They picked this guy over Usain Bolt? Seriously?

markie_farkie: Those guys definitely earn their paychecks.

So do truck drivers, but no one is confusing them with athletes.

There are people who work in much worse physical conditions who are also not athletes.

Thinking is not an athletic endeavor, otherwise the chess club jocks would have kick all our asses.

Non Athletic Sport Centered Around Rednecks.

markie_farkie:
Those guys definitely earn their paychecks.

They do, but I hardly consider it much of an athletic accomplishment. Compare this to what Usain Bolt did. Or what Tiger Woods accomplished in the last 10 years. Or what many of the great athletes have done.

Obligatory Cracked flowchart.

Canadian Canuck: They do, but I hardly consider it much of an athletic accomplishment. Compare this to

So Nascar isn't athletic but golf is?




Really? Golf is a leisure activity enjoyed by most geriatrics. It's what athletes do on their day off.

No offense to Johnson....but Bolt is the athlete of the year hands down. This reeks of marketing ploy.

In before "them cars get real hot, tellyouwhat" idiots.

Not an athlete?




whatever.

spacechicken170am: So Nascar isn't athletic but golf is?

Really? Golf is a leisure activity enjoyed by most geriatrics. It's what athletes do on their day off.

ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

icy_one: ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Both golf and auto racing fit this definition.

meh, its just the AP
SI picked Jeter, I'll go with theirs

markie_farkie: Although the debate will rage over whether car drivers are truly "athletes" in the purest form of the word, I gained personal respect for NASCAR drivers this summer, after being given the opportunity to drive an actual race car around Texas Motor Speedway for ten laps at 160 MPH.

The track temp was 103F, and it had to be close to 140 inside the car, and I was wearing a fire suit and helmet.

The amount of physical strength to drive the car wasn't that much, but the level of concentration and focus needed was pretty amazing. Imagine that on a fully-loaded track with a bunch of other drivers going close to 200 MPH for 4 hours straight while getting your brains baked.

Those guys definitely earn their paychecks.

So, not a lot of physical strength needed, but you do need a high level of concentration and focus while dealing with high temperatures?

Does this mean I was up for Athlete of the Year when I took the SATs?

should also add "on flat, dry pavement"
if it threatens to sprinkle, they shut the race down. unlike motorcycle roadracing, with its varied speeds and turns, racing no matter the weather. and a havoline enema to the a$$car idiots talking about rubbing paint. try it on a motorcycle, leaning into a turn at 130mph.

/subbed with a more vitriolic headline

foo monkey: icy_one: ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Both golf and auto racing fit this definition.

Turning a wheel for 4 hours is not really an exercise involving physical agility, stamina, or strength. Neither does turning the wheel require much physical skill. If it did, playing Rock Em Sock Em Robots for 4 hours every weekend qualifies you for Athlete of the Year.

Resolute: Canadian Canuck: They picked this guy over Usain Bolt? Seriously?

Bolt made the mistake of not being American, therefore his accomplishments are trivial.

Ditto Roger Federer. Complete career slam, beat slams record, regain year-end #1? Hey, that's aweso - oh, swiss. Never mind...

icy_one: foo monkey: icy_one: ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Both golf and auto racing fit this definition.

Turning a wheel for 4 hours is not really an exercise involving physical agility, stamina, or strength. Neither does turning the wheel require much physical skill. If it did, playing Rock Em Sock Em Robots for 4 hours every weekend qualifies you for Athlete of the Year.

So smacking a golf ball is harder then turning a wheel? I'm going to the driving range this weekend to work on my athlete of the year campaign.

icy_one: foo monkey: icy_one: ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Both golf and auto racing fit this definition.

Turning a wheel for 4 hours is not really an exercise involving physical agility, stamina, or strength. Neither does turning the wheel require much physical skill. If it did, playing Rock Em Sock Em Robots for 4 hours every weekend qualifies you for Athlete of the Year.

You are incorrect.

I thought Obama deserved this award.

Lando Lincoln: markie_farkie: The amount of physical strength to drive the car wasn't that much, but the level of concentration and focus needed was pretty amazing. Imagine that on a fully-loaded track with a bunch of other drivers going close to 200 MPH for 4 hours straight while getting your brains baked.

Those guys definitely earn their paychecks.

Without a doubt, but they're more like astronauts or test pilots than athletes. I don't consider Buzz Aldrin to have been a "great athlete."

This study would seem to disagree with you.

Link (new window)

There is a reason that most of the top drivers spend a lot of time in the gym. Pulling 2 to 3 G's several times a minute for 2 or more hours requires both strength and stamina.

blitz chess also fits that definition. but really, who cares if it's technically athletics or not? it requires some skill and it has fans who enjoy watching it.

spacechicken170am: icy_one: foo monkey: icy_one: ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Both golf and auto racing fit this definition.

Turning a wheel for 4 hours is not really an exercise involving physical agility, stamina, or strength. Neither does turning the wheel require much physical skill. If it did, playing Rock Em Sock Em Robots for 4 hours every weekend qualifies you for Athlete of the Year.

