Throwdowns > Closed

BM. said 05/30, 08:25 PM
As you all know, I love to fish. Hell, look at my avatar.

That being said, I do not believe fishing can be considered a "sport". Sure, there are competitions and tournaments and all that jazz, but you do not have to be athletic whatsoever to be a professional fisherman.

You say "If golf and NASCAR are sports" etc... that fishing has to be considered a sport. Not true.

Golf requires athleticism in order to be successful. It is pure mechanics and takes unbelievable coordination and muscle memory. NASCAR, as you know, requires unbelievable stamina in order to be successful.

Fishing, on the other hand, requires no athleticism. Casting a lure out into a lake is the most physical part about it. If they get tired, there are seats on the boat.

You bring up people catching marlins and what not, and say that a "normal" person couldn't do it. Not true. My friend's dad went deep sea fishing a few years back, and he caught a marlin. He is about 5 foot 10 and 300 pounds.

By the way, "fishing for sport" basically just means fishing for fun.

I apologize to Bill Dance for the above statements.

Good Luck Outlaw.

BM. said 05/30, 10:19 PM
The average person does not use a baitcasting reel. They are harder to control and take a lot of experience to avoid getting "bird's nests". I know, it's a fishing term, but my opponent knows what I'm talking about. Spinning reels are much more common, and anybody can use them.

You bring up Prince Fielder and CC Sabathia, but that comparison cannot be made. Those guys may be big, but they work out in the gym just like any other pro athlete does. They are big, but in shape.

You can't be a fat, out of shape load and be successful at baseball. The same thing cannot be said for fishing. If you can cast a baitcaster, and know how to find the fish, you can be a professional fisherman regardless of the health of your body.

You keep bringing up how fishing used to be necessary to maintain life. Yeah, so was knitting. People needed clothes. Should knitting be considered a sport since it's now done by machine and the average person that knits does it for fun? What about shelter? Should construction workers be considered sportsman as well?

Fishing is a fun activity that is shared amongst friends. Beer is usually involved.

It's more of a hobby, not a sport.

BM. said 05/31, 12:32 PM
Nobody is talking about people being morbidly obese. The average professional athlete cannot eat cheeseburgers every day and drink beer regularly and still be in the proper physical shape to compete in their sport.

A fisherman can do all those things and still be competitive.

You brought up billiards and darts. NEITHER of those are sports. Just because you see them on ESPN doesn't make them sports. Spelling Bees and Poker are shown on ESPN too, but they clearly are not sports.

I can't believe you actually brought up noodling in this argument. Noodling is not a sport whatsoever. Guys getting drunk and letting massive catfish bite their hands can not possibly be considered a sport.

"I don't see how beer being involved takes anything away from it."

Can a baseball player show up drunk and play well? What about a football player? A hockey player? No way.

A fisherman can be hammered and still catch fish. I do it all the time, and I'm no professional by any means.

Very good TD Outlaw.

But in the future, please refrain from leaving your personal photos lying around.