NASCAR A Sport?

[fineintent]

The dictionary definition of sport is "Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively." To me, steering a car doesn't constitute physical activity - or else truck drivers would call themselves athletes. People engage in Poker competively but it's not a sport; it's a hobby, or a competition at best. No way a sport.

Wahey driving round in circles - I don't get it.

[Jester of Death]

The Question really isn't is NASCAR a sport, but rather, are the driver's athletes?.

Which I think they are not, even though by a stretch of the definition they are.

[DMN in the House]

Its a sport, but they aren't athletes. Same with golf.

[Guest Pirate Chasin' Booty]

The Question really isn't is NASCAR a sport

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[Guest TheTokenWhiteGuy]

The Question really isn't is NASCAR a sport

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Well, the question seems to be exactly that.

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Edited June 7, 2005 by TheTokenWhiteGuy

[Jester of Death]

The Question really isn't is NASCAR a sport

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Well, the question seems to be exactly that.

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[Guest Pirate Chasin' Booty]

Thats more clear cut, I don't even have to think about it, no, they're not.

[MalaCloudy Black]

If I sit in a grueling hot car (for all purposes lets say the air conditioner is busted) and take a hundred-plus mile trip somewhere do I get to be an athlete?

Nah.

[Liam]

Not at all.

[Guest Pirate Chasin' Booty]

Actually, I've changed my mind.

[Guest TheTokenWhiteGuy]

It's more of an endurance question, going way over 100 miles, for 100 miles in a hot car might be harder than driving 100s of miles going a normal speed, surrounded by cars going the normal speed.

[Liam]

Even if its an endurance thing, they aren't athletes, simple as.

[fineintent]

Dirty Sanchez (the show, not the act) is an endurance thing - I wouldn't call them athletes. So agreed.

[Jester of Death]

It's more of an endurance question, going way over 100 miles, for 100 miles in a hot car might be harder than driving 100s of miles going a normal speed, surrounded by cars going the normal speed.

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[Lowerdeck]

Competitive Stop and Go exists. It's called everyday New York metro driving. :shifty

It must be fairly difficult to drive in excess of 150 miles an hour for nearly 4 hours constantly. In conditions over 120 degrees F. And be able to have reflexes to avoid wrecks. Talented drivers yes, athletes - not in your normal sense.

[Guest TheTokenWhiteGuy]

Well then what is an athlete?

[Guest Pirate Chasin' Booty]

Not

[Tarheels.]

of course hes not an athlete. But... DALE JR BITCHES!

Jr is the shiz, but they could be considered athletes. Depends on what you think an athlete is.

[Enter Blue Guy]

Sports, to me, are athletic competitions with actual athletic components. No disrespect to NASCAR or it's fans, but besides it being a test of endurance there are no real athletic components. To me, it's not a really a sport... It's more of a highly skillful competitive activity.

If I started a professional Twister league which participants must play the game in full winter clothing, in the dead of summer, and each game would last 5 hours long... would that be considered a sport? It's long, it gets extremely hot, people are constantly moving around, one's balance and poise play a huge part in the game, it's test of endurance, it's a competition... but is it a sport?

Ok, bad example, but you get my drift. What I'm saying is, I have respect for NASCAR drivers. It takes skill doing what they do at the speed, for that long, under the conditions they face while doing it, but it's no more of an athletic competition than my winter clothing summer Twister league is.

[Guest TheTokenWhiteGuy]

What those runners and other athletes are doing is using endurance, reflexes and strength, the same thing a NASCAR driver uses.