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It's not a debate that will ever be as hotly contested as kids, video games and violence, but the recent appearance on 60 Minutes by Pro Gamer Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel at least started some more discussion over at GameDaily on whether or not the term 'athlete' includes 'cyberathletes.'
Obviously, traditional sports require a different skill set than running through a UT map fragging the crap out of opponents, but is it required that "sport" be physical in order to be classified as such? I hate to make the comparison, but people do consider hunting and fishing sport, but are its participants athletes? Depends on how you define an athlete.
Furthermore, what goes into deciding who is, or isn't an athlete? It'd seem that society decides who is or isn't an athlete, with those decisions coming based on which "sports" are marketable and which are televised and which athletes can serve as viable sponsors. Is there a clear cut definition for athlete, or cyberathelete? Are these mutually exclusive terms? Playing Halo 2 isn't going to drain you physically like running five miles in a game of soccer, but aren't these just different skill sets in the name of sport?
Are Pro Gamers Athletes? [GameDaily]
