Airsoft as a Sport? - can you justify that Statement?

ion c

Throughout this forum I constantly see people referring to Airsoft as a sport. What reasons do you have for it to be classified and accepted as a sport? Are there international competitions? Professional Teams? Or even an International Airsoft Association?

Personally I find airsoft nothing more than a hobby, a recreation of warfare with a disturbing emphasis on REALITY, both in the equipment, apparall, terms and playing style used.

Guys as long as there are people are being slaughtered the world over and wars destroying countries, your "activity" will find it very hard to be accepted as anything more than a minority past-time.

Hivemind187

ion c wrote:

Throughout this forum I constantly see people referring to Airsoft as a sport. What reasons do you have for it to be classified and accepted as a sport? Are there international competitions? Professional Teams? Or even an International Airsoft Association?

Personally I find airsoft nothing more than a hobby, a recreation of warfare with a disturbing emphasis on REALITY, both in the equipment, apparall, terms and playing style used.

Guys as long as there are people are being slaughtered the world over and wars destroying countries, your "activity" will find it very hard to be accepted as anything more than a minority past-time.

Coming in with an attitude like this is trolling and you know it.

I doubt anyone will justify your babbling and offensive statement with a response but if they did I doubt it would carry anything other than contempt.

For your information, Airsoft IS an international sport played by tens of thousands in a similar vein to Paintball. In fact an event on a large scale was just held in England attended by a multi-national contingent.

It is also a sport played by people of all political leanings, genders, ethnicities etc

It is a sport because it is played that way. There are teams. Winners and losers. Its active. It requires skill, patience, knoeledge and athleticism. I make no defence about the apparel used by players because that is part of the fun and the suspension of disbelief that makes up the other half of the sport - recreationism.

Trying to imply that we are somehow glorifying war or the slaughter of innocent people is a little over the top.

This post has been reported.

liamo333

Yes, I can justify it. Heres a defenition of sport I got from dictionary.com

''an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.''

Airsoft requires skill and physical prowess dose it not? Yes, some people will find hard to accept but dose this make it just make it a just a hobby? No.

For some people who only collect the equiptment it can be a hobby but for thost who play the sport it can be both.

Boston

Ok, firstly a sport doesn't need to be international to be a sport. Hurling is played where exactly besides here? Maybe a few small communities in the pacific and Canada thats it, there is no inter nation organisation and no professional teams, yet it is a sport. Before the Australian rules was GAA Football not a sport? I don't think you've thought this one through. Ireland is a nation of amateur sports men and women.

At a national level theres an Irish Airsoft Association. There are amateur teams. There are competition of a sort held, but afaik not here.

You've said one accurate thing, it is a minority pass-time here. That doesn't means its not a sport. I play Squash, that is a minority pass-time here.

Hivemind187

Boston wrote:

Ok, firstly a sport doesn't need to be international to be a sport. Hurling is played where exactly besides here? Maybe a few small communities in the pacific and Canada thats it, there is no inter nation organisation and no professional teams, yet it is a sport. Before the Australian rules was GAA Football not a sport? I don't think you've thought this one through. Ireland is a nation of amateur sports men and women.

At a national level theres an Irish Airsoft Association. There are amateur teams. There are competition of a sort held, but afaik not here.

You've said one accurate thing, it is a minority pass-time here. That doesn't means its not a sport. I play Squash, that is a minority pass-time here.

As is Paintball I might add.

And martial arts, fencing, clay-shooting etc.

ditpaintball

Your on your own with this one ion.

Dave!

Boston wrote:

Ok, firstly a sport doesn't need to be international to be a sport. Hurling is played where exactly besides here? Maybe a few small communities in the pacific and Canada thats it, there is no inter nation organisation and no professional teams, yet it is a sport. Before the Australian rules was GAA Football not a sport? I don't think you've thought this one through. Ireland is a nation of amateur sports men and women.

At a national level theres an Irish Airsoft Association. There are amateur teams. There are competition of a sort held, but afaik not here.

You've said one accurate thing, it is a minority pass-time here. That doesn't means its not a sport. I play Squash, that is a minority pass-time here.

QFT

ion c

Hivemind187 your reponse proves my point. I was just seeking clarification of a valid argument and you try to steer away from my question by making it look like i am attacking your "sport". Then you make a personal attack on me, calling it babbling. This proves your inablility to conduct a legitimate debate, which is what boards.ie is all about. That you statement that the only response I would get would carry anything other than contempt also weakens your sides argument and makes it seem like all airsofters are as narrow minded an incapable for holding a proper discussion as you. Please allow some more eductated people to defend your side, as you are doing nothing to promote airsoft in this debate.

