Sports and recreation: Which is which?

Bethany Lange, Herald Reporter
Posted 4/28/17

What makes a sport a sport?

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Sports and recreation: Which is which?

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People find entertainment, enjoyment and exercise in any number of ways, and there is always something for everyone. There are solo sports, team sports and recreation. 

But what makes a sport a sport? What separates it from the broader category of “recreation”? 

Recreation is, by definition, something done for amusement and enjoyment. It is by far the wider category, encompassing everything from video games, reading, music, sports, driving, boating, running, games, hunting, photography, art and more. Basically, if you have a hobby, chances are it counts as recreation. Now, there is a difference between outdoor recreation and indoor recreation, but it’s recreation all the same. 

Sports, though — that’s a much more specific category. 

Webster’s dictionary says that sports are a type of recreation requiring bodily exertion, but it’s more than that in our world today. Sure, it can be recreation in general but with more bodily exertion, but the sports section of a paper doesn’t usually include every type of recreation that requires physical exertion and skill. People would likely look askance at a sports section if it included, say, some types of art that require speed, physical effort and strength and years of strength-building. Classical arts like ballet are rarely included in the sports section of a newspaper. 

Of course, there are exceptions, as demonstrated by a July 31, 2013 CBS Sports article titled, “Steve McLendon: Ballet is ‘harder than anything else I do,’” which features a football player who takes ballet to help him in his NFL career. 

But in general, the artistic sports are reserved for an arts section, which thereby separates them from the category of “sports” while demeaning the artistry of some of the content in the traditional sports-dedicated pages. 

But even then (as a philosophical example), gymnastics and ice skating are generally considered sports while ballet is not — although they do very similar things. 

One of the fundamental differences, perhaps, is the purpose and the degree of competition, for while all three focus on artistry, physical strength and skill, they emphasize competition differently. Ballet competes for audiences and box offices and is a performance more than a competition (although there has recently been much more of a focus on competitions). Furthermore, ballet has been historically oriented toward stories and symbolism, and artistry comes to the forefront even beyond sheer technical skill. 

On the other hand, gymnastics and ice skating focus much more on the immediate competition of one team against another team (or an individual against another individual), where the competitors strive for points and rankings by using complex choreography and timing. Here, the technique can and often does take precedence. 

Again, the three activities are very similar in how they are executed, but the purposes and the settings differ.

The setting, in fact, may be most important in how we as a culture define a sport versus an art. As Herald editor Bryon Glathar suggested, the Olympics and college/high school sports may have a particularly heavy hand in that definition. The Olympics, for instance, lists a total of 57 sports — 42 summer sports and 15 winter sports. 

Summer sports include archery, athletics (running, hurdles, steeplechases, relays, decathlons, throwing, jumps, marathon, pole vaulting), badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, boxing, canoe slalom, canoe sprint, cycling BMX, cycling mountain bike, cycling road, cycling track, diving, equestrian/dressage, equestrian eventing, equestrian jumping, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics (artistic), gymnastics (rhythmic), handball, hockey, judo, marathon swimming, modern pentathlon (pistol shooting, fencing, swimming, horse riding and running), rowing, rugby, sailing, shooting, swimming, synchronized swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, trampoline, triathlon, volleyball, water polo, weightlifting, wrestling (freestyle) and wrestling (Greco-Roman). 

Winter sports include alpine skiing, biathlon (skiing and shooting), bobsleigh, cross country skiing, curling, figure skating, freestyle skiing, ice hockey, luge, Nordic combined (ski jumping and cross country skiing), short track speed skating, skeleton, ski jumping, snowboard and speed skating. 

High school and college sports also form our definitions of a sport. What defines baseball, football, hockey, wrestling, swimming, diving, golf and other competitive school sports as “sports?” Part of it is likely what those things are intended to teach. In school, sports frequently are built up by pulling together a variety of different specialties to defeat the other team through practice, camaraderie, skill and teamwork. Those sports often come under fire for emphasizing skill over character, but at its best, a school sport is intended to strengthen everyone by using each person’s individual strengths. 

Another possible criterion is whether a sport invites spectator involvement. Are spectators invited to join in the victory vicariously and to band together almost as if the team is an extension of the audience? Generally, it is sports that encourage this so that a body of noncompeting people can share in the competition’s exhilaration. We have no further to look than the Evanston Red Devils for this, with the Devils representing (and being followed by) the community and schools of Evanston as a whole. 

So beyond the dictionary definition, there are cultural definitions of sports which give the words themselves their meaning. 

As the debates and thought continue, though, at their core, sports and recreation are, at their best, dedicated toward honing physical and mental skill and toward seeking to stretch to our limits. They are about growth, maturity and constant improvement. 

In this section of progress, we intend to explore a few examples of sports and recreation that make us better — that elevate us and help us to strengthen our bodies and minds in order to serve those around us. Of course, not every type of sport or recreation can be included here, but let not the limited nature of a four-page special section limit what you do in exploring your strengths and expanding your skills.