I have had this argument with people several times before. So I thought I would go into it with a little more detail here.

Definition of Sport: (from Dictionary.com)

1)  Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
2)  An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.

Definition of Game: (from Dictionary.com)

1)  An activity providing entertainment or amusement; a pastime: party games; word games.

I think the critical difference between the two is the fact that a sport refers to it being a physical activity which involves physical exertion and skill while a game is thought of a more of a form of amusement to pass the time.

When I watch a sports network such as ESPN and they show Poker Tournaments or Golf matches, I find it hard to include these “activities” as sports. Don’t get me wrong. I will be the first to admit that these activities take skill. I have tried to hit a golf ball and failed miserably. I have played poker and know that there is quite a bit of strategy involved. But I do not see where the physical exertion takes place to qualify these activities as sports.

Baseball is where the big argument comes in. In my eyes, baseball is not a sport. It’s a game. It’s called the national pastime which is in line with the definition of game. It takes talent and skill to play baseball. It also takes talent and skill to play poker or to shoot a deer or to win at blackjack. But I doubt anyone would say that blackjack is a sport. Although many people would call hunting a sport, I wouldn’t nor would I call it a game. I would call it trying to find food to survive but that isn't what actually happens but that is a topic for another entry.

Baseball is a game and here is why I feel that way. The pace of the game is slow and lazy. The fact that baseball is played during the summer months adds to the laziness of the game. There is a pitch and often, nothing happens. The batter could swing and miss, hit a foul ball or the umpire could call it a ball or a strike if he doesn't swing. No one will argue this fact as batting averages are never greater than 50%. Most of the time when a pitch is thrown, there isn’t going to be some action taking place on the field as a direct result of it and the time between pitches can be excruciating. The best part of a baseball game for me is being at the game. I find it very hard to watch a baseball game on television. When you are at the game, you are usually with friends in the stands and spend most of your time eating and drinking and enjoying your time together. The game tends to be more of a reason to get together than anything else.

I don’t like baseball and I don’t think that I will ever become a fan of it. When you add in the controversy over steroids during the past couple of years around baseball, it becomes even harder for me to follow the game. The thing that really ticks me off about baseball is how the whole country is so deeply involved in a game rather than some of the much more entertaining sports. I especially hate when the NBA season is nearing its end with the playoffs are about to begin and the NHL is also in the playoffs, how Sportscenter will come on and instead of reporting on the NBA or NHL, they report on spring training of baseball. Are you kidding me? Spring training isn't even equivalent to pre-season. They should change the name of Sportscenter to Gamecenter.