No. In order for an activity to be considered a sport, it must include these four elements:
- Competition
- Rules
- An objective scoring system
- Athleticism
The goal of sport is to determine relative excellence between a pair of participants or teams. In order to accurately determine relative excellence, all of these items are necessary. This fact is supported by the Oxford English Dictionary, which defines the concept of sport as "an activity involving physical exertion and skill, esp. (particularly in modern use) one regulated by set rules or customs in which an individual or team competes against another or others."
Competition is inherent within the concept of sport. Obviously if two sides are competing to prove that one is better than the other, a competition is created. A lot of people mistake competition with sport, but they are not one in the same, as will be revealed in a bit.
Rules are also necessary. This is the framework that allows for a controlled gauging of talent so that the most superior participant can be determined. Rules prohibit items, drugs, and other practices that give one side an unfair advantage, allowing for the most accurate competition results. Without a fair set of rules, the most excellent participant cannot be determined.
While this could fall under rules, an objective scoring system is absolutely necessary for sport, for without it, the most superior participant cannot be determined. Relative excellence cannot be determined without an objective scoring system that accurately measures performance; subjective grade-based scoring systems are flawed by the element of human interpretation, which is why activities such as figure skating and interpretive skateboarding or bicycling cannot be considered within the realm of sport. Performance within these activities lies within the eyes of the audience, meaning that no clear winner can be determined. The subjective grading characteristic of these sports is is no different than a critic grading an interpretative dance or a group of school children arguing over which circus animal is the most impressive. With sport, there is zero argument over who wins--over who is most superior.
Athleticism is the most forgotten aspect of Sport, and yet it is this characteristic that sets it apart from simple competition. Without athleticism, there is no difference between Sport and Competition. Again, Oxford defines sport as including “activity involving physical exertion and skill.” This includes any physical talent that exhibits "athleticism," which includes aerobic endurance, anaerobic brute strength, speed, leaping ability, coordination, and any other physical attribute that can be honed and perfected.
This concludes the definition of sport. Knowing the defining characteristics of sport, we can now analyze any activity in question and make a clear determination regarding its aptness within the realm of sport.
Your question above asks if "League of Legends" is a sport. From what I can surmise from a cursory internet search, this is some sport of video game. Without having any knowledge of the rules of this game, I cannot know for sure if there is an objective scoring system, but given the fact that it is a video game, and probably not a motion-sensing Wii game, it is most likely not a sport because it does not exhibit feats of athleticism. Likewise, Chess, Poker, Bowling, and Golf are not sports because they do not exhibit feats of athleticism. These participants are often weak, obese, or old; they would not be considered athletes for their performance on the field.
Phew..
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