Ice skating is not a sport, it's an art

[Buck Birdseed]

I once skimmed a Critical Theory textbook that argued that all critical appraisal that we subject art to could be reduced to three doctrines: complexity, unity and intensity. Sure, we might disagree on what aspects of an artwork carry each quality and to what extent, but we can all (I think) quite easily comprehend both that each of these properties is a good thing, and why this is so. Any disagreement that will arise will be because someone finds one of the qualities lacking whereas another does not, not because he thinks the doctrine of that quality is bollocks.

That way, although you might disagree with me that Figure Skating is shallow, you will agree that depth, taken as totally distinct from other considerations, is a good thing.

[Datajack Franit]

Figure skating is a shamefully rotten sport, every single competition I've seen awarded average skaters who just had the luck of being american or russian- or the evil french!
Peizerat/Anissina booo!

[RedFred]

Originally posted by johncmcleod
Yes, but in ice skating whether you win or lose is completely based on judging. The judge decides who wins and who loses. Judges (refs) in other sports just call things just when someone isn't playing by the rules, that's their purpose.

So using this logic, boxing is an 'art' not a sport. As is synchro swimming, diving, ariel ski jumping, all of gymnastics, mogul skiing... There goes half the events in the Olympics.

All sports have a component which is hard to judge 100% objectively. In the 100 metres, the US decided to neither ban Carl Lewis, nor report him to the IOC anti-doping committee after he peed positive. A judgement call.

In baseball the umpire judges whether pitches are balls or strikes. Games are won and lost on his decisions. Umpires have different strike zones and a case could be made that the NL and AL have different strike zones.

Basketball is a game of subtle infractions. Part of the game is seeing how much you can get away with before a foul is called by one of the judges... oops... referees.

Ever see a Brazilian soccer player go down as if hit by a gunshot and then make a miraculous recovery once it becomes evident that no penalty will be called? Calling penalties is a judgement call so some players will try hard to influence that judgement.

Partly because it is so fast, the ref in hockey has a bigger influence on the outcome than most other team sports. Some penalties are reasonably clear cut but most are judgement calls. A penalty in the first may not be a penalty in overtime. A single split second misjudgement on the referee's part could easily cost your team the game.

Snowboarding? Half pipe is judged. Slalom snowboarding? A judgement call on behalf of an IOC board first denied a gold medal, then later awarded to the same boarder.

Tennis? Whoops! Line judges. Ski jumping? Whoops! The landing is judged...

[Datajack Franit]

Whoops! A medal stolen!