There are the Olympics...and then there are Sports

(Yawn) Another Olympics has come this year. I used to get more excited about the Olympics when I was younger. It may be the result of my jaded perspective that has developed with age or the introduction of professionals that has dimished the innocence and purity of the competition. Upon reflection, however, I think it is because the Olympics have become so diluted with newfound events that are strictly designed to increase ratings and appeal to those who are younger and hipper than me. I think the word "event" is the proper moniker for many of these Olympic contests. Why? Because so much of the competition is over events that are not "Sports."

What is a Sport, you ask? I have developed a very short and direct test of what is a Sport and what is not. A Sport is any form of competition involving physical exertion which is governed by prescribed rules of conduct the results of which can be measured objectively.

I have considered this defintion long and heard and, believe me, I am aware of the consequences of applying it to some of the most popular Olympic events. Figure Skating - not a sport. Speed Skating - Sport. Freestyle snowboarding - not a sport. Downhill skiing - Sport.

You may ask, what about those sports that need referees to enforce the rules - such as football, hockey, baseball, etc. Officials mess up so much that it can hardly be called objective? I think you can live with human frailty in the enforcement of rules so long as the athletes end up having the ultimate say in the outcome of the contest. You certainly do not see the Miami Heat losing a game because a referee does not like Shaq's free throw shooting form, but the Heat may lose if Shaq clangs one of the back of the rim.

Please understand, I am not saying that any of the non-Sports are easy or necessarily uninteresting. This is not a value statement - just a categorization. I personally find less satisfaction from watching them since the results are ultimately not determined entirely by the athletes themselves.

So that is my theory and I'm sticking to it. Feel free to let me know your thoughts.


P.S. Michele Kwan deserves credit for giving Emily Hughes her spot back on the Olympic figure skating team - I just won't be watching her.