Is bodybuilding a sport? *Poll*

[Property of Steroid.com]

In a sport, you win by out "playing" the other team

IN the three things i mentioned, you win because a judge decides so.


in a sport, the ball is in your hands and you control your destiny.


In the three i mentioned, you have "NO" control over the outcome.

in a sport, you have control over the outcome


respectfully, these are my opinions

Those are good thoughts...I'd kind of sharpen them up as follows:

In my mind, a sport contains both an active offensive (point scoring) and active defensive (keeping the opposition from scoring) component, while at the same time having an objective scoring system (6 points for a touchdown, etc...).

Also, I suspect that there should be a physical component which would make use of strength, skill, speed, etc...

Bodybuilding has subjective scoring (judging, not refereeing), and has no defensive component. I also can't make the argument that it's got a physical component which displays something like skill, speed, strength, etc...

I think something without all three criteria is still a competition (like gymnastics), but not a sport.

None of this is to say it's not a worthwhile pursuit, I just think that all worthwhile pursuits shouldn't be considered sports just because they require physical training.

Also...you play a sport. Do you play bodybuilding? You actually don't "bodybuild" when you're on stage...you do something completely different from the training you endure to get on stage. Bodybuilding is the name of the training, appropriately, "Flexing" or "Posing" would be the proper name for the competitive activity.

[biglouie250]

even though we used to make fun of them, we used to call the male skaters "tinker bells", most male figure skaters and a handful of female skaters could outskate any hockey player i ever skated with or against. when i was a pro, my powerskating instructor was a female figure skater. the practices they endure put hockey practices to shame. not very easy. cheerleading by itself i'm not sure. i dont know enough about it. i do know some male gymnasts who cheered and i can tell you that gymnastics is, no doubt, a sport. i've not met many people who can ace the inverted iron cross!

just because something is hard doesnt make it a sport. in my mind if there is no physical contact between opposing players it cant be a sport. when you are playing against the course as in golf or your playing against a time or are subjectively judged it can not be a sport because you are in competition with no one but yourself. this is not to say i dont have respect for these other activities. i play golf but i know its not a sport.

[Getinbgr]

just because something is hard doesnt make it a sport. in my mind if there is no physical contact between opposing players it cant be a sport. when you are playing against the course as in golf or your playing against a time or are subjectively judged it can not be a sport because you are in competition with no one but yourself. this is not to say i dont have respect for these other activities. i play golf but i know its not a sport.

By that definition, we'll need to remove from contention:

Golf
Pool
Darts
Swimming
Skiing
About 75% of the "sports" played at the Olympic Games
Baseball
Cricket
etc....

These are all games that are generally considered "sports". Can't approve a definition which eliminates all but about 10 games.

Regarding Golf, Tournament Golf involves the highest degree of eye/hand coordination, a reasonable degree of endurance (***ending on course); a high level of competition (You are not just playing against the course, expecially in match play). The only thing Golf lacks is physical contact and the need to be in superior physical shape.

[1819]

just because something is hard doesnt make it a sport. in my mind if there is no physical contact between opposing players it cant be a sport. when you are playing against the course as in golf or your playing against a time or are subjectively judged it can not be a sport because you are in competition with no one but yourself. this is not to say i dont have respect for these other activities. i play golf but i know its not a sport.

no physical contact would get rid of soccer, baseball, and alot of basketball.

[Getinbgr]

There's some contact in Soccer and Basketball.

[nyjetsfan86]

In a sport, you win by out "playing" the other team

IN the three things i mentioned, you win because a judge decides so.


in a sport, the ball is in your hands and you control your destiny.


In the three i mentioned, you have "NO" control over the outcome.

in a sport, you have control over the outcome


respectfully, these are my opinions

what about fighting then, in boxing sometimes it goes to a judges decision, and yes you do have control, the better you perform the better you will do

[Squatman51]

professional eating, darts, and fishing are sports!!!!!!! so i think bb is then

[lpicken]

BBing a sport? No. Are BBers some of the most gifted, dedicated and chemically enhanced athletes on the planet? Yes. There certainly have been some good arguements posted in this thread, but it is essentially a male beauty contest or a pageant. Nobody ever questions whether or not Miss America is a sport. In a sport, at the onset of battle, you can outwit your opponent and become the victor. You can't really do this in BBing. Furthermore, there is no clear clear objective for the viewer as to who the winner as the contest takes place as there is in basketball or football. The winner usually is whomever the judges deem the most marketable for their particular niche in the world of BBing, i.e., The Arnold, The Olympia, Mr. Universe etc.

