Post by phantomtoo on May 13, 2009 15:52:26 GMT -5
Is Wrestling a Sport?
For the longest time, the question of whether or not wrestling was fake was being asked. Back in the old days many believed that wrestling was real. When we grew up as little kids watching wrestling, we believed it was real, but when we grew up, we couldn’t be fooled anymore. It was like learning the truth behind Santa Claus. We all realized that wrestling was “fake” and was just a form of entertainment like going to watch a movie, a live play, etc.
With that issue aside, a new issue and a new question had risen from the ashes. The question of whether or not pro-wrestling is an actual sport is now making its rounds through the internet. There are some companies like Ring of Honor, that like to promote wrestling as a sport and then there are those like World Wrestling Entertainment who like to promote is a form of a soap opera or a drama because they realize that it is entertainment.
Characters and stories are what really sell tickets in the wrestling business and that is very much true. This would tend to make people believe that wrestling is not a sport and just a form of entertainment. I mean, there is a very solid argument to be made here. Television shows are entertainment. Live shows are also entertainment. Pro-Wrestling is both at the same time. You have characters, you have compelling stories, you have comedy, you have drama, suspense, and pretty much else under the sun all rolled into one package.
In fact, as I sit here and type this, I just watched Santina vs Beth Phoenix on Monday Night Raw and that right there is entertainment in its purest form. You could say everything about the WWE is entertainment in its purest form, but to that, I have a question.
What about the fans that are entertained by the wrestling in the ring?
I only ask because while I can appreciate a good storyline, a goofy character, or pyrotechnics and video packages, I am also a fan of in-ring action. I am entertained by the story told in the ring through submission holds, anger, fist exchanges, suplexes, games of “can you top this?” and so forth. In order to pull off these moves, one needs to be in top physical condition. You needs to spend days in a gym, hours per session, and craft your body. You have to go to a dungy gym and do 1000 hindu squats, running in place, sit ups, and exercises and train your body to be in its top physical form.
You need to build your stamina, know how to control your breathing so you don’t gas out too quickly. You need power, agility, speed, and, guess what? Athletic prowess. The very nature of those necessities to hang inside the ring with some of the best in the business earn wrestlers the title of athlete. They train harder, work harder, and take little to no time off than your pro football, baseball, basketball, hockey, or any other player from any professional sport. They put their bodies on the line, suffer and work through more injuries than many professional athletes in “real” sports.
There are wrestling companies in the United States, Japan, and all over the world that will actually push wrestlers based on their work rate because there is a niche base of fans that actually like to see wrestling matches versus storylines and characters. While I will wholeheartedly agree that being in business for that reason will really prevent your company from growing into a major corporation like the WWE or to a lesser extent, TNA, sometimes a company will stay small to have that alternative appeal to those niche fans.
To those fans, wrestling is a sport. Those fans hold within them, a deep appreciation for the moves and holds that are applied inside the square circle for their own entertainment. And if by using the words “entertainment through wrestling” means that it disqualifies wrestling from being a sport, then what about the people who are entertained by their favorite football team winning? I’m entertained when I watch my New England Patriots tear it up on the grid iron. Does that mean football isn’t a sport because I’m entertained by it?
While I do make a strong argument that the physicality of professional wrestling could make it a sport, that belief is borderlined because while there is evidence to support that claim, there is just as much evidence to disprove it as well.
Sadly, this isn’t a clear cut case like the fake issue with professional wrestling. While the mere utterance of the word makes some wrestling “purists” cringe… one much thank Vince McMahon for bringing the term Sports Entertainment into our daily lives because this is as close to defining wrestling as you’re going to get. Under this term wrestling is both a sport and entertainment and, honestly, that is exactly what it is, but despite this label, you know that there will always and forever be the eternal argument to prove wrestling if it’s purely entertainment or truly a sport.
-Feedback Question of the Week-
What is your opinion on wrestling? Do you think it is a sport? Purely entertainment? Or do you think Sports Entertainment is the clear cut, be-all-to-end-all definition of pro-wrestling ?
