People constantly jeer to you that badminton players aren't athletes or that it's not a sport and they're serious about it? Just wanted to get some opinions on how you guys handle it.
I tell them to play a game of badminton singles against me. That I'll get them huffing, puffing, and sweating. Then they can tell me it's not a sport. Also it's an Olympic event for the summer games.
I've had one of my friends (she's a tennis player) bring this up with me awhile back. No matter what I told her she just wouldn't be willing to even consider that badminton was a sport. Of course, the last resort is to get them to actually come play badminton with you and kick their ass in the process. That's the fastest way of doing it, though it may backfire on you and create a rift in your friendship if it's one of the worse case scenarios. There are so many common reasons that call badminton a sissy sport or that it doesn't require much physical exertion. Another one is that the thing we play with has the word "cock" in it, and the list goes on and on. They all stem from the fact that pro badminton doesn't get any media attention so no one knows how the sport is played. The only exposure they get is from high school physical education sports, when no one knows how to play the sport (including the p.e. teacher). In a way you can't exactly blame everyone for thinking that badminton athletes are a joke and that sport is as well because no one has actually been exposed to how the sport is really played. And as I said earlier, showing everyone is the MUCH more effective way to sway someone's opinion than to tell them. So rather than getting upset with people who don't know any better, make it your job to show them the truth!
A lot of the people here, seems to think that it's a backyard activity (not literally, as we don't really have THAT MANY backyards in SG), or for kids to while away the time... last time before the advent of the interweb. It's also seen as not a cool sport, mainly for old fogies for their weekly exercise... as opposed to going to the driving range, tennis or MMA. Oh well, their narrowmindedness... is their loss! We BCers know better .
if badminton is not a sport, how bout golf? stupid showing off activity by wasting the money? imho, every sport has pros n cons, therefore we cant condemn. for example, yes, badminton does not require 5 hours match like tennis (strength), but badminton is very tactical and technical. no matter what sports, the most important is we enjoy every time we play.
Well let's not get carried away here. Golf is just as much a sport as badminton, tennis, football (soccer in U.S.). It's exactly like you say, every sport has different tactics and different skill sets so it's quite hard to say what is a sport and what isn't. Golf is in fact quite difficult because it requires a lot of motor control, swing technique, sometimes power, sometimes soft hands, etc. in order to play the game well. Yes it's not as physically demanding as a lot of sports, but it's still a sport. I know even there are some olympic sports that aren't the most exciting, the first coming one coming to mind is Curling. It's not the most exciting sport to watch in my opinion, but I'm sure it requires a lot of skill to play at the pro level. In essence, appreciate every sport for its uniqueness, not just badminton.
This topic has been around for as long as BC has been up. Is it disappointing that badminton hasn't earned any respect in some quarters? Bah, don't sweat it! Nothing entertains a crowd as much as goading a passionate person into hysterically defending their peculiar hobby. So, instead of giving them a free chuckle, the next time someone asks derisively why you play badminton, just put on a mysterious all-knowing smile, shrug, and walk away. It'll increase your cool James-Dean reputation.
if those people jeer you, just smile and walk away. whats the point of educating uneducated people? they are usually the same people that never play that sport before. Just like i have a colleague who play badminton with me that say that table tennis is a sissy sport that doesnt sweat much. I just say to him, try playing it before you say something like that. Every sport have its own supporters. Just like some would say football is silly, 22 men going for one ball. the list goes on and on. just smile as you enjoy your own game.
