horse back riding is certainly not a physicially easy matter. it might not require the strength or the power of a boxer or swimmer. but its still a tough task physcially. i would definatly consider it a sport, and also an art. 

Well, they're not sports. They're eSports... I'm not sure why its even a discussion. But does that make it any less intense or time-consuming to practice, talk strat, etc? Nope...

I was thinking, what is Shooting? It's in the Olympics. Yet it's not really a sport. Not a game either. At least gamers play games. What is Ballet? Art right? but ballerinas are more athletic that most sports in the world, certainly gamers. Can a sport be art?

Video games are also trying to be considered 'Art' as well as sport. I wouldn't really consider anything to be both, even if altheticism is present in Art or grace is present in Sport.

Why can't we just have it as entertainment and be done with it?

Merriam-Webster's definition of sport encompasses chess: 1.a :  a source of diversion :  recreation. And:  to amuse oneself. Even the summary definition can encompass chess: "a contest or game in which people do certain physical activities according to a specific set of rules and compete against each other." Chess and video games involve physical activity, just not very strenuous physical activity.

Collins Dictionary says sport is an activity for "pleasure, competition OR excercise" excercise is one of the options for sport but not a solely defining characteristic. So chess and video games are in here.

Oxford dictionary you have more ground, it's definition indicates physical exertion. So it's a very narrow definition compared to the other sources. Though it also undermines the physical exertion aspect by saying fishing is a sport. Some fishing involves physical exertion, but a lot of fishing doesn't, so there's some possible wriggle room even here.

So you can go with that one definition if you want, but I'm going with the majority view from all those various sources. Dictionary.com uses the Collins definition as well as the Random House dictionary, so it counts as 2 sources. So 4 dictionaries out of 5 encompass competetive activities that do not invole physical exertion within the scope of their definition of sport. Therefore eSports and chess are sports acording to the clear majority view of dictionaries cited herein.

You don't go to encyclopedias to get the definition of a word, you use dictionaries for that. But if you want to get all encyclopediary on it lets' check Wikipedia too. It says that the IOC recognises Chess and Bridge (the card game) as sports. But don't let Wikipedia put you off, go to the source http://www.arisf.org/members which is the IOC recognised sports federations website. If the IOC says Chess and Bridge are sports, who are you to say otherwise?

Also for another reference, and possibly for the true international consensus on sport you should check out SportAccord http://www.sportaccord.com/en/index.php

So really the weight of definition is against you when it comes to chess. And I think it is only a matter of time before eSports gets admitted into SportAccord. SportAccords criteria does say that "Applications from sports with limited physical or atheletic activity will be carefully considered." Does mean eSports has to prove itself more than physically demanding activities. But there is precedent there already given acceptance of sports that involve less phycial activity than gaming. Darts is also there, as well as billiards.

So prety much the no voters don;t have a leg to stand on when you look at all the objective information out there which defines what is and isn't a sport.

Opinions are like arseholes, everyone's got one. Which is why on these topics the opinions of forum dwellers are worth exactly nothing in the face of actual objective consensus definitions, which exist and are easy to find.

Here endeth the lesson.

Agreed.

The IOC disagrees, there's even the "chess olympics", which was held in Norway this year. IOC recognizes chess as a sport, but I maintain that the players are not in any way athletes. Bridge is also recognized as a sport. Billiards is also a sport, it relies heavily on coordination and precision, which could be said for eSports as well as main elements, overview and situational awareness are also key in both. If billiards is sports; I don't see how eSports shouldn't be, even though the gamers aren't athletes, they're sitting still but the actions and execution are as demanding as billiards, if not more. Shooting with the cue and leaning on the table isn't exactly wildly taxing either, it is mostly brainwork in billiards, as it is in chess and eSports.

Times are changing, it is exceedingly likely that there will be some form of VR-sports in the future, this will a crossroads in sports definition.

PS: Artistic feats were regarded as part of the sporting subsets by the ancient greeks, perhaps a broad inclusion under the term, but the father of the term none the less.

from the same people who believe they are sportif by watching sport on TV.

come on.

If Chest, golf and Bridge are sport - you know damn rigth they are not Neutral on the subject.

How can you compare chess and bridge to golf? Golf is undoubtedly a sport.

An old man with an old view of sports in my opinion.

Of course he's right.