Is RC a "Sport" or a "Hobby"?
02-13-2009, 09:09 AM
#76
I don't think so. Reading through this thread , the voting for "not a sport" is winning just like it did on the other site. just check it out here >>> http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_8461958/tm.htm and you might want to just add the undecided few to the "not a sport" as well.....because a lot of them were being kind about what they had to say.
Look....i believe that RC racing is more of a sport than some of these other activities that are called sports.
The main difference between the two halves of people here in this debate is
Group A : Thinks it's not a sport because there is no physical demand that is needed from a participant , like almost ALL sports do. With the exception of a few of the ridiculous "new" sport that have came around over the last 5-6 years.
Group B : Thinks it is a sport , because you are participating in an event , and a sport does not need any physical demand from a person to have be called a sport.
Of course i am with group A , but i think group B has a lot of valid points. Being in a lot of different sports myself over the years , including racing motocross for around 30 of them , and breaking damn near every bone in my body at least once ( sometime 2-3 times) it's hard for me to grasp RC as a sport.
I have to thank the RC community for damn near saving my life to be honest. When i got hurt real bad 3 years ago from a bad MX wreck , i decided to get more involved with RC , as a way to get my mind away from racing bikes. I have done this numerous times with other sports and activities throughout my last 10 years or so of racing MX.....but nothing ever replaced the feeling i got from racing MX.
The RC cars was a good bandaid for me , and it really help me focus on other things besides racing MX. It introduced me to a lot of really cool people out here in the NW....a group of people i still see now and then.
BUT...it also opened another door to RC for me.....which has blown me away. And that's the Flying part of RC. If you we're to ask me 3 years ago what i thought about flying an RC airplane....i would of said , i thought it was gay. But until i saw a big Yak 54 , with a 121" wingspan drop out of the sky in front of me , and then the guy stood it strait up and hovered it about 10' off the ground , my jaw dropped , and I KNEW i had to learn it!
I have been hooked ever since. And now...2-1/2 years later , i have more money , and time wrapped up into these things it's insane! But i love it!
I could go on and on....but to be honest , my dad who was dying of cancer needed a hobby to get into , found RC as something he wanted to do. Knowing my brother was smoking fast out here in the NW back in the early 90's....my dad wanted to try it out. So i went and bought a T-maxx as to have something to play around with my dad. My little brother started driving again as well. I was hooked , and so was my dad. The last few years he was alive ,and running the RC's , is a huge highlight in my life.
I still have his almost brand new XXX-4 he built from a kit , with the dirt on it from his last drive. I will never drive that car , and she is set up and ready to go. I'm making a plauque for it , and hanging in the office on a wall.
I think my dad would of enjoyed the RC flying as well. I miss him every day.
Sorry for going off the subject. I sometimes rant to long i guess.
Anyways....i look at this thread and think of it as a good debate. It's healthy to hear opinions from both sides.
And either way , weather we call it a sport or a hobby....we are all in it for the fun of it , and way to hang out with family and friends....with a little friendly racing action to keep us on our toes.
Look....i believe that RC racing is more of a sport than some of these other activities that are called sports.
The main difference between the two halves of people here in this debate is
Group A : Thinks it's not a sport because there is no physical demand that is needed from a participant , like almost ALL sports do. With the exception of a few of the ridiculous "new" sport that have came around over the last 5-6 years.
Group B : Thinks it is a sport , because you are participating in an event , and a sport does not need any physical demand from a person to have be called a sport.
Of course i am with group A , but i think group B has a lot of valid points. Being in a lot of different sports myself over the years , including racing motocross for around 30 of them , and breaking damn near every bone in my body at least once ( sometime 2-3 times) it's hard for me to grasp RC as a sport.
I have to thank the RC community for damn near saving my life to be honest. When i got hurt real bad 3 years ago from a bad MX wreck , i decided to get more involved with RC , as a way to get my mind away from racing bikes. I have done this numerous times with other sports and activities throughout my last 10 years or so of racing MX.....but nothing ever replaced the feeling i got from racing MX.
The RC cars was a good bandaid for me , and it really help me focus on other things besides racing MX. It introduced me to a lot of really cool people out here in the NW....a group of people i still see now and then.
BUT...it also opened another door to RC for me.....which has blown me away. And that's the Flying part of RC. If you we're to ask me 3 years ago what i thought about flying an RC airplane....i would of said , i thought it was gay. But until i saw a big Yak 54 , with a 121" wingspan drop out of the sky in front of me , and then the guy stood it strait up and hovered it about 10' off the ground , my jaw dropped , and I KNEW i had to learn it!
