Should bboying be considered a sport?

[socratic]

major difference between "sports/dancesports" and breaking is.... *Drumroll!*

SPECTATORS!!

At Jams spectators are typically friends/gfs, and friends of friends/gfs. look around an NFL stadium, they're there to watch football.

look at some korean jams, people are there to watch breaking! some are there to support friends, but for the big events they have genuine spectators that want to watchbreaking.

Sure people will choose favorite crews or bboys, but then they are fans rather then friends.

So once/IF breaking ever gets spectators and fans, it will in itself start shifting towards a sport. But to do this people would have to be encouraged to watch breaking, however that's rarely done. Typically it's learn breaking, not watch it.

hope this contributes, not saying we should go one way or the other, just pointing to some differences

[Blankshotz]

I seen red bull bc one on Mtv im pretty sure bboying is gonna evolve into a sport.. or is already considered one. Though what if non bboys judge bboy events if it does become a sport?

[ZappU]

It's obviously my first post ... so you can torch me (rookie alert), if I'm wrong.
And I apologize, if the post was too long ... I will work on that. Thank you.

Should bboying be considered a sport? No. Why? I have enumerated some reasons or pointers to discuss:

First off, what is sport: "it is a physical activity, based on formally defined set of rules with a recreational intention: whether for competing, enjoying, gaining agility, strength or just staying healthy ... "
Until here almost everything implies for bboying, but "formally defined set of rules". Similiar reminder earlier made by doe4real: bboying is judged subjectively and that does not go with sports ... they are governed "severely" objectively ... I don't know: bboying writen on a piece of paper?

Second: in sports there is always a score to be achieved that should be better than the last. How will you score a grudge battle? What if emotions get involved? Let's say there are a set of rules made before the battle, but then there are a lot of factors that are hard to define: crowd pleasing, opponent burning, controversy through battle-descrimination, ... In some aspects, bboying has no limitations. That's why it's an art of expressing one's self.

Third: learning bboying like athletics? Sure through rigorous exercise and proper training ... But where does the word "soul" come in? I thought bboying was about something like: becoming raw, staying fresh, having fire, being original, just dancing out of thought ... These things cannot be learned, they are achieved by a person's unique character. You can teach the foundations, the basics, the moves, but not one's style ... or?

I think I could go on, but not in the mood right now ... For now, your opinions?

[Swift Nyce]

Originally Posted by ZappU

It's obviously my first post ... so you can torch me (rookie alert), if I'm wrong.
And I apologize, if the post was too long ... I will work on that. Thank you.

Should bboying be considered a sport? No. Why? I have enumerated some reasons or pointers to discuss:

First off, what is sport: "it is a physical activity, based on formally defined set of rules with a recreational intention: whether for competing, enjoying, gaining agility, strength or just staying healthy ... "
Until here almost everything implies for bboying, but "formally defined set of rules". Similiar reminder earlier made by doe4real: bboying is judged subjectively and that does not go with sports ... they are governed "severely" objectively ... I don't know: bboying writen on a piece of paper?

Second: in sports there is always a score to be achieved that should be better than the last. How will you score a grudge battle? What if emotions get involved? Let's say there are a set of rules made before the battle, but then there are a lot of factors that are hard to define: crowd pleasing, opponent burning, controversy through battle-descrimination, ... In some aspects, bboying has no limitations. That's why it's an art of expressing one's self.

Third: learning bboying like athletics? Sure through rigorous exercise and proper training ... But where does the word "soul" come in? I thought bboying was about something like: becoming raw, staying fresh, having fire, being original, just dancing out of thought ... These things cannot be learned, they are achieved by a person's unique character. You can teach the foundations, the basics, the moves, but not one's style ... or?

I think I could go on, but not in the mood right now ... For now, your opinions?

everything you said just proves its a sport also...

