March 07, 2006

Discuss Amongst Yourselves: Any version of the question "is X a sport?" will be actively discouraged by the SportsFilter admins on the grounds that it's a total threadkill, whether the subject's cheerleading, NASCAR, boxing chess, Magic: The Gathering or anything else. Other topics may rate similar treatment on a temporary or permanent basis when we feel they are completely played out.

posted by rcade to editorial policy at 05:43 AM - 42 comments

Steroids. Sport or not sport?

posted by qbert72 at 06:51 AM on March 07, 2006

Players with borked necks? Sport or no sport?

posted by NoMich at 06:54 AM on March 07, 2006

Bonds bashing: Sport or no sport?

posted by The_Black_Hand at 07:40 AM on March 07, 2006

I'm in favour, rcade. I don't know how you'll do it, though.

posted by Amateur at 07:46 AM on March 07, 2006

The same way we did yesterday in the injured cheerleader discussion, when someone attempted to turn it into a debate on whether cheerleading is a sport. Lather-Rinse-Delete.

posted by rcade at 08:22 AM on March 07, 2006

thank you

posted by garfield at 08:23 AM on March 07, 2006

Is clam-shooting a sport?

posted by fabulon7 at 08:56 AM on March 07, 2006

Agreed. It was fun back in the day, but given the new current flavor here, it just isn't going to work any longer. However, I reserve the right to use the line "Not a sport, not athletes" for humorous purposes in the future. It's a SpoFi classic. Is clam-shooting a sport? Only if the clams are armed.

posted by Ufez Jones at 08:58 AM on March 07, 2006

Well, I didn't read that thread yesterday ('cuz cheerleading's not really a sport). But seriously, I think this is a good policy.

posted by Amateur at 08:59 AM on March 07, 2006

Does this mean we're getting closer to grum's honeypot solution? The "New Post" page could point people to the ongoing thread for "hot topics" (let's be polite, use flattery), and tell them to go leave comments there instead, as new posts on "hot topics" would be deleted. Then you could have a short, maintained "hot topics" list on the front page: * TO * Bonds * Marcus Vick * Steroids to attract the flame wars. We could just avert our eyes.

posted by qbert72 at 09:20 AM on March 07, 2006

Sportsfilter: not a sport

posted by tron7 at 10:05 AM on March 07, 2006

Sport or no sport?: Not a sport to be filtered. I agree. That debate for me has always been an exercise in ramming my head into the monitor. Ramming your head into the monitor: Sport?

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:30 AM on March 07, 2006

Only if you break your neck, Weedy, then it's a cause for celebration.

posted by NoMich at 10:41 AM on March 07, 2006

From Soccer to Fishing.

posted by dusted at 10:42 AM on March 07, 2006

Nascar ice dancing with darts.

posted by holden at 10:42 AM on March 07, 2006

Now if only we could convince the world to apply this sensibility to the "art/not art" dichotomy, my life would be grand. Is art a sport? Or is sport an art?

posted by fabulon7 at 10:48 AM on March 07, 2006

Only if you break your neck, Weedy, then it's a cause for celebration. Oh geez, you're only encouraging me. Must resist...

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:59 AM on March 07, 2006

How about when I print out a drawing and see a couple mistakes, crumble it up, throw it towards the trash can on the other side of the office. Someone almost always yells "two points" when it goes in. So it must be a sport right?

posted by njsk8r20 at 11:09 AM on March 07, 2006

Do people demand you be traded when it doesn't go in? Because that's the true test of its sportiness.

posted by fabulon7 at 11:37 AM on March 07, 2006

Only on the cusp of each month, during a leap year, when the moon is full.

posted by garfield at 11:38 AM on March 07, 2006

How about when I print out a drawing and see a couple mistakes, crumble it up, throw it towards the trash can on the other side of the office. Someone almost always yells "two points" when it goes in. So it must be a sport right? I think at that point you have to wrap a stapler in paper and throw it at the annoying guy's face, while yelling "Three points, bitch!"

posted by grum@work at 11:53 AM on March 07, 2006

Then you could have a short, maintained "hot topics" list on the front page: * TO * Bonds * Marcus Vick * Steroids to attract the flame wars. We could just avert our eyes. Someone just posted a two-alarm thread, so get the water buckets and hoses ready.

posted by grum@work at 12:36 PM on March 07, 2006

Who would dare fling poo at The Phan!?

posted by danostuporstar at 01:07 PM on March 07, 2006

I mourn the loss of a forksclovetofu feature. R.I.P. sport/not a sport. R.I.P. .

posted by lilnemo at 01:36 PM on March 07, 2006

The same way we did yesterday in the injured cheerleader discussion, when someone attempted to turn it into a debate on whether cheerleading is a sport. Lather-Rinse-Delete. Yeah...about that. I realized a little bit after I posted that comment that it was a stupid thing to say and would have deleted it except that the edit window thing expired. Other topics may rate similar treatment on a temporary or permanent basis when we feel they are completely played out. Such as my FPP a little bit ago that unfortunatly dissolved into mass racial chaos and had to be deleted? By the way that wasn't my fault

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 02:05 PM on March 07, 2006

X is not a sport. It's a letter.

posted by owlhouse at 02:59 PM on March 07, 2006

I thought x was a multiplication sign.

posted by bperk at 03:08 PM on March 07, 2006

[*] is multipication. [X] just marks the sport. pun intended

posted by njsk8r20 at 03:18 PM on March 07, 2006

How about sodomy? Hemingway considered it a sport, good enough for me.

posted by HATER 187 at 03:19 PM on March 07, 2006

Isn't sodomy in the olympics?

posted by tron7 at 03:23 PM on March 07, 2006

Hemingway considered it a sport, good enough for me Sodomy, bullfighting, fishing and shotguns. The All-American pastime.

posted by owlhouse at 03:27 PM on March 07, 2006

In that order?

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 03:32 PM on March 07, 2006

I think that was pretty much his career trajectory.

posted by owlhouse at 03:38 PM on March 07, 2006

how about a comment minmum before you can make FPP's. I would recommend the number of "103." (Is the New Rolex Women's Golf Ranking a sport?)

posted by everett at 06:34 PM on March 07, 2006

I think at that point you have to wrap a stapler in paper and throw it at the annoying guy's face, while yelling "Three points, bitch!" Spit take! Maybe soon we can have a thread on the relative aerodynamic qualities of different brands and shapes? Swingline v. Bostich v. SVAN?

posted by billsaysthis at 06:41 PM on March 07, 2006

I suggest folks list their sport/not-sport preferences in their userpages and if they feel the need to argue such, do it via email.

posted by scully at 10:30 AM on March 08, 2006

how about a comment minmum before you can make FPP's. I agree entirely.

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 02:37 PM on March 08, 2006

.... though it would encourage garbage comments just to reach a threshhold.

posted by gspm at 02:59 PM on March 08, 2006

Hmmm.... Do you really think? Maybe...

posted by everett at 03:12 PM on March 08, 2006

an artificial minimum would result in garbage posts yes, and would we include locker room posts? Some of us have arguably good things to contribute even if we don't have the number of posts. *checks, 99 total if we count locker room, oops make it an even century with this one*

posted by elovrich at 11:26 PM on March 08, 2006

Garbage comments? On SportsFilter? Say it ain't so, gspm! How many does that bring me up to?

posted by The_Black_Hand at 07:43 AM on March 09, 2006

How many does that bring me up to? 758

posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 08:48 AM on March 09, 2006

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