A Sport Must Be A Sport !

Interesting concept

Thanks for the posts.

   ---   To be clear once more OTB Chess is a Board Game. Yup it is played on a board having 64 squares;  played on a board equals: A Board Game ( simple right  lol ).

That made me think of something. People often question why some sports are sports, like lawn bowling for example. So someone will say give me other examples of sports on a grassy field using a ball. So they will say baseball, golf, football, etc. That's not lawn bowling, but they are all athletic competitions on a grassy field using a ball.

So, if chess is a sport, I would be curious to know what other sports are played on a board of 64 squares. 

Checkers. 

No, what other SPORT is played on a board of 64 squares. If someone asked what other sport is played on a grass field with a ball you wouldn't say hockey would you? Ice doesn't count as a grass field and a puck doesn't count as a ball. It has to be apples to apples, oranges to oranges. 

 Hockey and ice skating are played on ice. Football and baseball can be played on the same grass. Checkers can be played on a chess board, which otherwise serves only to take a measure of the king’s gold.

Right. Thats why when someone asks for another sport played on grass, you dont say ice hockey. Because ice isn't grass. So when asking for a sport that's played on a board of 64 squares, you dont say checkers. Checkers isn't a sport. It's a board game. 

When you ask a question that begins with a conditional, the answer may also assume the conditional.

If chess is a sport, then checkers is another sport played on the same surface.

But that's like saying if baseball is a sport, then standing in line at the bank is too. Because they both require standing. I guess if the condition is that a sport could be played on a board with 64 squares then that rules out any possibility that chess (or checkers) are sports. Nobody seems to have come up with any suggestions, like rugby or something.

define sport

So sitting at a desk all day typing up TPS reports is a sport? Because it will give someone a heart attack? A sport isn't something that has to give you a heart attack, nor does it have to be a war game. Sports are competitive recreation that requires physical skill. Wars and heart attacks are not recreation. 

Well, TPS reports is an American cultural expression. It is probably generational. 

Probably lots of people have heart attacks playing sports, but it's not required. Lots of people eat snack bars playing sports too. That doesn't mean sitting at a desk eating a snack bar is a sport, simply because people who  play sports eat snack bars.

As far as naming sports that are not war games, there are too many to list. Basketball, waterskiing, and bowling are not war games. Neither is ping pong. The participants are not preparing for war. 

And wars and heart attacks are still not recreation. Nobody goes out and tries to get their heart to stop just for fun. 

You may have to consult the internet on that one. Look up the word golf, or bowling. Every definition, and I mean literally every one, defines them as sports. 

As far as I know, sports can be invented or created, at any time. I dont think sports are limited to archery, swimming, and running. But according to your definition of sport, that it must be an ancient Olympic activity, does that make chess a sport?

You said chess is a sport. And by sport, you said it had to be in the ancient Olympics. So was chess played by Olympians in ancient times?

I agree chess can be a war game. That is very different than a sport. 

Sorry, you are about a thousand years off. There was no chess during that time. It was invented about a thousand years later.

Also, I just took a quick look at the list of ancient Olympic games. Running, jumping, discus, wrestling, etc. No chess. In fact, nothing even close to chess. 

So far, all of the definitions of sports exclude chess. I guess we can add your to the list now too. 

You asked about the playing field. I answered honestly and correctly. Now, you are venturing into absurd comparisons to ignore the simple answer.

No one claims that standing is the essence of the sport of baseball any more than standing still and observing carefully is necessary to hunting. Of course, for hunting, this is an important discipline, just as careful observation is vital to lab science and crime scene invesitigation.

Checkers and chess are both sports played on a board of 64 squares. The nature of the arena is not the essence of the sport. 

And neither are sports. Just ask long quach. To be a sport it must have been an ancient Olympic sport. Do you agree with your fellow "chess is a sport" enthusiast that golf and bowling are not sports?

Unless, of course, we all get to use our own personal definition. You sure standing in line at the bank isn't a sport? 

So being a fighter pilot is essentially playing a video game.