[BgMc31]

Not a sport. Pure male pagentry.

[BigBlack]

Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Used by itself, sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors. Sports are used as entertainment for the player and the viewer. It has also proved by experiments that daily exercise would increase mental strength and power to study.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[ebjack]

every athlete trains for his sport. they (we) all do resistance training, cardio, and diet.


on game day, BB's pose...

so the question, should be "Is posing a Sport"

it doesn't seem like it fits the exact definition of sport.
(but doesn't take anything away from BB'ing)


i voted no

[*Narkissos*]

i agree that everything that leads up to the competition is a sport, the lifting dieting training all that yes but the actual on stage posing is not a sport

Try posing onstage... Try posing period.

I dare you.

When you've gotten over the physical pain of holding poses...try posing well.

"Bodybuilding doesn't take co-ordination"... lmao.

Fact of the matter.. posing takes co-ordination.

Posing well takes both hand-eye- co-ordination and endurance.

Anybody can lift heavy things.

Almost anyone can stick to a diet and doing maniacal amounts of cardio.

But when posing starts 8 weeks out most new comers want to quit.

Posing requires the isometric contraction of every externally evident voluntary muscle complex in the body.

'Out-posing' an oponent requires knowledge of self and 'strengths'... isotonic manipulation of muscle through isometric contraction.. manipulation of angles and light to acheive an aesthetic.

Anyone who thinks we just go up there and hulk out.. is sadly misinformed.

[Renesis]

no physical contact would get rid of soccer, baseball, and alot of basketball.

Thats quite funny have yo uever played soccer or basketball at a high level? In soccer if you are known as the "best player" on the team people will slide for the ankles. When you are standing next to each other and jump up for a header you are constantly throwing elbows at each other. When you have to steal a ball and your side by side you shoulder check. No contact? yeah ok....
Anyways Nark your point is valid but bbing by no means is a sport. The way you break it down makes sense as to why it should be a sport, but it is not, just like many other "sports" are not actually sports. You think posing involves hand eye coordination?? What are you coordinating between the two? If anything it involves a sharp mind because you have to memorize your poses because you don't have a mirror to look at. Memory and endurance to hold poses seems to be the biggest things for bbing, coordination is not there you cannot make an argument for it. How can you compare posing for a judge and the audience as hand eye when you have sports players that can do one timers for hockey, stop a soccer ball on a dime after sprinting while spinning around the opponent, cutting to the left then back and around to slam dunk on an opponent, or jumping over a defender and making the touchdown catch?

[Benches505]

Physically challenging and competitive, sounds like a sport to me.

[Carlos_E]

coordination is not there you cannot make an argument for it.

It takes coordination to make it through a posing routine. Lets see how you get from one pose to another without tripping over your feet and looking like a jack ass.

[Renesis]

Because going from flexing my back to turning around (which is an everday thing btw) and then flexing the front of my body is so hard? Gimme a break... Again the hard part is as nark stated learning the poses and having the endurance to hold those poses. If you can't turn around without tripping over your feet or move one foot to another area then you have way more problems then wondering what bbing is.

[Carlos_E]

Because going from flexing my back to turning around (which is an everday thing btw) and then flexing the front of my body is so hard? Gimme a break... Again the hard part is as nark stated learning the poses and having the endurance to hold those poses. If you can't turn around without tripping over your feet or move one foot to another area then you have way more problems then wondering what bbing is.

Do you compete? Then you haven't a clue. Try competing a show then come back to this thread and posts.

[SMAN12b]

Try posing onstage... Try posing period.

I dare you.

When you've gotten over the physical pain of holding poses...try posing well.

"Bodybuilding doesn't take co-ordination"... lmao.

Fact of the matter.. posing takes co-ordination.

Posing well takes both hand-eye- co-ordination and endurance.

Anybody can lift heavy things.

Almost anyone can stick to a diet and doing maniacal amounts of cardio.

But when posing starts 8 weeks out most new comers want to quit.

Posing requires the isometric contraction of every externally evident voluntary muscle complex in the body.

'Out-posing' an oponent requires knowledge of self and 'strengths'... isotonic manipulation of muscle through isometric contraction.. manipulation of angles and light to acheive an aesthetic.

Anyone who thinks we just go up there and hulk out.. is sadly misinformed.

Well stated !!!

[Property of Steroid.com]

What's the difference if it's a sport or not? I happen to think that by any reasonable definition of "sport" most people wouldn't consider it a sport. That doesn't make it less of a worthwhile pursuit (or at least it shouldn't). I enjoy a lot of things that aren't sports....just because they're not sports doesn't make them any less worthwhile.

