By Michael Schrader
“How do they even consider it a sport?” he said, flailing his arms up in disgust.
This is a scene that has become too common here at Marian. Students ask each other how cross-country or bowling or bass fishing can be considered a sport and why the athletes receive scholarships.
However, students ask these questions in the wrong ways.
Students at any university shouldn’t question whether or not cross-country, bowling, or even bass fishing can be considered sports, but we should accept that they are sports and cheer on all student athletes.
Now, the good old dictionary defines a sport as an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
But questionable sports are just as much a sport as unquestioned athletics, such as baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, track and field, tennis and volleyball.
While many view bowling as not being a sport but rather a recreational activity on Friday nights at the local ally, it does require recognition.
There is a physically demanding aspect to the game. It’s not easy to keep the same consistency when throwing a twelve to fifteen pound ball down the lane for ten frames in a match.
Bowling is just as mentally straining as it is physically. As in any sport, when a bowler misses their shot, they have to not allow their poor shot to affect their mentality ruining the match. Further, the bowler has to recognize and adapt to the different oil patterns that are laid down.
Cross-country fits these criteria, too.
It’s ignorant to say that cross-country is not physically demanding. To run at a constant pace for five kilometers (eight miles) requires a strength and endurance absent in most other sports.
There is a mental aspect to it as well. When athletes’ bodies begin to wear down around the seventh mile, their minds have to forget about limits and tell the body to continue pushing forward.
Bass fishing was newly added as a club at Marian. However, it deserves recognition as a sport as well.
Bass fishing is both physically and mentally demanding. Continuously trying to reel in fish that is still alive and fighting against you can wear on your muscles, not to mention keep a fifteen-foot boat still when weather conditions aren’t right. And, each fisher has to remain focused during an eight hour long day without the help of a coach.
These are just three of several sports ranked low on a legitimacy radar that should not exist at all.
Students at Marian need to get over the classic idea of university sports.
Be igknighted to accept all sports and root for all teams, not just the ones we like the most.
