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Post by Gods on Jul 27, 2014 16:58:39 GMT
I thought this was interesting from UK Sport.
Swimming
2.89m
Athletics
1.96m
Football
1.94m
Cycling
1.87m
Golf
772,800
Tennis
424,300
Squash
257,700
Cricket
189,400
Rugby union
166,400
Boxing
150,100
I was looking it up for then reason I play squash and I wondered where it ranked.
I must admit I am skeptical of 3 of the first 4. Are the swimming contingent really competing in swimming as a sport or have they just taken a dip in the previous 12 months? And "Athletics" I can honestly tell you I know of no one at all who does "Athletics" in any meaningful way, perhaps this is anyone who thinks they may have run for a bus in the last 12 months? And "cycling", more the total number of bike owners than those competing?
Is golf a sport? I suppose at some level it is, but I just struggle with classifying anything which you participate in bedecked in a V-neck pullover and a pair of stay press slacks as sport, more a pass time perhaps?
Anyway, there you have it...
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Post by Northy on Jul 27, 2014 17:11:56 GMT
Athletics may include jogging/running, a lot of people take part, you only need to look at the amount of parkruns on Saturday mornings, and races all over the UK each weekend.
Does football include pot bellied workers who have a kick about at lunchtimes?
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Post by pearo on Jul 27, 2014 17:16:04 GMT
Some of those swimmers are probably just taking a bath instead of a shower
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Post by The Drunken Communist on Jul 27, 2014 17:20:24 GMT
Football means you have to play football. Athletics could mean you run for miles, jump in sand, throw a stick, dive over a bar etc... Similar applies to swimming.
Using 'athletics' or 'swimming' as a spot is like using 'bird' or 'fish' as an answer in a quiz. It covers so many different things that you stand a much better chance than saying 'African Elephant'.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2014 17:22:29 GMT
I thought this was interesting from UK Sport. Swimming 2.89m Athletics 1.96m Football 1.94m Cycling 1.87m Golf 772,800 Tennis 424,300 Squash 257,700 Cricket 189,400 Rugby union 166,400 Boxing 150,100 I was looking it up for then reason I play squash and I wondered where it ranked. I must admit I am skeptical of 3 of the first 4. Are the swimming contingent really competing in swimming as a sport or have they just taken a dip in the previous 12 months? And "Athletics" I can honestly tell you I know of no one at all who does "Athletics" in any meaningful way, perhaps this is anyone who thinks they may have run for a bus in the last 12 months? And "cycling", more the total number of bike owners than those competing? Is golf a sport? I suppose at some level it is, but I just struggle with classifying anything which you participate in bedecked in a V-neck pullover and a pair of stay press slacks as sport, more a pass time perhaps? Anyway, there you have it... Well UK sport is wrong. Angling is the most popular . |
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Post by Billybigbollox on Jul 27, 2014 17:30:20 GMT
I thought this was interesting from UK Sport. Swimming 2.89m Athletics 1.96m Football 1.94m Cycling 1.87m Golf 772,800 Tennis 424,300 Squash 257,700 Cricket 189,400 Rugby union 166,400 Boxing 150,100 I was looking it up for then reason I play squash and I wondered where it ranked. I must admit I am skeptical of 3 of the first 4. Are the swimming contingent really competing in swimming as a sport or have they just taken a dip in the previous 12 months? And "Athletics" I can honestly tell you I know of no one at all who does "Athletics" in any meaningful way, perhaps this is anyone who thinks they may have run for a bus in the last 12 months? And "cycling", more the total number of bike owners than those competing? Is golf a sport? I suppose at some level it is, but I just struggle with classifying anything which you participate in bedecked in a V-neck pullover and a pair of stay press slacks as sport, more a pass time perhaps? Anyway, there you have it... Well UK sport is wrong. Angling is the most popular . Fishing ain't a sport Mumf. It's dangling a bit of bread in the water and waiting for a chub to be a chub. |
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Post by Gods on Jul 27, 2014 17:31:47 GMT
Football means you have to play football. Athletics could mean you run for miles, jump in sand, throw a stick, dive over a bar etc... Similar applies to swimming. Using 'athletics' or 'swimming' as a spot is like using 'bird' or 'fish' as an answer in a quiz. It covers so many different things that you stand a much better chance than saying 'African Elephant'. But even accepting that lot as I do, how many people have you met who when you ask them what they did at the weekend say "oh I slipped in a 3000 metres steeple chase" or "I put in a quick decathlon over Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning"? Just doesn't happen unless I mix in some different circles. I think they are mostly casual joggers and recreational swimmers  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2014 18:14:18 GMT
