NFR - BBC sports personality of the year

[Lighthouse]

It has been a poor year for sport and frankly the women deserved no more credit than the men. As for Golf not being a sport. It requires a ball, excercise and a thing to hit the ball with. That is a sport in my book.

[BalDrick]

'You don't have to be fit to play golf.'

Yes you do - perhaps not as physically fit as some contact sports but there's still fitness required. And plenty of mental fitness - a lot of the time on the golf course there's only one person you're playing and that's yourself, regardless of how many are in your round.

Televised traffic and darts aren't sports in my book.

[The Bronsons]

Whether this or that is or isn't a sport is purely down to how you define the word "sport". The definition of words changes over time, and is open to constant renegotiation, so there's no right or wrong. 

Having said that personally I like "game" for competitive activities that you can do well without being physically fit (darts, chess, poker, snooker); "sport" for activities that you need to be physically fit to do well (football, running, swimming). Do you have to be physically fit to play golf well? Don't know, I've never played - but I suspect it's more about technique and steady nerves than fitness, so is more like snooker than athletics and therefore more a game than a sport.

[stevehawkinslidingtackle]

Sports are played by athletes. Professional sports feature the fittest, most highly trained practicioners of that sport.

Ladies and gentleman, I submit that -- like bowling, like darts, like snooker, like shove ha'penny,


Golf is NOT a sport


but I digress

Eh? Golfers are more highly trained than most Olympians. They start playing at the age of about 2 years old and then play on average for 6 hours a day for the rest of their lives. It's one of the most challenging and skilful games in the world and is more deserved of the title 'sport' than bloody Gridiron!

Sport = game + athletics

You don't have to be fit to play golf.

Challenging yes, physically demanding, no.

Oh dear what a load of sh1te.... I think you're confusing this with snooker. Yes to chop it round with your mates, no you dont have to be fit. But to earn a good living, you have to train ... Just one tournament, should he make the cut,  would see a player walk about 25 miles, and try playing on the Asian or PGA tour where temps reach at least 30 degrees every day. Do that every week for 9 months. Along with the mental battle you have with yourself over every shot, trying to make a cut against 140 players in the same boat as you...

Sorry mate but being a drunk or lard @rse doesn't cut it anymore on any golf tour, unless you've got unbelievable ability, but even then you'll burn out quick! Just look at the top 10 players in the world.... Everyone 50 times fitter than the top 10 of 25 yrs ago.... Ironically its a fitness regime that Tiger introduced and every serious player stood up and has since followed. The playing field has now been leveled again, Which is one of the reasons ( apart from being a part time porn star ) why he will never get back to the top.

[Mitch]

To say you don't have to be fit to play golf is ridiculous. It's clear when you look at the modern professioal golfer that fitness and body strength plays a key part. Fat gits rarely win anything these days, and when did Colin Montgomerie last win a major?

Re a lack of women in the list, I would make the assumption that as women don't tend to excel in sports considered by the majority to be of any interest then that is why they aren't included. The general public will know little of Equestrian success (Royalty excluded) or how Adlington's last competition went. Comparatively, golf as is being discussed, is huge and carries a large media interest.

[epsomraver]

You will be telling me that Darts is not a sport next! 086.gif

[Burt]

Roget's defines the noun sport as an "activity engaged in for relaxation and amusement" with synonyms including diversion and recreation. Nowt in there about athleticism.

I never knew that reading and posting on FOF was a sport.

Now that I do know, I feel much fitter than I did two minutes ago.

I must do this FOFing more often!

:dft011:

[Andy_M]

As has been said above has been a pretty poor year for sport in this country by all accounts, so there actually isn't a stand out person who I think should win, or would even really put forward to win it!

[HatterDon]

Sports are played by athletes. Professional sports feature the fittest, most highly trained practicioners of that sport.

Ladies and gentleman, I submit that -- like bowling, like darts, like snooker, like shove ha'penny,


Golf is NOT a sport


but I digress

Eh? Golfers are more highly trained than most Olympians. They start playing at the age of about 2 years old and then play on average for 6 hours a day for the rest of their lives. It's one of the most challenging and skilful games in the world and is more deserved of the title 'sport' than bloody Gridiron!

The highlighted part could work very well for chess also. When 70 year olds can routinely break par, it's clear that we're not talking athletes here. It IS a recreation.

[HatterDon]

and, yes, I have played golf. I found it more emotionally and mentally draining than physically demanding -- like chess. I will tell you this, though. LIke me, my older brother has two titanium knees. He missed qualifying for the US Senior Open two years running not long after his surgury. In his youth, he played basketball and baseball well enough to draw the attention of scouts. He's nearly 70 now and continues to golf and to shoot around par; strangely, his age and the mileage on his body keep him from playing basketball these days -- too athletic, I presume.

[Mitch]

and, yes, I have played golf. I found it more emotionally and mentally draining than physically demanding -- like chess. I will tell you this, though. LIke me, my older brother has two titanium knees. He missed qualifying for the US Senior Open two years running not long after his surgury. In his youth, he played basketball and baseball well enough to draw the attention of scouts. He's nearly 70 now and continues to golf and to shoot around par; strangely, his age and the mileage on his body keep him from playing basketball these days -- too athletic, I presume.

He must have a strong core. Very important in golf for your swing and stature.

[Dixie]

Straight fight between McIlroy and Cavendish for me.
Cook is the only other one who has really done anything.

Big mistake not to include at least a couple of women - Adlington and Payne are both World Champions.
Now they are going to have to over-compensate on the other awards such as team of the year etc. which just makes the whole thing a pointless waste of time... oh wait a minute, I've just realised it already is!!

[Mitch]

Team of the year should be the one Cavendish wins. By his own admission a large amount of the work is done by his team and he is the sprint finish. Still, a very impressive sprinter at that!