Also as a Sport Paintball player, who represent's Ireland abroad I would please ask that you do not compare airsoft to paintball, as we are worlds apart both in our approaches and how our sport is conducted.

Finally you still have not justified why people sound accept airsoft as a sport.

Hivemind187

Actually, another point in response to your comment about the level of details Airsoft has as being "disturbing" ...

... you do realise that there is a large number of Paintball MilSim players out there who carry equipment similar (though not quite as accurate by necessity of the gas canisters) to ours? That they play a tacitcal game similar to ours?

We use airsoft because they happen to provide the highest level of detail etc to aid in he suspension of disbelief necessary for any recreationist sport.

Are you suggesting that MilSim paintballers are somehow not competing in a sport? Are you suggesting that your own sport of choice is somehow encouraging violence in society?

I find it difficult to understand how you can draw the lines so arbitrarily. "What we do is ok but what they do isnt"?

Hivemind187

ion c wrote:

Hivemind187 your reponse proves my point. I was just seeking clarification of a valid argument and you try to steer away from my question by making it look like i am attacking your "sport". Then you make a personal attack on me, calling it babbling. This proves your inablility to conduct a legitimate debate, which is what boards.ie is all about. That you statement that the only response I would get would carry anything other than contempt also weakens your sides argument and makes it seem like all airsofters are as narrow minded an incapable for holding a proper discussion as you. Please allow some more eductated people to defend your side, as you are doing nothing to promote airsoft in this debate.

Also as a Sport Paintball player, who represent's Ireland abroad I would please ask that you do not compare airsoft to paintball, as we are worlds apart both in our approaches and how our sport is conducted.

Finally you still have not justified why people sound accept airsoft as a sport.

Ion C,

It is very simple. Your original post was offensive to the sport and to be quite honest, breath takingly narrow minded. I told you the truth, that your post would be greeted with contempt simply because thats all it deserves.

Paintball and Airsoft have a lot in common, clearly you need to do a little more investigation of your own sport before making allegations. If you are disturbed by what we do then I suggest you close your eyes and stop looking at it. I again point to Paintball MilSim and the equipment used there, I might also point out Crossfire in eniskerry as being an example of the same.

The justification of Airsoft being a sport was made and is legitimate. It might be your opinion that it is not but that is another matter entirely.

I apologise if you felt your feeling being hurt by my response but deliberatly antagonistic comments and posts like yours aggravate me and deserve little else other than derision. You could have approached it as a question instead of a condemnation, but you didnt. You have no one to blame but yourself.

Footnote: You have 7 posts, it hardly makes you an authority on boards now does it?

ion c

If you ask on the paintball-forums, my opinions of Milsim Paintball are those I have of Airsoft. I play Speedball, Tournament Paintball.

Boston and liamo333 I fully agree with your point's, like paintball, martial arts, squash and ice hockey etc airsoft is a minority sport in ireland no arguments there and that is not a reason why it should not be recognized and respected in the same light as lets say soccer, rugby or GAA.

But how do you hope to convince people like myself who are against war simmulation that it is a sport that should be openly accepted and recognized?

Hivemind187

ion c wrote:

If you ask on the paintball-forums, my opinions of Milsim Paintball are those I have of Airsoft. I play Speedball, Tournament Paintball.

Boston and liamo333 I fully agree with your point's, like paintball, martial arts, squash and ice hockey etc airsoft is a minority sport in ireland no arguments there and that is not a reason why it should not be recognized and respected in the same light as lets say soccer, rugby or GAA.

But how do you hope to convince people like myself who are against war simmulation that it is a sport that should be openly accepted and recognized?

Ion,

A large number of sports originated in war and from war like people.

The first game of football was reportedly played by Danish soldiers kicking an enemies head around while waiting for battle to commence again. Fencing in all its forms is a stylised version of combat. As is boxing, judo etc

Airsoft, as has been said before, is a Hybrid sport. Half recreationist, half athletic tag. Very simple. Just because you have evolved Paintball into a field sport does not change its roots as a mil-sim game.

At the end of the day Ion, your personal feelings regarding the current global stage is irrelevant and your comments were offensive.

kdouglas

ion c wrote:

airsoft is a minority sport in ireland no arguments there

well there you go, you just justified airsoft as a sport yourself, and if someone who is obviously against the sport can justify it, then why should we need to?

whupass

Hivemind187 wrote:

Ion C,

It is very simple. Your original post was offensive to the sport and to be quite honest, breath takingly narrow minded. I told you the truth, that your post would be greeted with contempt simply because thats all it deserves.

