Is MLG a sport?

[GodofDeathKB]

There is a heated debate going on in Bungie's forums as to wether or not MLG is a sport or MLG players are athletes. Some of the people are contending that its not a sport because it requires no real physical activity. If you arent familiar with me on Bungie forums, im KEVINBROCK. Read them all but read my posts on pages 4 and 5 especially.


http://www.bungie.net/Forums/posts.aspx?postID=11366250

[i AwoN i]

"Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Used by itself, sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determiner of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors. Sports are used as entertainment for the player and the viewer. It has also been proven by experiments that daily exercise increases mental strength and power to study" ...Wikipedia.


Hm, does MLG sound like it meets those qualifications?

[WCL Oenomaus]

yes lol for me MLG is a sport, its not physical all the way but it does require mind strength and some body atleast

[OcR MYK]

Unfortunately, yes it is a sport.

The statement "You don't play any sports! All you do is play video games!" is now invalid.

I say its "unfortunate" because though I love to game, I have friends that cannot get away from their computer or console and now that MLG is around, they can give me a better excuse not to come outside and do something athletic. I personally don't like how there is pro gaming out there now.

[OcR FoRk]

There are some pretty crappy sports around. You know chess is considered a sport at my high school? Yes, I saw some people with a varsity chess jacket, with a big horse piece on the back. Ridiculous.

Then you have color guard, cheerleading, band, and other competitive activities claiming they are sports. Everything wants to be a sport nowadays. All I know is, if its not physical, its not a sport.

[OcR MYK]

Spelling is a fucking sport now! It makes me sick to think of what people consider sports nowadays. Its just their way of having an excuse to be a lazy bum. Chess players, card players, dominoes players, gamers, and even spellers can now all they that they are involved in sports!

[WCL Oenomaus]

just cause u cant spell myk lol j/k bro OHHH old Sk0ol!

[OcR CixelsyD]

It's a pretty damn sad excuse for a sport, but I guess it is one.

One of my friends is absolutely obsessed with Halo 2 and I have to BEG him to join the football team. He isn't nerdy either, the kid used to be an amazing quarterback for football and pretty good at basketball. Now he's like a vegetable.

All I know is, there is no MLG player, no Chess player, no Spelling Bee kid who is going to tell me their sport is more athletic than the sports I play (football and track.) It's a sad world that we're heading into, I know that much.

[xxPl4yS0ci3tYxx]

i think video gaming is a sport but if my mom tells me to go play a sport id play soccer rather than play xbox

[Hunter501]

Soccer sucks.......MLG rocks

[i AwoN i]

If they want to call it a sport let them, it's still a videogame and everyone knows that, by calling it a 'sport' what do they change? It's still a videogame, it's already played competetively and for money...and most of the people playing it are going to be labeled as nerds, it doesn't matter what they call it I dont see why anyone even cares.

Haha I sound like a nerd there, seriously I piss on kids daily at baseball, like I don't play for the team I play for myself and try to embarass kids it's so funny I make some kids look real bad...but really I just dont see why people care so much about associating the word sport with mlg? It's already associated with dart throwing etc, people know the 'original' sports and they know the 'unconventional' sports.

I dont think videogames will ever be considered an 'original' sport, EVER. Only thing I see 'pro' gamers have going for them is salary compared to other pro athletes, don't they only get like 1/4mil each? Friggin rodriguez makes like what 40mil? And roger clemens is playing half a season and getting paid I think it was 7? Thats just ridiculous what are you going to do with 40million dollars? He could buy a rocketship a country and a new car and still have money in the bank.

[OcR Asians]

There are some pretty crappy sports around. You know chess is considered a sport at my high school? Yes, I saw some people with a varsity chess jacket, with a big horse piece on the back. Ridiculous.

Then you have color guard, cheerleading, band, and other competitive activities claiming they are sports. Everything wants to be a sport nowadays. All I know is, if its not physical, its not a sport.

Alright, I'll just continue feeding off this off-topicish message by simply saying/defending color guard and band. Heh, for most of you all it may seem like band, which includes drumline and all that crap I'm pretty much involved in, doesn't seem like a sport to you guys, but honestly I believe that most bands/colorguards/drumlines spend as much time as athletes practice on the field. ;] I don't mean to sound like a band nerd here haha, well it does doesn't it, but I just wanted to give the music department some of the cake seeing how much time is spent in band.

