OK... heres my pedantic two cents.

A game is an activitiy in which players compete with each other based on a given set of rules.

A sport is a game that involves an element of physicality.

Physicality can range from exertion (e.g. speed, strength etc) to precise movement (e.g. balance, hand-eye cooridination etc...)

Games involving physical exertion (Football, Sprinting, Hammer Throw, Javelin etc...) are pretty clearly, and almost universally considered sports.

Games involving physical dexterity are more of a grey area. Golf, Billiards, Darts, Shooting, competitive bartending, bocce ball, horseshoes,
Archery, and Diving - among others - all fall into this category and are technically sports.

Chess, Monopoly, Backgammon, Hearts, MTG, and Poker are all examples of games that involve no physical ability whatsoever. Therefor they are not sports.


Activities like NASCAR and long distance running are really borderline but are probably both sports. NASCAR does require one to be physically adept at controlling the car, and a marathon runner must have incredible stamina.

Its probably more accurate to describe an activity based on the degree to which the competitive element hinges on physical ability. So Curling is less of a sport than Football, but both are still technically sports.

- TM

"The people responsible for sacking the people who were supposed to be sacked have now been sacked."

The Wonder Llama