# I consider Guitar a sport.



## Spacepants (Feb 12, 2011)

A sport is an organized, competitive, entertaining, and skillful activity requiring commitment, strategy, and fair play - definition from wikipedia

what do you guys say?

if cup stacking is considered a sport. Guitar's a sport.


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## WickedSymphony (Feb 12, 2011)

There's fair play in guitar playing?


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## Alberto7 (Feb 12, 2011)

I think I would actually disagree with that statement.
That said, however, I fear this thread might turn into a heated discussion so I won't go into _my_ personal reasons. It's very subjective, and it depends on _your_ definition of a "sport", and what your mindset is on guitar playing and music in general.


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## Explorer (Feb 12, 2011)

Well, music was part of the original olympic games, and rhythmic gymnastics is part of the modern games. 

So, in the same way that I would have no clue how to really judge rhythmic gymnastics (that sport with the exploited-seeming young girls dancing around with huge hoops and ribbons and balls), and my inability to think of how to compare the relative superiority of gypsy jazz guitar and Michael Hedges, sure, you could consider almost any activity a sport.

Given that grocery bagging and power eating, when done competitively, have a clear goal, it's worth noting that you'd have to find a group of like-minded people, who share *your* idea of what would count as a win, in order to compete....


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## AcousticMinja (Feb 12, 2011)

What's so competitive about guitar playing? I play to just play.


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## xMaNgOxKusHx (Feb 12, 2011)

Playing guitar is life.


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## Skin Coffin (Feb 13, 2011)

xMaNgOxKusHx said:


> Playing guitar is life.



This. It's not a sport, it's Life.


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## Konfyouzd (Apr 5, 2011)

Aside from the competitive part, sure... It may be for some, but I don't "compete"


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## modeltrainhead (Apr 9, 2011)

i play GUITAR Guitar= LIFE


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## The Reverend (Apr 9, 2011)

Minus the fair play part, I could almost agree. My only competition is my brother, and I don't think that really counts. There are definitely a lot of similarities between sports and guitar playing, however. 

I don't buy into this hippie "guitar is life" nonsense, though. 
It's a hobby and a passion of mine, but my life would be empty and hollow if all I had was guitar.


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## caskettheclown (Jul 12, 2011)

Guitar playing can have many sport like qualities but I don't consider it a sport.

Battle of the bands type things is very sportlike I think


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## Thep (Jul 12, 2011)

Competitive? Very very much so. 

A Sport? No.


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## MaxOfMetal (Jul 12, 2011)

I've been playing guitar for well over a decade, spent a smal....fuck it....large fortune on gear, have practiced what is probably months of my life added up, etc. and I still don't see the need to justify it as anything more than a "hobby" and certainly not a sport. 

Going by that definition knitting is a sport.


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## signalgrey (Jul 12, 2011)

" I WIN AT GUITAR"

...nope.


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## TRENCHLORD (Jul 12, 2011)

Not a sport IMO. Neither are dozens of other games/judged contest that are currently accepted by the IOC. More "sports"= more TV time= more commercials= more money= more happy CEOs. Lets just hope it really does trickle back down.


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## chronocide (Jul 14, 2011)

Well I think the contention is preposterous. But starting at the start and taking the first requirement of your definition of sport...

Is there a international, national or local body who sets rules for guitar?

No?

Not a sport.


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## Strobe (Jul 14, 2011)

I disagree as to that categorization. I do not think it is a sport.

That said, the definition of what is and is not a sport is quite tricky. When I was in school, I had a graduate student instructor (philosophy class) who was doing his thesis on the definition of "sport". Either he had the most underwhelming doctoral program I have encountered, or it must be a complicated subject.


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## SirMyghin (Jul 14, 2011)

Guitar is not a sport, if you see competition in playing, you are doing it wrong. 




Strobe said:


> I disagree as to that categorization. I do not think it is a sport.
> 
> That said, the definition of what is and is not a sport is quite tricky. When I was in school, I had a graduate student instructor (philosophy class) who was doing his thesis on the definition of "sport". Either he had the most underwhelming doctoral program I have encountered, or it must be a complicated subject.



It was a philosophy program, I think we know the answer is the former not the latter . Modern day philsophers are a pretty waterred down joke. I mean I knew a guy doing a thesis for religious studies on 'the importance of community'. Who is going to read these things, aside from other people stuck in the same system. Arts thesis are a bit of a joke in that sense, as they are generally not ground breaking or revolutionary in any sense.


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## Strobe (Jul 15, 2011)

You're preaching to the choir. I had a chemical engineering major and a philosophy minor. The latter was fun. The former allows me to buy guitars and amps.


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## sunbasket (Jul 15, 2011)

How do you score? Who keeps score? Not a sport. Even at a Battle of the Bands, "scoring" is totally subjective. 

"Best musician" and "best band" or "best sweep picking sequence" or "great tone" is all in the eye of the beholder. 

However, I definitely do consider playing an instrument an _athletic activity_.