And, if you are thinking about Concert Band where all they do is play music and sit, then, meh, that's not a sport. lmao. I was just referring to color guard, drumline, marching band, field show, drum corps.. that type of shiznit. haha. ok, I'm done.

[OcR Prunk]

LMAO!! lol no and its the same reason bands not a sport. an Athlete?? my ass comeon Ogre 1 is good but hes not an athlete for being able to push a button

Deffiniton of Sport:
an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, swimming, etc.

MLG has the competive nature but it doesnt need physical strength next to lifting a contoller

oh and i heard fork say that cheerleading isnt a sport. It deffinitly is man just like Dance, and gymnastics they all require physical strength as long as mental to do the stuff they have to do. ( i dated a cheerleader she flipped out whenever some1 said it wasnt a sport)

[GodofDeathKB]

LMAO!! lol no and its the same reason bands not a sport. an Athlete?? my ass comeon Ogre 1 is good but hes not an athlete for being able to push a button

Deffiniton of Sport:
an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, swimming, etc.

MLG has the competive nature but it doesnt need physical strength next to lifting a contoller

oh and i heard fork say that cheerleading isnt a sport. It deffinitly is man just like Dance, and gymnastics they all require physical strength as long as mental to do the stuff they have to do. ( i dated a cheerleader she flipped out whenever some1 said it wasnt a sport)


Take into account that the definition of Sport does not say "physical strength". It does say "...requiring physical skill". Lets start with that one first. Is hand eye coordination not a "skill"?

The other alternate requirment is "physical prowess". As defined by Webster's dictionary, "prowess" means "extraordinary ability". Extraordinary basically means that you can do things that ordinary people cannot do, either through extreme training or natural talent. I think some of the following people fall neatly into this category.

Ogre1
Ogre2
Walshy
Strongside
Shockwav3
Gandhi
Karma
gh0stayam3
Ramby
LEGIT :)
Naded
Xtremist

Need I go on? Can any of us preform at that level? Wouldnt you call their abilities, reaction times and hand eye coordination "extraordinary"?

[OcR Dragon]

Yeah Asians my best friend was on the Drumline and they practiced all the time. They even had to be at school at 5:30 AM so they could get practice in before and after school.

Wasn't that card game Magic on ESPN a few years back? I remember my friends talking about it but I never saw it.

I personally think MLG is a sport only because of the amount of practice it takes to become a pro.

[i AwoN i]

Can someone tell me what it being labeled as a sport changes or does to it?

[GodofDeathKB]

Absolutely nothing as far as im concerned. It does, however tend to change peoples views on an event especially a video game since video games are so contraversial right now. We need all the positive influence we can get.

[OcR Asians]

LMAO!! lol no and its the same reason bands not a sport. an Athlete?? my ass comeon Ogre 1 is good but hes not an athlete for being able to push a button

Deffiniton of Sport:
an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, swimming, etc.

MLG has the competive nature but it doesnt need physical strength next to lifting a contoller

oh and i heard fork say that cheerleading isnt a sport. It deffinitly is man just like Dance, and gymnastics they all require physical strength as long as mental to do the stuff they have to do. ( i dated a cheerleader she flipped out whenever some1 said it wasnt a sport)

Cough, read my post above yours please. ;P.

And Dragon, thanks for acknowledging my plea. =P.

[xxPl4yS0ci3tYxx]

yah my sister used to be in a drum line/marching band and she practiced like 5 hours a day minimum. now shes at UCLA and she gave it up but she still says its harder and more "mentally" challenging then sports like volleyball, basketball, and soccer

[OcR MYK]

Gaming should bot be a sport. It should simply be a form of entertainment. Nothing more. Anything can be competetive. anything can require extrordinary skill. Next thing you know we'll be seeing "Ultimate Staring Contests" on ESPN 2.

[OcR FoRk]

Asians- I am in no way dissing Band. Hell, the band and color guard at my school is extraordinary. The color guard just won another world championship, and our band is actually playing at the 2008 Olympics.

Now, that said, band is not a sport. Yes, they may have SOME physical activities involved, but do they come into contact with their opponents? No. They take turns, and the performance is based on the music, not their marching.

