Is Motorsport a Sport?

[Rex Ironstone]

This article has made me really mad? Does he have a legitimate argument?
To me professional drivers work day in day out physically and mentally on their careers and I just can't fathom how it could not be called a sport.

http://www.thepunch.com.au/articles/a-great-win-by...

Thoughts?

[The Wookie]

Classic, 'I think driving a road car on the road without crashing is easy, therefore driving an 800bhp Formula 1 car at 140mph round a city, inches away from an armco for two hours is also easy' and then goes on to the other classic, almost PHer like, 'these are my opinions on what sport is, anything that doesn't conform is rubbish and anyone that disagrees with me is an idiot'.

[Adrian W]

Agree with most of his comments about the Monaco GP

[Rex Ironstone]

But even though yes it's a boring race regarding overtaking and lead changes. I know I couldnt hop into an F1 car and drive it anywhere near the limit. Sliding around cornering within mm of barriers.... and I'm awesome

[Rex Ironstone]

Rex Ironstone said:

But even though yes it's a boring race regarding overtaking and lead changes. I know I couldnt hop into an F1 car and drive it anywhere near the limit. Sliding around cornering within mm of barriers.... and I'm awesome

although I'd probably give Narain Karthikeyan a run for his money.

[TheHeretic]

Of course it is a sport. Defined set of rules, and determinate criteria to win, ie fastest over a certain distance. Ice skating, I could see the argument, as it is determined by opinion, rather than by a factor such as time, how many, distance, etc.

[Nick M]

The guy does a pretty good job of undermining his own argumemnts on several occasions, before thinking better of it and back-tracking.

Drivers compete and are compelled to win (sometimes at all costs), and they maximise their chances of winning by trying to ensure they're in the best car, etc. There are prizes for winning. There is a championship with only one winner. While these things in and of themselves don't prove it is a sport, they're pretty good indicators.

The only issue with any top-line sport is that people get paid to do it, rather than sticking to the old ideal of sporting achievement for the sake of it. I think that's where people get confused about sports like F1 - they can't associate the overall show of wealth as being anything other than ancillary to the main reason for being there, namely the racing. When there's money involved it becomes a business, but a business whose purpose is to win a sporting competition.

And while this may not answer the question directly; if it's *not* a sport, then what is it ?


Is the guy a bit of a tool for writing what he did ? Well, not if the purpose was to get people to read the column... Doesn't mean he believes what he wrote - but the more people who read it and see the adverts, well, that's a good thing right ?

[Forbes82]

The clue is in the name.

Anyone with any knowledge of motorsport and intelligence knows the answer.

[playalistic]

Nothing but link-bait. A cheap ploy to get more website traffic by being controversial and taking advantage of the timing/occasion.

[Rex Ironstone]

playalistic said:

Nothing but link-bait. A cheap ploy to get more website traffic by being controversial and taking advantage of the timing/occasion.

Damn you're right. I'm a cog in his machine.

[Allyc85]

I cant believe someone is giving this window licker some credit by spreading his work...

[playalistic]

Rex Ironstone said:

Damn you're right. I'm a cog in his machine.

You must feel so cheap and used

[nice audi driver]

I'm mildly concerned that he is allowed to write about something he clearly knows so little about....

I'd like to see him show the same physical exertion as is required to move a car around at 5G.

[pingu393]

What's the difference between a skill and a sport? F1 is a cross-over between both (you need to be fit and skillful). Heritage "motorsport" is more a skill than a sport.

IMO, my granny can do a skill "sport".

My guesses at the skill/sport ratios...

Darts - 100% skill / 0% sport
Golf - 90% skill / 10% sport
Golf with buggies - 100% skill / 0% sport
F1 - 50% skill / 50% sport
Heritage motorsport - 80% skill / 20% sport

[m8rky]

Ernest Hemingway quotes

" There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games."
Ernest Hemingway quotes

As the basic concept of Football is the same as Tiddly-Winks,I guess he must be right.

[StevieBee]

pingu393 said:

What's the difference between a skill and a sport?

Competition?

Being the most skilful at something does not necessarily mean you can win at something.

[mattley]

m8rky said:

Ernest Hemingway quotes

" There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games."

I almost agree but I'd add shooting.

[HoHoHo]

It's not a sport, it's a marketing tool

[pingu393]

StevieBee said:

Competition?

Being the most skilful at something does not necessarily mean you can win at something.

Competition is an excellent answer and I like it (and understand where you are coming from), however...

1) I heard that the powers that be refused buggies to be used at golf competitions as it removed the sport element.

2) A silly example, but there is competition for the Turner Prize, but I don't think anyone would argue it was a prize for sport.

If sport is defined as competition, is there a line where competition is no longer sport. If so, where is that line?

[Al W]

mattley said:

m8rky said:

Ernest Hemingway quotes

" There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games."

I almost agree but I'd add shooting.

A good friend used to shoot competitively and his view was it is a learned skill and once mastered, his interest quickly waned. He later took up multihull yacht racing, which is where we met

Edited by Al W on Monday 28th May 19:30

Edited by Al W on Monday 28th May 19:31