Is Scuba A Sport?

[Temple of Doom]

That's a Macaw. I knew there was a reason I liked you.

While we're throwing definitions around, a macaw is a parrot.

Though, as is custom in this thread, many people have their own definitions, which is fine until they start calling other people wrong...

 

[GrandpaScuba]

See #3...

sport

/spɔrt, spoʊrt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[spawrt, spohrt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation –noun 1.an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc. 2.a particular form of this, esp. in the out of doors. 3.diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime. 4.jest; fun; mirth; pleasantry: What he said in sport was taken seriously. 5.mockery; ridicule; derision: They made sport of him. 6.an object of derision; laughingstock. 7.something treated lightly or tossed about like a plaything. 8.something or someone subject to the whims or vicissitudes of fate, circumstances, etc. 9.a sportsman. 10.Informal. a person who behaves in a sportsmanlike, fair, or admirable manner; an accommodating person: He was a sport and took his defeat well. 11.Informal. a person who is interested in sports as an occasion for gambling; gambler. 12.Informal. a flashy person; one who wears showy clothes, affects smart manners, pursues pleasurable pastimes, or the like; a bon vivant. 13.Biology. an organism or part that shows an unusual or singular deviation from the normal or parent type; mutation. 14.Obsolete. amorous dalliance. –adjective 15.of, pertaining to, or used in sports or a particular sport. 16.suitable for outdoor or informal wear: sport clothes. –verb (used without object) 17.to amuse oneself with some pleasant pastime or recreation. 18.to play, frolic, or gambol, as a child or an animal. 19.to engage in some open-air or athletic pastime or sport. 20.to trifle or treat lightly: to sport with another's emotions. 21.to mock, scoff, or tease: to sport at suburban life. 22.Botany. to mutate. –verb (used with object) 23.to pass (time) in amusement or sport. 24.to spend or squander lightly or recklessly (often fol. by away). 25.Informal. to wear, display, carry, etc., esp. with ostentation; show off: to sport a new mink coat. 26.Archaic. to amuse (esp. oneself). —Idiom 27.sport one's oak. oak (def. 5).
[Origin: 1350–1400; ME; aph. var. of disport

]

—Related forms sportful, adjective
sport·ful·ly, adverb
sport·ful·ness, noun
sportless, adjective

—Synonyms 1. game. 3. amusement, fun, entertainment. See play. 18. romp, caper. 20. toy.


Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

 

[njd3rph]

yes, by definition scuba is indeed a sport, sometimes a competitive sport, and I would love to see it as an olympic sport (hey, if they can make sycronized swimming an olympic sport, why not scuba)

 

[letterboy]

O I just read in the stars and stripes that someone is trying to make video game playing a sport. . . If thats a sport SCUBA def is a sport

 

[driftin' by]

For me, a sport is any competitive activity requiring endurance in which the participants (athletes) are separated from the spectators because of their unique, god-given talent they are born with. It has nothing to do with the potential for death.... if it did, drug users would be considered sportsmen? With that said observe the following:

Baseball = sport
Poker = not
Football = sport
Pool = sport
mountain climbing = not
cycling = sport
sailing = not
swimming = sport
body building = not
figure skating = sport
curling = not
sky diving = not
rowing = sport
bowling = sport
golf = sport
race car driving = NOT
racquetball = sport
tennis = sport
hunting = NOT
fishing = NOT
cheerleading = not
gymnastics = sport
fencing = sport
scuba = not
free diving = sport

 

[TheRedHead]

Sailing can certainly be a sport. America's Cup? Cheerleaders get sports scholarships and it is competitive.

 

[Steve_Dives]

Does that include mini golf? Cause that windmill can be a pain in the butt

I'm not sure you should be doing that with the mini windmill!

Diving is an activity that can be considered:
*snip*
a source for never ending conversation about minutia and trivia
*snip*

I need to add that to my "things to thank ScubaBoard for" list.

Sailing can certainly be a sport. America's Cup?

I'm with you there. The one or two person boats, which didn't allow a harness when I sailed, can be a workout. You work the tiller with one hand, the sails with the other, make adjustments to the dagger board, and have body hung out the side of the boat supported by only your quads. And when you're free for a moment, you monitor for puffs, the competitors (can be dozens of boats), and the course.

 

[sambolino44]

Chess is a sport. SCUBA is a way of life.

 

[driftin' by]

Sailing can certainly be a sport. America's Cup? Cheerleaders get sports scholarships and it is competitive.

Yeah but you can learn to sail and to be a cheerleader and neither require much endurance. Really, does either require a god-given talent like hitting a round ball with a round bat squarely? Heck, spelling B's are competitive but it isn't a sport either. Receiving a scholarship for doing something doesn't qualify it as a sport.... more are given out for academics.... scoring a perfect on my SAT doesn't make taking the exam a sport if I'm rewarded a scholarship to MIT.

Just because something isn't a sport doesn't mean it isn't cool. What's wrong with it not being a sport? Like many have said, it's a way of life... to me, that's a lot better than being a sport or some dumb Olympic event (curling, equestrian) that nobody watches.

 

[Xizang]

scuba diving is more than just a sport or hobby for me.. its a lifestyle