Just curious…how many of you believe that FIRST is a Sport?
I think it is…just my opinion
According to Dictionary.com a sport is…
- Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.
- A particular form of this activity.
3.An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively.
4.An active pastime; recreation.
FIRST does require activity, even if it is in not quite the same way. Therefore I consider it a sport. After all, in a sport you get close to your team mates, and the same can be said for us.
Of course it is a sport. What else would motivate kids to build machines that can do stuff?
Here is my reasoning: if NASCAR is a sport, then why can’t FIRST be a sport? 
However, not everything in FIRST is a sport. During the build season, the fabrication and programming of the robot may not qualify as a sport. There just isn’t any “competition”. Without competition, you cannot have a sport. But, at the regionals and Championships, you are competing in a game, against an opponent, with an objective to win. There are set rules and a definite playing field. You can score points, and you can get penalties. There are cheering fans, passionate team members, and hard-core competitors.
All of these are present in traditional sports, so FIRST competitions are no exception. Therefore, I consider competing in the competitions a varsity sport, with the sport being Aim High, Triple Play, or whatever game FIRST develops.
If when your working on a robot and you get hunger and walk to the fridge and get something to eat. Is that a sport?
Can’t you do that at curling practise? Not to mention, you can then use the ice to keep your drink cold.
FIRST is not a sport, it is an obsession 
But what if that obsession is a sport?
Believe me… it’s not
FIRST is an obsession, but so is basketball, baseball, hockey, football, curling, NASCAR, field hockey, shuffle board, bowling, ice skating, running, jumping, skiing, skateboarding, vaulting, shot put, javeling, and biking to those who enjoy it very much. SO, if all those things are sports, then FIRST is definitely also a sport. 
Having been an operator at Manchester BAE regionals, I can personally say that if nothing else, the very noise of the event makes it a sporting event. Where else have several adrenaline pumped fans screaming made you nearly deaf. Oh, and I forgot to mention the music, pumping so loud that you feel and hear it. Really an amazing experience. (By the way,if racing is a sport, so is robotics).
Hey… if cheerleading is a sport, then FIRST is a sport.
And, to verify this logic, both are/were shown on ESPN; THE Sports Network.
FIRST is THE sport!
Personally, I wouldn’t call FIRST a sport. Then again, I wouldn’t call NASCAR a sport. It’s not the term “sport” that I have a problem, but the associated term “athlete.” I would in no way call those of us who participate in FIRST athletes, nor would I call NASCAR drivers athletes. Neither of the two take any real athletic ability, so why should they be called sports. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking FIRST, I just don’t think it can be lumped in with football, basketball, baseball, soccer, etc. Those are sports. You have to be a real athlete to play them. FIRST, NASCAR, golf, bowling, etc, are not sports, as you do not have to be an athlete to participate. Though one could argue that FIRST is a sport via lexicon, it would most certainly not be considered one by the majority of society and the socially accepted definition of “sport.” I believe a better term would be “competition.” The same goes for NASCAR and the like, it is a competition, a game, not a sport.
Also, as a note, I would actually consider cheerleading a sport.
What is your definition of an athlete? And what is FIRST and NASCAR short of your definition? Do you have a definition or are you just saying because you feel that way?
Actually, I must say that according to your definition you are correct in your analysis. FIRST is not a sport because it does not involve athletes. My point in my post was mainly to show that under a generalized definition of sports as competitions (e.g NASCAR), FIRST fits the requirements. Good thought on your part.
According to Google: Athlete - 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.
Once again, one could argue that anyone is an athlete via lexicon. However, based on the widely accepted concept of an athlete, FIRSTers would not qualify.
so you guys never saw the competitions with the floppy pillows that had to be thrown across the field?
or the soccer balls that had to be thrown into the movable goals?
or the giant dodge-balls that had to be thrown into the goals?
Or the INNER TUBES! Ever try to play ring-toss with an inner tube from 30 feet out?
well the spelling bee is on ESPN also
so does that make it a sport
Though I don’t know of those particular games, I would assume that those were human player tasks. Therefore, I assume that you’re implying that the human players are athletes, and therefore FIRST is a sport. I’d like to direct you back to my statements about lexicon, and how almost any activity can fit the definition of “sport” and any person fit the definition of “athlete.” I stand by the fact that based on the socially accepted definitions of “sport” and “athlete” FIRST would not qualify. It’s really simple, just go out and ask people if they believe a robotics competition is a sport. I strongly believe that you will find that very few consider FIRST, and any other competition like it, a sport.