Sport (or physical sport) is any form of normally competitive physical activity that, through organised or casual participation, attempt to employ, develop or maintain physical prowess and abilities while also providing participants, and especially, spectators, with entertainment. Some forms of sport are organised; other are not. Some sports can be competitive or non-competitive. Sports that fall under the first category, those that involve competition are often identified as contact sports; while those that don’t, such as horse riding, are recognised as leisure sports. While competition is integral to most sports, sometimes it takes place within the context of a racecourse, like swimming, rather than in natural environments, such as athletics and horseback riding.

Some common types of physical activities that are commonly associated with sports are running, wrestling, basketball, softball, rugby, hockey, tennis, golf, bowling, golf, baseball and softball. Most of these sports require skill: speed, agility and endurance are crucial qualities for success in most sports, whether competitive or non-competitive. Sports are classified according to the sports competition itself; for example, soccer is a competitive game, whilst ice skating and synchronized swimming are non-competitive. Those that fall between these two categories are known as recreational sports. For example, table tennis, golf and fishing are recreational sports, as opposed to other examples like football, basketball, horse racing and ice skating.

As well as the obvious difference between non-physical and sports competition, there is a distinction between physical and mental intensity. The former refers to the level of physical dexterity, the latter to the quality of mental acuity. Competitors in most sports can assess their own performance by assessing their physical and mental condition at various points during the competition, usually after an exhausting session of exercise or practise. The results are displayed on a scoreboard, with the winner being the one who has been able to sustain the highest level of physical dexterity throughout. Competitors do not always stay in the competition zone for the entire duration of the competition; there is often a break between the two extremes.

Non-athletes frequently participate in sports that require little or no physical activity, but still require the necessary skill set in order to perform well. Cricket, for example, consists of bowlers and wickets, with the wicket keeping taking up most of the time. Bowling, though it involves little or no physical contact, is a game of technique and requires a high degree of skill. Some forms of this sport are comparable to fencing, whereby the competitor keeps throwing the ball at their opponent in order to be declared out; the object of the game is to throw the ball far enough into the opponent’s basket that they are unable to retrieve it. This is not a contest of sheer brute strength, but of skill and concentration.

It may be argued that the only real difference between games such as baseball and softball is the level of physical and mental acuity required to play each game. Softball involves much less physical dexterity than baseball, but the game involves the same level of mental acuity. The question then becomes, what makes softball different from baseball? The answer is a combination of the two sports, with the differences stemming from the differences in strategy.

Tennis, in addition to being a popular sporting event, is also a sport built on strategy, although unlike football and basketball, it does not require the player to run or jump. The point of tennis is to hit a ball over a net, which requires both physical and mental acuity. Though this sport is predominantly an indoor event, players in competitive tennis tournaments spend the majority of their time outdoors on racquetball courts.