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NoesHowe2Spel t1_iwy1yfk wrote

Reply to comment by SoulsTransition in Chris Jericho: "I literally want to go in front of the IOC, the International Olympic Community, and pitch pro wrestling as an Olympic sport. Gymnastics, pairs gymnastics, figure skating, pairs figure skating, what is that? It's two people working together to put on the best performance possible." by SgtThund3r

I'm sick of people who try and make arguments like this to try and justify it as a "sport". It's not a sport. The best comparison for pro wrestlers is Hollywood stunt doubles.

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arkofjoy t1_iwyjtqj wrote

A friend who used to do tech for the shows described them as "opera for the common man"

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ryobiguy t1_iwyadtj wrote

One definition of a sport is: "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment."

How does wrestling fall short of that definition?

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skaliton t1_iwyc746 wrote

>competes against another or others

I'm going to say right here. They aren't there competing to be the best. You'd end up having to treat it like any other 'entertainment' sport. You'd have to strip out most of the moves (because they are too dangerous) and really think of objective criteria to decide what the 'best' suplex is

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Beyond that there is another glaring problem: The Olympics generally focus on sports that people around the world tend to play. Outside of rednecks and teenagers in the US the only other place it is 'big' uses a VERY different set of rules

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Sentsuizan t1_iwyzssc wrote

They are competing to be the best. The difference is the criteria is more how loud the crowd cheers/boos you.

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skaliton t1_ix0wdfb wrote

and surely that has nothing to do with the 'story' and how charismatic someone is rather than their ability to do a move

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Sentsuizan t1_ix0wj9l wrote

It has a lot to do with their ability to do a move, particularly without killing themselves or their opponent. Nobody likes a dangerous worker

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slappy47 t1_iwz84ax wrote

That last part is a terribly misguided assumption.

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hypatiatextprotocol t1_iwyerow wrote

Bernard Suits, philosopher of games and gaming, defined sport as "the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles."

I think the definition we really lack is, "What makes an Olympic sport?"

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SapientSausage t1_iwykes8 wrote

Please correct me... But it's all planned out. Pro wrestling doesn't have competition except for popularity through being famous and infamous. It has choreography like some sports-- but there isn't a single true physical competition between pro wrestlers

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PetoPerceptum t1_iwyut79 wrote

And Jericho isn't suggesting that it is. He is suggesting that it should be looked at and scored in the same way that gymnastics, figure skating, or diving is.

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DiabeticUnicorns t1_iwyt43z wrote

I’m sure they would make some kind of pair routine, where your routine is compared to other pair’s routines. It also really wouldn’t be that different from Floor Exercise, a competition that is in fact at the Olympics, and is basically a combination gymnastic display and dance routine.

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Terror_Raisin24 t1_iwy7oxc wrote

How do you define 'sport'? You have to be physically fit, you have to practice the moves for years. You don't have to like wrestling to recognize this. Wrestling has the show-part, so it isn't "just" sports, but also show, but it doesn't loose the sports-part because of the addition of entertainment. If you look at figure skating, they also wear specific clothing, use music and tell a story in their performance. If you see ice skating couples in a romantic dance performance, you know they are not really in love. There's a lot of "show" aspects in all sports.

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