Do you think bowling is a sport or an entertainment activity?
 

I relate to bowling more as an energetic engaging sporting activity; its entertaining because watching myself improve my game is a huge motivator & good fun :-) but had this conversation with one of my friend & still we have not reached at any answer, what you guys have to say?

It can be either, depending on whether you bowl for amusement, or bowl competitively. Competitively doesn't necessarily mean pro, there are lots of people that bowl on league teams, strictly amateur, but seriously compete.

Softball, golf, swimming, bicycle riding, etc, are the same, in that some do it just for entertainment, and some compete at it.

neither.

Aw casi, you know you bowl over the boys, for sport. ;)

I bowl for dollars.

Bruce, I was all ready to jump up and down and pontificate loudly, but illogically at high volume saying BOWLING IS A WANK, but you've completed disarmed me.

It's a game.

My personal reasoning on this has been:

To be a sport, it has to involve two elements:

1. Athletic skill
2. Competition against another person to achieve an objectively measurable goal

Therefore, bowling is a sport to me. Gymnastics and figure skating are not: there is competition, but the competition is decided by the subjective judgement of a third party.

At this point I'm sure somebody is saying, "What about football? It's got referees! Does that mean you think football isn't a sport?" Not at all. There are objective standards for deciding the game. Did the football cross the plane of the goal line? Did the player put his foot down out of bounds? These are specific standards. The refs are there to rule on whether the standards have been met, not to pass aesthetic judgment on how well they are met. It's entirely conceivable to imagine a football game with no referees where the teams make their own calls.

Sure, bowling is a sport: just like soccer is.

:bolt:

I think it's a sport if you treat it as such. I don't bowl myself, but I see bowling sometimes on tv and those people are serious!

I'd like to add that you have to get out of breath at some points. So bowling is a sport to some people, but not most.
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That would rule out Olympic ski jumping. There is an increase in heart rate as they go down the jump, because they are excited, but they aren't panting and gasping for breath. Is Olympic ski jumping not a sport?

Yes, unless you're from Jamaica, then it's entertainment.

It's not a sport unless there is widespread gambling

That is astute. It means the game is of enough interest to have spectators, and that the outcome cannot reliably be known before the event.