People make similar claims about video games being sports (hand-eye co-ordination, physical skill, etc...), but most people here wouldn't think that they are, probably...

By the way...the top paid video-gamer in the world earns more in one year than Mr.Olympia does in two years.

[NotSmall]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sport

Looks like it is a sport to me...

[goose]

Lets see what this guy says:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2IuXkaU9X0

[Serotonin]

Lifestyle. I'm in no way doing any competitions (at least yet) and it has totally changed my life. Just the diet change alone takes so much more time and discipline.

[Obs]

Its a competitive sport.

[Property of Steroid.com]

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/sport

Looks like it is a sport to me...

That's a stretch, given that definition....

[NotSmall]

That's a stretch, given that definition....

I dunno:

1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

or

Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

Not that I really care, lol, but it seems to fit either of the above, no?

[BgMc31]

With respect to Carlos and Narc, of course any competitive bodybuilder is going to believe their endeavor is a sport. Whether justified or not. Just like, as a former professional football player, I've argued many times on this and other forums that the best athletes in the world are pro football players. It's just my opinion and of course it's debateable. My take on bodybuilding being a sport or not is anything activity that is scored on subjective criteria rather than althetic prowess is not a sport. Plus bodybuilding IMO, has more in common with the Miss America than with boxing, football, baseball, or basketball.

[Renesis]

Carlos im giving reasons and examples as to why I believe it is not a sport. All you are doing is becoming angry and telling me what to do and not to do. Until you proceed to give me good examples then I will not take what you say to heart. As nark gave examples I did to, I apologize if my comments came off as offensive, rude, or you just didn't like them, but I would like to proceed with this debate calmly.

[Carlos_E]

Carlos im giving reasons and examples as to why I believe it is not a sport. All you are doing is becoming angry and telling me what to do and not to do. Until you proceed to give me good examples then I will not take what you say to heart. As nark gave examples I did to, I apologize if my comments came off as offensive, rude, or you just didn't like them, but I would like to proceed with this debate calmly.

I'm not angry. I just think it's foolish to speak on a subject you do not have first hand experience with. Just as BgMc31 gave an example of football. I'm not a professional football player and my experience on the subject is "I dated one." I won't debate it. Another poster said all we do is stand on stage. Obviously he is clueless. My opinion on competitive bodybuilding changed when I did my first show. Until you experience it, you really don't know what's involved.

[*Narkissos*]

Why do people keep calling me Narc?

arrrrg

[BgMc31]

Why do people keep calling me Narc?

arrrrg

My bad Narkissos!! I meant to put Nark!

[Property of Steroid.com]

I dunno:

1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.

or

Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.

Not that I really care, lol, but it seems to fit either of the above, no?

I wouldn't think it's an athletic activity, honestly...training for it is, but the actual competition doesn't show much in the way of athleticism. Imagine seeing a BB'er posing and the announcer saying "Here's Jay Cutler Showing some amazing athleticism with his rear lat spread...Derek Jeter would be jealous..." Also...physical prowess...I don't know if physical prowess is required either...

It may, however fit the second definition...as would playing Playstation, I think.

[Property of Steroid.com]

Physically challenging and competitive, sounds like a sport to me.

Sounds like Beer-Pong to me, actually.

[bigboy003]

Bodybuilding is not a sport....(sorry but people like Ronnie Coleman wouldnt stand a chance in any sport)...u have to be athletic in some way in every sport known to man ie. hitting a ball throwing catching... to be a BB u have to be able to lift weights and flex... however....like it has been stated, it is a life style... in other words, there are no half times or time outs, which IMO is harder than playing a sport....

[Two4the$$]

Why do people keep calling me Narc?

arrrrg

People probably think you fall asleep in the middle of squats and deadlifts inbetween informing LE of sting opportunities.

But, in all seriously - what does narkissos mean, anyway?

[Two4the$$]

In my mind, a sport contains both an active offensive (point scoring) and active defensive (keeping the opposition from scoring) component, while at the same time having an objective scoring system (6 points for a touchdown, etc...).

In golf and pool, and probably others, there's no mean for defense (I wouldn't call them athletes either) ... but they are still classified as sports. Once financial access isn't the restriction to average people competing at golf, it's likely that athletic people will out-perform non-athletic. Same is true for downhill racing, and they are CERTAINLY athletes - but there is no defense in it... basically, requiring a defensive element excludes all timed sports.

