+Natman3400 Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I'm sure this has come up before, but does it really fit the definition of a sport? Personally I think yes, but what do you guys think? Quote Link to comment
+Panther&Pine Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I consider it an activity. To me hobbies imply lots of gear, geocaching can be very low equipment. There is minimal officially recoginized competion, so to me not a sport. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 (edited) From the Free Online Dictionary: sport (spôrt, sprt) n. 1. a. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. b. A particular form of this activity. 2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively. 3. An active pastime; recreation. From Dictionary.com sport –noun 1.an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc. 2. a particular form of this, esp. in the out of doors. 3. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime. From Merriam-Webster online Definition of SPORT noun 1 a : a source of diversion : recreation b : sexual play c (1) : physical activity engaged in for pleasure (2) : a particular activity (as an athletic game) so engaged in. So yes, geocaching is by definition a sport. Edited October 9, 2010 by briansnat Quote Link to comment
+Dragery Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Using one of the dictionary definitions, you can label just about anything a "sport". With that said, the societal acceptance of Geocaching as a sport isn't plausible at this juncture. I agree, it's an "activity" if you HAD to throw a label on it. Quote Link to comment
+OldLog Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 For some of us old folks it is an actvity. Quote Link to comment
+SSO JOAT Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 (edited) Yes, geocaching is a sport. Why? Well, orienteering is a sport and geocaching is a spinoff of that. Geocaching meets every definition of "sport". So, it must be a sport. Besides, they consider golf a sport and geocaching is far more physically demanding, intellectually intensive, and requires a much larger skill set. And for those who claim it is an "activity"... well, getting out of bed is an activity, going to the bathroom is an activity, eating a candy bar is an activity, anything involving movement is an "activity". I hope ya'll consider geocaching more than that. Edited October 9, 2010 by SSO JOAT Quote Link to comment
+maristua Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 (edited) I would call it an activity or a game. A game because there are rules you have to follow. I would not call it a sport because you don't compete in geocaching. Edited October 9, 2010 by maristua Quote Link to comment
+SSO JOAT Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 By definition, a sport has rules you have to follow and it does NOT have to be competitive. Even so, there is no way you can deny that geocaching does have some very strongly competitive aspects to it. Quote Link to comment
+Ambrosia Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Dragging out my bumper sticker again. Quote Link to comment
+BoMS Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 By definition, a sport has rules you have to follow and it does NOT have to be competitive. Even so, there is no way you can deny that geocaching does have some very strongly competitive aspects to it. I can't think of one sport that's not competitive. Geocaching is not competitive if you view it as it's described by Groundspeak. I don't see geocaching as a sport. A hobby, an activity, an adventure, a game. Any of these labels are ok with me. \Mette Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I dont think it is. By some of those definitions bathing is a "sport". Quote Link to comment
+IBcrashen Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 there are some who have made it into a lifestyle. Quote Link to comment
jd-mitchell Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I would go with hobby, even though it could be said it is competitive in that you're matching wits with the hider Quote Link to comment
GOF and Bacall Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I like to think of it as a tour guide. Quote Link to comment
+ngrrfan Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 I think it is something to do with good friends. To show them places they haven't been (but you have) and for them to show you places you haven't seen before. Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted October 9, 2010 Share Posted October 9, 2010 Nope. It's a game. Quote Link to comment
+t4e Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 as long as chess is classified as a sport, geocaching is a sport too Quote Link to comment
+ikonixx Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 I don't know whether geocaching is a sport or not. I just call it fun! Quote Link to comment
+SSO JOAT Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 A game is played on a TV or at a dining room table. Hiking is a sport. Biking is a sport. Orienteering is a sport. Geocaching is a sport. Half ya'll are in denial. Quote Link to comment