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## ScottyB724 (Jul 15, 2011)

Slightly off topic.... NASCAR is NOT a sport.

You think you can turn left better than me ??!!?


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## ShadyDavey (Jul 16, 2011)

A sport?

Only the small minority who obsess over NPS figures and excessive metronome frottage.........and even I wouldn't consider that a sport  

Strategy? Go on...PLAY that Emin11....I DARE you to fall into my trap.....

Doesn't really work for me.

Fair play?

You play light strings and have a low action coupled with modelling technology you cheat! I have thick strings, a high action and a '68 Plexi! 

Nope, still not seeing it. 

The contention makes no sense in light of that, or any other definition I could apply.


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## Muerto (Jul 16, 2011)

Guitar is a tool for making music. Nothing more. If you're looking at guitar and think "I've gotta get better at my speed", and not "I've got to learn how to write a song that would enable me to convey a feeling or thought" you're just wasting your time. Time to pick a different ego inflating activity. Like writing in a conservative newspaper or being an internet personality. Or trying to become rich. Or fucking as much girls as you can. Possibilities are limitless. We live in a desire based society afterall.


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## The Reverend (Jul 17, 2011)

Well in a general sense, as a physical activity you have to practice to master, and yes, develop certain muscular strengths...

I can see the comparison. The technical aspects of it could also very easily be turned into a sport, like trick shot billiards or something. I can play 23 nps, while doing this extremely complicated scalar run. Top that! And so on.

Also keep in mind that gymnastics are considered a sport, and I think those of us not-manly enough to appreciate it can say that it evokes a lot of emotion, similar to great guitar-playing. So is playing guitar a sport? No. But I do feel like certain strong comparisons can be made between the two.


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## bostjan (Jul 17, 2011)

Most things people seem to consider sports don't really seem like sports to me. I mean, I feel that a "sport," despite the official definition, should consist of some strenuous activity coupled with a large amount of skill and fair amount of competitive strategy in order to score some sort of points to best your opponents. In that sense, I don't consider guitar playing a sport in any way aside from the skills required.

What I consider sports are things like Hockey, Football, Basketball, Track, Shotput, Tennis, etc. Not so much poker, NASCAR, tetris, hot-dog-eating or fishing.

Certainly all of these activities require large amounts of skill, but to me, the skill required to do it is only one part of it being a sport - and certainly I have just as much respect for a master of a non-sport skill as I do for a champion of a sport. I don't get why we have to consider things sports that are not sports, just because they are competitive or require a lot of skill.


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## niffnoff (Jul 17, 2011)

My opinion guitar is either a profession or hobby.

You play guitar with a band, session, recording - Profession

You play with a band that's not serious, or just to learn some t00nz - Hobby

The competitiveness comes with bands I think, trying to earn that "lead" spot, or that I can fret wank quicker than you can, or I can play the best s0l0z. In the end, that's just childishness. 

If you want to play guitar for the music, you're probably the last person on earth to consider it for a "sport".

If you're in it to try and be the best at some aspect. Go home and find a new instrument. Every guitar player at one point will find something new and find someone is ten times better than them at something. Mastering the instrument would take a life time and by then, yeah I doubt you would be able to keep to the speed you were at one point in your life.

Guitar isn't a sport.


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## Bucks (Jul 17, 2011)

While guitar playing may share some characteristics of 'sports' i.e. practice regimes etc, I certainly wouldn't consider it as a sport, in the conventional sense. 

The term 'sport' isn't clearly defined, it's very subjective. Like some people consider playing video games a sport...that's just ridiculous to me!!


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## Powermetalbass (Aug 20, 2011)

playing guitar can't be a sport because as pointed out by the OP it is "competetive". There is no league of guitar players competing for the "golden pick or pick of destiny" so it is not a sport. Guitar shedding could be a sport if you were active. but guitar playing in general is not a sport, atleast not at a professional level. 

By your guys logic anything that you can compete in is a sport : Knitting (could be), those idiots in the south who think hotdog eating is a sport, etc.


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## The Reverend (Aug 21, 2011)

Powermetalbass said:


> playing guitar can't be a sport because as pointed out by the OP it is "competetive". There is no league of guitar players competing for the "golden pick or pick of destiny" so it is not a sport. Guitar shedding could be a sport if you were active. but guitar playing in general is not a sport, atleast not at a professional level.
> 
> By your guys logic anything that you can compete in is a sport : Knitting (could be), those idiots in the south who think hotdog eating is a sport, etc.



Hotdog eating is definitely a sport. IT'S COMPETITIVE EATING, FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!


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## Blind Theory (Sep 1, 2011)

Guitar is a sport like skateboarding is a sport. What I mean by that is, I play guitar for fun just like I skate for fun. BUT, you can take both to a competitive arena. They both take skill, practice, and you have to stick with it to be any good but you don't have to compete to get there. Other, more traditional, sports like football require a team and competition so I can see how there could be an argument here.