Prunk- Same as above. Do cheerleaders come into contact with their opponents? No. As I have heard from "Bring it on," cheerleading is retarded dancing.

Dragon- Even if Magic WAS on ESPN, does that make it a sport? Poker is on ESPN ALL THE TIME. Is poker a sport now?

Also, you have to practice a lot for chess. Does that make chess a sport?

MYK- Agreed.

[p0tat0 5alad]

i don't think MLG should be considered a sport but if sports were based on making contact with an opponent then you can say baseball isn't a sport, tennis, golf, swimming, need I go on?

I agree cheerleading isn't a sport, neither is professional wrestling(WWE) and NASCAR.

[I x DonT o MoD]

"techniquly it is a sport but in my mind there is no ******* way it is a sport

[OcR Slitsa X]

No it is not a sport. That would mean chess, checkers, frogger, and basically anything that has competition is a sport. Video games will always be a game, this idea is crazy.

[OcR Dragon]

Yeah there are TONS of sports that don't contact each other in any way. Contact has nothing to do with saying what is and what isn't a sport. And I didn't say Magic was a sport, but if it was on ESPN I'm sure a lot of people thought it was. Also tons of people say Poker is a sport, but who is to say it isn't? What makes a sport a sport? I mean what guide lines do things have to follow to become a sport?

[GodofDeathKB]

Again, how is it a crazy idea? How is MLG so different from anything else you do as a sport?


Lets recap everything so far. What is a sport? A sport is a competetive activity that requires strength, agility OR stamina.


While MLG may not require Strength, it does meet the final 2 alternate requirments. there is a comma and an "or" in there meaning that if it meets any one of those criteria its a sport. You can bitch and complain or critisize all day if you want....guess what? Its still a sport.

Hotshot: MLG is a sport....please knock the shit out of me, im begging you. Please quit talking big over the computer and grow up. Its a discussion and you took it way too far.


Some of you may argue that its not a sport because its not physical and that if MLG is a sport, so is painting and singing or anything else you can come up with. Ill say it just like I have in every other argument about this. Just because its something that youre good at and you get paid for it dosent make it a sport. If you were to get alot of singers or painters together, however and have a competition to see who the best was guess what? It just became a sport. How is this so hard for you people to grasp? You DO NOT have to be able to bench 300 Lbs., run the 200m in 20 sec. or throw a football 50 yards for it to be a sport. Its solely defined as a group of people with a common ability or skill that compete against each other.

BTW: Just for the record, im not fat or lazy. I work 40 hours a week, play baseball, scuba dive and have a girlfriend and 5 black belts that ive accululated since I was 8 (im 27 now). im 6'0 and 180 Lbs. Dont stereotype people who are passionate about MLG.

and please....pretty please try to knock the shit out of me. You seriously made yourself look like an ass. Quit threatening people because they have different opinions than you. If you still want to try though, you can find me at MLG Dallas.

[OcR Dragon]

I say its a sport because MLG is a HUGE competition. Oh yeah, and I'm not fat either lol. And yeah I used to race BMX, play baseball, football all that stuff. The only people who wont consider this a sport are the ones sitting on the outside looking in. The people who really don't play all that much and when they do its only for fun. There is a big difference in playing Halo for fun and competitively. How many people just go to an MLG event just to watch these guys play? Tons of people.

Oh yeah and I believe Chess is actually considered a sport. Same as Poker. Too many people are trying to compare this to like baseball/football which are completely different. You'd be surprised on what is actually called a sport these days, its not just baseball/football anymore.

[GodofDeathKB]

I have no idea what im talking about yet ive provided tons of evidence in this discussion that MLG and Halo in general can be a sport. If you had actually spent the time reading the discussion on here, on my website and on Bungie.net then youd already have the facts....apparently im not the one who is lazy.


.....nor do I care who im talking to kid. Go away. Only a complete idiotic moron like you would contend that MLG cannot be a sport because people dont get bones broken. Do you have the brainpower to even look up the definition of sport in the dictionary? You basically just said the most retarded thing I think ive ever head a member of this clan say, that football is a REAL sport and baseball or whatever else isnt. I seriously hope the OL's in this clan dont have you in a leadership position.