GOF and Bacall Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 A game is played on a TV or at a dining room table. Hiking is a sport. Biking is a sport. Orienteering is a sport. Geocaching is a sport. Half ya'll are in denial. No. I'm in Buffalo. Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 In my opinion, geocaching is getting dirty and sweaty and tired. If you do it right. Does that make it a sport? I would call it an activity, myself. Quote Link to comment
+Fkn Don Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Geocaching, to me, is what you make of it. It can be a hobby, an activity, an adventure, a game, and yes, even a sport. Its all what you want to get out of it. Sport is only when, by some of your definitions, competition is involved? Well a friend of mine and I have decided to make a challenge and the first one to get 100 caches gets a certain item from the challenger. Since we do that then it takes on the aspect of a sport. So you really can't say its one thing or another. It all comes down to what you want, and what you do get out of it. Thats just my opinion though. Quote Link to comment
+the4dirtydogs Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 I like to think of it as a tour guide. +1 Quote Link to comment
+the4dirtydogs Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 as long as chess is classified as a sport, geocaching is a sport too I thought of the same thing also. Quote Link to comment
+G & C Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Geocaching is a sport like geocachers are athletes. That being said, I don't qualify NASCAR, chess, or motocross as sports either. And definitely not dog shows, no matter how many they show in ESPN, "the total sports network." Quote Link to comment
+Mikey Walnuts Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Geocaching is a sport like geocachers are athletes. That being said, I don't qualify NASCAR, chess, or motocross as sports either. And definitely not dog shows, no matter how many they show in ESPN, "the total sports network." Lol try explaining that to Bucket(the motorcross part). I have told her that motorcross is not a sport and she will not talk to me. Now on the other hand, I consider poker a sport lol. Quote Link to comment
+hydnsek Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 (edited) Yes, geocaching is a sport. Why? Well, orienteering is a sport and geocaching is a spinoff of that. Geocaching meets every definition of "sport". So, it must be a sport. Disagreement. Geocaching is not a spinoff of orienteering to my knowledge; it's closer to letterboxing (which is older than either one). I used to be a competitive orienteer, and I do NOT consider geocaching a sport. It's a recreational activity. Orienteering is a competitive sport with timed events, head-to-head competition on the same courses, competitive classes and rankings, and regional, national, and international championships. Elite orienteers train as serious athletes. Orienteering has strict rules and regulations, administered by the IOF (International Orienteering Federation), and each competing country has its own orienteering organization, which supports the sport and the athletes and determines rankings and team representation at international competitions. Geocaching is a casual recreational activity that you can do almost anytime, anywhere, with anyone, and pick whichever caches you feel like doing, in whatever terrain. The only governing body is the company that runs this website. Does it have competitive aspects? Sure. But even FTF races would not pass muster in serious sports competition. Just sayin'.... Edited October 10, 2010 by hydnsek Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Geocaching is a sport like geocachers are athletes. That being said, I don't qualify NASCAR, chess, or motocross as sports either. And definitely not dog shows, no matter how many they show in ESPN, "the total sports network." Lol try explaining that to Bucket(the motorcross part). I have told her that motorcross is not a sport and she will not talk to me. Now on the other hand, I consider poker a sport lol. Really? I always thought of poker as GAMBLING. lol Quote Link to comment
+Mikey Walnuts Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Geocaching is a sport like geocachers are athletes. That being said, I don't qualify NASCAR, chess, or motocross as sports either. And definitely not dog shows, no matter how many they show in ESPN, "the total sports network." Lol try explaining that to Bucket(the motorcross part). I have told her that motorcross is not a sport and she will not talk to me. Now on the other hand, I consider poker a sport lol. Really? I always thought of poker as GAMBLING. lol No no no when your winning it is a sport. Only when you start losing does it start to become gambling and a problem. lol Quote Link to comment
+The Jester Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 A game is played on a TV or at a dining room table. So, the game of baseball is played where? Quote Link to comment
+G & C Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 A game is played on a TV or at a dining room table. So, the game of baseball is played where? Baseball is a sport. Baseball players play baseball games. That's the difference. Quote Link to comment
