[Discussion] Is speedcubing a sport?

[waffle=ijm]

Its a hobby.
you dont exactly sweat while you cube.

I do.

 

[Googlrr]

I consider it a sport. It is a very low-level one, and barely above a hobby but it is still a sport.
The reason i say this is because there is a definite win-lose factor (unless you tie). You are not relying on people's opinions for your scores, and in my opinion, that makes it a sport. I consider a sport to be something that you can compete against others in and there can be a definite win-loss based on a solid fact. I would consider cheerleading, for example, to be a recreational activity, because scoring (to my knowledge) would be based on the opinion of a judge. Like it or not, this is why i think cubing is a sport.

To me, this makes a lot of sense, to a certain degree I agree. I do however consider Cheerleading somewhat of a sport, more so than cubing anyway. But that's a different story.


Cubing I wouldn't consider a sport. It's just a competitive hobby, more or less a game. I mean if someone asked me if I play sports, I wouldn't say I cube daily. That's silly. If I have to explain and convince someone that what I'm doing is a sport, then it's probably not a very good sport.

 

[SuperNerd]

I would barely consider cubing a sport. For the most part, I think that it is a hobby. However, if you cube too much, then you can get RSI or CTS, which means that you can physically strain yourself while cubing, but that is if you cube in such a way that turning is akward, and you cube like that for a long time.

Cubing is recreational.

 

[Chapuunka]

I consider it a sport. It is a very low-level one, and barely above a hobby but it is still a sport.
The reason i say this is because there is a definite win-lose factor (unless you tie). You are not relying on people's opinions for your scores, and in my opinion, that makes it a sport. I consider a sport to be something that you can compete against others in and there can be a definite win-loss based on a solid fact. I would consider cheerleading, for example, to be a recreational activity, because scoring (to my knowledge) would be based on the opinion of a judge. Like it or not, this is why i think cubing is a sport.

So you're saying something like gymnastics isn't a sport? Have you seen it, been a part of it?

I mean if someone asked me if I play sports, I wouldn't say I cube daily. That's silly. If I have to explain and convince someone that what I'm doing is a sport, then it's probably not a very good sport.

This.

 

[cincyaviation]

I consider it a sport. It is a very low-level one, and barely above a hobby but it is still a sport.
The reason i say this is because there is a definite win-lose factor (unless you tie). You are not relying on people's opinions for your scores, and in my opinion, that makes it a sport. I consider a sport to be something that you can compete against others in and there can be a definite win-loss based on a solid fact. I would consider cheerleading, for example, to be a recreational activity, because scoring (to my knowledge) would be based on the opinion of a judge. Like it or not, this is why i think cubing is a sport.

So you're saying something like gymnastics isn't a sport? Have you seen it, been a part of it?

i thought about that just before i posted that, i definitely consider gymnastics a sport, but that means i just contradicted myself, i'm really not sure where my opinion should be on this one

 

[Johannes91]

The question would make a lot more sense as "Sport or not?", although some posters in this thread do seem to consider hobby vs. sport a dichotomy. Go figure.

There have been a couple of threads about sport-or-not and one even had a poll.

 

[vgbjason]

I think it depends on what you cube for. If you cube to occupy your time, it's a hobby. If you cube to get better and perform in competition, it's a sport.

Hobby for me.

 

[Dene]

As far as the "it can be a sport and a hobby" comments are concerned, I think the intention of the original poll was to say "does it count as a sport, or simply as a hobby". Or otherwise as Johannes91 suggests, "sport or not" would be a better way to put it.

Personally I think cubing is a sport when at a competition (WCA or otherwise). When at home you might say "I'm practising my sport" but that would be like saying soccer practise is a sport, which it is not, it is practise for a sport. So: yes cubing is a sport at the competition level. If you just cube at home then it is a hobby.

 

[Innocence]

I consider it a sport. It is a very low-level one, and barely above a hobby but it is still a sport.
The reason i say this is because there is a definite win-lose factor (unless you tie). You are not relying on people's opinions for your scores, and in my opinion, that makes it a sport. I consider a sport to be something that you can compete against others in and there can be a definite win-loss based on a solid fact. I would consider cheerleading, for example, to be a recreational activity, because scoring (to my knowledge) would be based on the opinion of a judge. Like it or not, this is why i think cubing is a sport.

So you're saying something like gymnastics isn't a sport? Have you seen it, been a part of it?

i thought about that just before i posted that, i definitely consider gymnastics a sport, but that means i just contradicted myself, i'm really not sure where my opinion should be on this one

You don't need to contradict yourself at all. As far as MAG is concerned:

We are scored out of an arbitrary figure based on the difficulty of the skills in the routine. Fair so far? If your toes are not pointed to a certain degree, you lose some points. (Usually between 0.1 and 0.5.) same goes for bent legs, and poor shape. You fall off completely, 0.8. Fall on to the apparatus without touching the ground, 0.5. And so on, there's almost no opinion in it. The same judges judge everyone, so it's completely fair, bar corruption etc, which isn't the sport's fault.

By the way, I do think cubing is a sport, at a competitive level. There's another number for you.

 

[hyunchoi98]

Of course it's a sport.
You practice and you become better at it and compete.
Sports are like that too.

 

[Tim Major]

It's a sport for geeks with no lives.

 

[Bayamo Penguin]

Like most any "sport", there are those who do it for "fun" or recreation on their free time, and there are those who dedicate themselves full time to it..

 

[gavnasty]

Someone needs to come up with a term that will define activities that are not traditionally sports."Sports" that involve no legitimate physical action, but do have a strong competitive aspect. Things like cubing, poker (it's on ESPN), or esports (like StarCraft). Their only relation to sports is the competitiveness.

To answer the question, I'd say cubing is a hobby that I compete at occassionally.

 

[JTW2007]

Agreed with Kirjava.

 

[cuberkid10]

It is a sport. Although it may not be as well known as more popular sports such as football, it still involves movement of the hand, and can even cause some to break a sweat!

 

[Hiero]

I would compare it to archery or rifle marksmanship. You might want to research what makes these two a sport. I think under similar grounds cubing could be considered a sport.

 

[RubiksDude]

It's both, of course. Just like any other sport.

I think the same thing.

 

[goatseforever]

Hi

 

[Forte]

Speedsolving is an ILLEGAL DRINKING GAME.
Fewest moves is an EVENT.

Thank you for the clarification, goatseforever.

 

[lilkdub503]

This is not a sport AT ALL. It's simply a hobby. I do it in my spare time, it saps my energy and money, I will not have a chance at getting money for college for cubing. Or money in life. You can be obese and be a cuber, you can't golf or play baseball and be obese.