David Wilson
Contributor
The word "sport" derives from the expression to "disport oneself", implying anything that is recreational. If you're looking for an expression that covers something that's both recreational and competitive, then there's the word "game". After all, we have the "Olympic Games", not the "Olympic Sports". One concession I will make to the "sport=competition" hypothesis is that it's a product of American culture. Here in Europe, we have a broader view of what "sport" means. In Russia, chess has indeed the status of a sport, do-able by anybody who understands the rules, not just by people with physical prowess. In Germany, recreational diving is often called "Sporttauchen" (sports diving) to distinguish it from professional diving. Broader definitions of the word "sport" do indeed open the doors to activities where "disporting" the mind, rather than the body, is involved, such as reading for pleasure. I don't see anything inherently wrong in this, bearing in mind the original meaning of "sport". If people can't live with sport being anything other than competitive, let them use the terms "game" or "competitive sport" instead to define such activities clearly. In my view, for what it's worth, scuba and snorkel diving can be described as sports, activities, hobbies, pursuits, pastimes and passions.