Is motorsport a sport?
Discussion
Now, I of course know the answer is yes, it is without doubt a sport.
It has the competition, it has the phsycial requirement, and it is governed by a set of rules. But for some reason that I can't quite fathom, my house mate is of the oppinion that isn't a sport and that racing drivers are not athletes, and holds them in much less regard than your typical olympian.
All this I find quite hard to belive how someody can be so arrogant, ignorant or both, as to place the likes of Formula 1 and the WRC as being something less than Equestrian or any other sport for that matter.
Anyone else experienced this level of stupidty?
Is it because people drive cars every day, so driving one on a track surrounded by 20+ all fighting for the same scrap of tarmac is no different to them?
It has the competition, it has the phsycial requirement, and it is governed by a set of rules. But for some reason that I can't quite fathom, my house mate is of the oppinion that isn't a sport and that racing drivers are not athletes, and holds them in much less regard than your typical olympian.
All this I find quite hard to belive how someody can be so arrogant, ignorant or both, as to place the likes of Formula 1 and the WRC as being something less than Equestrian or any other sport for that matter.
Anyone else experienced this level of stupidty?
Is it because people drive cars every day, so driving one on a track surrounded by 20+ all fighting for the same scrap of tarmac is no different to them?
GravelBen said:
I walk every day, that must make me as good as any olympic runner.
Granted, that was just an off the cuff example but the point still stands. I think in general people simply can't appreciate the difference between driving on a road and racing on a track, as it is something they have never done, whereas most people have had a go at running and realised that they are rubbish.
Still, it annoys me!
I have a housemate who's a rugby player and into many different sports. I nearly fought her tooth and nail over this matter until I realised I was wasting my breath (20mins in)
She went on holiday, and when she came back, she finally understood. Turns out she'd watched a three hour documentary on NASCAR and twigged that motorsports aren't as simple as just putting your foot down and turning the wheel. I am now in the process of teaching her why NASCAR is just the iceberg when it comes to motorsports.
She went on holiday, and when she came back, she finally understood. Turns out she'd watched a three hour documentary on NASCAR and twigged that motorsports aren't as simple as just putting your foot down and turning the wheel. I am now in the process of teaching her why NASCAR is just the iceberg when it comes to motorsports.
One of the sports teachers at my senior school, claimed karting wasn't a sport.
And a family friend at the time, once argued with my dad about a similar point. My dads opinion, basically was that my two older brothers had excellent driving skills and will make/were above average road users and he actually ranted "HAVE YOU EVER EVEN HAD A SKID!?!"
Some peoples perception of racing cars, is that they're just driving around...just on circuits, with 'sandy bits' and they just happen to be noisy and slightly faster.
I share your agony.
And a family friend at the time, once argued with my dad about a similar point. My dads opinion, basically was that my two older brothers had excellent driving skills and will make/were above average road users and he actually ranted "HAVE YOU EVER EVEN HAD A SKID!?!"
Some peoples perception of racing cars, is that they're just driving around...just on circuits, with 'sandy bits' and they just happen to be noisy and slightly faster.
I share your agony.
- comforts OP*
Fundamental requirements for a "sport"
1. some element of competition
2. A measure of success, that can be defined in terms of measurable properties (such as time or distance, their sum, or product) or an objective scoring system
Now, any scoring system must be refereed and the referee introduces an element of subjectivity.
Motor sports are fundamentally based on unambiguous properties (time, distance, and their inverse product, speed) so are a pure sport.
Football and the like are based on a scoring system that is more subjective than objective, because whether a goal is a goal depends entirely on (a) whether the ref or the match officials saw it and (b) whether the ref or match officials saw the fellow who was off side, or the fellow who put a hand on the ball, or the fellow who was tugging the other fellow's shirt, or the fellow who fell over... etc
Ok similar debates exist in motor racing over whether a fellow cut an apex too much but there are fairly strict rules governing such behaviour
On that basis I'd say motor racing was more of a sport than fussbal but then I'm biased.
1. some element of competition
2. A measure of success, that can be defined in terms of measurable properties (such as time or distance, their sum, or product) or an objective scoring system
Now, any scoring system must be refereed and the referee introduces an element of subjectivity.
Motor sports are fundamentally based on unambiguous properties (time, distance, and their inverse product, speed) so are a pure sport.
Football and the like are based on a scoring system that is more subjective than objective, because whether a goal is a goal depends entirely on (a) whether the ref or the match officials saw it and (b) whether the ref or match officials saw the fellow who was off side, or the fellow who put a hand on the ball, or the fellow who was tugging the other fellow's shirt, or the fellow who fell over... etc
Ok similar debates exist in motor racing over whether a fellow cut an apex too much but there are fairly strict rules governing such behaviour
On that basis I'd say motor racing was more of a sport than fussbal but then I'm biased.
