3 "Sports" Your Friends Might Not Consider Sports

By Christy Flom on March 26, 2015

What classifies a sport as a sport? The world is filled with “sports” but what actually is a sport and what activities can be defined as a sport?

When searched on Google, a sport is “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.”

This is a pretty broad definition.

We all know the popular “sports” that take up all the time on TV like basketball, hockey, baseball and football. However, if we determine sports based off of the definition from Google, then there are many activities that could reasonably be defined as a sport.

To begin, we will start with an organized activity that many people, especially those who participate in this activity, already consider to be a sport: dance.

I have had quite a few small arguments with friends of all ages about whether or not dance can be considered as a sport. When it comes down to it, my many dancing friends have succeeded in proving to me that dancing is a competition of grace, poise, and strength and one that easily falls under the definition of a sport.

My little sister early in her dance career. (Image by Pamela Flom)

If sports are supposed to involve physical exertion just watch “Dancing with the Stars,” or “Dance Moms” because these professional and amateur dancers are irrefutably in shape.

The skill level involved in advanced dancing necessitates endurance, core stability and flexibility which all encompass athleticism.

It’s really no wonder that it is usually professional athletes like Olympic ice skaters, gymnasts, or football players that end up winning “Dancing with the Stars” because dancing takes more than simple coordination, it takes lots of athleticism as well.

Dance competitions are fun to watch, too. Many activities lose public appeal because the games are slow or there’s no contact and fights but dance competitions can be mesmerizing to watch.

My little sister was an avid dancer growing up and while her first couple of recitals were only a good time for cute photos and a nice nap, as she progressed in her athleticism and flexibility while learning different styles, too, her dance recitals became much more entertaining for me to attend than say a softball game or swim meet.

Moving on to a similar type of activity, but with less movement and a smaller level of skill required, cheerleading is another sport where those who play will contest the non-believers until they die. I know this because I was usually the non-believer when talking to cheerleaders or coaches in high school.

Now, I understand college cheerleading is a big deal; scholarships can be awarded, and participants have strenuous practice and game schedules as the varsity cheerleaders attend away and home football games in at least the DI if not other levels.

However, it is still not accepted as a sport by society as a whole. And, if college cheerleading were anything like it was at my high school, it would probably never have a shot at being considered a “real” sport.

Having said all of this, I did grow up watching the “Bring it On” cheerleading movies and I must say those cheerleaders had some insane skills flying through the air and doing flips all over the stage. When I attend college football games, the cheerleaders again have some commendable skills, but they are skills that are still on a lower level than gymnasts and dancers.

In the words of S.J. from “The Blind Side,” “Mom was a cheerleader, which doesn’t exactly count but don’t tell her I said that.”

To those who pursue cheerleading into the college level, and to those who compete nationally, cheerleading has definitively earned its place amongst the midst of other sports.

Finally, roller derby is an actual acclaimed sport, but the lack of college participation and knowledge about the sport is why it is a part of this list. Aside from the movie “Whip It,” directed by Drew Barrymore, my only source of information about this sport was from a girl in the same discussion class as me freshman year.

I must say, after hearing her talk about the grueling workouts the team would do, I had no doubt this was a tiring activity but it seemed more like a punk rock group of people that should be skateboarding instead of rollerblading.

Photo by Guillermo Vasquez (Image via flickr.com)

Putting the stereotypes associated with roller derby aside, it needs to be publicized as a competitive and enticing sport for people to join. I would compare roller derby to the up-and-coming sport, Spikeball. There are tournaments and teams all over the nation for both sports, but its assimilation into the college arena has been slow and these sports are usually seen as a club activity if they are school-sponsored.

Either way, roller derby became famous onscreen before off-screen and it’s time to change that by having more sponsored teams and national recognition for these empowering female athletes.

Dance, cheerleading and roller derby are all very different ways for people to stay active and competitive. Not everyone goes the mainstream route of playing the most popular sports, and depending on where one lives and attends school, these sports may be more popular than basketball, volleyball, and football for example.

There are so many creative outlets for people to highlight the different facets of athleticism and these three “sports” deserve to be categorized with all of the other sports.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format