Andrew Delaware, left, and Nathan Doidge.
While covering the recent World Outgames in Copenhagen, I watched a bit of the synchronized swimming event (which had one of the better crowds of the week) and then had an engaging conversation with Canadian synchro swimmer Andrew Delaware.
Delaware, along with synchro partner Nathan Doidge, won a bronze medal in duo synchro in Copenhagen and was very passionate in standing up for his sport that is perhaps best known for the classic “SNL” skit starring Martin Short and Christpher Guest. As impressed as I was with Delaware, though, I remain dubious that synchro is a sport.
There is no doubt that performing synchronized swimming takes skill and athleticism. Delaware credits his time playing water polo with strengthening his arms to be able to perform high lifts. And I agree that the Olympics are discriminating against men by making synchro a female-only event. But a sport? I think of it more as a performance.
The dictionary definition of “sport” (”an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature”) is so broad that it can cover everything from basketball to chess, so we are left to our own judgment. Maybe it’s the artistic nature of synchro, where competitors are judged on their choreography, that throws me. I just can’t seem to wrap my arms around it as an athletic competition. Performers in Cirque du Soleil are also very athletic and skilled, but no one considers what they do to be a sport. But then again, I don’t consider golfers to be athletes, so my definitions are likely more narrow than most people.
What do you think — Is synchronized swimming a sport? And what, in general, is your definition of a sport?
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 5:17 am
Yes, “sport” as defined by the dictionary leaves a lot of “sports” in that gray area. Auto racing, figure skating, hunting, golf, and many other similar “sports” fall into that gray area. The real question is whether they are worthy of being Olympic-style competitive events. If the IOC supports women’s synchro swimming as an Olympic event, then men’s synchro swimming should also be an Olympic event.
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 7:33 am
it’s as much of sport as figure skating or it’s ugly cousin ice dancing. Any ’sport’ where you score includes ‘artistic’ elements has serious problems in my opinion.
Of course ice skating brings in huge ratings so it isn’t going anywhere.
and since I am kind of on the topic, what is up with womens gymnastics? Any sport where you ‘peak’ pre puberty also has serious problems.
Of course there is a lot of old school sexism and homophobia at play with a lot of this, women swimming together in a pool is a sport but for men there has to be a bunch of punching and kicking involved, aka water polo? lame.
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 8:54 am
There are two different issues here. First, the meaning of sports as it relates to athleticism. The second issue is determining which events should or should not be competitive sporting events.
The term ’sports’ has changed significantly over the years. There was a time when ’sports’ for most people meant football, basketball and baseball. In those times ’sports’ was equivalent to ‘athletic competition’.
Today ’sports’, at least as defined by ESPN, includes auto racing, golf, pool/billiards. I agree with Jim - these events are not ‘athletic events’. While I’ll admit that many golfers or auto racers my be very good athletes, it is not necessary for them to be great athletes in order to compete at the top of their ’sport’.
For those golfers out there that want to start the argument that golf is an athletic event/competition, please remember that earlier this year a 59 year old man with a hip replacement (Tom Watson) led one of golf’s four major touraments with only one hole to play. By definition, it’s not an ATHLETIC competition if that can happen. It’s a SKILLS competition - much closer to billiards than real athletic competitions like basketball and football.
The original topic was whether synchronized swimming should be considered a sport. In general, any event where judges determine the winner is not a valid sport or competitive event.
While many of these disciplines require tremendous athletic ability (Gymnastics, Diving, Figure Skating, etc.) they’re more ‘art’ than ’sport’. I’ve always found it patently ridiculous that a panel of judges determines who flipped and twisted better in order to award a gold medal. Again, it’s more ‘art’ like dance than sports.
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 11:31 am
Too many medals, now too many sports?
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
I don’t see why it wouldn’t be a sport. Heck, it’s more strenuous than playing baseball!
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I think a lot of people have difficulty with competitions that come down to subjective judgment of judges (and by a lot I mean me) … of course referees/umpires/line judges/etc can be a significant factor in the outcome of team sports even when there is an objective score.
didn’t this argument come up when sport illustrated named Lance Armstrong Athlete of the Year or something and there were all these people who complained that Cycling wasn’t a “real” sport.
