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Is there a difference between athletics and sports?

Forums: Sports, Language, Athletics, English
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boomerang
 
Reply Thu 19 Mar, 2009 06:03 pm
I know this is probably a stupid but the question has been nagging at me and I'm wondering -- is there a difference between athletics and sports?
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Type: Question • Score: 18 • Views: 15,899 • Replies: 22
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Thomas
 
  1  
Reply Thu 19 Mar, 2009 06:13 pm
@boomerang,
I'd say athletics is slightly narrower. For example, chess sometimes counts as a sport, but it's not athletic.
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boomerang
 
  1  
Reply Thu 19 Mar, 2009 06:16 pm
Ah! Interesting!
0 Replies
 
McTag
 
  1  
Reply Fri 20 Mar, 2009 04:25 pm
@boomerang,
Yes.

Track and field athletics are not the same as "sports", which is a term to cover all sports including team games, cycling, swimming, equestrian, sailing etc.

"Sports" of course includes athletics.
boomerang
 
  2  
Reply Sat 21 Mar, 2009 03:49 pm
Again, very interesting!

I started thinking about this when my neighbor, an impressive athlete, insisted that she hates sports. I asked whether triathalons weren't a sport and she said that to her, they really weren't -- that even though there might be hundreds of people in a race she is really competeing against the clock and against her previous preformances.

I thought it an interesting distinction.
Ragman
 
  1  
Reply Sat 21 Mar, 2009 04:34 pm
@boomerang,
Weightlifting is athletic, but not a sport.
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McTag
 
  1  
Reply Sat 21 Mar, 2009 05:42 pm
@boomerang,

That's not helpful. Sports don't have to be competitive, surely.
Ragman
 
  1  
Reply Sat 21 Mar, 2009 10:16 pm
@boomerang,
Why would the contest being against the clock mean it's not a sport?
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McTag
 
  1  
Reply Mon 23 Mar, 2009 05:20 am
@boomerang,

Fishing, shooting and equestrianism are sports.

Man against pheasant and fish, and with horse.
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Region Philbis
 
  1  
Reply Mon 23 Mar, 2009 09:54 am
@McTag,
Quote:
Track and field athletics are not the same as "sports"
are you saying that a 100m race is not sport??
McTag
 
  1  
Reply Mon 23 Mar, 2009 02:03 pm
@Region Philbis,

No.
Region Philbis
 
  1  
Reply Tue 24 Mar, 2009 10:05 am
@McTag,

ok then...
0 Replies
 
boomerang
 
  2  
Reply Tue 24 Mar, 2009 01:41 pm
@McTag,
I'm just repeating what she said.

I've never really thought about sports and athletics being different but you all have managed to convince me.

Maybe be can get nimh to do one of his crazy graphs!
0 Replies
 
Mack designer
 
  1  
Reply Thu 28 Oct, 2010 09:27 am
to you all:
Sports sound more like a recreational and casual / Athletics is more serious, hard core sports man.
Has any one has anything to say or it's solved?
0 Replies
 
thekoolmittal
 
  1  
Reply Fri 4 Mar, 2011 06:24 am
@boomerang,
If Ball is associated, we call it a sport, and if there is no involvement of 'Ball', we call it atheletics.
Ball may be cricket ball, football, hockey ball, tennis ball.......any ball..
949265968
 
  1  
Reply Sun 6 Mar, 2011 06:04 am
@boomerang,
Atheletics must be physical activity ,but sport can be mental.
0 Replies
 
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Sun 6 Mar, 2011 07:43 am
@thekoolmittal,
thekoolmittal wrote:
If Ball is associated, we call it a sport, and if there is no involvement of 'Ball', we call it atheletics.
Ball may be cricket ball, football, hockey ball, tennis ball.......any ball..
I prefer Roulette ball.
It is more comfortable to be an athlete of a fine casino.





David
0 Replies
 
MontereyJack
 
  2  
Reply Sun 6 Mar, 2011 07:53 am
I'm not sure the distinction is hard-and-fast, but to me "sports" has more of a connotation of competition to it, whereas "athletics" is not necessarily competitive with someone else, but rather physical activity for its own sake. Calisthenics would be athletics, but as far as I know nobody competes in them (well, I guess you could have "I can do more situps than you can", but the competition isn't structured).

And people who speak British English and its colonial offshoots only seem to have "sport", not "sports". "And now the news from the world of sport".
OmSigDAVID
 
  1  
Reply Mon 7 Mar, 2011 09:13 am

So is Roulette ball an athletic or a sport ?
Ragman
 
  1  
Reply Mon 21 Mar, 2011 09:09 pm
@MontereyJack,
There is also another category open for including in the discussion: An exhibition.

For example, for the sake of discussion, take car racing. This is an exhibition - not sports or athletics per se.
0 Replies
 
 

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