We all know what fishing is. You cast a line and wait for fish to be snatched from the water. Then, you Cook them, let them go, or whatever you want to do. Not to mention, fishing is a relaxing activity that is enjoyed worldwide. However, there is one thing that fishing is not good at, being a competitive sport.

Now, of course, the context is important. There are such things as fishing tournaments so that should answer the question of if it is a sport. Then you wind up going into the weeds of what even is a sport. We know sports require strategy, physical and mental exertion, a level of skill and require rules of engagement. Most people when given these requirements do say that fishing is a sport. But fishing lacks consistency. A lot of fishing is left up to chance, something I feel shouldn’t be a determining factor when it comes to sports. Fishing is fully based on randomness because it requires the fish to get caught to win the sport. That is how you tally up the points and why fishing is such a contentious topic when it comes to discussing sports and if it should be allowed such a title.

Another reason that fishing is not a sport is the fact that fishing is more of a hobby and not a sport. A hobby defined by Meriam Webster is “a pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation” which fishing has always been known for. Sure, the definition of hobby is extremely vague like the definition for sport, but the idea of fishing is for leisure while the idea for tennis is for competition AND leisure. You can be competitive in fishing but that doesn’t make it a sport.

Now, of course, a counterclaim would say that there is randomness in every sport, and that you can’t remove chances from sports. That is correct, but every sport works differently. When it comes to Basketball for instance, a lot of statistics and analysis is used to counter act the random variables for a more successful game. Every sport is like that. Fishing requires you to spin the wheel of chance for you to win if a bigger fish just so happens to choose your line than the other fishers. Fishing is not a sport just like how Mario Party isn’t a sport.

So, there you have it fishing is not a sport. With the reliance on randomness and it being seen purely as a hobby first than as a sport. It is an open and shut case as to why fishing isn’t a sport. Also, just because it’s sold in sport’s stores doesn’t mean it’s a sport either. Any store can carry whatever they want if it sells well.