It's no secret that the Fourth of July hot dog eating contest is a spectacle.
It is broadcast on one of the most popular television networks in the world, ESPN, and is watched by millions of people. Most of these people are cheering on Japanese hero and professional eater Takeru Kobayashi, the perennial Nathans Hot Dog Contest champion.
However, last year when Joey Chesnut snatched this coveted trophy from Kobayashi, he was dominating headlines the next day and was deemed an American hero.
The question is simple, not only about competitive eating, but about many other contests that are deemed to be a sport. Poker is now televised daily on ESPN, along with pool and golf. All of the above require training, but are not as athletically demanding as say football or baseball.
As New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora recently stated on Mike and Mike in the Morning, he does not consider Tiger Woods to be an athlete because he plays golf.
So what defines a sport? Is it training? Is it athletic ability that is needed? Or is it skill level and mental toughness?
Sport is defined as physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs, and is usually done competitively.
Kobayahi and fellow competitive eaters have to find ways to stretch their stomach, and "workout" each day by eating meals that could feed a family of five with leftovers.
The only way to "train" for poker is to play, to see what hands favor your style of play and will help you win money. Golfers spend hours practicing drives, and putting to make sure on that they are prepared for the Final 18 on Sunday.
As an athlete I believe it is quite obvious eating is not a sport. If it was it would be in the Olympics and attract more attention than one day out of the year. There are no youth eating leagues across America. There is no such thing as an "eating mom".
The same goes for poker. Cards is a game of chance. Whether you catch an eight of clubs on the river has nothing to do with how you played the hand.
Golf, however, poses quite the dilemma. I believe golf to be a sport because it is very competitive and it does involve hand-eye coordination, and great depth perception. I have a very hard time calling any golfer besides Tiger Woods an athlete though.
I would love to see Vijay Singh and John Daly run a mile. Or Phil Mickleson square off against Davis Love III in a game of one on one basketball. Golf is a very skill oriented game, but no one takes it to the level of Tiger Woods, which is why he is the best.
Games such as darts and pool are played in bars by college kids having a few too many Bud Lights. Plus, anything that can be played in a bar does not require physical activity. Shuffleboard is for retirees in Florida. Let's stop calling these activities sports and leave the sports to the athletes.
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