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 1:51 pm
“Sports” are not restricted to the traditional gym class activities that require racing, throwing, punching, hitting, and playing with balls. Activities that require athleticism coupled with artistry certainly qualify as sports in my opinion. Do you agree that diving is a sport? It’s scored based on artistry, technique, execution. It’s not a race. No balls are thrown. How about synchronized diving? Gymnastics? Rythmic gymnastics? Figure skating? Ice dancing? These are all sports that require a great deal of athelticism as well as technical precision and artistry. To me, they require a lot more skill and athleticism than hurling a ball, tackling someone or riding a bobsled. Is archery a sport? Ping pong? Equestrian? Walking? These Olympic “sports” require far less athletic prowess than does synchronized swimming. It’s a very narrow view of sports that only encompasses ball games, fights and races.
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I wouldn’t call chess “athletic”. Golf, either, for that matter.
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 4:17 pm
Based on some of the replies could one argue that any sport that has a person who calls balls and strikes be considered a sport since it deals with someone making objective calls? And look at all the time people are just standing around waiting for the ball to be hit to them or sitting around waiting to bat. Therefore is baseball a sport? I don’t think it even matters. And who would be foolish enough to say it isn’t. Figure skating is definately a sport because of the athletic ability required (except ice dancing). Just because you have a judge or umpire doesn’t make it not a sport. This isn’t American Idol. There are some marginal sports like archery, golf, horse racing, auto racing, bowling, ect. If it is a skill and it requires physical ability then it is a sport. But then you get into the whole discussion of ballroom dancing.
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
My favorite qualifier is something I heard years ago: If you can smoke and drink while doing it, it’s not a sport.
And the darts, bridge and bowling people HATE that line!!
on Aug 11th, 2009 at 9:47 pm
To badlydrawnbear:
Your statement about gymnastics is no longer correct. Most female gymnasts peak around age 16-18 now, well into puberty.
Just saying.
on Aug 12th, 2009 at 8:55 am
@D … LOL, I stand corrected.
to discussion at large, this thread reminds me of the discussions we used to have around the theatre department in college ‘what is art?’ ’should it be the writer’s vision or the director’s?’ ‘can you actually teach acting or is it just a skill that you can refine?’
obviously many of the sports mentioned require incredible amounts of athleticism, skill, precision, timing, etc. But is it synchronized swimming a sport or just people dancing in the water instead of on a stage? Is ice dancing a sport or is it art or is it both?
Putting on a Broadway musical 6 days a week 8 times a week requires a team of people to perform with tremendous skill, precision, timing, stamina and often a large degree of athleticism (you try singing at the top of your lungs and dancing your heart out at the same time) and they are judged by critics and audience alike. But is a musical a sport or is it art? Does performing in Cirque Du Soleil make you an athlete or an artist? If two glass blowers try and create the exact same vase at the exact same time as quickly as possible and the resulting vase judged by a panel a sport?
Basically it comes down to the old saying about pornography, you can’t define what pornography is but you know it when you see it.
on Aug 12th, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Competitive eaters call what they do a “sport” and they call themselves “athletes.”
http://www.ifoce.com/about.php
on Aug 13th, 2009 at 6:47 am
Synchronized swimming is not a sport, sure it takes a great deal of physical ability, but so does ballet. I agree with the other posters, if it takes a panel of judges to decide the winner, it is probably not a sport.
on Aug 16th, 2009 at 2:23 am
Todd: One word for you. Boxing.
on Aug 18th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
There are many sports where judges decide on a winner so that is not a valid discriminator of whether a sport is a sport. If athletic perfection cannot be judged just using a clock or measuring tape, it just means it is more complex. I like complexity. In events such as diving, gymnastics, synchro and figure skating each element has degrees of perfection and precision which can be judged more or less objectively. The other issue is aesthetics. I don’t think athleticism and aesthetics need to be separated. What would be wrong if Ballet was a competitive event? It is every bit as demanding in strength and skill as any other sport. If sports must not have any aesthetic element, it would be pretty boring in my opinion.