Paintball....a sport?

[xmagerman]

Hi,

I decided to post this thread due to the overwhelming amount of people at my high school saying that paintball is not a sport. I believe it is a sport and I would appreciate it if anyone could post why or why not you think paintball is or is not a sport.

thanks

[Fatjon]

lol i dont think you will get one no

[Aliens-8-MyDad]

my reasons are because,
you do physical activities,
there are tournaments
there are practices
and if golf is a sport then paintball sure as hell is...

[EsabaMag]

i believe it is both a game and a sport...to rec ballers, the lawyers and dr. and kids that go out once in a while its a game....but the hardcore players(everyone at AO) and others its more than a game it is a sport...its a sport beacuse you can play on a PROFESSIONAL team, its a sport b/c you win bragging rites at turneys, its a sport b/c like so many other sports, to us it is just simply a way of life

[FalconGuy016]

Its a sport because you can directly effect the other team to determine the winner

[darklord]

Sport:

-athletic ability required (be it through marksmanship and/or speed, agility, endurance)
-direct competition with other players
-tournaments, practices for tournaments
-world cup!!!!!!

like someone else said, if golf is a sport, then so is paintball.

[FeelTheRT]

Originally posted by xmagerman
I decided to post this thread due to the overwhelming amount of people at my high school saying that paintball is not a sport
because no one at your school has played paintball. they may have been to the field and rented a M98 or an Automag and played in the woods for a day. They've never played paintball as a sport or has even seen it on hyperball and air fields.

[Benfica4ever]

People say paintball is not a sport becuase they either never played, or they cant afford it, like me i cant afford it :(, but i still play

[ezrunner]

Paintball has several sides:

There is the commodity recreational activity that most people think about.

There is the Hobby / Lifestyle such as heavy rec and scenario players.

There is the sport that we seem to think of as speedball.

The players have a set of skills that must be learned and worked to perfection.

Every player can have a great skill set but there is a science to the offensive and defensive stragies involved.

There are many factors that affect the performance and lack there of from a team.

I've played several sports, and a few that aren't called sports by every one. Among these are competitve shooting and kayaking. Both are in the olympics, I've even raced at an event where Team USA showed up for the slalom event kayaking. :)

Paintball is definately a sport and the players can range in age and size because of the many ways in which it can be played. A team can determine victory by assessing the oponents and finding strentghs to counter and weaknesses to exploit.

That is why the youngest fastest don't always win. There is skill involved beyond the athleticism needed.

-rob
Clemson University Paintball Team #12

[Jðhñ]

According to the dictionary:

Sport
an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature.

Which means paintball is in essance, a sport. But, people will think what they want. :(

[rdb123]

Is cheerleading a sport?

[yeahthatsme]

if curling is a sport.....well i think you get it....

[Mega Man]

footBALL- sport
baseBALL- sport
basketBALL-sport
skateboarding- not sport
PaintBALL-sport

its got the word ball in it so it has to be a sport lol:D ;) :p

[rdb123]

Foozball

[-Carnifex-]

Speed ball is a sport.

Baseball is a game.

[tmnothing]

ok if nascar is considered a sport then there would be no doubt that paintball is a sport. nascar is all about who has the most money to build the best machine to do all the work. at least paintball has some physical, atheletic competition involved.

[Teen]

if table tennis is a sport or pool(thats like saying sitting on my arse and watching tv is a sport) then paintball is more than a sport. its a way of life:D

[Maglover2k]

yes, its an extreme sport, not a normal sport like tennis or golf. Paintball is a competitive, interesting, and EXPENSIVE sport with all the big tournaments and companies. Tell the people at your school that.

Everyone at my school knows of paintball, about 1-2 people per class out of about 60 classes consider it a sport.

[paint_munkey]

dictionary.com definition of sport:

"Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively."

it explains itself.
yes, pb is a sport.

[Peach]

Yeah.. Good thing I scrolled all the way down.. Saved me a trip to the book :-D . But yeah... Anyone that says paintball is not a sport can goto www.webster.com and satisfy all the requirements and more.

[bunkermaster10]

Paintball is of course is a sport. If The Winchester dog show is a sport then of course paintball is a sport. They show it on ESPN sometimes(dogshow).

[BobTheCow]

Teamwork is used to (as falconguy said) directly effect the outcome of the game, as well as the other team. Individuals' skills are refined by PRACTICING, there is COACHING and PRACTICING, there are major tournaments... it's a frickin sport.

[Hexis]

Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (http://www.m-w.com)

Main Entry: sport
Function: noun
Date: 15th century
1 a : a source of diversion : RECREATION b : sexual play c (1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure : a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in


I added the bolding.

That makes Paintball clearly a "sport" by Dictionary definition.

[shartley]

There are sports that don’t even fit into the definitions listed above…

Chess…. Teamwork? Physical Activity? ;)
Billiards….. Not the most physical sport in the world, is it? ;)
Darts….. As long as you can toss the dart… and that does not take much effort. ;)

And then you have sport shooting, hunting, etc.

Heck, the list goes on and on.

