The Definition of Sports
A sports movie is basically a film genre which makes use of sport as the main theme of the movie. It’s usually a fictional creation where a sports event, sporting competition, player, or fan of sport are heavily involved, and that rely heavily on sport for their major plot resolution or inspiration. Many movies have emerged from this genre, which can be either fictional, parodic, or documentary; most of them portray a certain city, town, or sports club. The themes may be related to the sports in use at that time. In the past decade, many movies have come out with an almost obsessive focus on sports and their themes, most notably the Oscar nominated Inglourious Basterds, which depicts the Second World War through the eyes of a German SS soldier.
Documentaries are movies based on real events and the athletes who are either participating or profiting from the sport. Most documentaries involve some type of athletic activity or skill, such as a marathon, triathlon, figure skating, cheerleading, basketball, soccer, golf, swimming, horseback riding, tennis, surfing, or even surfing (for the latter two, surfers and swimmers). The subjects involved in these sports, though, are not athletes, but the spectators and/or fans who are either closely watching or participating in the sports themselves. Most of these movies involve skill, speed, endurance, physical contact, competition, strategy, and sportsmanship.
Dramatic sports can include any athletic activity in which the outcome is the direct result of an individual’s ability, training, tactics, or luck. Some examples include synchronized swimming, diving, gymnastics, volleyball, hockey, football, baseball, sailing, bicycling, skiing, and racing. Sports which require skill, speed, physical acuity, and physical acumen, are commonly thought of as being competitive sports. They include chess, bowling, billiards, golf, tennis, surfing, snowboarding, skydiving, surfing, skiing, and surfing (though some of these activities may also involve skill, speed, and physical acuity). While each sport requires its own unique set of skills, some sports can be combined or even played in different ways, such as swimming-diving, for example.
Sports, then, are competition, exertion, and skill. In sports where there is no true competition, such as team sports, each player must use his or her own athletic skill to win. Sports competitions, then, are competitions using skill as the end-all and be-all. Examples of these are golf, baseball, tennis, swimming, and horseback riding.
The mental and physical skills needed to play baseball, golfer, or tennis effectively are very much dependent upon the quality of practice one gets, as well as how much energy and time someone can set aside to participate in the sports. To improve your baseball or tennis skills, practice as often as you can, and pay attention to how you feel throughout your day. You will likely need to alter your daily schedule a bit to fit more physical activities and practice, in order to peak at the right times.
The definition of sports further includes non-sport related activities, such as hobbies, athletics, dancing, gymnastics, skating, hand-to-eye coordination, balance, and motor skills. These activities are important, but are not at the same level as the physical aspect of sports. Thus, it is important to remember that the definition of sports can be applied to many aspects of life, including work and relationships. The key thing is to remember that sports involve skill, exertion, and endurance. That is why, if you want to have a good self-image, it is essential to pursue sports as a serious pursuit.