Is Snooker A Sport?
October 26, 2006
I had an argument at work, rather heated as it happened, about whether or not snooker was a sport.
I started it by saying that is wasn’t. It’s a game, it’s a discipline, it’s an endeavour – you can have all those, but a sport it ain’t.
My colleague was little short of shocked, to the point of being speechless for a short while before a conversation which went thus.
Him: “Course it’s a sport. How can you say that?”
Me: “It’s a pub game.”
Him: “No it’s not. It’s sponsored and it’s on telly and it has stars and legends.”
Me: “So does poker.”
Him: “Poker’s not a sport.”
Me: “No, you’re right, it’s not. I mean, it’s played it pubs on tables by people who aren’t athletes. Nothing like snooker.”
Him: “Snooker is a sport.”
Me: “No it’s not. It’s like saying darts is a sport.”
Him: “Darts is a fucking sport!”
I announced that I was going to take up the sport of making tea and would he like one, but he declined my well-meant offer.
Is snooker a sport?
Yes or no.
Winner stays on.
39 comments
Definitely no. In my opinion, the word “sport” conjures up images of exercise, sweaty bodies, rippling muscles, communal showers.
Snooker is not a sport. Nor is golf. Nor is croquet. Nor is shove ha’penny. And despite many reasonable arguments, I’d have to say that motor racing isn’t either.
To be a ’sport’, there needs to be both physical exertion and skill. Walking round a table and leaning over does not count as physical exertion. Snooker is not a sport. This is no criticism of snooker, which doesn’t need to pretend to be something it isn’t to retain its self-respect.
I’d say ‘no’ but look what wikipedia says: A sport is an activity requiring physical ability, physical fitness or physical skill which usually, but not always, involves competition between two or more people. – so in their definition it is. Then so is conkers.
Sounds like sex is a sport too. Or dating.
I have never been able to decide if NASCAR was a sport, since its competitions are , basically, ‘how much performance can we get out of this motor?’, ‘How much performance can we get out of this body/apron/spoiler/airfoil?’ and ‘How well can our driver turn left?’ Or is it right? I forget. Anyway, I don’t consider it a sport like football or baseball or even hockey.
I think Snooker, billiards, pool, darts, and poker all have one thing in common- you can drink while you do it. If you can drink while you’re participating, can it really be a sport? Of course, where does this leave golf?
How about this definition, from this page:
“Sport” means all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels.”
A superb example of a physical activity which, through casual participation, aims at forming social relationships, is going to the pub.
Who fancies joining me for some training?
Sport, to me, is about competition. Regardless of physical, or mental, exertion.
Great, I’ve already argued myself out of my opening statement… crosswords are ’sport’ are they? You muppet…
Sport I know not so I’m gonna be a bad sport and keep out of the debate but commend you on your rather funny and interesting blog! Ciao!
http://islandphilosophy.blogspot.com
Woohoo! In your face colleague!
Snooker is not a sport. Thanks for all your comments, and greetings to new posters z and James.
Can I interest either of you in a This Is This loyalty card?
You collect This Is Points for every comment you post which can be exchanged at many other leading web”blog”logs for trickets and such. Your home may be at risk.
More evidence: in this interesting article, Scrabble is referred to as a sport.
HEY!! I don’t have a This is Points Card!
( You’d go broke ! )
Ed, our records show that you’re a Platinum member. This means you earn double points and are entitled to leave comments on exclusive bonanza message days.
Your card must be in the post. I will contact our service department. Just putting you through now.
(Click.)
Snooker is not a sport.
I hope that clarifies things for everyone.
You don’t wear a dickie bow to play sports. Everyone knows that.
Agreed. However, dickie bow could be considered a sport.
CLIFF ! ! ! ! ! ! Snooker is a sport !! it falls under the catergory of “cue-sport” a sport is sumthing that is physically and mentally challenging. How many of u have actually tried to bend down on at a table and keep ur arm absoulutly straight in frame of snooker?, not many obviously!!! i play snooker and i play football and comparing the two the physically its not as different as you make it out to be. AND why have numerous snooker players been nominated for SPORTS personality of the year? !! exactly !
hrmph.
do i make my point, this subject is quite difficult cuz as it happens im still arguing this with a collegue at college ! i genuinly believe its a sport !!
Hey Jamie – it’s good that you do make a point. I guess to jury’s out.
In my opinon snooker and darts are both sports, this is because they can be seen as a tean game as well as a pulse raiser. there are competions for theses SPORTS as well as leagues and tables. in all both of these can be seen as both pub game and sport, it is down to the individual to choose on which they like to refer it.
me though its a sport!
IMHO, snooker is a sport. Why?
If snooker is not a sport, there wouldn’t be international snooker competitions held where international players from different countries fight it out to be the ultimate champion.
And snooker involves mental and physial ability…
My 2 cents
-Howard
Snooker is a fucking sport you twats!!
I am doing a presentation at college on snooker and we had a debate about this. Reading some of these blog are crazy. Above there are blogs saying that for something to be a sport there must be physical exertion and skill. Well who would like to say that that skill is not required? Have any of you played snooker for a long period of time? i play alot and i can asure you that after 5/6 hours of snooker i feel tired and my legs start to ache. And i am a fit young lad. Yes it does not require the same level of fitness of that of football or rugby but still a degree of fitness is needed. However, it does also require alot of mental exertion, in which without training and a degree of natural skill a player would not be successful. Snooker is a sport, it is a cue sport.
