Croquet, Roller Derby, Tubing, World

¶ … croquet, roller derby, tubing, World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), rodeo, team handball and sky diving (parachuting) as to whether or not they can justifiably be called sports or not from an aesthetic standpoint. This judgment will be based upon the circumstantial conditions of the activity and how people view it from their aesthetic viewpoint, especially if there exist competitive associations that service the sport, or whether or not it has evolved into simply sports entertainment.

In the opinion of Suits, sports has three distinguishable goals with regard to game playing. These include participation, the will to win and the purpose to finish ahead (Suits, 10). If an activity veers from this standard, we can say that it is or is not a sport. Certain sports where commercialization are becoming as much a motivation as traditional competition blur distinctions considerably.

Essentially, croquet is a lawn game. It is played as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport as well. The players hit plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through several hoops stuck into the grass playing court. While it is not dealt with in the course text, it is serviced by croquet associations in its various forms ("Edinburgh Croquet Club") .

Roller Derby can probably go either way. While most of us have seen roller skating women slogging it out after we have flipped the TV channel from the WWF, the sport also has an association in the Women's Flat Track Derby Association (WFTDA). This would mean that it has not just an entertainment side to it, but also an aesthetic following of sorts ("Women's Flat Track Derby Association"). On the other hand, the WWE in that the "sport" is mainly entertainment, although it is on the surface an association. Frankly, the word entertainment gives it away. WWE is an American publicly traded and privately controlled entertainment company whose primary forte is professional wrestling. In addition, it has major revenue sources also coming from music, film, product licensing and direct sales of those WWE products ("WWE") .

Tubing has no professional association and it is not a spectator sport. However, it has great recreational value for the public, which would in this author's opinion classify it as a sport. It is run primarily by local outfitters such as Delaware River Tubing (Delaware River Tubing).

Rodeo is a competitive sport that rose out of herding in Mexico, the United States, Canada, South America and Australia. It was based on the working skills required of vaqueros and cowboys. It is now a sporting event that consists of events involving horses and other livestock. Given the spectator, competitive and associational aspects, it would in this author's opinion qualify as a sport ("Pro Rodeo.com").

Team Handball is a game in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball and throw it into the other team's goal. There are six outfield players and a goalkeeper. In the opinion of this author, it would qualify as a sport due its competitive, recreational nature and the existence of a professional association ("USA Team Handball Association").

Sky Diving or parachuting is the action of exiting an aircraft and the returning to earth with the help of a parachute ("How Stuff Works"). While not centralized, this author sees its competitive spirit and participatory nature to qualify it as a sport .

Suits would focus on the competitive nature of sports and how it brings about and promotes team building (Suits, xvi.). This is a quality that will pay off in terms of dividends in almost any field of endeavor. In this case, it would apply even in this author's fields such as actuarial sciences, math study or insurance work. Most issues today involve problem solving and achievement of goals Young people learn about teamwork and achievement-oriented behaviors through team sports. Team sports teach these skills better than any organization outside of the military. In addition, aesthetically, it is worthwhile to cultivate one's character and make oneself strong of body.