So smacking a golf ball is harder then turning a wheel? I'm going to the driving range this weekend to work on my athlete of the year campaign.

Not sucking at golf requires a lot more physical skill than pulling on a car wheel, sorry. NASCAR is a sport for technology.

foo monkey: icy_one: ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Both golf and auto racing fit this definition.

physical agility -- being ambidexterous; using my non-dominant hand
stamina -- lasting the length of the video clip
strength -- measuring the final distance of the shot

If it's too hot in the car, they should just open up that little angled window in the front.

I bet you'd get a nice breeze at 200 mph.

NASCAR - Not a sport (the car does all the real work)
Golf - a sport, but not one that makes you an athlete
Synchronized swimming - not a sport, but takes one heck of an athlete
Speed Golf Link (new window) - a sport for athletes

Sports are about what one can do with the human body, the mechanical involvements should be minimal if at all. Golf is a sport in the same way that baseball is a sport (hitting a ball with a stick)

Running, Swimming, Wrestling, etc these are base sports, in which there is nothing mechanical aside from the human body.

icy_one: spacechicken170am: icy_one: foo monkey: icy_one: ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Both golf and auto racing fit this definition.

Turning a wheel for 4 hours is not really an exercise involving physical agility, stamina, or strength. Neither does turning the wheel require much physical skill. If it did, playing Rock Em Sock Em Robots for 4 hours every weekend qualifies you for Athlete of the Year.

So smacking a golf ball is harder then turning a wheel? I'm going to the driving range this weekend to work on my athlete of the year campaign.

Not sucking at golf requires a lot more physical skill than pulling on a car wheel, sorry. NASCAR is a sport for technology.

No it doesn't. It's two sides of the same coin. See the John Daly pic above. Is he more of an athlete because he can smack a ball around? I don't think so. Golf just isn't physically demanding. John Daly shows up wasted and still smokes half the competition. Try that in NASCAR.

"So do truck drivers, but no one is confusing them with athletes."

Yeah, kicked back in that cushioned seat with shock absorbers, a/c or heater on with the cb right next to them, drink in the cup holder, just as brutal as a stock car.
Now the hours is a whole 'nother story.....
Truckers put in more hours straight than any athlete, no breaks out there on the interstate haulin crap to town and trying not to run over chumps in their imports.

I never cease to be amazed at people's insistence at demonstrating their utter ignorance of a topic as loudly and frequently as possible.

spacechicken170am: icy_one: spacechicken170am: icy_one: foo monkey: icy_one: ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Both golf and auto racing fit this definition.

Turning a wheel for 4 hours is not really an exercise involving physical agility, stamina, or strength. Neither does turning the wheel require much physical skill. If it did, playing Rock Em Sock Em Robots for 4 hours every weekend qualifies you for Athlete of the Year.

So smacking a golf ball is harder then turning a wheel? I'm going to the driving range this weekend to work on my athlete of the year campaign.

Not sucking at golf requires a lot more physical skill than pulling on a car wheel, sorry. NASCAR is a sport for technology.

No it doesn't. It's two sides of the same coin. See the John Daly pic above. Is he more of an athlete because he can smack a ball around? I don't think so. Golf just isn't physically demanding. John Daly shows up wasted and still smokes half the competition. Try that in NASCAR.

You're incorrectly drawing the conclusion that John Daly can be three sheets to the wind and play a good round, therefore golf is not physically demanding. The correct conclusion is that John Daly is good at golf, therefore he can show up piss drunk and still play well. It doesn't have anything to do with his body shape - finding that kind of precision and accuracy is a discipline that must be developed physically but doesn't manifest into a cut frame.

Turning a wheel, fark, the car does all the work. You want to see athletes in NASCAR? Take out the power steering.

Having been a racecar, mostly dirt track driver, until you clowns get behind the wheel and do what those guys do for 3,4-5 hours you have no idea what you're talking about. It's not as simple as "turning the wheel"

icy_one: spacechicken170am: icy_one: spacechicken170am: icy_one: foo monkey: icy_one: ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Both golf and auto racing fit this definition.

Turning a wheel for 4 hours is not really an exercise involving physical agility, stamina, or strength. Neither does turning the wheel require much physical skill. If it did, playing Rock Em Sock Em Robots for 4 hours every weekend qualifies you for Athlete of the Year.

So smacking a golf ball is harder then turning a wheel? I'm going to the driving range this weekend to work on my athlete of the year campaign.

Not sucking at golf requires a lot more physical skill than pulling on a car wheel, sorry. NASCAR is a sport for technology.

No it doesn't. It's two sides of the same coin. See the John Daly pic above. Is he more of an athlete because he can smack a ball around? I don't think so. Golf just isn't physically demanding. John Daly shows up wasted and still smokes half the competition. Try that in NASCAR.

You're incorrectly drawing the conclusion that John Daly can be three sheets to the wind and play a good round, therefore golf is not physically demanding. The correct conclusion is that John Daly is good at golf, therefore he can show up piss drunk and still play well. It doesn't have anything to do with his body shape - finding that kind of precision and accuracy is a discipline that must be developed physically but doesn't manifest into a cut frame.

