When Is A Sport Not A Truly Competitive Sport?

[sunny-dave]

To me, it's not a competitive sport if it isn't measured purely objectively - faster/higher/further etc.

As soon as you introduce subjective elements it becomes something entirely different - aesthetically beautiful or technically accurate it may be, but it's not a true competitive sport.

So I have lots of problems with the Winter Olympics - the skiing is pure sport, but the ski-jumping is not. The speed skating is OK, but the 'poncing around on ice' (aka ice dance etc) really isn't. The curling and bi-athlon are great, but the 'showing off on a snowboard' is much less satisfactory.

I'm in no way demeaning the skill of the participants in the 'subjectively marked' events - I just wish there was a better/different name for them.

[jim360]

There isn't that much subjectivity in tennis. A ball hit the lines or was "in", or it wasn't. Sometimes it's hard to tell by sight, but that's is a different kind of subjectivity. Anything where it's a matter of pure opinion (rather than a matter of right and wrong) is subjective.

[joggerjayne]

On this argument, all of gymnastics would have to go.

[douglas9401]

Is there a medal for nit-picking or herring throwing?

[ToraToraTora]

weight lifting, that's out! Even long jump/triple jump can be subjective. Looks like you've got shot of most of what we formally called "sport" dave. Hang on we are going to have to get rid of all the track events too, interference rules mean judgement, judgement = subjectivity. So we can have the throwing events and high jump! Olympics will be short and a lot cheaper! Can swimming stay?

[jim360]

Goodness' sake, TTT, surely you can see a difference between rules being followed or not and "artistic impression"?

[ToraToraTora]

of course I can, I was working with the OP's theory about the introduction of subjective elements, eg a football referee or a weightlifting judge. Suddenly most "sports" are invalid in the definition. Perhaps Sunny-dave can clarify.

[joggerjayne]

The rules in Snowboarding are quite strict. There's not much artistic impression involved.

Different jumps carry a weight for degrees of difficulty. A triple is more than a double, a backwards landing is more than a forwards, etc.

Landing cleanly gives you full marks for the jump. Landing off angle, or putting a hand on the snow reduces the marks.

More height increases the marks.

Putting your bum on the floor means a bigger marks deduction, especially if the board is off the snow.

Being off balance and windmilling your arms reduces the marks.

Etc.

The judges don't score artistic impression. They have about a minute to analyse all the elements of all the jumps, and determine which are awarded and which are deducted.

[joggerjayne]

Did you see the Russian ice hockey "no" goal yesterday?

The Russian goalie falls on the puck. The skaters and the ref all skate off.

When the goalie gets up, the puck is inside the goal, about six inches across the line. A goal !!

But the Russian defender just sweeps the puck out of the goal, and the game carries on.

Final result ... Russia won by one goal.

:0(

[ToraToraTora]

I saw WHN on QOS the other week and the puck goes up in the air and down the goalies trousers, he then turned to face out from the goal and put his bum over the line, Goal!

[joggerjayne]

I wish I'd seen that.

[vulcan42]

Is this the goal?

[joggerjayne]

Brilliant !!!