| Is bodybuilding a sport? Every so often I see an | | | | definition, there has to be skill, there has to be |
| argument on a forum or a comment on a blog where | | | | athleticism." But who gets to decide the definition of skill |
| some critic claims that bodybuilding is not a real sport. | | | | or athleticism? The Olympic committee? High schools |
| Not only that, more often than not, there is usually | | | | and universities? Some all-wise, all-knowing authority? |
| some derogatory comment along the lines of, "Oily | | | | Who gets to decide? Why don't we just decide for |
| men in Speedos a sport? Come on!" In a recent | | | | ourselves and call it whatever we want to call it. |
| interview on the Fitcast show, I was asked this | | | | I think that some people would argue against |
| question and I gave a (mostly) serious answer. | | | | bodybuilding being a sport because they say the |
| QUESTION: Tom, there have actually been some | | | | judging is too subjective. For sure there is a degree of |
| debates on the forums about whether body building is | | | | subjectivity but in bodybuilding the criteria for scoring |
| even a sport at all. What's your response to the | | | | are very clear. It's not vague like some people think it is, |
| people who say it's really not a sport? | | | | the criteria are very specific and easy for a |
| ANSWER: I guess it depends on your definition of a | | | | professional to judge just by looking at the physique. |
| sport. I know some people who say poker is a sport. I | | | | Sometimes the decision is close, but how is that so |
| would call Poker a game, but hey, if you want to call it | | | | different from something like diving or gymnastics? |
| a sport if you're a poker fan, more power to you. It's | | | | There's a panel of judges watching a diver dive or a |
| just a label. | | | | gymnast do a floor exercise and you look at the |
| Depending on your definition, bodybuilding may or may | | | | scoreboard and you see all the judges don't give the |
| not be a sport. So call it a competition if you prefer, | | | | same score do they? If the criteria for winning are cut |
| because I don't think anybody can argue with that. In | | | | and dried why don't all the judges give the same |
| fact a lot of us in bodybuilding use that phrase, | | | | score? So there's subjectivity in those kinds of sports |
| "bodybuilding competition" a lot more often than we | | | | too. |
| say the sport of bodybuilding. | | | | I think it's a silly debate and I don't think the debate will |
| I call it a sport, because to me it's my sport and I think | | | | never end. I consider bodybuilding to be a competition |
| that if something has a physical component and there's | | | | AND I consider it a sport. Beyond that, I consider |
| competition involved, then it's a sport. Bodybuilding has | | | | bodybuilding an art. And it's an art in more than one |
| that. | | | | sense of the word - because the process is an art |
| Some people say, "That's not a broad enough | | | | and end result is art too. |