While almost all sports teams at Amherst have to pay to play, the Bowling team does not.That is because it is considered a club rather than a sport, and the differences between clubs and sports are not as clear as one might think.

Bowling is generally considered a sport by most people, but not by our school. Because bowling is not a sport, they do not have to pay the full pay to play fee. Since the pay to play fee is only there to pay for that sport, I believe that it is completely fair to do this. However, the difference between a sport and a club cannot simply be a fee.

Underpay to play guidelines, all fall, winter, and spring sports are listed along with their due dates and their $400 fee. Bowling is not one of these sports,however. Bowling is not listed under the due dates and the pay to play for bowling is only $125. I think that more sports should do this. More sports should have individual guidelines, fees, and due dates. It gives them more of a freedom to do something that could possibly benefit them.

Sports are not simply made by fees though. Band pays to play, however, they are not unanimously agreed upon as a sport. Fees do not decide whether a club is a sport or not, and there is no unambiguous definition for a sport. Arguments can be made for and against band as being a sport, but who can decide.

Ido not see the importance of something being a sport or not. Because something is challenging, does not make it a sport. At the same time, not all sports are challenging. Different organizations consider different things to be sports.Why one needs to consider their activity a sport is beyond my understanding.

The Snow Sports Club in another sport that is considered a club. Skiing and Snowboarding are in the Winter Olympics, but they are considered to be a club in this school. Once again the fee to pay is only $200, $250 if you have to rent equipment. These fees are for the bus charges and the lift ticket. Since these charges only add up to $200, that is all that is charged, so is that the reason why the Snow Sports Club is a club? However, the answer may not be all that meaningful.

The fact that an activity is a sport means next to nothing. Just the mere idea of considering an activity a sport does not change anything. One would still do the same amount of work and the activity would be just as challenging. A sport is merely a classification for an activity.

The classification of an activity as a sport can either add or detract the commendation of that activity. If an activity puts more of an emphasis on mental powers, rather than physical, considering it to be a sport could diminish the honor of that activity.

Certainly there are clubs that are clearly not sports; clubs like French Club or Leo Club are examples of this. But these clubs are in no way easier than sports. Being challenged on a physical level is just as important as being challenged on a mental level, and this ultimately makes the generalization of a sport seem less.