“Sport” can be any competition or test of just about ANY skill, be it mental or physical…. against an opponent OR alone. Now keep in mind that using THAT definition it could include activities that are NOT “sports” as well. LOL

Paintball has quite a number of attributes that qualify it as a sport no matter WHAT definition of “sport”, or criteria, you use.

I suggest that the next time someone wants to argue with you about whether Paintball is a “sport” or not… just tell them to PLAY IT. Who cares what they define it as….. just get them out on the field. Sport or not, they will have a great time. :D

Then when you walk off the field you can say... "Did you have a good time playing.. sport?" ;)

[Hexis]

Originally posted by shartley
Then when you walk off the field you can say... "Did you have a good time playing.. sport?" ;)

I love it. Well written.

[paint_munkey]

Originally posted by bunkermaster10
Paintball is of course is a sport. If The Winchester dog show is a sport then of course paintball is a sport. They show it on ESPN sometimes(dogshow).

lol. yeah, some of the stuff on espn could hardly pass for an activity.

[*captain_cox*37]

Look at all the sports in the world. Chicks claim that cheerleading is. But how can a sport be in a sport.:D You guys know what curling is? So stupid.

[BobTheCow]

yay for curling!! lol I remember watching that for like an hour at 2 o'clock in the morning during the last winter olympics... *sigh* yes, I'm pathetic...

And we have this same argument alllll the time at school about crew (rowing). In fact, I've found it harder to convince people that crew is sport, whereas a majority of people I talk to will eventually see paintball as a sport. Stupid ignorant people...

[Doug_7]

PB is definatly a sport. You get a workout from running around and it is a very physical game. For crist sake, some kids at my school think playing counter strike is a sport. (they are in the Counter strike "Porfessinal league").

[gamarada717]

Originally posted by shartley


“Sport” can be any competition or test of just about ANY skill, be it mental or physical…. against an opponent OR alone. Now keep in mind that using THAT definition it could include activities that are NOT “sports” as well. LOL

Paintball has quite a number of attributes that qualify it as a sport no matter WHAT definition of “sport”, or criteria, you use.


I totally agree. Right now we're doing a little "sport" and teamwork study in a health class. I was able to convince my coach that paintball was a sport, but then we had to classify it as a team sport or individual sport. No doubt, it's a team sport. Well, not to him. He said that paintball is just you and your "paintgun". Still mad about that....

[Cliffio]

a philosophy teacher of mine once said that the only true sports were in the essence of war. so paintball in terms of war these days, would be a sport since objects are shot at opponents.


Cliff

[ß.C.]

It's not an official sport. It's a hobby that people turned into a sport and are waiting for it to be official.

[Miscue]

People who say that don't appreciate the game for what it is... because they don't know.

Paintball is obviously a sport... running, diving, crawling, shooting... it can be hard work. Heck, I broke my femur playing this game. :)

Besides paintball... most people don't take table tennis seriously because they equate it to the garage game of "ping-pong." Believe it or not, weight training and aerobic exercise is an important part of high level play. Think of how much energy it takes to throw a brick over a 10 foot wall. Imagine doing this about once a second for extended periods. This is literally what kind of power and endurance is necessary for the sport.

The point is... people don't realize how difficult various sports can be... and have wrong notions about them. They just don't know, and do not have the ability to appreciate particular games as a "sport."

[p8ntballsnowman]

If nascar is a sport, then paintball is. Heck, in nascar, u turn the wheel left, and thats it, nothing more. Now woods ball, is technically a sport by the definition, but X ball really defines paintball as a sport.

[shartley]

Originally posted by p8ntballsnowman
If nascar is a sport, then paintball is. Heck, in nascar, u turn the wheel left, and thats it, nothing more.
No offense, but if you are going to compare things and make comments about things, know what you are talking about. Do you know the physical conditioning that goes into being a Nascar Driver? Do you know that driving a Nascar track is FAR from just turning the wheel? Do you know the heat and fatigue that is involved in Nascar racing? Oh the list goes on and on…..

Your comments about Nascar are as ignorant as those who think Paintball isn’t a sport. Don’t fight one ignorance with MORE ignorance… it doesn’t help the argument.

[*captain_cox*37]

Originally posted by gamarada717
No doubt, it's a team sport. Well, not to him. He said that paintball is just you and your "paintgun". Still mad about that....

Your coach doesn't know what he is talking about. How is it not a team sport. You work together with your team to accomplish a goal.

[Miscue]

Nascar racing is incredibly difficult.

[xmagerman]

Originally posted by Miscue
Nascar racing is incredibly difficult.

...so is knitting ...

[Cliffio]

Originally posted by xmagerman


...so is knitting ...


lol very true

[gamarada717]

Although I don't like nascar that much, and to me it is just turning the wheel, I suppose it could be difficult. Yeah, you would get hot and tired, but more than anything it's the car doing the work, right? So, what I'm saying is that nascar is an endurance test. Still a sport though.
"An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively." According to that, most things are a sport.

[Miscue]

Try Papyrus's Nascar Simulator. You're gonna finish DEAD last, if your car survives long enough to even finish the race. The real thing is probably way tougher than the most accurate simulator...

It's REALLY hard... it is amazing that they can keep control going so fast... and race each other on top of it all.