I’d ask of Brown if Littler trades in his ham and egg omelettes for meals prepared by a sports nutritionist and replaces his X Box for a rowing machine would darts become a sport? And if not a sport, what is it? A pastime? That seems both insulting and inadequate to say that for a pursuit that has millions of TV viewers, hundreds of full time professionals (by contrast how many UK bobsleighers are there?) and a £500,000 purse to the World Champion.
Which all begs the question, is fly fishing a sport? Turning to the dictionary for a quick fix definition as an answer will only take you so far. Most dictionaries seem to agree on some sort of physical activity being required but nobody defines a minimum measure of such activity. The concept that a 'sport' should be regulated by a set of rules and competitive is relatively modern; in the 1800's shooting and fishing were regarded as field 'sports' hence the ‘modern use’ reference in the Oxford English Dictionary that defines sport as, ‘An activity involving physical exertion and skill, esp. (particularly in modern use) one regulated a by set of rules or customs in which an individual or team competes against another or others.’
But more recently the definition has been loosened elsewhere, to ‘include all forms of physical activity which, through casual or organised participation, aimed at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental wellbeing, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels.’
So, is fly fishing a sport? I think so. It has structure. It has a loose collection of rules or, if you prefer, customs. It elevates and challenges. It defines lives and relationships. It might not be competitive in the traditional scoreboard sense but it does pit man against the fickleness of Mother Nature and her inhabitants.
But most of all, as the famous golfer Bobby Jones said, ‘Competitive sports are played mainly on a five-and-a-half inch court, the space between your ears.’ |
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