I have been hooked ever since. And now...2-1/2 years later , i have more money , and time wrapped up into these things it's insane! But i love it!
I could go on and on....but to be honest , my dad who was dying of cancer needed a hobby to get into , found RC as something he wanted to do. Knowing my brother was smoking fast out here in the NW back in the early 90's....my dad wanted to try it out. So i went and bought a T-maxx as to have something to play around with my dad. My little brother started driving again as well. I was hooked , and so was my dad. The last few years he was alive ,and running the RC's , is a huge highlight in my life.
I still have his almost brand new XXX-4 he built from a kit , with the dirt on it from his last drive. I will never drive that car , and she is set up and ready to go. I'm making a plauque for it , and hanging in the office on a wall.
I think my dad would of enjoyed the RC flying as well. I miss him every day.
Sorry for going off the subject. I sometimes rant to long i guess.
Anyways....i look at this thread and think of it as a good debate. It's healthy to hear opinions from both sides.
And either way , weather we call it a sport or a hobby....we are all in it for the fun of it , and way to hang out with family and friends....with a little friendly racing action to keep us on our toes.
02-13-2009, 09:54 AM
#78
It's not a sport or hobby. It is a skill. I think of it a lot like golf. I'm about a 6 handycap but I'm fat and out of shape. What other "activity" can a guy do while smoking dope or drinking ; golf and toycar racing!!!!!!!!!!
02-13-2009, 10:08 AM
#79
Someone posted this on another forum, and it was a great discussion. I would liek to see your opinions on whether you think RC is a sport or just a hobby.
The definition of sport:
1. The rules of the activity become standardized.(The sport has official rules applied whenever and wherever they are done.)
2. Official regulatory agencies take over rule enforcement(Governing bodies)
3. Organizational and technical aspects of the activity become important.(Sports occur under controlled conditions in which there are specific expectations for everyone involved.)
4. The learning of game skills becomes formalized.(participants must know the rules of the game.)
Personally, I think of you race-its a sport. If you are just the average joe bash weekend warrior-its a hobby. Opinions?
The definition of sport:
1. The rules of the activity become standardized.(The sport has official rules applied whenever and wherever they are done.)
2. Official regulatory agencies take over rule enforcement(Governing bodies)
3. Organizational and technical aspects of the activity become important.(Sports occur under controlled conditions in which there are specific expectations for everyone involved.)
4. The learning of game skills becomes formalized.(participants must know the rules of the game.)
Personally, I think of you race-its a sport. If you are just the average joe bash weekend warrior-its a hobby. Opinions?
If it's a sport, then why is everyone so out of shape?
02-13-2009, 10:12 AM
#80
Tech Master
You're not gonna be any good though.
02-13-2009, 11:53 AM
#83
Competitive hobby. Not a sport in the sense of what we perceived as sports, football, baseball, etc. As far as everyone being out of shape in rc, yeah a large, large portion of rc'ers are land beast. Even Pro's.
02-13-2009, 11:56 AM
#84
I think that there are a number of ways to test the human body and for something to be called a sport it must test at least two of these
Balance
strength
endurance
coordination
power
I think that RC is as much of a sport as trap shooting (which is olympic) or hunting and fishing. Both require knowledge about setup and conditions and high eye coordination (just like RC). I would consider most motor sports to be sports too - just look at the beating MX F1 and WRC drivers take.
What keeps these out of the olympic games though is accessability. In motor sports - to compete at the top level - you have to have millions of dollars in sponsorships. Ideally the olympic committee tries to make it so every sport in the games is accessible by everyone on the planet (hence no olympic golf or motor sports.) This might be why rc wouldnt be in. That combined with the effect that nonathletic variables (such as which brand of motor is best) would have on the outcome. I think the closest any form of motor sport would get to being a sport would be the IROC competition - spec racing for the 1:1 scale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...e_of_Champions
Balance
strength
endurance
coordination
power
I think that RC is as much of a sport as trap shooting (which is olympic) or hunting and fishing. Both require knowledge about setup and conditions and high eye coordination (just like RC). I would consider most motor sports to be sports too - just look at the beating MX F1 and WRC drivers take.