Football means you have to play football. Athletics could mean you run for miles, jump in sand, throw a stick, dive over a bar etc... Similar applies to swimming. Using 'athletics' or 'swimming' as a spot is like using 'bird' or 'fish' as an answer in a quiz. It covers so many different things that you stand a much better chance than saying 'African Elephant'. But even accepting that lot as I do, how many people have you met who when you ask them what they did at the weekend say "oh I slipped in a 3000 metres steeple chase" or "I put in a quick decathlon over Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning"? Just doesn't happen unless I mix in some different circles. I think they are mostly casual joggers and recreational swimmers Where's drinking excessive 'wife beater' smoking 20 a day having a gamble and falling to bed pissed and broke come ? GD |
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Post by Gods on Jul 27, 2014 20:33:50 GMT
I thought this was interesting from UK Sport. Swimming 2.89m Athletics 1.96m Football 1.94m Cycling 1.87m Golf 772,800 Tennis 424,300 Squash 257,700 Cricket 189,400 Rugby union 166,400 Boxing 150,100 I was looking it up for then reason I play squash and I wondered where it ranked. I must admit I am skeptical of 3 of the first 4. Are the swimming contingent really competing in swimming as a sport or have they just taken a dip in the previous 12 months? And "Athletics" I can honestly tell you I know of no one at all who does "Athletics" in any meaningful way, perhaps this is anyone who thinks they may have run for a bus in the last 12 months? And "cycling", more the total number of bike owners than those competing? Is golf a sport? I suppose at some level it is, but I just struggle with classifying anything which you participate in bedecked in a V-neck pullover and a pair of stay press slacks as sport, more a pass time perhaps? Anyway, there you have it... Well UK sport is wrong. Angling is the most popular . I'm not being funny mumf but I nurture a few plum tomatoes and half a dozen runner beans, it's most enjoyable if hard work at times but I don't call it sport. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2014 21:15:18 GMT
....and as far I am aware you can't represent England doing this , however with Angling you can and IT IS as recognised sport.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2014 21:26:45 GMT
....and as far I am aware you can't represent England doing this , however with Angling you can and IT IS as recognised sport. It is .....and almost more amazingly board games such as Chess. And Bridge are also recognised as bone fide sports , I play chess but to consider it as a sport is beyond me |
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Post by Linx on Jul 27, 2014 21:44:44 GMT
Angling has long been recognised as the most popular participant sport in the UK (and probably in a lot of other countries, too). It is a regular quiz question and the answer is always angling, never swimming. Besides, I doubt if the survey means competitive swimming; I can't believe that there are nearly 3 million competitive swimmers out there. It probably means swimming.
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Post by Gods on Jul 27, 2014 22:05:59 GMT
I must admit I never understand the clamor to have things which are not sports classified as sports.
In the case of say fishing I actually think the term "sport" trivialises it and does it a disservice.
For many people it is their very livelihood for others it is a hobby and a passion and a get away why not just accept it for what it is?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2014 22:12:50 GMT
I must admit I never understand the clamor to have things which are not sports classified as sports. In the case of say fishing I actually think the term "sport" trivialises it and does it a disservice. For many people it is their very livelihood for others it is a hobby and a passion and a get away why not just accept it for what it is? Because you like the vast majority have no idea as the different types of fishing there is , or the complexities and level of professionalism involved. There are million dollar fishing sports celebs out there... Types of fishing include Sea fishing Sports sea fishing Beach fishing Bass angling Pike fishing Coarse fishing Salmon fishing Fly fishing Etc etc |
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Post by pearo on Jul 27, 2014 22:19:24 GMT
I once went fly fishing and caught a 2oz bluebottle
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Post by Billybigbollox on Jul 27, 2014 23:01:51 GMT
I must admit I never understand the clamor to have things which are not sports classified as sports. In the case of say fishing I actually think the term "sport" trivialises it and does it a disservice. For many people it is their very livelihood for others it is a hobby and a passion and a get away why not just accept it for what it is? Because you like the vast majority have no idea as the different types of fishing there is , or the complexities and level of professionalism involved. There are million dollar fishing sports celebs out there... Types of fishing include Sea fishing Sports sea fishing Beach fishing Bass angling Pike fishing Coarse fishing Salmon fishing Fly fishing Etc etc Spinning. :-) |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 27, 2014 23:04:07 GMT
That's a tactic employed by those covered above , normally associated with pro Bass fishing...Big Bucks stuff..!