+uxorious Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Is fishing a sport? I would think Geocaching would be a sport as quick as fishing. I don't consider myself involved in a sport when I am fishing, riding a bicycle, or Geocaching. (But I sometimes refer to all of these as a sport. ) Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 (edited) By definition, a sport has rules you have to follow and it does NOT have to be competitive. Even so, there is no way you can deny that geocaching does have some very strongly competitive aspects to it. I can't think of one sport that's not competitive. Geocaching is not competitive if you view it as it's described by Groundspeak. I don't see geocaching as a sport. A hobby, an activity, an adventure, a game. Any of these labels are ok with me. \Mette How about mountain and rock climbing? They are certainly sports, but are not competitive (well anything can be made into a competition so I'm sure there are climbing races somewhere). How about downhill or cross country skiing? They certainly are sports but only a very small percentage of the participants race, just as a small percentage of geocachers compete for FTF. Competition does not a sport make. Where is the competition in fishing? Yet fishing is a sport. OK there are tournaments, but again that is only a very small percentage of fishermen. But for those who insist that to be a sport, there needs to be a competetion (and by definition that is wrong) there is competition in geocaching. Besides the FTF competition, for many cachers there is a numbers competition. Also, when I'm caching I'm competing against terrain, the weather and the cache hider. Where do you usually find hand held GPSs being sold? The sporting goods section of department stores. Where do you buy most of your geocaching equipment (packs, maps, safety gear, water bottles, hiking shoes, etc.)? In the sporting goods section. Edited October 10, 2010 by briansnat Quote Link to comment
+debaere Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Dragging out my bumper sticker again. There ya go. It follows my two rules: Its on the Internet, therefore true; Its on a bumper sticker, therefore true. (kidding). Personally I don't see geocaching as a sport. Sports to be implies competition with set rules that everyone agrees with. I think its quite clear that nothing in the guidelines has anything to do with competition, and any competitive behaviour is made up by other cachers, and based on the arguments and discussions in these forums, consensus has not been reached I can see it being called a game, or an activity. Personally I list it as a hobby whenever asked. Quote Link to comment
+NYPaddleCacher Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 Geocaching is a leisure activity. Wikipedia defines leisure as "Leisure is one's discretionary time spent in non-compulsory activities, time spent away from cares and toils." That sounds pretty accurate to me. The wikipedia page also includes an incomplete list of leisure activity categories. Although geocaching isn't included (someone should fix that), it includes juggling and snowball fighting. Quote Link to comment
+Klondike Mike Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 In my opinion geocaching is an activity , regardless of some who seem to have a need to convince others to side with their opinions Quote Link to comment
+SSO JOAT Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 By the English definition, anything that uses energy or force or is an active movement or operation is an "activity". Everything you do is an activity. Picking your nose is an activity. Of course geocaching is an activity, because everything you do is an activity. Doh! A game is, "a competitive activity involving skill, chance, or endurance on the part of two or more persons who play according to a set of rules, usually for their own amusement or for that of spectators" The synonym of game is sport. Definitions from the dictionary for sport, "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess esp. in the out of doors. diversion; recreation; pleasant pastime. to amuse oneself with some pleasant pastime or recreation. to engage in some open-air or athletic pastime" Thus, the activity of Geocaching is a Sport, not a Game. Quote Link to comment
+Packanack Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 The part that includes driving from one lpc to the next lpc defines geocaching as sport Quote Link to comment
Bolivar Bill Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 A game is played on a TV or at a dining room table. So, the game of baseball is played where? I've seen baseball played on TV many times. Quote Link to comment
+Pax42 Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 ...Besides, they consider golf a sport and geocaching is far more physically demanding, intellectually intensive, and requires a much larger skill set.... Obviously, you know absolutely nothing about golf. If it were easier than geocaching, I'd be on the PGA Tour. Quote Link to comment
