What is the difference between a sport and a game?

[stickywithoutjam]

This a tricky and topical debate I am engaged in at the minute which rose out of a slight remark concerning Socrates days at UCD, and how one of the lad's dad caught him smoking at half-time during Inter-collegiate tournaments.

What is the difference between a sport and a game?- this is quite relevant as with the London Olympics a few "spectator" sports my be introduced which have previously been disallowed as they are not deemed as "sport"

It is my contention, that one of my yardsticks for distinction is the smoking test- i.e. Can you smoke during the duration of the "activity"?

• Darts- proven you can smoke, now banned
  
• Snooker- proven you can smoke, now banned
  

Therefore they are "games"


Versus

• WaterPolo
  
• Breaststroke
  
• Front Crawl
  
• Football
  
• Hockey
  

These are Sports-you cannot possibly smoke whilst on the job!


For the duration of these activities you would have to agree it is virtually impossible to smoke a packet of Johnny Players.

Now Horse racing, Polo and Grand Prix was raised as flying in utter contempt of my contention, but I don't think its fair to include "sports" whereby you depend on another beast or machine...are they even sports, thats a debate for another day.

Can anyone add to this debate as my colleagues/acquaintances/(friends with a small "f") have exhausted this healthy debate I think?

[lyonsee]

In a past life I played soccer and bridge. Soccer is a sport. Bridge is a game. In the main I agree with the distinctions you made above, although I would call Grand Prix, polo et al sports.

[therock67]

Snooker and darts are clearly sports.

Sports are games that are played for competitive purposes (i.e. the objective is to win the physical activity, not just to complete the activity), have organised competitions require physical skill (and mental skill, but not exclusively mental skill) and have defined rules.

[lyonsee]

Snooker and darts don't involve a physical activity as I see it. Unless you're counting the act of striking the cue ball/throwing the dart as physical activity? If you are counting these as physical activities then presumably you classify chess and bridge as sports?

[therock67]

lyonsee said:

Snooker and darts don't involve a physical activity as I see it. Unless you're counting the act of striking the cue ball/throwing the dart as physical activity? If you are counting these as physical activities then presumably you classify chess and bridge as sports?

They require physical skill. Golf also requires physical skill, not much activity and it is definitely a sport.