Sorry I haven't been around, dealing with a lot of personal issues right now.
I looked this word up out of curiosity.
So, here we have the Wikipedia article defining the word 'Sport', 'Sporting' or 'Sports'.
All of my comments are in bold.
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Sport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome (winning or losing), but the term is also used to include activities such as mind sports (a common name for some card games and board games with little to no element of chance) (I'm offended these are considered 'sports', that includes chess.) and motor sports where mental acuity or equipment quality are major factors. Sport is commonly defined as an organized, competitive and skillful physical activity requiring commitment and fair play. (Pfffftthahahahahahaha, what idealistic moron thinks that those two words should be included in definition of the term? Reality check: It's supposed to be 'fair play', but if it weren't, every sporting event would be full of animalistic intestine eating mindless lumps going after each other with clubs. Oh wait, hockey's kind of already like that.) Some view sports as differing from games based on the fact that there are usually higher levels of organization and profit (not always monetary (Bull. shit. Bull shit. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit, etc....)) involved in sports. Accurate records are kept and updated for most sports at the highest levels, while failures and accomplishments are widely announced in sport news. (A very poignant point here. Assuming this is true, that means that sports bores like to rag on even themselves. Oh wait, we knew that. We see it all the time when two meatlumps begin discussing whose team will win or lose, or whose team has won or lost.)
The term sports is sometimes extended to encompass all competitive activities in which offense and defense are played, regardless of the level of physical activity. (Yeah, but chess? No. That's doesn't jibe with the popular definition.) Both games of skill and motor sport exhibit many of the characteristics of physical sports, such as skill, sportsmanship, and at the highest levels, even professional sponsorship associated with physical sports. (Yes, the butt slapping homoerotic fun never ends.)
Sports that are subjectively judged are distinct from other judged activities such as beauty pageants and bodybuilding (and bullying)shows, because in the former the activity performed is the primary focus of evaluation, rather than the physical attributes of the contestant as in the latter (although "presentation" or "presence" may also be judged in both activities). (Yes. Presentation. In addition to pageants, I'm assuming here that they're incontravertibly referring to the Olympics here. So again, yes, presentation. Like the presentation 20 years ago of the bloody, beaten legs of Nancy Kerrigan when Tonya Harding hired someone to hurt her. Regardless of whether you believe Tonya Harding did or did not actually do it is moot, but the point is, sports competitiveness caused someone to do it on her behalf. Someone that foamed at the mouth enough at the idea of Harding winning her gold medal. And sports bores, if you want to argue this is an extreme example, then I can come up with dozens of examples where the media seems to focus more on sporting accidents during the olympics than victories.)
Sports are most often played just for fun or for the simple fact that people need exercise to stay in good physical condition. (Funny, that's what this site is about. Well, almost. Rework that sentence to remove the first 'are', and insert the words 'should be', and you have this website's core message.)
Although they do not always succeed, sports participants are expected to display good sportsmanship, (I rolled out of my chair laughing at this one. Since when? The definition of 'good sportsmanship' has changed dramatically in the last 50 years of American football alone, especially the meatlump's definition of it versus the more sane, competitive sports' hater's definition of it.) standards of conduct such as being respectful of opponents and officials, and congratulating the winner when losing.
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Congratulating the winner when losing? Wow. I remember when I was on that soccer team (the story about that is in another thread), every game regardless of who won, we were 'expected' to show good 'sportsmanship' at the end of a game where they lined us up single file and made us pass each other, our hands extended, expected to give a clap to each opposing team member's hand as we passed by each other and say 'good game'. Nice, little useless ritual. We were just kids, and I am pretty sure that every game, the words 'good game' turned into 'fuck you' from about 80% of the kids passing me.
I came to find out later that is commonplace in little league sports. And again, we were just kids, and people were already being taught to behave that way.
As for respect to officials, we know how that one goes. I shouldn't even need to cite examples.
It is obvious to me this wikipedia article was written by some well to do idealistic twits who love pointing out what sports should be without wanting to risk pointing any controversy at its overabundance of flaws.
Feel free to discuss, I just thought this was interesting.