Is FIRST a Sport

[pwilczynski]

Originally Posted by KenWittlief

if you think FIRST is not a sport, then what would it take to make it a sport by your definition?

Motor cross, motorcycle racing, Nascar - the athlete is in the vehicle being driven. If we changed FIRST so that the driver was IN the robot on the field, would that make it a real sport?

What about sports like sailing, bobsled racing, or other sports where the athlete is not suppling the energy that moves the vehicle in any way, the wind, or gravity is? How is controlling a million dollar sailboat different from controlling a $100,000 (time and resources invested) robot?

What about sports like golf, where almost no physical strength or stamina is required? Golf is all about skill controlling the motion of a club to hit a ball. How is that different from the skill required to control a machine to move a ball on the playfield?

To me, NASCAR and motocycle racing are both competitions. Thats is purely opinions, it is just how I view the concept of sports. I think that they lack the physical exertion that is required in a sport.

As to sailing and bobsled racing, the 'athletes' are participating in sport (to me) because their actions require a large degree of precision. FIRST drivers require the same amount of precision I agree. However, they do not physically shift their weight, as in bobsledding, or physically raise a sail. They press a button that enacts a series of commands in the controller that causes a motor/servo/pneumatic to do it for them. This is a key difference.

However, you bring up a good point with golf. Golf is clearly a sport in popular belief, yet at the same time, it holds many of the same characteristics as FIRST. To attempt counter this argument, I think that it is nessecarry to again put into perspective the relationship between the golf club and the person. The person hitting the golf ball is using the club to act as an extenion of his arm. The golf club is passivly hitting the ball; the force causing the ball to move come directly from the person swinging the club. However, the force that moves robots comes from motors that in turn are controlled by the drivers.Therefore, there is a small, but important difference.


Two more points that make FIRST a non-sport:

Autonomous mode: This section requires abosolutley no input or interaction from the 'athletes' (drivers). However, it is clearly an important part of the game, as it determines (this year) what position each team will play first.

Robot failure: At many times during competition, robots will break or run out of battery or simply not respond. The 'athletes' have no control after this happens and need to passivly watch the rest of the game commence. Therefore, the robots are the ones that are actually 'athletes' if FIRST were to be a sport. because the definition of an athlete is
"A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as
strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise
or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts,"
(Dictionary.com)
FIRST is not a sport, because the robots are not people.

Again all of this is pure opinion, but I urge all of you to do your best to counter it. Opinions, of course, can be changes.