For the longest time, the question of whether or not wrestling was fake was being asked. Back in the old days many believed that wrestling was real. When we grew up as little kids watching wrestling, we believed it was real, but when we grew up, we couldn’t be fooled anymore. It was like learning the truth behind Santa Claus. We all realized that wrestling was “fake” and was just a form of entertainment like going to watch a movie, a live play, etc.
With that issue aside, a new issue and a new question had risen from the ashes. The question of whether or not pro-wrestling is an actual sport is now making its rounds through the internet. There are some companies like Ring of Honor, that like to promote wrestling as a sport and then there are those like World Wrestling Entertainment who like to promote is a form of a soap opera or a drama because they realize that it is entertainment.
Characters and stories are what really sell tickets in the wrestling business and that is very much true. This would tend to make people believe that wrestling is not a sport and just a form of entertainment. I mean, there is a very solid argument to be made here. Television shows are entertainment. Live shows are also entertainment. Pro-Wrestling is both at the same time. You have characters, you have compelling stories, you have comedy, you have drama, suspense, and pretty much else under the sun all rolled into one package.
In fact, as I sit here and type this, I just watched Santina vs Beth Phoenix on Monday Night Raw and that right there is entertainment in its purest form. You could say everything about the WWE is entertainment in its purest form, but to that, I have a question.
What about the fans that are entertained by the wrestling in the ring?
I only ask because while I can appreciate a good storyline, a goofy character, or pyrotechnics and video packages, I am also a fan of in-ring action. I am entertained by the story told in the ring through submission holds, anger, fist exchanges, suplexes, games of “can you top this?” and so forth. In order to pull off these moves, one needs to be in top physical condition. You needs to spend days in a gym, hours per session, and craft your body. You have to go to a dungy gym and do 1000 hindu squats, running in place, sit ups, and exercises and train your body to be in its top physical form.
You need to build your stamina, know how to control your breathing so you don’t gas out too quickly. You need power, agility, speed, and, guess what? Athletic prowess. The very nature of those necessities to hang inside the ring with some of the best in the business earn wrestlers the title of athlete. They train harder, work harder, and take little to no time off than your pro football, baseball, basketball, hockey, or any other player from any professional sport. They put their bodies on the line, suffer and work through more injuries than many professional athletes in “real” sports.
There are wrestling companies in the United States, Japan, and all over the world that will actually push wrestlers based on their work rate because there is a niche base of fans that actually like to see wrestling matches versus storylines and characters. While I will wholeheartedly agree that being in business for that reason will really prevent your company from growing into a major corporation like the WWE or to a lesser extent, TNA, sometimes a company will stay small to have that alternative appeal to those niche fans.
To those fans, wrestling is a sport. Those fans hold within them, a deep appreciation for the moves and holds that are applied inside the square circle for their own entertainment. And if by using the words “entertainment through wrestling” means that it disqualifies wrestling from being a sport, then what about the people who are entertained by their favorite football team winning? I’m entertained when I watch my New England Patriots tear it up on the grid iron. Does that mean football isn’t a sport because I’m entertained by it?
While I do make a strong argument that the physicality of professional wrestling could make it a sport, that belief is borderlined because while there is evidence to support that claim, there is just as much evidence to disprove it as well.
Sadly, this isn’t a clear cut case like the fake issue with professional wrestling. While the mere utterance of the word makes some wrestling “purists” cringe… one much thank Vince McMahon for bringing the term Sports Entertainment into our daily lives because this is as close to defining wrestling as you’re going to get. Under this term wrestling is both a sport and entertainment and, honestly, that is exactly what it is, but despite this label, you know that there will always and forever be the eternal argument to prove wrestling if it’s purely entertainment or truly a sport.
-Feedback Question of the Week-
What is your opinion on wrestling? Do you think it is a sport? Purely entertainment? Or do you think Sports Entertainment is the clear cut, be-all-to-end-all definition of pro-wrestling ?
