According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a sport is defined as: “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” A loose term like this can easily be interpreted differently, leading to many insecurities and discrepancies between different sports and activities. This can cause favoritism where biases are formed. Finding a definition can help motivate and create a path for aspiring athletes, giving them a blueprint of what is expected. When applying this definition, a few examples of a sport could be basketball, football, color guard, wrestling, track, or show choir. 

     Rylee Quaid, sophomore, has loved dancing since she was little; she participates in show choir and color guard. She is involved in these activities mainly for the fun experience of meeting new people and as a way to challenge herself. Quaid believes they both should be considered a sport. She said, “We’re moving a lot, we’re a team, we compete, and we follow rules.”  To her, an athlete is someone who is involved in an activity that requires physical and mental abilities. She feels that some activities, such as football or basketball, are favored compared to color guard. Quaid thinks that people’s opinions are biased when they find out she participates in color guard.

     Grayson Kirsch, senior, has participated in basketball and baseball for all four years of high school. He uses them as a tool to improve his athleticism, compete at a high level, and spend time with friends. He believes that for something to be a sport, it has to involve the overall goal of winning and physical activity; he views the activities he is involved in as meeting that guideline. Kirsch sees some favoritism between some activities. He said, “I believe many of the less well-known sports like soccer and baseball get overlooked by the more popular sports like football and basketball.” Kirsch believes that to be an athlete, exercise needs to be involved. He said, “An athlete is someone who is in something with physical activity and can show their skills in their given activity.”

     Overall, defining what constitutes something as a sport is a question that doesn’t contain a right or wrong answer. They are all about connecting with other people and working together to reach a defined goal. Engaging in activities can be very beneficial because it can be turned into whatever one wants to make it. Beyond the proper definition of a sport, people seem to have created their own perception of what makes an activity qualify as one.