having muscles, and a lot of them train everyday to be as good as the professional athletes.

* The fame that sportsmen get also motivates a lot Americans to play sports instead of sitting around and watching television or playing on computer. Everyone wants to get the fame and celebrity and one of the only ways is to be a professional Athlete which will make over 300 million Americans your fans.

The impact of professional sports on the American society is huge. It affects them in positive and a negative way. It depends from which perspective you look at it from. Professional Sports have been around in Colleges, television and their popularity and impact will be even greater in the future.

* Endurance

Any sport requires a level of physical endurance, but mind endurance is just as important. Strong endurance of mind are key when ... ]]>

Sports are exhilarating regardless of the sport you love to watch or play. Each one has lessons and can teach so many values in just how these games are played. As fans of sports we are often consumed by scores, highlights, wins, and losses. Sports offer so much more when you really take the time to examine them. Let’s examine for a moment some of these lessons.

* Strategy and Math Skills

No matter the sport or how many players are on the field there are huge lessons in averages, odds, and the strategy of each play. Strategy can be keys in whether a play is successful or not. The math skills involved are huge for coaches as you have to recognize the averages and odds of each play.

* Endurance

Any sport requires a level of physical endurance, but mind endurance is just as important. Strong endurance of mind are key when facing situations where you are down and you are tired and want to give up. To push forward when your body is tired and your mind is weak is strength beyond all others.

* Importance of Roles

Each team member has a role to play. Each one goes together like a symphony and one member can impact the others. Each role is a crucial part of the strategy and plan. Each role can make or break a situation. Mistakes in one role could cost you the entire game.

* Teamwork

While not all sports are team oriented the ones that are can be crucial in a team and the effect of teamwork. A team that plays together and builds together without one person taking all the credit can build strength and the team can be almost unstoppable. When a team has conflict within you will see the separation on the field and a decline in the power they have to win.

* Adversity

Overcoming adversity is displayed time and time again in sports. Regardless of the sport when your team is down and they fight to come back in ways you would have never dreamed you see first hand that continuing to fight can overcome adversity. You are not going to win them all but in the effort and fight you give you will always be a winner.

Next time you are thinking of sports consider these lessons. Each one has a purpose that can be tailored to life lessons. If you are of non sport playing design try some of the fantasy leagues as they can really bring together these lessons for you as you are competing with others.

Whether you win or lose the lessons you learn in life through sports will carry long past the playing years. So enjoy sports and encourage the lessons they teach.

American sport will always produce great performers, though it is highly unlikely that there will ever be another golfer to match ... ]]> Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and Babe Ruth are probably among the most famous sports personalities ever to grace the world of sport in America. Currently, Tiger Woods is the most recognizable person on earth such is his profile as both golfer and celebrity. Tiger has taken over the mantle of Michael Jordan who was the number one sports celebrity just before the Tiger Woods era. Babe Ruth, although a baseball player from a generation past, is still regarded as one of the most famous of sporting heroes in American sport.

There are of course numerous sporting heroes in a variety of sports who have reached celebrity status in America in the past fifty years, some more famous and popular than others. John MacEnroe in Tennis, Joe Di Maggio in baseball and Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Tom Watson in golf are also big name sports personalities who enjoyed celebrity status, particularly at the height of their fame.

Sport has always been a major influence on the American nation and has led to some sportsmen become world stars. Carl Lewis and Michael Johnson are major sporting stars in the athletics arena as was their predecessor Jesse Owens who is remembered for his outstanding performance at the Berlin Olympics in 1936. We can add to the list people like Mark Spitz with seven gold medals at one Olympics and the man who now holds the crown, the wonderful Michael Phelps.

Some sportsmen are noted simply for their achievements in their chosen sports while others are hailed also for their personality in the way they handle the media. John MacEnroe was a wonderful tennis player but he is probably best known for his outrageous rants at umpires. Pete Sampras was also a great tennis player but boring compared to MacEnroe. Some great sportsmen never become real celebrities because they do not have the colorful personalities of others. Even some who are not particularly great in their sport have somehow achieved major celebrity status due to their personality or physical looks.

