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Show ( ' WHY 'VHY VHY CALL IT SPORT ? I An interesting 1nteresting phenomenon in American life is the amazing amazingseriousness amazingseriousness amazingseriousness seriousness with which wluch we take our so-called so called - sports . This ser ser- serIOusness ser- ser seriousness seriousness - - iousness is reflected in m the sporting sportmg sec sections 10ns of the daily dally newspapels newspapers news- news newspapeis - ; papeis papels papers , which play up the activities of athletes to an extent bord bord- bordermg bord- bord bordering bordering - - ering ermg on the ridiculous . . Originated as friendly games for the exercise exercise and recreation recreationthey recreationthey recreationthey I they afforded , baseball , football and other pastimes have degen degen- degen-I degen I degenIerated degenerated degenerated - erated into mto grim struggles for notoriety and gate receipts . A recent writer , and a sports writer at that , has deplored the themethods themethods themethods I methods whereby college football teams are strengthened strengt11ened through throughi throughfake throughfake throughfake i fake enrollments , and he elates lelates relates i that one eastern university spent spent$250,000 spent250000 $250,000 250000 $ , in thiee thl ee months on a losing losmg team . Fortunately , in m most of the ' smallei 3malleI imallel communities commumtles and in the thelesser thelesser I Ilesser lesser schools there is still siIIl to be found wholesome athletic activity activityin , in which friendly rivalry nvalry and real sportsmanship are the thp rule . But Butthe Butthe . the events which draw the crowds and fill the sports pages are aremarked aremarked aremarked marked by bitterness and frequently result in long-standing long standing long-standmg standmg - feuds . So long as the public pubhC ' demands this sort o of thing thmg it will no norloubt nodoubt nodoubt rloubt doubt be supplied . . But why call it sport ? < : |