F1 drivers are known for hard physical training in the gym so it makes sense to consider motorsport to be a proper sport. None of us could just jump in an F1 car and do 70 or so laps over 3 hours. For a start, I really need a piss right now.
http://youtu.be/2pNAaYlE4uk
http://youtu.be/2pNAaYlE4uk
badyaker said:
Fundamental requirements for a "sport"
1. some element of competition
2. A measure of success, that can be defined in terms of measurable properties (such as time or distance, their sum, or product) or an objective scoring system
It's damned annoying and this is a reasonable set of criteria... but then it defines chess as a sport.1. some element of competition
2. A measure of success, that can be defined in terms of measurable properties (such as time or distance, their sum, or product) or an objective scoring system
Edited by Hoofy on Saturday 10th March 00:57
From experience, such opinions are usually cured by a few laps in the passenger seat of a fast car with a half decent racing driver.
Having said that, he does have a point, you dont need to be an athlete to be a racing driver unless youre right at the top end of GT's or single seats. However it does take a reasonable level of fitness to race tin tops or anything with any sort of downforce, even the old fat b
ds you see racing in GT's have to be able to cope with a lot of heat and physical exertion over a long period of time. I thing the big thing is that because as you're sitting down, it actually makes it easier if you're heavy as your underlying fitness isn't that bad from carrying all that extra weight around.
Good example, last year at brands I was team mates with James Nash. Super fit racing snake against large, 17 stone,slightly flabby powerfully built me, but with the heat that weekend he actually suffered at least as much as I did.
Having said that, he does have a point, you dont need to be an athlete to be a racing driver unless youre right at the top end of GT's or single seats. However it does take a reasonable level of fitness to race tin tops or anything with any sort of downforce, even the old fat b
ds you see racing in GT's have to be able to cope with a lot of heat and physical exertion over a long period of time. I thing the big thing is that because as you're sitting down, it actually makes it easier if you're heavy as your underlying fitness isn't that bad from carrying all that extra weight around.Good example, last year at brands I was team mates with James Nash. Super fit racing snake against large, 17 stone,
In terms of "is it a sport", there are competitors, and there is a definitive winner, therefore it must be a sport. If there are no winners, then it's something New Labour would have created, and everyone in the event would have a "Well done" sticker given to them...
If you ask experts in physical fitness, F1 drivers are considered the fittest sportsmen in ANY sport.
Wasn't it Michael Schumacher, playing for his local football team, asked his team mates, all of whom were shot to bits after 90 mins of running around a bit, if they were ready for another game.....
In no other sport, are the competitors subjected to serious G-forces, extremes of temperature, demands on endurance that full-on motorsport requires.
If you ask experts in physical fitness, F1 drivers are considered the fittest sportsmen in ANY sport.
Wasn't it Michael Schumacher, playing for his local football team, asked his team mates, all of whom were shot to bits after 90 mins of running around a bit, if they were ready for another game.....
In no other sport, are the competitors subjected to serious G-forces, extremes of temperature, demands on endurance that full-on motorsport requires.
thunderbelmont said:
If you ask experts in physical fitness, F1 drivers are considered the fittest sportsmen in ANY sport.
bks they are obviously physically fit. But not the fittest of any sport. Compare the average fitness of the Barcelona football team With the average fitness of all the formula 1 drivers and i would imagine the results would favour the barca team.
Let alone comparing them to iron man athletes or elite cyclists.
MrMagoo said:
bks they are obviously physically fit. But not the fittest of any sport.
Compare the average fitness of the Barcelona football team With the average fitness of all the formula 1 drivers and i would imagine the results would favour the barca team.
Let alone comparing them to iron man athletes or elite cyclists.
Of course its a sport. Now admittedly fitness only really becomes a major issue when downforce of formula cars and carbon brakes. ks they are obviously physically fit. But not the fittest of any sport. Compare the average fitness of the Barcelona football team With the average fitness of all the formula 1 drivers and i would imagine the results would favour the barca team.
Let alone comparing them to iron man athletes or elite cyclists.
Still it is measurable, there is competition, there is skill required. Not sure to what degree fitness is a necessity, although it is a fallacy if you think you don't have to be fit to drive f1, ask your chum to do repetitions of lifting his head side to side, backwards and forwards for 90mins, with a 10kg dumbell attached to it. See if he's fit enough for F1... (and post pictures)
Ask your housemate if golf, snooker, darts, gymnastics, diving, show jumping, snowboarding, are sports.
MrMagoo said:
thunderbelmont said:
If you ask experts in physical fitness, F1 drivers are considered the fittest sportsmen in ANY sport.
bks they are obviously physically fit. But not the fittest of any sport. Compare the average fitness of the Barcelona football team With the average fitness of all the formula 1 drivers and i would imagine the results would favour the barca team.
Let alone comparing them to iron man athletes or elite cyclists.
But yes if anybody thinks Motorsport isn't a sport show them some in-car footage:
Ease them in with this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jcvxKMHN6w&fea...
Or show them some incredible old school: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R7ws741KpE
Or batter them down with this, incredible control: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTUviCzqovw&fea...
And we haven't even shown any IOM TT
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