American sport will always produce great performers, though it is highly unlikely that there will ever be another golfer to match the exploits of Tiger Woods. As the greatest golfer ever to grace the sport, his accomplishments are probably outwith the reach of any future golfer, considering the level of competition. There will no doubt be many other sports celebrities who will reach stardom with a combination of skill and personality. Those who have risen to stardom in the past fifty or more years will still have a place in American sporting history and

FMX, or freestyle motocross, is another extreme sport in which protection is key, but can only do so much. When FMX rides do tricks over 30+ foot gaps, ... ]]> Extreme sports are gaining in popularity at an incredible rate, and along with this comes a corresponding increase in injuries. In fact, there is certainly a case to be made for claiming that there are disproportionately more injuries among extreme sports participants than in traditional sports. This could be due in part because the opportunity for injury is present at very early stages in extreme sports, with amateurs attempting tricks and maneuvers that are way above their skill level. In addition, this “amateur bravado” often is accompanied by the complete lack of any protective gear.

Protective gear is essential to preventing injuries in every sport, and extreme sports are no exception. Each sport requires its own unique safety equipment, but some basics used in most extreme sports include helmets, elbow pads, wrist guards, knee pads. With the addition of these simple precautionary measures most serious injuries can be avoided.

However, no amount of safety gear is enough to prevent every injury, especially when extreme sports such as bungee jumping and FMX are concerned. In bungee jumping, the best safety measures that can be taken would be having an expert plan out the jump beforehand and fasten the cord securely to the jumper. A helmet is of course strongly recommended, but if the worst happens and a jumper comes loose from the bungee cord, a helmet will offer little protection. However, in the event of a jumper being sprung back upwards into the underside of a bridge or other structure, a helmet may indeed greatly limit the severity of any injuries occurring from a collision.

FMX, or freestyle motocross, is another extreme sport in which protection is key, but can only do so much. When FMX rides do tricks over 30+ foot gaps, even slight errors upon landing can hurl people to the ground at great speed. Not only should the previously mentioned pads and helmet be worn, but also a full protective suit similar to the kind worn by regular highway motorcyclists. This way the common injuries of road rash and contusions can be minimized. Tricks such as flips and others which have the rider separate from the motorcycle in any way bring an entirely more dangerous element into the sport. No matter what protective gear is being worn, if a motorcycle comes down on top of its rider, there will be serious, perhaps fatal damage done. Likewise, if a rider ditches the motorcycle mid-trick and falls from heights of 20-30+ feet, it becomes a matter of luck whether or not serious injury occurs.

The fact that extreme sports are by their nature dangerous is not to suggest that participants are guaranteed some type of regular injury. The odds of getting injured are as good or as bad as the precautions that are taken. Extreme sports should not be treated casually, and tricks should evolve slowly along with skill level. Heed this simple advice and extreme sports will leave you healthy, excited, and coming back for more.

Action sports can be seen as an individualized extension of their respective predecessor sports. Bicycles enjoyed enormous popularity as a hobby and ... ]]>

Action sports can be seen as a backlash away from the traditional team sports by individuals who felt the desire to both challenge and express themselves creatively. This can take any number of forms, whether it be surfing, skateboarding, BMX, FMX, snowboarding, or inline skating. The genre is defined less by what it is than by what it is not.

Often these sports are overlooked by mainstream society as thrill seeking behavior by youths with too much time on their hands. Countless clips of kids hurling themselves off buildings, mountains, and railings wind as punchlines of home video shows. What this disdainful view fails to understand is the incredible athleticism displayed in the performance of these sports. This is the main distinction that separates action sports from extreme adventure seeking. While skydiving may be extreme, it can be done by anyone daring enough to strap on a parachute. Conversely, even the most simple tricks in skateboarding for instance takes long hours of dedicated practice to learn to perform.