[OcR Slitsa X]

It is a good arguement but it is really going to come down to personal opinion in the end. MLG is the same thing as playing chess or anything that is mind related that can be considered a sport. So if you think that is a sport then it is, if you don't then its not. It really doesn't matter I don't think anything is a sport unless you are physically running around with a ball and trying to score a point lol. But thats just my opinion, i'm sure in time video games will become as popular to watch as football or baseball.

[GodofDeathKB]

Agreed. Its no different except for the way the game is played. Lets look at the fundamentals.



Football is a sport because people run with a ball in pursuit of outscoring the other team. In MLG youre playing a game against another team in hopes of outscoring them.

Football is simply a game that is played for recreation....that is until you start paying people to play it, fans start attending, the games start getting televised and the teams are playing against each other in order to prove who is the best.

MLG is simply a game on XBL that we play in customs for fun or pride. It becomes a sport when people are getting paid to play (that makes them professionals), the games get televised, fans show up to cheer on their favorite teams and its held in tournament form to see who the best is. At the end of the season there is an MLG national championship (kinda sounds like a superbowl). Basically the only difference between the two sports is simply how the game is played. Its a pretty weak argument to say that MLG isnt a sort because people dont run around with a ball.

But again, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Im an avid MLG fan and player and honestly I treat this debate like a presidental debate and im a candidate. Im not trying to convince the other candidates that im right, im trying to convince all of the undecided or uninformed spectators that im right.

But at least Slista makes good points in a debate.

Im willing to bet that back in the late 1800's or very early 1900's when "American Football" was in its infancy and people saw them playing it for the first time they made fun of them too. New sports are always critisized until they become mainstream. Thats all I want for MLG. The chance for the fledgling sport to survive and grow.

[OcR Dragon]

Watch the flaming guys, and like Slista said its really your own personal opinion if its a sport or not, because in the end it wont change a thing if it is or isn't.

[ixi xizor ixi]

true.

[OcR FoRk]

Potato- My bad..I gave it the wrong wording. I meant contact as in on the same playing arena at the same time. Yeah, wrong wording on my part.

I like to define a sport as something you can take steroids and get better at. Therefore, NASCAR is not a sport and sadly, neither is gaming :(

I hope nobody is flaming...

[GodofDeathKB]

Most of the pros take Adderol or Ritalin to up their focus and reaction times.

Most of them also drink excessive amounts of Redbull or Monster. Maybe those could subsitiute for steriods?

[OcR FoRk]

Most of the pros take Adderol or Ritalin to up their focus and reaction times.

Most of them also drink excessive amounts of Redbull or Monster. Maybe those could subsitiute for steriods?

Haha. I wasn't serious. But that's pretty good. Touche.

[OcR Death]

I read something about mlg is going to start drug testing on there players for Adderall and things like that becasue it does make you focus so intensely.

* Found it

Due to Adderall's concentration side effect, many teenagers have been using the drug in video game tournaments at various Major League Gaming sites. MLG has been cracking down on use of the drug and banning people who take it.[13] Rumor has it that MLG will start drug testing in the future if the abuse worsens.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall

[OcR Dragon]

Most of the pros take Adderol or Ritalin to up their focus and reaction times.

Most of them also drink excessive amounts of Redbull or Monster. Maybe those could subsitiute for steriods?


That's where I personally lose a lot of respect for pros. Taking that stuff just to be better at Halo.... I think if you need more than the Xbox and a controller your not legit.

I hope nobody is flaming...

Check the page before this one, thats why I said that lol.

[GodofDeathKB]

As a former Narcotics officer I completely agree with you. Use of any perscription medication or non-perscription narcotic to enhance your skills is completely LAME not to mention Dangerous.

(its also a Felony in most states to posess perscription meds without it being perscribed to you)

[OcR MYK]

Dammit...

Here is what I consider a sport...

Basketball
Football
Rugby
Baseball
Hockey
Soccar
Volleyball
Tennis
Track and Field
Lacrosse
Softball
Boxing
Wrestling
Martial Arts
Cricket
Golf
Croque
Horse Racing
NASCAR
Racketball
Aquatics
Gymnastics
Bowling
Hunting
Tetherball
Dodgeball
Skateboarding
Surfing
Snowboarding
Skiing
Bicycle Racing

I might have forgot some, but thats what I conisder the world of sports. MLG, poker, dominoes, chess, checkers, billiards, and stuff liek that are what I consider games

[OcR FoRk]

That's where I personally lose a lot of respect for pros. Taking that stuff just to be better at Halo.... I think if you need more than the Xbox and a controller your not legit.



