What Makes an Athlete an Athlete?
By Travis T.
2/13/06
A debate continues to rage. Everywhere you go people argue about who are and are not athletes. So now it is my turn to try and unravel some of the mystery behind the word "athlete," what it means and give you my opinion on who is or is not an athlete.
Webster’s defines athlete as: “a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.” The Greek word from which athlete is derived, athlein "to contend for a prize," I believe is the definition ESPN is using. I mean are bowling, billiards, or poker really sports? Heck they even televise the National Spelling Bee, which is great for the kids, but a sport?
I am of the personal opinion that if you can drink beer and be as good or better at that “sport,” then you it can't really be "sport." So if it's not really a sport, can someone who is good at it really be an athlete? Of course, but that logic then maybe the spelling bee does qualify. I mean can you spell better with a few brews in you? Remember you have to spell it right on the first try. But then if you use the drinking analogy that would eliminate a great number of softball players and there are a lot of those guys. I don’t want to tell them they are not athletes, especially since some of them work on this website. So moving forward, if you classify something as a sport does that make the participant an athlete?
Let us take a look at the much debated “sports” and their participants and use our definition from Webster as a litmus test. Remember it is a person trained or skilled in something requiring:
physical strength (PhStr)
agility (Agl)
or
stamina (Stam).
Let’s start with NASCAR drivers who get the brunt of the argument when it arises. Are these guys really athletes? Heck is it even a sport? By the definition ESPN seems to use, I would say yes it is a sport. I mean it is at least a competition. Now for the test:
PhStr? - eh turning the steering wheel of a car without power steering requires some strength but that would be stretch of the imagination to say it is PhStr.
Agl? - now a case could be made for this point, I mean have you seen these guys crawling in and out of those windows, but really it is only twice in one race so again I am going to say no.
Stam? - now here is where the proponents of drivers being athletes make their case. Four to five hours in a car without A/C or power steering and the mental stamina required to spend the greatest portion of that time at 180+ mph. I am going to have to say that by Webster’s definition they qualify.
CONCLUSION - NASCAR Drivers are athletes.
GOLF:
When the "What make an athlete argument come up," Golf is usually dragged into things shortly after it starts. In my personal opinion, it is a sport and the guys who participate are athletes. But maybe that's because I like to play and I like consider myself something of an athlete (I play softball too) and I stink at golf. So since they are so good at it they must be stellar athletes, right. What does the test say?
PhStr? - According to just about everyone I've ever played with and all the articles I've read on how to be a better golfer, it is not how "hard" you hit the ball but how "well" you swing the club that makes the difference so I don’t believe it passes this part of the test.
Agl? - Ever swing a club? Wait. Ever swing a club the right way? I’ll give them this one. Plus for the weekend golfer some agility is required to climb in and out of the cart.
Stam? - Again the weekend guy doesn’t need a lot of stamina to ride a cart for 18 holes; however, the pros do have to walk for 18 even thought they don’t carry their own bags. Sooo, I’ll give it to them because some of those courses have some steep up and downhill walks . . . right? Plus even if they don’t pass this part of the test they passed agility so I believe it qualifies.
CONCLUSION - PRO Golfers are athletes
Ok, now let’s run down a couple more quickly, since I brought them up I feel obligated to mention them.
Bowlers - Please! I bowl better with an adult beverage or two in me, therefore it cannot qualify.
Billiards - Nah, No stamina, agility, or strength required. Plus I think this game was invented to drink beer.
Darts - See billiards.
Competitive Eating - Yes! Kobiachi is my hero. Anyway I believe stamina is a key ingredient in this competition.
Poker - Now I like poker a lot, both playing and watching. But poker players as athletes? A most emphatice - NO.
So did I really settle anything in this article? Not really. Basically I have just spouted my opinion and made up a litmus test that really doesn’t hold a lot of water, but it sounds good on the surface right? So what do you think? Send your responses to someone who cares, because honestly, I don’t.
Travis T. lives in Norman, OK and is an OU fan
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