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Post by britsabroad on Jul 28, 2014 0:47:46 GMT
Swimming - swam 2 lengths of the pool on holiday in Magaluf.
Athletics - ran 5km on a treadmill at the local gym.
Although Power League 5 aside once a month doesnt really count either does it.
Id like to see the number of participants at an accredited competitive level. Still not sure football would be top.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2014 3:37:08 GMT
That list seems really odd. How are they defining competitors within a given sport? There are never 3 million competitive swimmers in the UK; that's nonsense. There are hundreds of organised Angling competitions every week though.
This is what our lottery tickets funding gets allocated to. Gah!
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Post by lawrieleslie on Jul 28, 2014 6:17:27 GMT
Yesterday I was out on the kayak doing a bit of fishing in the Yealm Estuary and was gobsmacked at the number of other kayakers and paddle boarders out there. So I put forward the sport of recreational kayaking as one of the most popular sports.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2014 8:36:00 GMT
Yesterday I was out on the kayak doing a bit of fishing in the Yealm Estuary and was gobsmacked at the number of other kayakers and paddle boarders out there. So I put forward the sport of recreational kayaking as one of the most popular sports. Just watch out for all those "competitive swimmers" LL.  |
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Post by RipRoaringPotter on Jul 28, 2014 13:57:55 GMT
Does this include children? Nearly every school will have swimming lessons and a sports day.
I don't see much strange about the figures, especially if school children are included. Athletics and swimming are the biggest Olympic sports and heavily promoted in schools, and football is the national game. Cycling is becoming an ever-increasingly popular method of transport.
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Post by Gods on Jul 28, 2014 15:19:21 GMT
This is the report from which I took the numbers. Interesting to see football, cricket and rugby all on the wane at double figure percentage points. Article |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2014 15:44:29 GMT
if it's just being done on the basis of how many people do it (i.e. nip to the pool, ride a bike sometimes, run at sports day etc.) then how come rallying isn't the number one sport given the shitty state of most of the roads in this country?
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yamfan
Academy Starlet
Posts: 231
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Post by yamfan on Jul 28, 2014 16:47:32 GMT
Those figures could be taken from the number of ASA registered swimmers. To register they must belong to a club and train regularly. To compete in galas they have to attend "open meets" (essentially official time trials) and obtain qualifying times for each stroke and distance they wish to compete in. there are different level events right up to Olympic level.
Since my kids got into it a few years ago I had no idea how big it is, it's really huge and competitive, the only downside is the faster they get, the more time and money it costs. Lol
If those figures are right it's great that kids and adults are doing something positive and good for their health.
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Post by Northy on Jul 28, 2014 21:12:01 GMT
I must admit I never understand the clamor to have things which are not sports classified as sports. In the case of say fishing I actually think the term "sport" trivialises it and does it a disservice. For many people it is their very livelihood for others it is a hobby and a passion and a get away why not just accept it for what it is? Because you like the vast majority have no idea as the different types of fishing there is , or the complexities and level of professionalism involved. There are million dollar fishing sports celebs out there... Types of fishing include Sea fishing Sports sea fishing Beach fishing Bass angling Pike fishing Coarse fishing Salmon fishing Fly fishing Etc etc Still not a sport though is it? Same as darts, shooting etc. its a pastime. |
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Post by Northy on Jul 28, 2014 21:15:27 GMT
This is the report from which I took the numbers. Interesting to see football, cricket and rugby all on the wane at double figure percentage points. ArticleThat's why the football foundation has had it's grassroots funding cut, just as the new TV money falls into the top players pockets, and Greg Dykes answer is to create B teams and have more women and Sol Campbell on the board. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 28, 2014 21:20:22 GMT
Because you like the vast majority have no idea as the different types of fishing there is , or the complexities and level of professionalism involved. There are million dollar fishing sports celebs out there... Types of fishing include Sea fishing Sports sea fishing Beach fishing Bass angling Pike fishing Coarse fishing Salmon fishing Fly fishing Etc etc Still not a sport though is it? Same as darts, shooting etc. its a pastime. It is a sport...a professional sport. |
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Post by Northy on Jul 29, 2014 5:34:55 GMT
Still not a sport though is it? Same as darts, shooting etc. its a pastime. It is a sport...a professional sport. A sport takes physical exertion (dictionary), not sitting on your bum and having the opportunity of drinking beer from cans cooling in the lake/river (which is a nice way to spend a day), they may call it a sport to market it and glam it up, but it's not a sport as people would envisage. |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 29, 2014 5:54:44 GMT
There is no excuse for ignorance and lack of knowledge on a subject.
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