Nice opinion. Here's mine.
We can't argue what is and is not a sport, really. Words are so subjective that deciding what does and does not fall under a one-word category is ultimately futile. I'm not here to argue about words.
In any case, people participate in cross-country track because they love doing it, purely out of appreciation. One can set goals for themselves most effectively in running. Today, three miles. Tomorrow, five miles. Also, proven purely because it isn't done around a circular track in a building, it is about appreciation of nature; of scenery. When you run, you experience the outdoors on a very interesting level: the contours and formulas of the land become apparent to you. That's why people run. Appreciation of nature is also, I'll argue, a large part of why people do crew. The Connecticut River at five in the morning: cold bites unsuccessfully against the inner heat of your body as the boat rhythmically and methodically cuts through the mist tip-toeing on the surface of the black waves. This is only part of the purpose of these activities, sports or non-sports. And it's more than this. You run, you swim, you row, you become a better person. Simply put.
You don't find this appreciation in Hockey, Shane Walter.
Hockey, and all the other mainstream sports exist for one purpose, and one purpose only: entertainment. It's always been that way. So yes, I lied, I do want to argue about words. If hockey is a sport, than sports are meant purely for the entertainment of the masses. Grizzled town members at the bar. Joe Six-pack on the couch. They are funding your sports, friends. That's why professional NFL players are paid as much as Johnny Depp: because they're performing. Apart from that, nobody cares. They don't say, "Wayne Gretzsky, you're just so skilled, man. We have to give you money because of this." Doesn't happen. As far as I'm concerned, Hockey isn't what everyone thinks of as a sport, its not even really a game: it's a past time. Nothing more, nothing less.
Which brings us to dancing, which I find ironic. Hockey and dancing are very similar: entertainment, friends. Except, when you think about it, hitting pucks on ice skates is a little far-fetched, don't you think? You'll find I am very impressive with chopsticks and tennis balls, but really, who cares.
"[insert activity] isn't a sport because it doesn't require skill. You can practice and practice, and still get nowhere: you need skill," says our classmate. Sounds to me like dancing. Sounds to me a lot like dancing. You can stretch for hours, practice your grande battement en cloche for years, and you aint getting it right. You need more than just skill, you'll need stones. My eleven year old cousin practices harder than any professed athlete I know, and I can tell because of the amount of blood she's spilt for dance. Her feet are deformed, her muscles snap almost every month, she doesn't have a life, ultimately, outside of dance. As a result, she's already getting paid for dancing in real performances. Give me one hockey player in HHS with that dedication. You can't, because hockey, the past-time, doesn't inspire that kind of devotion. To me, that means it isn't a sport.
Besides, in the realm of entertainment, I'd pay twice as much money to see a dance than to see a hockey game. Maybe I'm just a snobby, artsy 'hipster' (is that the term) who thinks "we're better than you, and we know it", but god do I find watching hockey boring.
Of course, the most money I'd spend would be on being able to see the HHS varsity hockey team last through one ballet class. One.
And yes, I am man enough to say I love dancing. What courage does it take to say you play hockey? None, my friends. Absolutely zero
