What Defines a Sport

When it comes to sports there are many controversial topics. This includes what defines a sport. Many people see some sports as not difficult enough and think they should not be considered sports. When it comes to defining what a sport is there are many factors to address. You must take into account the amount of physical activity, mental training, and general skills you must acquire.

The main thing most people think of when it comes to defining sports is physical activity. Many people think it must be a contact sport to even be considered a "real" sport. The amount of physical contact is huge in some people's vision of how sports should be. Others think physical activity alone defines a sport. My opinion is that if the sport you're in has both physical activity and mental training it can be considered a sport. All sports are dependent on your mentality.

My definition of sports includes two factors, but you can only properly categorize sports versus non-sports with the meaning of physical activity. Most hobbies include physical activity, but I think there is a certain amount of activity needed to define a sport. There has been controversy over whether cheer leading is a sport. My belief is that competitive cheer leading can be considered a sport, while school cheer leading cannot. School cheer leading has a loophole though. If your school cheer leading team does stunts I can see how that fits into the sport category. Another thing to think about is warm ups. If your sport requires stretching, because you could get an injury I would definitely label that as a sport. 

The reason I do not see school cheer leading as a sport, if it doesn't include stunts, is because there is really not much skill needed. Yes, it can be considered a sport to some people, but my opinion is that it's not. All you must do is basically clap and cheer. You don't have to have any level of fitness to participate. I know many people disagree with me and I respect that, because everyone can have their own opinion. 

As I said, when it comes to competitive cheerleading with stunts and tournaments I entirely believe that is a sport. Competitive cheerleading looks like a very hard sport. You must be extremely flexible and willing to take risks every day. I'm not trying to make school cheer leading look bad, because they very well can do stunts as well. Basically, if your team does stunts I think it can be considered a sport. If not, I believe it's just an extra-curricular activity.