“Skeleton racing involves plummeting head-first down a steep and treacherous ice track on a tiny sled. It is considered the world’s first sliding sport” (“Skeleton”). The current definition, which is widely accepted, brings into question the validity of some olympic events being called olympic sports. The definition also needs to change due to the nature of language, which is that it changes. The current definition of a sport needs to be changed to better capture the essence of what a sport is.
According to the English oxford living dictionary, a sport is currently defined as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment” (“Sport.”). Definitions, often, …show more content…
However, not all activities that are considered sports require much physical activity. NASCAR is a wonderful example of an activity that is widely considered to be a sport despite the participants lacking the much motion themselves. The most movement that comes out of NASCAR is that actual movement of the car. The most activity the drivers partake in is turning the wheel and holding down the gas pedal, maybe occasionally needing to brake ("There's no clear-cut answer”). Other examples are fishing, horse racing, and shooting, all of which do not require much physical activity yet are widely considered to be …show more content…
The current definition does not cover everything that people consider to be sports and it does not stop activities that should be sport from being excluded. The new definition needs to be more inclusive to cover a wider variety of activities especially since the Olympics, which is meant to be a collection of sports, no longer includes just sports that fit the current definition. Most importantly, the definition needs to change because that is how language advances. Words change to become more useful and precise to better benefit those that use them. It’s time that the definition of a sport be changed to “an activity performed in front of others that is participated in by an individual acting alone or as part of a team and requires physical exertion, skill, or mental
According to the English oxford living dictionary, a sport is currently defined as “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment” (“Sport.”). Definitions, often, …show more content…
However, not all activities that are considered sports require much physical activity. NASCAR is a wonderful example of an activity that is widely considered to be a sport despite the participants lacking the much motion themselves. The most movement that comes out of NASCAR is that actual movement of the car. The most activity the drivers partake in is turning the wheel and holding down the gas pedal, maybe occasionally needing to brake ("There's no clear-cut answer”). Other examples are fishing, horse racing, and shooting, all of which do not require much physical activity yet are widely considered to be …show more content…
The current definition does not cover everything that people consider to be sports and it does not stop activities that should be sport from being excluded. The new definition needs to be more inclusive to cover a wider variety of activities especially since the Olympics, which is meant to be a collection of sports, no longer includes just sports that fit the current definition. Most importantly, the definition needs to change because that is how language advances. Words change to become more useful and precise to better benefit those that use them. It’s time that the definition of a sport be changed to “an activity performed in front of others that is participated in by an individual acting alone or as part of a team and requires physical exertion, skill, or mental