+sbell111 Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 By definition, a sport has rules you have to follow and it does NOT have to be competitive. Even so, there is no way you can deny that geocaching does have some very strongly competitive aspects to it. I can't think of one sport that's not competitive. Geocaching is not competitive if you view it as it's described by Groundspeak. I don't see geocaching as a sport. A hobby, an activity, an adventure, a game. Any of these labels are ok with me. \Mette How about mountain and rock climbing? They are certainly sports, but are not competitive (well anything can be made into a competition so I'm sure there are climbing races somewhere). How about downhill or cross country skiing? They certainly are sports but only a very small percentage of the participants race, just as a small percentage of geocachers compete for FTF. Competition does not a sport make. Where is the competition in fishing? Yet fishing is a sport. OK there are tournaments, but again that is only a very small percentage of fishermen. But for those who insist that to be a sport, there needs to be a competetion (and by definition that is wrong) there is competition in geocaching. Besides the FTF competition, for many cachers there is a numbers competition. Also, when I'm caching I'm competing against terrain, the weather and the cache hider. Where do you usually find hand held GPSs being sold? The sporting goods section of department stores. Where do you buy most of your geocaching equipment (packs, maps, safety gear, water bottles, hiking shoes, etc.)? In the sporting goods section. Or in the shoe department, the housewares department and the school supplies area. Quote Link to comment
+Bucephala Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 ...Besides, they consider golf a sport and geocaching is far more physically demanding, intellectually intensive, and requires a much larger skill set.... Obviously, you know absolutely nothing about golf. If it were easier than geocaching, I'd be on the PGA Tour. Agreed. Golf is very intellectually intensive. There are many things to consider when making a golf shot (which club, wind direction, hazards, personal limitations). Geocaching is only physically demanding if you choose caches that are physically demanding. Getting out of a car to walk 15m to a cache is not even close to demanding. Geocaching is multi-dimensional. It's what you make of it. I'm not competitive in it so for me it's a hobby that sometimes also involves sports (hiking, biking). Quote Link to comment
+LukeTrocity Posted October 10, 2010 Share Posted October 10, 2010 It looks like by the definition of "sport" it is one. However if you do classify it as a sport, the word sport loses its meaning because almost everything becomes a sport. I dunno I also don't classify Texas hold em as a sport and I know some people do. Also many consider playing video games a sport (because again you can win money doing it) but I don't. I guess its semantics, but I don't consider it one. Quote Link to comment
+MI_CO Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I call it a hobby. However; if a big beer company wanted to sponsor me as a professional geocacher and wanted to call it a 'sport,' I would change my mind! Quote Link to comment
+JL_HSTRE Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I wouldn't consider it a sport because it's not competitive. Some people may try to make it that way but there are no tournaments or competitions. Even cheerleading has judged competitions. Geocaching is an adventuring hobby that keeps statistics. Quote Link to comment
7rxc Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 I wouldn't consider it a sport because it's not competitive. Some people may try to make it that way but there are no tournaments or competitions. Even cheerleading has judged competitions. Geocaching is an adventuring hobby that keeps statistics. I'll have to find the pdf on my machine somewhere... but the various Police and Fire Games recently have had competitive geocaching events for team and solo players... they use 'private' caches not listed ones... but the events are real... I know Ontario did for sure, I'm not sure if it is an International event at the World's though. Time for some research... There is also a new thing called Geoteering similar to Orienteering... again using closed 'caches'. On my own thoughts, I'm glad we seem to have decided to put the Pro leagues into the BIG business section where they belong, not under sports. I think caching does come under the heading of being a sport... Doug 7rxc Quote Link to comment
AZcachemeister Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Geocaching is a: R.A.S.H. Recreational Activity/Sport/Hobby It all depends on how you play, and most everyone plays differently. Quote Link to comment
+SSO JOAT Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Golf is only physically demanding if you choose courses that are physically demanding. There's nothing physical or intellectual about the local put-put course at the gas station. By the English definition, a "sport" does NOT have to be competitive. Not an opinion, but what is published in the language's rule book (i.e. dictionary). Controversally, there have been several who've stated that it's a 'game' but not a 'sport' because of the competition aspect. Well, the English definition of a game includes the qualifier that it MUST be competitive. So, the term 'game' doesn't fit geocaching in the broader sense, whereas 'sport' fits it perfectly. Quote Link to comment
+SSO JOAT Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Geocaching is a: R.A.S.H. Recreational Activity/Sport/Hobby Now that definition I like! Quote Link to comment
+TheAlabamaRambler Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Nope. It's a game. +1 Quote Link to comment
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