[ZappU]

maybe, but still I don't agree ... my opinion

[AlphaTrion]

Originally Posted by ZappU

First off, what is sport: "it is a physical activity, based on formally defined set of rules with a recreational intention: whether for competing, enjoying, gaining agility, strength or just staying healthy ... "
Until here almost everything implies for bboying, but "formally defined set of rules".

If you enter a battle your are subject to numerous defined rules: No touching, time limits, limits on how many routines or commandos you can do, No stealing rounds, etc. As a b-boy there are certain rules or Foundations I have to adhere to to be considered a b-boy. I can bend the rules a little or push the limits but I cannot to ballet or lay on the floor for 10 minutes and still call it b-boying.

Originally Posted by ZappU

Second: in sports there is always a score to be achieved that should be better than the last. How will you score a grudge battle? What if emotions get involved? Let's say there are a set of rules made before the battle, but then there are a lot of factors that are hard to define: crowd pleasing, opponent burning, controversy through battle-descrimination, ... In some aspects, bboying has no limitations. That's why it's an art of expressing one's self.

As i said before, b-boying is a sport in terms of when it is done in a competition. And in those competitions, b-boys are scored. Either literally as an in judging system like Dyzees or in terms of who wins round by round. You're still being scored. Emotions don't get involved in other sports?

Originally Posted by ZappU

Third: learning bboying like athletics? Sure through rigorous exercise and proper training ... But where does the word "soul" come in? I thought bboying was about something like: becoming raw, staying fresh, having fire, being original, just dancing out of thought ... These things cannot be learned, they are achieved by a person's unique character. You can teach the foundations, the basics, the moves, but not one's style ... or?

A person can't really "learn" how to figure skate with style or grace either but it definitely happens.

[magillicutty]

sport - definition of sport by the Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

Key phrase: governed by a set of rules.

Bboying comps aren't really governed, but this phrase can go either way. The dance itself is tougher than most common people realize and the fact that there are so many different comps out there with different prizes and different standards when judging makes it a sport, if not close to one.

The only difference for me is that the music plays a bigger part in the role than everyone realizes. Organ Donor has a different feel than Night Train. Take the music out and then it can be compared to any other sport.

Many people play basketball differently, but they can all dribble the ball and put it in the hoop. Just like many bboys can top rock and bust out some floor work. But they do it differently. With basketball, the refs are the judges. Each ref sees the game differently, just like each judge views the art of bboying differently.

Personally, it should be in the Winter Olympics. You can't tell me that there aren't 16 countries that could put out a 6-man crew in front of a panel of 5 judges. Run it like the FIBA World Championships of basketball. 4 groups of 4. Round-Robin. Top 2 from each advance.

While bboying isn't governed by a set of rules, there are sets of rules that have become more of an understanding amongst bboys and the community of the dance.

[ZappU]

Originally Posted by AlphaTrion

If you enter a battle your are subject to numerous defined rules: No touching, time limits, limits on how many routines or commandos you can do, No stealing rounds, etc. As a b-boy there are certain rules or Foundations I have to adhere to to be considered a b-boy. I can bend the rules a little or push the limits but I cannot to ballet or lay on the floor for 10 minutes and still call it b-boying.

As i said before, b-boying is a sport in terms of when it is done in a competition. And in those competitions, b-boys are scored. Either literally as an in judging system like Dyzees or in terms of who wins round by round. You're still being scored. Emotions don't get involved in other sports?

A person can't really "learn" how to figure skate with style or grace either but it definitely happens.

The rules are somewhat defined before the competition. That's ok.

In scoring: the problem is that every judge has their own opinion - how will you make a universal system?

Yeah, but not quite. Figure skating is one thing, dancing is another.

[FidgetFreedom]

I do not believe that bboying is a sport. Maybe it could become a sport if there were set rules for judging in competition, like in gymnastics or figure skating or whatever. You'd have to define the judging criteria pretty carefully in order to make it fair and based solely on execution of moves. Then you'd probably have to institute a scoring system like that of gymnastics or figure skating or diving or any sport that requires a score of 1.0-10.0 from each judge. To me, this would kill the heart of the dance and would render it something that looks like bboying and not truly be bboying. I think it would be a real shame to push toward that.

