What Is A Sport?

  A 2003 study by the World’s Sports Encyclopedia found that there are over 8,000 sports or sports-related activities in the world. In the United States, a 2013 ESPN article found that roughly 21.5 million children between the ages of 6 and 17 play sports. Despite these remarkable statistics, how many of these children actually play “sports”? Most likely, those who participate in things such as golf, track, or other “questionable” sports have been told the same thing. A peer or classmate has approached them and said “Well, (insert activity) isn’t really a sport.” These children all had the same frustrated reaction (myself included), all eager to defend their sacred and beloved sport. After hearing a detailed defense, the perpetrator walks away, and the victim is dumbfounded at the ignorance of his or her questioner. However, how many of these children were right? Did he or she actually participate in sport? Personally, I believe a sport is defined as having two distinct parts: the goal to win and at the same time requires exercise.

  Now, say the defendant participated in things such as karate or golf. If this was the case, he or she would absolutely have the right to be upset. Both would qualify as sports, since they are competitive and require exercise. There is an aged-old argument about golf not being considered a sport. People neglect to acknowledge that golfers walk for over 5 hours (without the luxury of a cart in the PGA), and swing a club roughly 81 times in a typical round of golf. However, say the child simply ran or lifted weights independently. Here, the questioner would be correct on the matter of if he or she competes in a sport. While these two are a great source of exercise, they are not competitive in any way. Despite this, these activities could be modified into sports by means of a race or a weight lifting completion. If this were to happen, then the athlete would be competing against someone.

  Another argument that exists in the eligible sports world revolves around the Olympics. Some offer that sports like curling and Ping-Pong are only considered sports because they are Olympic events. This argument is not true. Even though it may not seem like much of an exercise, both events require the competitor to be in good shape. Ping-Pong makes players make rapid movements in a short amount of time, not to mention they must have incredible hand-eye coordination. Curling also requires well-trained and conditioned arms. Also, the Hurler must also have great hand-eye coordination, similar to Ping-Pong. In order to be in the Olympics, all athletes must be in great shape, not to mention each event has 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place medals, making them competitive.

  Many people also argue that a sport is not a sport if a ball is not involved. Again, this argument is invalid. Numerous sports do not require a ball. Some of which include track and field events and marathons. No races require a ball (some relays use a baton), but no one would deny that all runners have great stamina and are in peak-condition. Of course, every race requires at least one person to run against. This also qualifies marathons as a sporting event. Also, track events such as the high jump and javelin are sports. Neither requires a ball, and both call for an intense exercise and muscle strength. Not to mention both are competitive. Therefore, a ball does not determine whether something is a sport or not.

  In the final analysis, if something requires exercise and is competitive, then it is most certainly a sport. In terms of the younger child who participates in a “questionable sport”, nine times out of ten he or she will be correct when defending the sport. The questioner is most likely uniformed or has a mindset that his sport is superior. He assumes that since he plays with a ball, he plays a sport. As for the 8,000 “sports” about 25% of them are actually considered sports. Activities such as video games and chess are merely activities, since they need no exercise. Whether your hobby falls into the category of a sport or activity, both require mental or athletic ability, and most of the time both skills. However, only an activity that involves exercise and has a competitive nature can be called a sport.

How To Improve

 At the midway point in the 2014-2015 season, the Boston Bruins are at a mediocre 19-15-6. They are currently outside of the playoffs as the 9^th best team in the Eastern Conference. Although it would only be by one point, nonetheless if the playoffs started today the Bruins would miss the playoffs for the first time in eight years. As of January 7^th, the Bruins rank 21^st in goals for, and 16^th in goals against, with 2.6 in each category. This coming from the same team that won the President’s trophy for the most points in the NHL just last year. However, there is still hope to this season. Multiple sources report that the Bruins are amongst a few teams that could trade for some all-star players.

  One of the top players the Bruins could acquire is T.J. Oshie of the St. Louis Blues. We all know that he is a star in the shootout, as proven by his Olympic performance. While this is an area the Bruins need vast improvement, it is not the only reason to get him. Despite his size, he still plays with the ability of the stronger and bigger players. Oshie’s offensive performance (10 goals, 13 assists this season) would almost surely bring up the Bruin’s goals for average. However, the issue of the salary could possibly keep Oshie out of Boston. He is signed through the 2016-2017 season and would cost $4.175 against the cap. This is an issue, seeing how the Bruins traded defenseman Johnny Boychuk to the Islanders prior to the start of the season due to salary cap issues. However, with the recent success of forward Vladimir Tarasenko, they would most likely like to focus on resigning him instead. The Bruins would most likely have to give up a player like Paille or Erikson, along with a few draft picks or prospects

One of the harder trade and higher profile player is Taylor Hall of the Edmonton Oliers. The Oilers currently have the fewest amount of points in the NHL, and are looking to rebuilt. One of their best players, Hall has 25 points this season (impressive for a team like the Oilers). Hall was the first overall pick in the 2010 NHL Entry-Level Draft, and has been a large asset to the Oilers, scoring over 100 goals in his first five seasons. Since Hall is a premium player, the Oilers would want a high-profile player. Rumors say that Milan Lucic or a defenseman like Krug or Hamilton could be traded.

  Despite the Bruins performance, there season is not a total loss, at least not yet. Their Captain Zdeno Chara has only played in 32 games this year, and center David Krejci has been battling injury all season. With 42 games left to play, the Bruins still have a chance to make the playoffs. Unlike football and basketball, it is easier to make a deep run in the playoffs.