That's Really a Sport?

I'm not a big sports fan, but like everybody else, I do tune in once in awhile to one of the Olympic events. I tend to favor the women's sports because, obviously, I'd rather look at attractive, scantily-clad young women than muscular hunks.

I am puzzled, though, as to why some sports are included in the Olympics and others are not. I also question why some events are even classified as sports. Baseball was once an Olympic sport. Now it's not. I don't like baseball, but to me it would make much more sense to include baseball than an event such as synchronized swimming.

To me, some sports barely make the definition of sport. They're sports in the academic sense only. Real sports are those like track and field, swimming, diving, gymnastics, and even boxing, though I can't stand boxing. At least it really is a sport, though the lowest common denominator of all sports. It's what happens when other, more organized sports, break down due to a disagreement. A fight often breaks out at a hockey game, but almost never does a hockey game break out at a fight.

Then there are the team sports like soccer, volleyball, and water polo. Those are real sports, even though, like badminton, water polo looks like it should only be played at picnics. And it's too bad more countries don't participate in football, the real football, not soccer. Football would make a great addition to the Olympics.

But of all the lame events that are included in Olympic competition, the lamest has to be dressage. It's not a sport. It is barely sport-like. The horses do all the work. Compare that to, say, gymnastics. Young people train several hours a day for years in order to hone their skills for the big event. You could probably learn how to take a horse through its routine in a couple of weekends. I know; I'm probably exaggerating. But seriously, the two events are hardly comparable with regard to their value as sports. It would make more sense to me if Tiddly Winks was included as an Olympic sport.