The Definition of Sports

Sports (or sports) consists of various types of mostly competitive physical activity that, through organised or casual participation, attempt to utilize, enhance or develop specific physical abilities and skills for the purpose of providing entertainment, and sometimes, spectators, while also providing opportunities to socialize and meet other participants. In most societies, sports have played a pivotal role in their growth and development. Today, sports are not just physical activities but include all types of competitions, events and activities such as hiking, diving, camping, horseback riding, tennis, golf, soccer, softball, cricket, basketball and track and field. Professional sport involves physical contact with the ball or with another player where the winner is the one who crosses the line first or scores the most goals. However, there are a number of games that involve non-physical contact with a ball, such as swimming, cycling, sailing, bungee jumping.

The definition of a sport can depend on the type of competition involved. A competition refers to a situation in which two competitors (usually of different sexes) attempt to achieve an objective, whether this is the completion of a particular task or the generation of a specific number of meters. The object of the game may be to be the first or the fastest; to complete a task within the defined period of time; or to reach a particular physical goal. Competitions may take place in racing, in climbing, in gymnastics, in weightlifting, or any other type of physical activity. However, some sports refer to activities like athletics, which involves a team sport where players compete to win and, at the same time, do their best to prevent other teams from scoring more points than they do.

A sport can be a competitive or a non-competitive physical activity, but it usually involves skill. For instance, throwing a football requires both physical strength and coordination, whereas sprinting requires speed, balance, strength, flexibility and stamina. Professional sport refers to any kind of physical activity that is undertaken professionally by athletes in a defined competition held by a governing body such as the I.O.C. Some of the most popular sports in the world are tennis, badminton, swimming, field hockey, badminton, hockey, cricket, rugby, horse racing, polo, golf and racing. There are many other sports such as sailing, canoeing, wind surfing, snorkeling, kayaking, paragliding, bungee jumping, skiing, wakeboarding, surfing, inline skating, surfing, roller coaster rides, indoor cycling events, kiteboarding, skateboarding, wakeboarding, mountain climbing, beach volleyball, motor racing and windsurfing.