Turning a wheel, fark, the car does all the work. You want to see athletes in NASCAR? Take out the power steering.

The club does all the work. All they do is swing their arms. Can you see what I'm doing yet? It's 2 sides of the same coin. You can play a round of golf without breaking a sweat. There's no way you can convince anyone it's more physically demanding than NASCAR.

An Indy race car driver is more of an athlete than a Nascar driver... there, I said it.

foo monkey: icy_one: ath⋅lete[ath-leet]
-noun
a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill.

Both golf and auto racing fit this definition.

By your standards of what fits the definition, see also:
Video games
Chess
Cup-stacking
Stationary bicycling
Firewalking
Pinball
LARPing
Frequent masturbation

Lando Lincoln: Gonzo317: There is a reason that most of the top drivers spend a lot of time in the gym. Pulling 2 to 3 G's several times a minute for 2 or more hours requires both strength and stamina.

Holding a heavy book in front of me with arms fully outstretched for an extended period of time requires both strength and stamina.

Is that a sport?

No.

1st off I didn't mention "Sport" anywhere in my post. I was talking about the "Athlete" argument, which the link I posted addresses.

But just for fun...

Does the book weight 300 or 400 hundred pounds, because that would be the equivalent added weight while cornering in a stockcar? Are you competing against other people who are doing the same thing? Do you have to guide your books past the other people's books without slamming into them or a wall at nearly 200 mph?

Could be enable voting? I'd also like to vote "not an athlete".

spacechicken170am: The club does all the work. All they do is swing their arms. Can you see what I'm doing yet? It's 2 sides of the same coin. You can play a round of golf without breaking a sweat. There's no way you can convince anyone it's more physically demanding than NASCAR.

The whole problem with your case here is that you keep insisting that any event where you break a sweat is a sport, therefore anyone that competes in that event is an athlete. Any event where you don't break a sweat is not a sport. First, you may want to revise your definition, as I don't think a night of heavy drinking in August is a sport. Second you may want to invest some time learning about Venn diagrams.

You know why NASCAR isn't a sport? Because no amount of strength, agility, or stamina gives you an advantage over the next competitor. Does NASCAR require great skill? Sure. You know what else requires great skill? Iron Chef. Mario Batali is not an athlete either.

John Daly doesn't drive a stock car (boozing aside) because he's farking fat, and unnecessarily increases the weight in the vehicle.

spacechicken170am: The club does all the work. All they do is swing their arms. Can you see what I'm doing yet? It's 2 sides of the same coin. You can play a round of golf without breaking a sweat. There's no way you can convince anyone it's more physically demanding than NASCAR.

Uh, I guess it depends on the definition of "athlete", but if raw athleticism is a requirement, then neither the golfer nor the driver should ever qualify. There's nothing stopping a driver or golfer from striving to improve their physical quickness, for example, but there's no incentive within those activities to do so. Compare that to any number of quickness-dependent field sport positions like MLB center fielder, NFL cornerback, NBA point guard, MLS forward, tennis player, etc. These people need speed, and if they lose it, they're out of a career.

With that in mind, here's a simple thought experiment. None of the above can beat Usain Bolt in a sprint, because he is the fastest sprinter in the world right now. But if I set up a race between Bolt, a professionally active field sport player and a driver or golfer, it's absurdly easy to predict the results:

1) Bolt
2) Field sport player
3) Golfer/driver

. . . 100 times out of 100. Pro drivers and golfers are generally in good shape, but it's more because being out of shape is a disadvantage. OTOH, field sports are merciless at dropping players that can't keep up. They can't beat a guy who sprints for a living, but it wouldn't be nearly as embarrassing as watching a driver or golfer. And if we changed this thought experiment from speed to power, good god -- imagine Jimmy Johnson or Tiger Woods trying to stop an NFL linebacker or NBA power forward. As soon as the clock starts you'd hear the stomach-churning crunching of bones and hope their lifeless bodies are still breathing.

Gonzo317: 1st off I didn't mention "Sport" anywhere in my post. I was talking about the "Athlete" argument, which the link I posted addresses.

But just for fun...

Does the book weight 300 or 400 hundred pounds, because that would be the equivalent added weight while cornering in a stockcar? Are you competing against other people who are doing the same thing? Do you have to guide your books past the other people's books without slamming into them or a wall at nearly 200 mph?

Any person who requires debate and discussion over whether or not they are actually an athlete should be out of the running when compared to people that are an athlete with unanimous concurrence.

It's just simple logic.

NASCAR especially. A lot of people don't realize it's actually hard to do. Big deal. A lot of people don't give a lot of credit to the morning trash man either.

In the end, a NASCAR driver is just a person that zings around in a circle so that rednecks will converge on his position, get drunk, and wait for them to crash.

Circular Admobile Endurance Spectacle is, sport or not, entirely dull and boring. Lemme see some Speed Racer type shiat, NASCAR.