Open Mic: What's a Sport?—Here's Your Answer

Sports fans have asked for years: "What is a sport?" For lack of a better answer, some of us have left it up to ESPN to decide what a sport is, often giving them the benefit of the doubt that they would never show anything to us that was not a sport.

And then, they gave us poker.

So, we need a new source, and ladies and gentleman of the world, I am that source.

I define a sport as a competitive activity that requires muscle stress or tension. 

Yes, it's a pretty broad definition, but it should be.

That definition includes the major sports that we all accept: basketball, football, hockey, baseball, tennis, soccer, weight lifting, rugby, lacrosse, wrestling, martial arts, track and field, mixed martial arts, boxing, swimming, gymnastics, marathon running, cycling, auto-racing (have you tried to control a car going just 80 through a turn?).

It also allows for the lesser accepted competitions such as golf, cheerleading (both girls and guys), hunting, luging, ice and figure skating, every form of disabled sports (it takes an amazing amount of strength to do what they do in a wheelchair), and those awkward Olympic sports most of don't quite understand (which group of wives tricked their husbands into cleaning for a medal?).

You also have your gym class sports like dodgeball, that game where the ball spins around the pole, kick ball, and wuffle ball.

And, more importantly, this does not include poker. I have nothing against poker, but it isn't a sport. No chess, no checkers, backgammon, scrabble, cup stacking or spelling bees here, people.

I think we're all in agreement that sports should cause you to break a sweat or burn a few calories. 

I hope this simplifies the "What is a sport?" debate, if only just a little.