The definition of "athlete?"

[Bugaboo]

My wife and I are trying to figure out what defines an "athlete," and then to further define an "amateur athlete."

Please share your opinions, as well as cite any published resources addressing the question.

[epeetaph]

ath-lete. noun. (see fencer).

Anyway, there's a good definition!

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"Pain is just weakness leaving your body."

[MikeHarm]

Someone whose idea of a workout doesn't involve a playstation 2.

Mike

[ladybug]

An athlete practices even when it's not fun, becuase they want to get better.

[Lumberg]

Well, there can be various definitions of what an athlete is.
However, the one main definition of an amateur athlete is an athlete who doesn't get paid for his participation.

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Lumberg.
"...ahhh, we have sort of a problem here... yeah, you apparently didn't put one of the new cover sheets on your TPS report"

[*~susan~*]

athlete:

Greek; athletes, aethletes,: to contend for a prize.

-one who is trained to either compete professionally, or as an ametuer in excercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, ability or stamina.

"nor does the world cheer the natural athletes of the mind..."
-J.M Barzun

[Puppet Master]

Someone who participates in an atletic? sport. Like billards is not an athletic sport. Actually its not even a sport its a game.

One of my beefs is calling non-sport games sports. A sport is a game requiring physical exertion. Some sports are more sporty than others like soccer over bowling. Golf should not really be called a sport. Most people exert more energy cheering at a football game than when playing golf.

An athelete is one who has good physical attributes: can run, jump, good skill, good hand-eye coordination. --Puppet

[walrus418]

if physical exertion is a key element, then the way i play golf it is DEFINITELY a sport

[Foil Girl]

Uh-oh, I've seen this fight before... here we go... Golf the sport vs. golf the standing aroudn doing nothing, ROUND ONE! ::rings the bell, then runs away to hide::

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-Foil Girl
"If you don't have fun, you've already lost"

[d8m2k]

Puppet,
Yeah, but by the way some people fence could also mean it's not a sport by that definition.

Seriously though, the word sport has several meanings. And requiring physical exertion only applies to one of those many meanings.

Thus, sport also refers to chess, golf, baseball, and even making fun of someone, as well as athletic endeavors. You may disagree with this, but then you might as well dispute the word "is".

[Bugaboo]

I'm no closer to an answer, people. Work with me here.

When do you declare yourself to be an "athlete?" How do you justify the reference?

Or do people always ever figure you're just an enthusiast, or it's simply a hobby?



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[veeco]

Well, here's my definition of athlete, for what it's worth:

An athlete is someone who doesn't train just
for fun but also to try to reach a pinnacle in his sport. So I would not qualify a musician an athlete.

[oiuyt]

Veeco- Many serious musicians are training to reach the pinacle in their discipline. Unless you define sport your definition doesn't yet exclude musicians... "How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice."

-B

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"Oh but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!"

[Cutter]

Well, apparently pretty much doing anything can be classified as such. Just this past weekend the "sports" section of our newspaper did a big feature on a dog show. Go figure.

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Cutter
"Don't run with that, you'll poke your eye out."

[Christopher J Umbs]

Bugaboo,

Actually, it also depends on the style of fencing that you do. I consider myself a martial artist, not an athlete.

Chris

[Stryder]

Bugaboo,
Perhaps it would narrow things down if you defined what you wanted the definition for. Then it would be easier for everyone to prove/disprove each others pet theories.

[This message has been edited by Stryder (edited 02-15-2001).]

[Puppet Master]

I'll try again.
These aren't definitions, but conditions that if you pass you can say with confidence that you're an athlete.

If you go through any physical conditioning for a sport, you're an athlete.

More general:
If you can do a physical activity above and beyond what a "normal" person can do you're an athlete.

[oiuyt]

Puppet Master-
Are jugglers athletes?
Maybe something about competition, but then you'd still have jugglers who compete... (side note: are there such things as juggling competitions? I bet there are but I've never heard of one....)

-B

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"Oh but you can't expect to wield supreme executive power just because some watery tart threw a sword at you!"