Also, I suspect that there should be a physical component which would make use of strength, skill, speed, etc...

What about race-car driving? No strength or speed required... except by the car.

Bodybuilding has subjective scoring (judging, not refereeing), and has no defensive component. I also can't make the argument that it's got a physical component which displays something like skill, speed, strength, etc...

What about figure skating, diving, and acrobatic ski jumping maneuvers are judged sports?

I think something without all three criteria is still a competition (like gymnastics), but not a sport.

No personal bias? :-)

None of this is to say it's not a worthwhile pursuit, I just think that all worthwhile pursuits shouldn't be considered sports just because they require physical training.

I agree with reservations; until you've actually attempted to master a sport and outshine competitors, it's sometimes difficult to thoroughly understand what it takes to differentiate yourself amongst the top 10% of a group. For example - lol, I hit a bucket of golf balls once on the driving range - and wow as my body sore from head to toe the next day. The nature of a great player, at anything, is that they make the difficult look easy and natural.

Also...you play a sport. Do you play bodybuilding? You actually don't "bodybuild" when you're on stage...you do something completely different from the training you endure to get on stage. Bodybuilding is the name of the training, appropriately, "Flexing" or "Posing" would be the proper name for the competitive activity.

That's just hysterical! Gotta love semantics.

[Two4the$$]

By that definition, we'll need to remove from contention:

Golf
Pool
Darts
Swimming
Skiing
About 75% of the "sports" played at the Olympic Games
Baseball
Cricket
etc....

These are all games that are generally considered "sports". Can't approve a definition which eliminates all but about 10 games.

Regarding Golf, Tournament Golf involves the highest degree of eye/hand coordination, a reasonable degree of endurance (***ending on course); a high level of competition (You are not just playing against the course, expecially in match play). The only thing Golf lacks is physical contact and the need to be in superior physical shape.

Great points you made... I'd also like to add another facet in that people ALWAYS over-look who haven't mastered a non-team sport; ones INNER FVCKING DEMONS!

I'll tell you what people ... you be in contention to set a record, to beat someone you idolize, to compete if front of a crowd ... and play an individual sport that is NOT based on "reaction" ... but CONTEMPLATION, and you will TRULY understand what stress management is.

When you are faced with tremendous challenge, unlimited time to contemplate failure, and an opponent that is unrelenting ... the mastery of one self takes on a WHOLE NEW MEANING.

Take Shak at the freethrow line. The embarrassment, cost to his team, etc. that he must speculate undoubtedly amplify the lack of fluidity in his arm.

Confidence is the product of successful-attempts ... and cannot be artificially manufactured. In the absence, the mechanics of your arm will become tense, and your results will be less predictable. ALL athletes know that "smooth" application, follow through, etc., are pre-cursors to predictable results.

Sometimes, the fear can be overwhelming - and it takes a person with unparalleled stress-management to shine under adverse conditions.

I know nothing of golf - but it takes a CHAMPION to know that although the windo conditions have changed, and that his opponent may beat him not by virtue of a better performance, but better conditions, to ignore the statistics, and perform to their threshold... and to strike the ball with the ease and fluidity of an inconcequential practice games.

Hand eye coordination, stress management, and talent - 3 things shak doesn't have - but he's an athlete supposedly, playing a sport.


- Things must hold up at the extremes, the micro, as well as the macro ... to be proof-positive.

[Haro3]

i think you guys are looking at the wrong definition of a sport. a sport does not have to be a team or be win/lose orintated it just has to have a final goal that is sought after.

fishing
hunting
shooting
aerobatic flying
etc these are all types of sports......they have an outcome that someone trains/practices for.....skill is involved jus the same as bodybuilding has skill and training involved i see no reason not to call bodybuilding a sport

[BgMc31]

Serious question to the people who voted bodybuilding is a sport... What is the difference between bodybuilding and a female pageant like Ms. America or Ms. Universe? Of course minus the evening gown portion of the female pageants?

NOw I understand that bodybuilders train hard to get on stage to 'look' good. But so do female pageant participants. They diet, workout, etc. I understand that there is a level of conditioning required to pose on stage. But like the female pageants, it comes down to how you look. Correct?

[Two4the$$]

more along the lines of femail-fitness pageants...

[Property of Steroid.com]

No...more along the line of figure competitions...Fitness has a routine round in which you must execute certain mandatory moves displaying strength, speed, and skill. Figure competitions are more akin to bodybuilding...no real display of anything except the body in question...though in figure, there is no posing, just quarter turns....