Originally Posted by
burnthesheep
The OP's lead in used the word "sport". Sport implies competition. Not commuting to work. Not the group ride. That's transportation or fitness. Not sport.
I don't know quite why, but I am unsettled a bit by how readily some folks call an activity a sport. My motorcycling friends often call motorcycling a sport. My kayak fishing friends often call kayak fishing a sport. My friends who shoot guns and hunt call that a sport. I wonder if 80 year old mall walkers consider that a sport. I'd accept that if they were knocking the snot out of each other trying to get to Macy's first.
While there must be a competitive element for me to consider an activity a sport, that alone doesn't take an activity to the level of a sport. 1/4 mile drag racing is a competitive activity, but not a sport in my view. Fishing tournaments are a competitive activity. If that is a sport, then these are athletes.
It must be a competitive activity involving 2 or more people (see what I did there Strava stars) in which some combination of strength, speed, agility and stamina are required to win.
*please don't take this post overly seriously.