What keeps these out of the olympic games though is accessability. In motor sports - to compete at the top level - you have to have millions of dollars in sponsorships. Ideally the olympic committee tries to make it so every sport in the games is accessible by everyone on the planet (hence no olympic golf or motor sports.) This might be why rc wouldnt be in. That combined with the effect that nonathletic variables (such as which brand of motor is best) would have on the outcome. I think the closest any form of motor sport would get to being a sport would be the IROC competition - spec racing for the 1:1 scale. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interna...e_of_Champions
02-13-2009, 12:03 PM
#85
You couldn't be farther from the truth. All forms of motor sports are measured by F1. Even nascar drivers will tell you that. Majority of all race car drivers come up racing Karts, with turns, left and right. Sure there are some Nascar guys that started by racing dirt oval minis and outlaw but that's just there up-ringing. You judge the talent of Nascar drivers by the few crossover drivers that came from F1? Way to go Mr. Narrow-minded.
02-13-2009, 12:21 PM
#86
You couldn't be farther from the truth. All forms of motor sports are measured by F1. Even nascar drivers will tell you that. Majority of all race car drivers come up racing Karts, with turns, left and right. Sure there are some Nascar guys that started by racing dirt oval minis and outlaw but that's just there up-ringing. You judge the talent of Nascar drivers by the few crossover drivers that came from F1? Way to go Mr. Narrow-minded.
02-13-2009, 03:11 PM
#87
You couldn't be farther from the truth. All forms of motor sports are measured by F1. Even nascar drivers will tell you that. Majority of all race car drivers come up racing Karts, with turns, left and right. Sure there are some Nascar guys that started by racing dirt oval minis and outlaw but that's just there up-ringing. You judge the talent of Nascar drivers by the few crossover drivers that came from F1? Way to go Mr. Narrow-minded.
I enjoy all forms of motor sports and watch as much racing of all kinds, that I can.(ask my wife
)All professional race car drivers are talented but in most cases, not all, it is easier for someone coming from NASCAR to drive other forms of race cars than other racers trying to drive in NASCAR. Stock cars are very heavy, run on narrow tires and do not have any kind of traction control. This is what most drivers from other forms of motor sports have the most trouble with. There are championship drivers from other forms of motor sports that have tried and failed to even make it into the Sprint Cup. They had problems in the ARCA series or other stock car series and ended up back where they started and where they were comfortable. Now back to discussing toy cars
02-13-2009, 03:16 PM
#88
Sorry about getting off topic but here we go.
I enjoy all forms of motor sports and watch as much racing of all kinds, that I can.(ask my wife)All professional race car drivers are talented but in most cases, not all, it is easier for someone coming from NASCAR to drive other forms of race cars than other racers trying to drive in NASCAR. Stock cars are very heavy, run on narrow tires and do not have any kind of traction control. This is what most drivers from other forms of motor sports have the most trouble with. There are championship drivers from other forms of motor sports that have tried and failed to even make it into the Sprint Cup. They had problems in the ARCA series or other stock car series and ended up back where they started and where they were comfortable.
Now back to discussing toy cars
I enjoy all forms of motor sports and watch as much racing of all kinds, that I can.(ask my wife
)All professional race car drivers are talented but in most cases, not all, it is easier for someone coming from NASCAR to drive other forms of race cars than other racers trying to drive in NASCAR. Stock cars are very heavy, run on narrow tires and do not have any kind of traction control. This is what most drivers from other forms of motor sports have the most trouble with. There are championship drivers from other forms of motor sports that have tried and failed to even make it into the Sprint Cup. They had problems in the ARCA series or other stock car series and ended up back where they started and where they were comfortable. Now back to discussing toy cars
I understand what your saying , but i wonder how JR , Bushe , gordon and so forth would do sitting behind an F1? I think it all depends on what you have been brought up to do. Now Montoya has had his flashes of brilliance. If i had to pick though , i think F1 and Lemans would be the most wild ride out there. But Nascar is really cool too , and we see some great racing. Almost a different driver wins all the time.
02-13-2009, 03:17 PM
#89
Tech Master
02-13-2009, 03:23 PM
#90
I understand what your saying , but i wonder how JR , Bushe , gordon and so forth would do sitting behind an F1? I think it all depends on what you have been brought up to do. Now Montoya has had his flashes of brilliance. If i had to pick though , i think F1 and Lemans would be the most wild ride out there. But Nascar is really cool too , and we see some great racing. Almost a different driver wins all the time.