OT- is darts a sport?

It's an age old debate I know but I saw this fella's picture on the BBC website and thought... surely he can't be classed as a sportsman?
It wasn't long ago since they would drink 5-10 pints and play their 'sport'...
I'd tend to class Darts as a game of skill.. but not a sport.... what do you think?

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More energy is used in darts than snooker and snooker is recognised as a sport.

I'm a big darts fans and not sure how some state that it's not a sport to be honest. Mickey Quinn, Neil Ruddock, Neville Southall etc were all overweight during their playing days. Does that mean that they weren't footballers or sportsmen???

In fairness it takes hours of practice every day to become as good as they are.

 

In Korea, professional video gaming is seen as a sport.

Sport isn't about physical fitness alone, it's a competition between two sets of people or two separate groups. If you where to tell me that there is a chess tournament on this month, then chess is a sport. Either way, they all take many many months/years of practice.

Edit: In fact, a video gaming tournament recently sold out a large stadium in America, and the punditry was on par with Boxings , or footballs.

 

As you say sport is about competition between either two people or two teams.

What's the differenct between snooker, tennis and darts? Each is a one on one event, each takes years to master and each requires high concentration levels. Either they're all sports or they're all games.

 

One side of me says it's only bias and snobbery that protects the term sport like it's something special..

But the other, much stronger side says if the local ***** didn't make you play it in your pants at school, it isn't a sport.

"Come on kids, get out your darts"... It's never happened.

 

Booooooo!!!

How very racist. Two chimps tossing off vigorously at each other should count... They do share 98.4% of our DNA, which is a much closer percentage to the DNA of a sportsman than a darts player

I feel obliged to ignite debate.

Tiddlywinks, arm-wrestling, midget-tossing, jumping highest on a trampoline, a threesome, war, horse-racing, gladiatorial combat, shouting "boobies" in a library etc etc might as well be "sports"... Your Olympics would be a hilarious affair.

 

Sport for me. I think both that and snooker lost something when they stopped them getting pissed though. Big Bill Werbeniuk - yeehah

 

Any game you can play whilst holding a pint without spilling it should be considered a pastime and not a sport.

 

Can you hold your pint while tiddling your winky?

 

Oops, that should be, while playing tiddly winks?

 

For me a pastime. As I would class golf.

I have my distinction as if each player is in their own game universe then it's a pastime. With golf, darts, ten pin bowling what the other person does has no impact on what you do. With these games the board/pitch/playing area is cleared of one person's equipment before the other plays. In these sort of games one could play in a match against one other person or a hundred. It makes no difference.

Snooker, for example, has balls on the table and one person's play immediatly effects the game as the balls move. As does football, cricket, rugby and so on.

In my book therefore darts is a pastime and not a sport. Yes, I know it takes practise to get good but the same when it comes to playing a musical instrument, trading the markets or whatever but this need not mean that these are sports either.

 

My understanding of the word 'Sport' would be competition between at least two opponents and that it involves physical exertion.

I couldn't describe Darts players as exerting themselves whilst playing, so it's a NO from me

 

Nothing could be further from the truth regarding the impact of an opponent's performance on your own, especially in individual sports.

 

I love the darts and if Snooker is seen as a sport then darts should definetly be.

 

Arghhh dead heat between The Definition Hippies and The Enthusiast Snobs... This must be a sport!

 

Golf, bowling, hurling etc....


Now give the ****ers a few pints and let the arrows be thrown......it ain't easy, takes a lot of practise...

To hit 180 is an art, to hit 180 whilst pissed, it takes a ****ing genius..

It's a sport....a daft sport watched by many, same as ****y men kicking a ball.

 

It's not a sport, it's a pub game.

 

Sport.

In my experience the snobbery against Darts being a sport comes from those who have never played the game and only look at it from afar.

The time and effort put in by the top players is second to none when it comes to practice. No waltzing around for an hour or so like footballers and heading back home.
Darts players practice hour after hour day after day.

You'll find most players don't play the board, they play the man and the pressure they are but under by their opponents causes players to go to pieces when it is exerted.

Its anything but a pub game, unless places the Metro Arena are now classed as pubs. Premier League in May already sold out.
Fastest growing Spectator Sport in the UK, wiping the floor with the likes of Snooker, Tennis (excl Wimbledon).

World Championships on Sky Sports at the mo, give it a try, you never know you might like it, unless of course your a sports snob.

 

#Sportssnobsforthewin

Back at 9-9, come on lads and lasses, because next month we'll be discussing whether the "Great British Bake-off" is a sport if the Definition Hippies win... After all, it involves practicing skills to perfection, individual effort, and lots of people watching!

 

surely 'sports' cant be classed as sports, if the people watching aren't p*****.