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The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby SnookerFan

I've never really understood why people get so obsessed by this.

The amount of people who, knowing that I like to watch snooker, come up to me and say; "Of course, I don't consider snooker a sport. It's really a game." I just usually reply; "And?" or; "Okay, consider it a game then."

Am I alone in being confused by this? The people who often tell me this, often claim that they are not trying to insult snooker in any way, or trying to imply it isn't difficult. Or that it shouldn't be watched on the telly. If this is the case, why are some people so furious that it's considered a sport?

When asked my opinion, I say it's probably a game but it's only considered a sport for classification purposes. When it's televised on the BBC, it comes out of the BBC Sports budget. It may be a game, but there is no BBC Games budget, so it gets called a sport for classification purposes. It's not going to come out of the BBC Movies budget or the BBC Religious Programming budget, is it?. Because even if it's technically a game, it's as close to being a sport as it it to being anything else. The same with it being on Eurosport, or written about in the Sports Sections of the paper. Are people suggesting that it shouldn't be on Eurosport, a dedicated sports channel, because they consider it to be a game? Should the newspapers invent another section called The Games Section, which just covers snooker and darts news? No, that would be stupid. It may be a game in your eyes, but when it's played competitively on television, it's classified as a sport just for ease of reference. What is there to get upset about?

Is there something I'm missing? Why is it people seem so argumentative about something so trivial? Or are people really trying to be dismissive of snooker, and pretending that they aren't?

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby Iranu

It’s obviously a sport. People who disagree think that a sport needs to involve physical fitness, that’s all.

It’s a competitive game based on physical prowess and psychological fortitude, with a professional and amateur level and an international ranking system, in which you compete to win prizes and money. It’s a sport.

If bucking dressage and curling are considered sporting enough to make it into the Olympics, I don’t see how people can question snooker being a sport.

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby rekoons

Iranu wrote:If bucking dressage and curling are considered sporting enough to make it into the Olympics, I don’t see how people can question snooker being a sport.


Or archery for example...

If a distinction was to be made (and I'm of the opinion it shouldn't) then you could classify them as mental sports, as opposed to fysical sports, maybe...?

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby SnookerFan

rekoons wrote:
Iranu wrote:If bucking dressage and curling are considered sporting enough to make it into the Olympics, I don’t see how people can question snooker being a sport.


Or archery for example...

If a distinction was to be made (and I'm of the opinion it shouldn't) then you could classify them as mental sports, as opposed to fysical sports, maybe...?


Wild?

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby SnookerFan

Like I say, it doesn't bother me either way if people consider it a sport or a game.

But I can understand that if you knew a person who played snooker or darts, you wouldn't necessarily call them sporty if that was the only thing they played. Stephen Lee wasn't an athlete, was he? rofl

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby Ash147

SnookerFan wrote:Like I say, it doesn't bother me either way if people consider it a sport or a game.

But I can understand that if you knew a person who played snooker or darts, you wouldn't necessarily call them sporty if that was the only thing they played. Stephen Lee wasn't an athlete, was he? rofl


Stephen Lee is a beautiful man, you take that back. :no:

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby rekoons

SnookerFan wrote:
rekoons wrote:
Iranu wrote:If bucking dressage and curling are considered sporting enough to make it into the Olympics, I don’t see how people can question snooker being a sport.


Or archery for example...

If a distinction was to be made (and I'm of the opinion it shouldn't) then you could classify them as mental sports, as opposed to fysical sports, maybe...?


Wild?


physical ?

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby Iranu

Ash147 wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:Like I say, it doesn't bother me either way if people consider it a sport or a game.

But I can understand that if you knew a person who played snooker or darts, you wouldn't necessarily call them sporty if that was the only thing they played. Stephen Lee wasn't an athlete, was he? rofl


Stephen Lee is a beautiful man, you take that back. :no:

Bootiful*

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby Iranu

I think an athlete and a sportsperson are different things.

You get footballers for example who aren’t great at the sport from a technical point of view but are great athletes (fast/strong etc).

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby SnookerFan

rekoons wrote:
SnookerFan wrote:
rekoons wrote:
Iranu wrote:If bucking dressage and curling are considered sporting enough to make it into the Olympics, I don’t see how people can question snooker being a sport.


Or archery for example...

If a distinction was to be made (and I'm of the opinion it shouldn't) then you could classify them as mental sports, as opposed to fysical sports, maybe...?


Wild?


physical ?


Correct.

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby SnookerFan

carayip wrote:If snooker is not a sport, how is golf a sport?


I mean, it probably isn't.

I seem to be the only one on here who seems to think this distinction isn't very important. I was expecting you all to agree that people who cared about this should get better things to do with themselves. rofl

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby Iranu

SnookerFan wrote:
carayip wrote:If snooker is not a sport, how is golf a sport?


I mean, it probably isn't.

I seem to be the only one on here who seems to think this distinction isn't very important. I was expecting you all to agree that people who cared about this should get better things to do with themselves. rofl

I don’t think it’s important, I just think it’s obvious.

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby carayip

SnookerFan wrote:
carayip wrote:If snooker is not a sport, how is golf a sport?


I mean, it probably isn't.

I seem to be the only one on here who seems to think this distinction isn't very important. I was expecting you all to agree that people who cared about this should get better things to do with themselves. rofl


You want to tell me Tiger Woods who is one of the most recognisable sportsmen of all time, someone who is sponsored million dollars by Nike, is actually not a sportsman, not an athlete?

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby SnookerFan

carayip wrote:You want to tell me Tiger Woods who is one of the most recognisable sportsmen of all time, someone who is sponsored million dollars by Nike, is actually not a sportsman, not an athlete?


I aint really going to argue the point. As my original post suggests, I don't really care how they are classified.

Re: The old is snooker a sport or a game debate....

Postby vodkadiet1

SnookerFan wrote:
vodkadiet1 wrote:You need to be fitter to play snooker than to play golf.


Really?

A lot of walking in golf.

Are there any overweight professional golfers?


Most of them. And some are obese. John Daly for sure. And since when is walking sport? Every able bodied person walks.

Even these obese businessmen like a round of golf.


   

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