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## AxeHappy (Oct 13, 2011)

Gold records? Platinum albums? Royal Conservative competitions? Kiwanis Music Festivals? Etc, Etc, Etc. I'm also constantly competing with myself but I suppose that hardly counts?

Playing music in general is a sport. Not just guitar.

Every time you release a song it's being judged. All judging is by definition subjective.


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## Stealthtastic (Oct 27, 2011)

The competition is all around you, you just don't realize it, it's the strive to be a good guitarist. Everybody else also strives for the same thing, therefore if you look back 30 years at the mind bending solos of that era, they are simple. If you look at modern "mind bending" solos, they aren't lol.
This is where the competition comes from. 
It's a competition with yourself, but also with others. And most importantly is a competition with the guitar itself.


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## ASoC (Apr 16, 2012)

As much as I love playing, and even though I'm part of competitive (subjective) activities, I don't think its a sport unless theres a definite winner. No judges, just points. Stuff like hockey, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, racing, etc. I consider those to be sports because you can't make it subjective. There is a definite winner who did better. 

Music (even in competitive forms) is very subjective and there is no "best". So its not a sport (not in my mind anyways)


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## Trespass (Apr 16, 2012)

For the record, no one gives a shit about the musicians in history that made it a sport.

The only exception are composers that provided revolutionary new techniques-sound pallets for the instrument (Pagannini/Liszt).


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## broj15 (Apr 16, 2012)

I wouldn't really consider it a sport. To me it's just what i do. It's my "thing" if you know what i mean. Every body has thier thing that they are good at. Some people's thing is basketball, while other people's thing is cat breeding. It's not something I'm competative about. I kind of think that making it competative would rob guitar playing of alot of the fun it holds.
If someone wants to call it a sport thats thier choice, but i personally think guitar -or any instrument for that matter- and how it's played is just to vast and broad to dilute down into something as black and white and methodical as a sport. There is no such thing as a "fowl" when it comes to playing guitar.


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## skeels (Apr 16, 2012)

"Organized?"

You have obviously never heard me play.


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## IB-studjent- (Apr 16, 2012)

then jerking off must be a marathon !


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## USMarine75 (Apr 16, 2012)

IB-studjent- said:


> then jerking off must be a marathon !


 
... or a sprint.


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## IB-studjent- (Apr 16, 2012)

USMarine75 said:


> ... or a sprint.



Whatever makes you happy


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## UnderTheSign (Apr 16, 2012)

niffnoff said:


> My opinion guitar is either a profession or hobby.
> 
> You play guitar with a band, session, recording - Profession
> 
> ...


But sports can be a profession or a hobby too...

I'm with ASoC, it'd be hard to judge. Then again, there are numerous sports that require judges.


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## ASoC (Apr 17, 2012)

UnderTheSign said:


> But sports can be a profession or a hobby too...
> 
> I'm with ASoC, it'd be hard to judge. Then again, there are numerous sports that require judges.


 
And I wouldn't call them sports  

I'd call those things "competitive activities" because people are active (usually) and they compete, but its still subjective, so it isn't a sport


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## UnderTheSign (Apr 17, 2012)

ASoC said:


> And I wouldn't call them sports
> 
> I'd call those things "competitive activities" because people are active (usually) and they compete, but its still subjective, so it isn't a sport


By that definition, ice skating, gymnastics, bodybuilding, etc, wouldn't be sports.


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## niffnoff (Apr 17, 2012)

UnderTheSign said:


> But sports can be a profession or a hobby too...
> 
> I'm with ASoC, it'd be hard to judge. Then again, there are numerous sports that require judges.



I said this a while ago, and still stand by it. I consider music more ART...


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## ASoC (Apr 17, 2012)

UnderTheSign said:


> By that definition, ice skating, gymnastics, bodybuilding, etc, wouldn't be sports.


 
I know 

I don't call those sports. They're activities that are judged competitively, just because they're physical doesn't mean they're sports. 

Its the same with other stuff, some would call DCI a sport (and I'd love to be able to consider it one, as I'm a member of a corps) I wouldn't because its subjective. To be a sport (as far as I'm concerned, you don't have to agree) there can be no disputing the winner. Whoever has the most runs, goals, touchdowns, etc. wins, plain and simple.


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## Navid (Apr 27, 2012)

I happen to study sports and health sciences at the university.

Playing the guitar or any instrument can in fact be considered a sport for many reasons.
I'll write just a few:

Motor coordination is developed extremely well in practitioners hands.
To achieve such a level of coordination a structured training program is often used with positive results. 
It always takes time and effort.
Its psychological effects on the practitioner are typical of sports.

However, it does not either improve or maintain the physical health of the practitioner.
It is somewhat in between traditional and newly recognized "non-physical sports" (like chess).

If you were trying to find a reason not to sweat at the gym, I suggest you to find another reason!


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## texshred777 (Apr 29, 2012)

If guitar's a sport then Drum Corps is an X Game.

I would actually qualify Drum Corps as a sport.


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