10 Activities Sometimes Called "Sports" (But Maybe Aren't)
What actually counts as a "sport"? A common definition requires a human activity involving physical skill and exertion, governed by a set of rules, and undertaken competitively with a measurable result. Plenty of popular pastimes tick some of these boxes but fall short on others — usually because they lack real physical exertion, because the outcome is judged subjectively rather than measured, or because a human isn't really the one doing the work. Here are 10 activities regularly debated as "questionable sports."
esports
- Esports (Competitive Video Gaming) - Esports involves organised, rule-bound competition with real skill, strategy and huge prize pools. The sticking point is physical exertion: players are seated and using their thumbs and reflexes, not their whole body, which is why many argue it's a competitive pastime rather than a sport in the traditional sense.
- Chess - Chess is fiercely competitive, deeply skillful, and governed by strict rules, which is why it's often grouped as a "mind sport." But it involves almost no physical exertion, so under the classic definition of sport it looks more like a game of pure intellect than an athletic contest.
- Breakdancing - Breaking demands serious strength, balance and athleticism, and it's judged in head-to-head battles, which helped it earn a spot at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Critics argue it's still fundamentally an art form and mode of self-expression, with results based on subjective style and creativity rather than an objective, measurable outcome.
- Pole Dancing (Pole Sport) - Modern competitive pole sport involves genuine strength, flexibility and acrobatic skill, judged against set criteria. It's questioned as a sport mainly because of its origins in exotic dance and because scoring is subjective and aesthetic, closer to gymnastics-as-performance than to a contest with a clear winner by measurable result.
- Cheerleading - Competitive cheerleading involves tumbling, stunts and real athletic risk, performed to a set routine. It's considered "dubious" as a sport because results come down to subjective scoring of performance quality, and much of cheerleading is still done as entertainment/support for another sport rather than as a competition in its own right.
- Capoeira - This Brazilian martial art blends fighting, dance, acrobatics and music into a flowing, game-like exchange between two people. It's usually practised non-competitively, with no winner or loser, which is why it's generally classed as an art form or cultural practice rather than a sport — even though a competitive "Capoeira Sport" version does exist.
- Greyhound Racing - Greyhound racing is fast, competitive and produces a clear, measurable result. The problem is the "human activity" test: the dogs do all the running, jumping and exertion, while the human role is limited to training and handling, so it's usually classed as an animal event rather than a sport for the competitors themselves.
- Drone Racing - Drone racing requires real skill, quick reflexes and intense practice to fly a first-person-view drone through a course faster than opponents. But since a motor does all the physical work and the pilot's body barely moves, it lacks the physical exertion component that most definitions of sport require.
- Wife Carrying / Bog Snorkelling - Novelty events like wife carrying, bog snorkelling and cheese rolling do involve genuine physical effort and even attract "world championships." They tend to miss out on "sport" status because they're typically one-off festival events rather than activities with an ongoing, structured competitive scene played regularly around the world.
- Darts - Darts is played competitively under strict rules with a clearly measurable winner, and it demands real hand-eye coordination and mental precision under pressure. Its case is shaky mainly on the "physical exertion" front: players stand still and throw a light object, with little cardiovascular or muscular effort involved compared to most recognised sports.
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