Many action sports were created fairly recently, with a few main exceptions being surfing and skiing. But even with those two sports, it was not until advanced technology allowed for stronger and lighter materials that the modern form of the sports emerged. Surfing is said to have begun in the Western world after visitors to certain Polynesian islands witnessed villagers riding crudely carved wood from local trees on the waves. The obscure event was brought back with the visitors and over time caught on as a hugely popular pastime around the world. Skiing was also a recreational sport long before the more adventurous among us decided to attempt taking better designed skis and begin jumping of ramps on them.

Action sports can be seen as an individualized extension of their respective predecessor sports. Bicycles enjoyed enormous popularity as a hobby and also for travel, then BMX branched off as a way to push the boundaries of what was possible on a bike. Similarly inline skating evolved from rollerskating, FMX from motorcycling, snowboarding and rollerskating from surfing, and so on. The action sports that make it to televised competitions are more of an exhibition then the sport itself. As opposed to the traditional team sports that get partitioned into teams, leagues, and championship titles, action sports have always been more motivational and noncompetitive in nature.

In order to truly understand action sports, one must dive in and experience them firsthand. It is the personal enjoyment and freedom of expression involved that defines actions sports, and anything else said about them will do little to explain them better than an afternoon trying one out.

In ancient times, particularly in Greece amateurism was the vogue they believed that exercise was for the body, and ... ]]>

Athletes, through the centuries have always sort for something, whether psychological, physical or spiritual, to give them an added advantage over their arch-rivals and ensure success in their sporting activities. This remains the fundamental reasons behind the use of performance enhancing drugs in sports.

In ancient times, particularly in Greece amateurism was the vogue they believed that exercise was for the body, and music for the soul. Variety of sporting activities where engaged in, not for any reward, but for the effects exercise has on the body. In Sparta, one of the ancient Greek states, the purpose of sports and physical education, was to develop a strong and powerful army. In Athens, the purpose of sports and physical education was to develop the wholesome individual mentally, physically and aesthetically. Sports later became more organized when the Olympic Games stated in 776B. C. This also made competition between ancient states more keen.

Historically, the use of drugs in sports can be traced to the 776B. C. Olympic it is believed that athletes during the ancient Olympics used herbs and mushrooms in the hope that it will improve their athletic performance. The beliefs that performance can be enhanced by ingesting substances have long prevailed in the history of sports.

After the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896, by Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France, the ideals of the Olympics started to experience a gradual shift. Countries where no longer competing for unity, but they were competing to win, and thus show economic superiority.

In the late 18 century, there were reported deaths as a result of drug in sporting event. This was the first reported drug-induced death in sporting event.

By 1900 concoction of strychnine-(a very poisonous drug used in small amounts as a stimulant) and wine was used to delay fatigue in sports. By the 1935 the use of synthesized drugs came into the fore. Also, in the 50s Olympics competing athletes were already using steroids and other stimulants, especially during the winter Games in Oslo, Norway. Several deaths of cyclists who ingested amphetamine during competition were recorded in the 60s. The cyclist died as a result of heart failure owing to the drugs they ingested. During this period drug abuse in sports became a global problem militating against sports development.

Anabolic steroids which are mostly abused by athletes and body builders were first reported in 1964 summer Olympics in Tokyo. This led to several records been broken indiscriminately, and drugs became the order of the day.

In 1972, the IOC then began a full scale drug testing program, so as to catch drug offenders and apportion ban.

In the 80s there were several drug tests during sporting competitions, and many athletes were given ban, consequence on testing positive to drugs. This period was similar to the “witch hunt” of old. One of the most unforgettable incidence was in the 1988 Olympics (prior to this time, in 1982. the IOC had developed a test for the detection of excess levels of testosterone: epitestosterone test”) Ben Johnson was striped of his Gold medal, after a positive drug test in his urine sample, following the world record breaking race. He was then given a two years ban.

Despite the series of drug testing and ban being mete-out to athletes, this has not in any way deterred the drug abusers. Athletes are becoming more discreet in the act. Coupled with more “Designers” drugs been produced by pharmacological industry, which can hardly be detected.