October 21, 2011

Why Hunting is not a "Sport"

Two interesting pieces of writing popped up this morning.






Peculiar said...

Also, it's not bull fighting, motor racing or mountaineering. But it's certainly not a game. The traditional term "hunting" seems pretty solid.

Darrell said...

Oh, I dunno... what about fishing? A guy can have fun hunting or fishing, and never catching a thing. Then again, "sport" fishing or hunting might represent those going after trophy animals, not just meat.

In the end, it's recreation. If it isn't work, it's not vocation, it's avocation. Sounds like sport to me. :)

Galen Geer said...

Actually "sport fishing" was discussed (via Email) and there is agreement that "sport fishing" is also one that is falling out of use and truly has no place in contemporary society, with the same argument applied (we go fishing, etc.) except its source is not rooted in ancient Greece. In the minds of many people "sport" fishing is more firmly linked to big game fish rather than the somewhat smaller freshwater fish.
Through the 1600s to early 1800s to go "sporting" had meanings that ranged gambling to hunting (only slightly including angling), thus the connotation was linked to aristocracy and was negative. When sport began to be associated with organized sports the connotation began to change.
The whole thing is quite interesting--really. :)

Heather Houlahan said...

One take is that it is only sport if your opponent is playing the same game, and agreed to do so.

It may be a game to a human hunter (though it is not to me), but it's not shits 'n' grins for the animal.

I think the tendency to tack "sport" and various permutations thereof onto hunting started as a way to distinguish gentlemen from market hunters and the dread subsistence killers, aka poachers. it denoted class, and an absence of need. Culminating in Elmer Fudd announcing that he is a vegetarian, he hunts wabbits for the sport of it.

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if hunting or killing fish for fun is a sport, if any deer or fish ever won the game and what did they win?

Chas S. Clifton said...

Dear Anonymous,

I think the thrust of the post itself plus Galen's and Heather's comments pretty well answered your trollish rhetorical question before you even wrote it.