Check the page before this one, thats why I said that lol.

I did- there is no flames.

Also, maybe this is kinda like the planet debate...is Pluto a planet or not? Because of the fact that it was sort of a planet, but sort of not, they deemed it as a "dwarf" planet. Maybe MLG can be a "half" sport? lol iono

[OcR just iLL]

it was me, i was being a jackass and flaming because today is my day off and i had nothing better to do.

i also deleted my posts because they were pure flame and nothing to do with the actual topic.

[i AwoN i]

I read something about mlg is going to start drug testing on there players for Adderall and things like that becasue it does make you focus so intensely.

* Found it



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adderall


HAHAHAHAHAHA...wow placebo x10

And slista said what I was trying to only a lot better, nothing major is going to change if people start calling it a sport, it is what it is call it whatever you feel like it's not going to change anything really.

[OcR Dragon]

it was me, i was being a jackass and flaming because today is my day off and i had nothing better to do.

i also deleted my posts because they were pure flame and nothing to do with the actual topic.

lol don't worry about it iLL everyone has days like that :)

And yeah there was flaming I don't think I would post saying watch the flaming for no reason :rolleyes:

[OcR Slitsa X]

Adderall when not taken as intended is basically an upper and can really do some damage. It is basically for people who have no attention span, the fact that people might take that for gaming is amazing to me. Plus you can also develope a crazy paranoia from taking any drug like that if you don't need it. You will see the pros taking apart clocks and computers in there spare time with orange gums.

[p0tat0 5alad]

I have friends that take adderall to do their HW. They wouldn't do it since they don't have the energy(& don't care) so they take Adderall and then do it.

I personally don't think MLG is a sport because of the whole blood, sweat, tears thing. It does take hard work and consistency to be at the top of your game but I don't quit think its a sport yet. Not MLG at least, the StarCraft leagues in South Korea are sports. There is are I believe now 3(2 atleast) dedicated to updating the people of South Korea about the happens of the teams in these leagues and you can watch matches as they happen. I think once MLG gets to that point(in the next 3-5 years) then we can be talking. You can safely assume that over 95% of the people in South Korea that play StarCraft competitively versus prolly the 15-20%(if that much) people that play Halo 2 competitively. I don't think that is a realistic goal for MLG or something that they are striving for but who knows? From my perspective, they mainly cater to the existing fans and hoping they bring in new people. They are doing a good job of putting themselves out there but not enough people are biting. Only time will tell if this rate will continue.

[GodofDeathKB]

Well said.

[OcR Ronin]

It's a competitively played GAME.

[GodofDeathKB]

Youre very astute. It is, indeed a competetively played game. ANY game game that is played is a competetively played game UNTIL people start getting payed to play it. At the moment people start getting paid to play it, tournaments and standings start to develop and there is a large fan base, it becomes a sport.

[i AwoN i]

Technically me and my friend dipping carrots in mustard and throwing them at cieling fans can be a sport. Anything can be made into a technically correct sport, it's just a matter of opinion if something is a 'real' sport or not. I don't think there is much you can do to sway peoples opinions one way or the other, fighting and getting upset about it accomplishes nothing.

I don't understand why people push so hard for one side or the other, you aren't going to sway many if any opinions, and if you do what do you accomplish? I don't think someone is going to go to an mlg event or tell friends about it solely because an internet board deemed mlg an 'official' sport or not.

[OcR MYK]

Most sports are in the category of games. Is football not a game? Is baseball not a game? MLG is a game. MLG is a sport too. But video gaming in general is not a sport.

[GodofDeathKB]

Very well put MYK. Yes, tossing carrots at the celing fan can be a sport if you turn it into a competetion with standings, offer prizes and have people who get paid to play the game.

As far as it being a "real" sport is concerned....what is MLG then? A fake sport? lol. If it meets the criteria for being a sport, then its a sport...end of story. Im not giving you opinions, im offering you facts and legitimate arguments. All ive heard in return are simple opinions. If youre going to say its not a sport you should at least have evidence to back your argument up.