Now the aforementioned doesn't necessarily HAVE to happen in order to make bboying a sport, but judging by what the rest of the world seems to agree with as "fair", I don't think that it would be universally acceptable to just go by judges' "opinions", especially in a world-class event like say...the Olympics. Bboying is so great because it's not ball-and-chained to a set standard...like when I was in gymnastics...you have to walk a certain way. WALK. That isn't even going into everything else that has to be "just so" or else points get deducted. Bboying is way more free than any dance I can think of (except maybe "interpretive"? but then again, bboying can be pretty intepretive..) because while there may be unwritten, yet still generally understood "code" or "rules" (i.e. "laying on the floor for 10 min is not bboying"), a bboy/bgirl can throw in whatever he/she feels like doing to make the dance unique to him/her. Everyone has his/her own style, and that is what is valued (at least, that is what I've come to understand, correct me if I'm wrong) the most- individuality, heart, "soul"...(I know this is not everything...there are plenty of n00bs, including myself, who can have all the heart in the world and that doesn't mean they should win a round against Hong10 just cuz they exhibited "soul" through toprock-six step-baby freeze hahaha)

Some bboys have a rougher/sloppy style and some are squeaky clean. But just cuz your windmills are straight and clean doesn't mean you win the round.Some people just dance how they dance and that is their style. If I decided that I wanted to simply flex my toes/feet instead of point them cuz that was "my style" in gymnastics, it wouldn't matter WHAT I wanted, I'd get points deducted for it. Is that how bboying is? No. Should it be that way? I don't think so. Just cuz you have a lot of tricks or power doesn't mean you win the round and contrary-wise with great footwork/toprock. In some sports, the higher the difficulty of the move, the more points you get if you execute it clean. That isn't always the case in bboying. It's not all about airflares and headspins or flips or whatever. Even if you are a power head, you know those are just ingredients to use in your dance and (hopefully) not the only ingredients.

Anyway, I think that Bboying will stay a free, evolving, living form of dance no matter how we try to nail it down to call it a sport or sell it or whatever. If you take the soul out of it, it's no longer living, it's just a shell. I'm down with big competitions and I'm down with local jams and I'm not saying that bboying being on tv or sports channels shouldn't happen or something lame like that, I'm not one of those people who think it should "STAY UNDERGROUND FOREVER!!!1111" or anything...but I do not think that it could truly be an organized, official sport and truly be bboying at the same time. That's it.

[killafrik]

This Topic is very interesting,

Coming from myself who competes (BBoy Friction) & produces events (World of Dance), I feel that the culture of BBoyin and Hip Hop is exactly that a culture.

As far as Bboy Battles whether it be a 1on1, 2on2, crew, 7tosmoke, octagon, footwork, powermove, etc. It is a competition where two sides compete for a prize/title so yes, battles can be presented as a sport.

This type of discussion is just conversation for most people, what only matters is who is actually working towards growing bboying to something bigger than what it is today, cause its certainly bigger than it was yesterday. So is it a sport? Is it a culture? Just like everything its whatever an individual believes that makes it true, if you want it to be a sport play it like a sport, if you live the culture you almost have to play the game of battling. To me who is really taking bboyin to a higher level? if you think you are hit me up I'd love to contribute, or if you have some ideas, i can help make them a reality.
Robertg@worldofdancetour.com

World of Dance Tour
WOD april 10, pomona, ca

[BZB]

i don't know... but I'll tell you what shouldn't be a sport....


curling.

wth!!

[FidgetFreedom]

Originally Posted by BZB

i don't know... but I'll tell you what shouldn't be a sport....


curling.

wth!!

LOL!

WORD.