By definition a sport is an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or other for entertainment. People feel that they can dictate what a sport is and what is not. These are only a few of the examples of what people feel is not a sport.
Bowling
The people that do not bowl either on a team or on a league generally say that bowling is not a sport and it is easy. If you ask any member of the bowling team or member of a bowling league, they will say that bowling is difficult and indeed a sport. Rolling a bowling, ranging in weight, down a wooden alley at ten pins without going into the gutters is rather difficult. If you have the bumpers on preventing the ball from going in the gutter can be easy. But when you are in competition, bowlers are not given bumpers.
Curling
Although this isn’t a popular sport, curling is a competitive sport that is not looked at as a sport. Curling is when players slide granite stones down a sheet of ice toward a target, known as the ‘house’. Teams score points through positioning their stones closer to the center of the target than the opposing team. Players slide across the ice in a low lunge position and release the stone trying to reach the target as close as possible or block the target so the other team will struggle with their shot. To speed the stone up, one must sweep and break down the ice. The ice before the match is glazed over with water to make the surface rough for game play. Making it difficult for the stone to slide easily and making it difficult to sweep, speeding the stone. With the stone being pure granite, 40 pounds, it could be rather difficult to complete. I can see how people can say sliding a stone on ice is not a sport. But they do not see the intricate, details behind the game that make it a sport.
Cheerleading
Being there are different types of cheerleading, it could be difficult to see if cheerleading is a sport. By definition, cheerleading is only considered a sport when one is on a competition team. I feel that cheerleading is a sport, both competition and sideline cheerleading. It takes a lot of skill, dedication and practice to perform the way the cheerleaders do. While everyone is on vacation or in their pools in the summer, the cheerleaders are practicing to perform for the fans.
