Do you consider NASCAR a sport?

[Fogkin]

Yeah, if you live in Germany.

What does that have to do with anything? I used to race in amateur competitions in my early 20s and never once did I consider myself an athlete or that i was playing a sport. I was driving a car as fast as i could around turns(left and right turns so that's one up on NASCAR) Sure not everybody has the skill to drive a car like this but it's still not a sport. Unless you are using your own physical body to do the moving then you really can't consider it a sport, sorry. Turning a wheel and stepping on a pedal doesn't count.

[stopbeingdumb]

What does that have to do with anything? I used to race in amateur competitions in my early 20s and never once did I consider myself an athlete or that i was playing a sport. I was driving a car as fast as i could around turns(left and right turns so that's one up on NASCAR) Sure not everybody has the skill to drive a car like this but it's still not a sport. Unless you are using your own physical body to do the moving then you really can't consider it a sport, sorry. Turning a wheel and stepping on a pedal doesn't count.

You don't have to be an ATHELETE to play a sport. While YOU may not concider it a sport, by definition it is. I hate Nascar as much as the next person, but i still have respect for any man or woman who can drive for 3-4 hours, in 100+ degree cars, at or over 200 mph, with 42 other people. They say a driver loses 10lbs during each race. Dunno, sounds a little physical to me.

Oh and "turning a wheel"? Really you claimed to race a little. And it's WAY more than turning a wheel. Hell doing 155 in my car and navigating the slightest turn on a highway, is more than just turning the wheel. It's scary as hell, now imagine doing that with 42 other cars.

[Imadraenei]

I was driving a car as fast as i could around turns(left and right turns so that's one up on NASCAR)

Watkins Glen would like to have a word with you, although admittedly I find the road course races boring.

[willtron]

Go and do it, realize the endurance it takes and the amazing shape you need to be in physically to sustain those forces for that duration of time and you'll start realizing why it's a sport.

Watch Le Mans, or Nurburg 12 or Bathurst, then come back and tell me NASCAR is endurance. 5 Hours of turning left is boring, not sport.

[crakerjack]

Most watched sport in America...

[Deleted]

Nascar is a motorsport, so yeah it's a sport I reckon.

[Deleted]

I don't know if it's as physically demanding as Formula 1 [I Doubt it], but if it is then yes it most definately qualifies as a sport. Though formula 1 is incredibly demanding on the driver. I had the luxury of driving a formula ford card 2 years ago which is miles less powerful than a formula 1 car, and even that hurt like hell. The forces during cornering are excruciating on your body.

[Rennadrel]

I don't consider driving in a circle to be demanding on the driver, do all the hair pin turns of a Formula 1 street track at 200 mph and tell me that wouldn't wreck your body.

[Nayelar]

NASCAR probably not, but real motorsport like rally or espacially formula 1 definitely

[La]

I dunno, as much as driving a car around in circles and passing people can be a sport. You can explain how it`s hard and takes skill all you want, about how to stay ahead and knowing when to pit stop, in the end you really can`t make the sport seem harder than it is compared to other sports, which is... not hard at all.

I have respect for anyone who does any sport and does well but I mean, racing is probably right below golf for me, but when you think about it golf actually does take a skill, racing is just.. one sport I can't see skill in. /shrugopinions

[fizzbob]

I get annoyed every time ESPN or any other major sports network covers it, because I really don't consider it even close to a sport.

it's more physically demanding than a marathon but i dunno, really depends solely on how you define sport

[Eroginous]

No, NASCAR is not a sport. It's an organized driving activity that awards prizes like a noisy game show.

'But it's a motorsport.'

And Wow is an E-sport. Just because they put 'sport' in the title of an activity, doesn't mean that it's actually a sport.

'But driving a car @ 200 mph is physically demanding and taxing on the body.'

So is a pie eating contest.

'There are clear winners and losers in NASCAR racing.'

There are clear winners and losers in a spelling bee.

In order for something to be considered a sport, the activity has to have a clear connection with physical ability and effectiveness within the construct of the game. If Baseball were just men hitting a ball with a stick, it wouldn't be a sport. That's why Golf isn't a sport, even though it's covered on ESPN and featured in Sports Illustrated.

It's simply a game where you hit a ball with a stick into a hole, using fine motor skills. Like Lawn Darts, or Croquet. Baseball, on the other hand, requires athletic ability. The level of athletic ability required is what really defines what a sport is, and how it ties into the logistics of the game or contest involved. Driving a car is not a sport. Going on a road trip across the country requires you spend long periods driving in order to reach your destination. The logistics of NASCAR are so simple, it can't be called a game. The winner is the guy who finishes first after 500 laps. In case you haven't noticed, most of the people in the race (provided they don't experience technical problems or a crash) finish within minutes of the guy who finished first. Many of them within seconds.

It's not an activity where athletic ability combined with teamwork, frames the outcome of the activity within the rules of the competition. So no, not a sport.

You don't have to be an ATHELETE to play a sport.

Actually, you do. That's what differentiates the whole 'sport' idea from 'game' or 'activity.' Anyone can kick a ball around and do fancy tricks, given enough practice and dedication. That's not a sport. What makes it a sport? By getting 21 other guys and putting them on a big field with an objective that will clearly define the winner or loser.

Without the requirement for athletic ability, it's just an activity or a game.

[Deleted]

Of course it's a sport?
And if you're on about it being a silly sport, well it's no more silly than say...golf

[ergonomic]

Don't confuse sports with skills.

[Davisdoesdallas]

no.

The most grueling thing about it is the heat being in one of those cars for so long and learning how to not have to pee all day.

Now formula 1. That is a sport. There is skill and technique. It's not 'go fast, turn left'.

[Fuzzzie]

sport/spôrt/
Noun:
An activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others.

So yes. It is. People don't like it, that's really their problem.

[MoMedic]

Of course it is. Only the uneducated and uninformed would suggest otherwise.

[Deleted]

It is a sport just as much as any other motorsport. A really silly one sure, but that's besides the point.

[GG you got me]

NASCAR is a sport, just not one that I enjoy.

Since video games will never be a sport, I can see why a lot of people are bitter at 'dem 'dere rednekz always turnin' left yeehaw. =)

[Deleted]

Definitely a sport. All motorsport is sport. To even suggest otherwise is ludicrous.