Grocery shopping is also a sport. I am not good at it, but others are. Grocery shopping is a sport, it is a trolley sport.
What difference does it make?
To quote Pete above:
‘Definitely no. In my opinion, the word “sport” conjures up images of exercise, sweaty bodies, rippling muscles, communal showers.’
Sounds pretty gay to me mate.
Snooker’s a sport, end of
Snooker in the 70s and 80s was a game that the professionals came in with pints of beer and vodka and packets of cigarettes. Now if anyone can name a sport that has its competitors running around a track with a beer in there hand and a cig in there mouth let me know. And these were the top of their game. Look at Bill Werbeniuk renound for drinking. Kirk Stevens was coked up to the eyeballs and there was more than those. Players dont get dope tested now for preformance enhancing drugs. Snooker is not a sport
Two years on and we’re still arguing? Who’s round is it?
Playing Snooker is as much a sport as playing cards. Now, if poker or Canasta or Pinochle or Bridge or Go Fish is a sport, then Snooker is a sport. Otherwise, no can do.
Strawberry shortcake,. please. And a Pulley-Puller.
From Wikipedia:
“Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing).”
Snooker clearly fits into that so it’s a sport! Physical here doesn’t necessarily mean ‘completely knackering’, just that there are phsyical capabilities involved ie skill, rather than games like poker or chess where there is no physical skill, only mental skill.
Then drinking is also a sport.
Thanks for the comment Matt – Proper reserach, but I don’t think we’re ever going to agree.
No, most definitely not!
I’ve just commented on a friends email on this subject:
D: Thursday’s is sport night mate. Snooker…
L: Sport might be stretching it a tad don’t you think?
Now I used to play snooker a lot so I’m not exactly anti snooker.
It’s a game not a sport. The game definition covers all your points re competition, rules, matches etc
Many of the comments above supporting snooker as a sport (as Cliffe has pointed out) can be applied to anything, eg it’s tiring etc etc.
Playing poker till 3am is very tiring, it’s not a sport.
Pulling your pud on a sunday morning before the missus catches you is physical and against the clock, its not a sport.
You’ll find many of the root level snooker players (ie not on the telly) play in games leagues – working mens clubs, pubs, cricket clubs, etc etc. Darts, Dominoes, Cards, Snooker – Games Leagues.
Oh and Wiki is not a definitive definition of anything, its made up by people on the web and is often complete bollox
Now then
The New Oxford English Dictionary (somewhat more trustworthy) defines snooker as:
a game played with cues on a billiard table in which the players use a cue ball to pocket other balls in a set order.
Everybody keeps quoting Wikipedia. That’s like quoting “this guy I met in the pub who’s really good at the quiz on a Friday night”.
Wikipedia is not definitive, as anyone who has tried to edit an incorrect entry about them self has found out, it’s elitist and edited almost entirely by a small club of school nerds.
Snooker IS a sport and that’s the end of it. Ray Reardon says so!
Sport by definition is an act of physical exertion and competion. Keyword is and. All who say have you ever tried playing snooker for 5-6 hours are being desperate. If you watch snooker on tv they sit down between shots. So don’t be so bloody rediculous to say that it’s physically exerting.
If you wish snooker to be a sport then by all rights you would have to put games like poker in the same category. I think we can all agree poker isn’t a sport yet it carries the same sort of mathmatical skill that snooker does Angles and odds. Ok that’s loosely interpreted but no one can disagree that they both require skill but no true act of exertion is commited. And by definition that’s unquestionably what sport is.
I’m sorry for those that wish snooker to be classed as a sport but by using the definition of sport it’s clear it cannot be.
Arguements for darts however could be a bit harder to deal with if you are areguing against it. You do have to remain standing at competition level and whilst standing you do have to have the skill to remain concerntrated. I can only feel this arguement is let down by the fat content some of the “professional” players have consumed lol.
I’d say Yes as snooker is a sport, but is put in catergorization as a Cue Sport.
A Sport is defined as being a game of skill where movment of the body is surpassed by more than just the hand.
Monopoly for example, requires a player to be sat on a chair at a table. As does any board game.
Snooker, however, requires walking around the table and variable movement of the arm and hand.
Snooker is a sport, as is darts, by definition.
It is not a sport, it is a recreation or activity. Very unfit people, and people with severe heart conditions can easily play this game. Is there any other sport (apart from darts, scrabble and poker) that these people can easily participate in? Please note the use of the word “easily”. The player’s fitness does not significantly improve as a result of playing this game. The player does not sweat more, except through nervousness.
Just because it is in Wikipedia does not make it real. Anyone can change the entries.
The corruption of the English language continues unabated.
Is changing Wikipedia a sport?
Stupid wankers who have never re4ad a dictionary call it as sport.
Clever tossers who have read a dictionary and know it’s not a sport but wish it were call it a cue-sport.
Stupid or clever they are both tossers.
@Liam
You dope, if snooker is a sport then so is reading and board games as you have to get up and walk to the book shop or library to buy a book.
That is the most ridiculous explanation of why snooker is a sport.
I play golf, and I’m in two minds whether it is a sport or not.
Walking is considered a sport (which I agree, as running is a sport, thus walking being a slower version) and you walk in golf bar the case where there are golf carts.
Its a difficult one.
Snooker no way
@Dan
6 hours of swinging in a chair is tiresome, so according to your theory that is also a sport.
After reading the thoughts and opinions of people on this blog I consider myself to be very active in sport.
Leave a comment. Play nice. I will turn this blog around.