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A Guide to Batting Cages
Batting cages are enclosed or partially enclosed pieces of sporting equipment that act as a “catcher,” in effect, for batters practicing hitting baseballs or softballs. Batting cages help to keep balls in a contained space so that the batter can...
History of kitesurfing
KiteSurfing is by far the latest craze in extreme sports. The idea of using a kite to enhance speed and gravity for the surfer seems like a new and exhilarating challenge, yet the art of KiteSurfing dates back to the 13th Century Chinese when it...
NBA 2004-2005 Season Preview
Here are your big stories for the upcoming new season:
Kobe Bryant found guilty of rape. Lakers are forced to “bend over” for Kobe’s manhood and finish with their worst record in 10 years
Mark Cuban shocks the world as he gives away...
Stretching and the Warm up – Are You Confused?
Lately, I’ve been receiving a lot of questions referring to the latest studies and research findings, and one question that I receive most queries about concerns the role that stretching plays as part of the warm up. Currently, there seems to be a...
What is the Cost of Winning?
I have lived in Massachusetts on whole life. I grew up watching Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, and Robert Parrish. I watched the Red Sox lose the 86 World Series, and the Patriots lose 2 Super Bowls, before finally becoming a winning franchise. I...
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ALL SPORTS ARE GAMES! ALL GAMES ARE NOT SPORTS!
From backgammon to the 3,000 year old Royal Game of Ur., from Oriental kite contests to the universal tit-tat-toe and baseball, games have been, and are played throughout every culture and society known to man.
Where is the line drawn between a game and a sport? What are the vital missing elements which preclude most games from being a sport?
By comparison, all games and sports are taken up for fun or pleasure. Winning a game or sport always makes an individual or team happy. Winners are always rewarded. All
rewards fall within three categories: Material (IE . . . trophy or ribbon), Monetary (IE . . . cashes or check), and Emotional(IE . . . jubilation or triumph).
Swimming, baseball, and hockey are well-known games which are recognized as sports.
Chess, cards, and marbles are well-known games which are not recognized as sports.
On close examination, we find a trend amid sports which is not an element of common games. That key element is the number one thing that draws the line between sports and games.
Exercise!
All games and sports are mentally demanding. Individuals or an individual have to plan and think to be competitive against an opponent.
However, only in sports are significant physical demands placed on the body that result in extensive exercise.
A secondary, key element found in sports, which generally is not found amid common games is Profession.
Football, boxing,
golf, and bowling, are examples of sports which many people take up as a paid (very handsomely paid)profession.
One final element of a sport, which is generally not found amid common games is Risk. In every sport, there is always the risk of bodily injury. There is no element of risk involved playing a game of backgammon or Old Maid.
Games, once learned, can be played by the average, and not so average person without giving a second thought to risk or injury.
Sports, however, require continual learning, mental, and physical
conditioning with constant risk of bodily injury and liability on the part of someone or some entity.
Give a thought to these elements the next time you plop down in your favorite chair to watch an activity on the tube, or set out to participate in your favorite game activity.
Thus, two questions which have plagued many generations have now been answered. What makes a game a sport?; and why athletes are paid so much.
About the author:
Terry Davis is publisher of http://southernliving.blogsome.com/
and http://newsunheralded.blogspot.com/You will find his publishings to be informative, helpful, entertaining, sometimes shocking and provocative. Whenever you visit his unique sites,
prepare to have your emotions and senses stirred.
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