is NASCAR a sport? *POLL INCLUDED*

[Demon-Xanth]

Oh, here's another:
90% of the events in the winter olympics. Bobsled? Just shove and hop in. Luge? Just run and hop on. Figureskating? Just dance around on the ice. Downhill skiing? All your arguments against NASCAR work here, and they're only keeping it up for a couple minutes tops.

 

[bandana163]

Hell yeah.
Even curling is a sport... 🙂

 

[Phoenix86]

Originally posted by: Fausto
I guess my point was that it's not the driver's conditioning that limits the top speed of the car. His skill, certainly, but he's not pedaling it. 😉

It may determine the car's top speed, but the rest of that determines the car/driver's fastest times.

Golf is another great example.

However, I DO feel these are sports. Can I just pick up any of these an look good w/o training? I can pick up a game I have never played, and learn it pretty quick. But if that's the limiting factor what about chess? People take years to learn to play chess...

Therefore I have concluded that there are no defining differences between a game and a sport with regard to level of activity.

Wikipedia basiuclly agrees...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport
A sport consists of a normal physical activity or skill carried out under a publicly agreed set of rules, and with a recreational purpose: for competition, for self-enjoyment, to attain excellence, for the development of skill, or some combination of these. The difference of purpose is what characterises sport, combined with the notion of individual (or team) skill or prowess.

Therefore swimming competitively in front of thousands in an indoor arena is considered a sport, whereas swimming in a pool or in the sea by oneself is seen simply as a recreation.

Sports simply have more purpose, where a game is played more for entertainment.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Better do this in NASCAR fashion.

/pulls up in rusty multicoloured El Camino
/hauls tires out of back
/sits down
/puts keg over big jar
/shoots with shotgun
/dredges up a mug of :beer:
/fishes out buckshot

All set.

- M4H

 

[nakedfrog]

Yes and no.

 

[purbeast0]

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Better do this in NASCAR fashion.

/pulls up in rusty multicoloured El Camino
/hauls tires out of back
/sits down
/puts keg over big jar
/shoots with shotgun
/dredges up a mug of :beer:
/fishes out buckshot

All set.

- M4H

that has to be the worst nef i have ever seen.

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Demon-Xanth
Oh, here's another:
90% of the events in the winter olympics. Bobsled? Just shove and hop in. Luge? Just run and hop on. Figureskating? Just dance around on the ice. Downhill skiing? All your arguments against NASCAR work here, and they're only keeping it up for a couple minutes tops.

Ice skating in itself is hard enough. Doing a dance routine on ice is not an easy feat. Don't knock ice skating.

NASCAR is not a sport AFAIC. Driving a car is not what I consider athletic. Sure, you have to fit in the car, sure you sweat and get hot... but you do the same damn thing in many other situations that aren't sports, so using that as an argument isn't valid in my book. Sweat, getting hot, and fitting in a car != intense physical activity.

 

[MercenaryForHire]

Originally posted by: purbeast0

Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Better do this in NASCAR fashion.

/pulls up in rusty multicoloured El Camino
/hauls tires out of back
/sits down
/puts keg over big jar
/shoots with shotgun
/dredges up a mug of :beer:
/fishes out buckshot

All set.

- M4H

that has to be the worst nef i have ever seen.

/shoots you with shotgun

Yee Haw!

- M4H

 

[Phoenix86]

Sports do not require athletics, they are mutually exclusive. Chess is a sport if it's competitive, and swimming by yourself isn't a sport.

 

[alexjohnson16]

If heart rate determines how much of a sport an activity is, then poker would be one of the most enduring sports in the world.

 

[TechnoKid]

Tell you what, as much as some of you may not consider NASCAR a sport, i'd rather be doing 180MPH+ on Taladega then posting here on ATOT...nascar, imo, is just as much a sport as any other racing sanction, though I do prefer the ALMS series.

 

[Viperoni]

The people who voted no are dumb.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: Gurck
Physical conditioning isn't a determining factor in a lot of sports. Baseball, golf and bowling, to name a few...

The hell these sports mentioned here aren't determined by physical conditioning. Just because a golf pro may not be able to run a 10k marathon doesn't mean he isn't conditioned for his sport.

Most NBA players can't play tennis without getting winded because it's a different type of conditioning.

You think baseball pitchers throwing arms, and legs, aren't conditioned? Sure they are, they're just fine-tuned for a specific sport.

Same with bowling. You can't be totally out of shape and bowl professionally. It's too hard. Try bowling 54 games in 3-4 days and you'll see....try just bowling that many game, much less bowling them at a high level.

Same with Nascar. Put an NBA, NFL, Tennis pro...you name it, put one of them in a Cup car and they simply wouldn't be able to stay in it the whole race. It's too hard.
Drivers have been known to lose 12-15lbs during races at Bristol. That's working.

 

[Kalvin00]

Originally posted by: Viperoni
The people who voted no are dumb.

:thumbsup:

Anyone who says it's not a sport needs to check the definition of a sport again.

Now, whether or not they are atheletes, yes, that is debateable(sp?).

 

[Cattlegod]

garbage, this is closer than bush/kerry

 

[Pacfanweb]

Just ask athletes of other sports who have tried Nascar racing. Every single one would tell you, yes, it's a sport, and yes, the drivers are athletes.