Poker IS a sport!

[jay1313]

My friends and I have had similar debates on what is a sport. FWIW we were more broad in our definition of sports allowing for mental and physical activity. But we agreed that if you can objectively time it, measure it, or score it. It qualifies as a sport. Therefore, anything which has judges is not a sport, it is a competition.

Although you can argue referees and umpires can affect the outcome of a sport, it is not their main purpose, and you could still have the event without referees and umpires.

As an example, you can have a pick up game of baseball, basketball, chess, poker, chess etc. But you cannot get a group of folks together to have a pickup game of figure skating, synchronized swimming, or marching band.

Obviously many competitions require a great deal of physical and mental training and practice but your skill does not determine the outcome. The opinion of the judges do.

Just the thought of some people with too much time on their hands and not enough physical or mental ability to rise to high levels of physical or mental performance.