Sport. Not A Sport.

I've been trying to watch the Sochi Winter Olympics and really get into it, but I'm not doing a very good job.  Maybe it's because of the time delay, maybe it's because of all the non-sport events.

You've heard this before, but Buster's Law states:  a "competition" does not a sport make.

A true sport is a contest or game with a clear, objective winner.  Many Winter Olympic events have subjective winners -- the competition may be compelling, the athleticism may be obvious, and it may be entertaining to watch, but if the winner is determined by judges, it's a glorified beauty pageant.

Applying Buster's Law . . .

Speed Skating = Sport.  Figure Skating = Not a Sport.
Alpine or Cross-country Skiing = Sport.  Half-pipe, Slope-style, all the X Games derivatives = Not a Sport.
Curling = Sport.  Ice Dancing = Not a Sport.

I could go on and on, but I've gotta go watch the curling quarterfinals.  Those Latvians slide a mean stone!