Paintball and Airsoft have a lot in common, clearly you need to do a little more investigation of your own sport before making allegations. If you are disturbed by what we do then I suggest you close your eyes and stop looking at it. I again point to Paintball MilSim and the equipment used there, I might also point out Crossfire in eniskerry as being an example of the same.

The justification of Airsoft being a sport was made and is legitimate. It might be your opinion that it is not but that is another matter entirely.

I apologise if you felt your feeling being hurt by my response but deliberatly antagonistic comments and posts like yours aggravate me and deserve little else other than derision. You could have approached it as a question instead of a condemnation, but you didnt. You have no one to blame but yourself.

Footnote: You have 7 posts, it hardly makes you an authority on boards now does it?

may i just suggest that, as an emolayee of Crossfire, you change that statement? crossfire is in no way War simulation, we just happen to be situated in the woods

Boston

ion c wrote:

If you ask on the paintball-forums, my opinions of Milsim Paintball are those I have of Airsoft. I play Speedball, Tournament Paintball.

Boston and liamo333 I fully agree with your point's, like paintball, martial arts, squash and ice hockey etc airsoft is a minority sport in ireland no arguments there and that is not a reason why it should not be recognized and respected in the same light as lets say soccer, rugby or GAA.

But how do you hope to convince people like myself who are against war simmulation that it is a sport that should be openly accepted and recognized?

I cannot convince you of something you refuse point blank to believe. You seem to have the opinion that anything which can be ralated to war/Conflict cannot be a sport. However this ignores the origins of most of the games played at the oylimics. What do you think the main purpose of the [SIZE=-1]Discuss [/SIZE]of JaveLin in ancient times. Keeping with the hurling game it owes it origins and much of its history to being usefull as a means to training warriors and then later to fight the brits.

Recognised and Respected in the same light as soccer, rugby and GAA. Does it have to be in order to be a sport? In Asia airsoft is huge, unbeliably so, professional players, teams, competitions. Its far bigger then all the obove.

Hivemind187

whupass wrote:

may i just suggest that, as an emolayee of Crossfire, you change that statement? crossfire is in no way War simulation, we just happen to be situated in the woods

I was actually referring to the Forts, buildings, tunnels and the "tank" ... or at least it was the last time I was there (about 2 year ago). it wasnt the "shiney suits and form fitting spandex" of the field sport.

If I'm wrong about that I retract it.

(no problems with crossfire, I really enjoyed myself there).

Boston

whupass wrote:

may i just suggest that, as an emolayee of Crossfire, you change that statement? crossfire is in no way War simulation, we just happen to be situated in the woods

Neither is Airsoft. That should be pretty clear by the fact no one dies or gets seriously injured.

ambro25

But how do you hope to convince people like myself who are against war simmulation that it is a sport that should be openly accepted and recognized?

The very simple truth of it, is that we do not have to. You don't like us calling it a sport? Well boo-f***ing-hoo: you're as entitled to your opinion as we are to ours, so why should we be bothered?

We are fully cognisant of the fact that, as the sport gains increasing visibility, we will face much more strenuous opposition, of which you will be part (or not - not that we particularly care).

What is more, I find your stance rather comical: a paintball player against war simulation? Indeed :rolleyes:

PS - do you have a second account? needle too, is that you?

Dave!

ambro25 wrote:

The very simple truth of it, is that we do not have to.

We are fully cognisant of the fact that, as the sport gains increasing visibility, we will face much more strenuous opposition, of which you will be part (or not - not that we particularly care).

What is more, I find your stance rather comical: a paintball player against war simulation? Indeed :rolleyes:

PS - do you have a second account? needle too, is that you?

Same DOB.......

kdouglas

ambro25 wrote:

PS - do you have a second account? needle too, is that you?

He's a regular member on paintballer.ie so doubt it...


Edit: Just had a look at your profile, you list Ice Hockey as one of your interests? That's one of the most violent sports there is, fights are basically part of the game, and yet you consider airsoft, a sport where you dont actually get physically injured or into a fist fight, disturbing?

ion c

Hivemind187 wrote:

I was actually referring to the Forts, buildings, tunnels and the "tank" ... or at least it was the last time I was there (about 2 year ago). it wasnt the "shiney suits and form fitting spandex" of the field sport.

Hivemind I didn't no refer to Airsofters as Ghillie Suit wearing Gimps did I? Nore do sport paintballers wear spandex. Retract that also please.

Boston in the end every sport is conflict, be it Airsoft or Tennis. My point is that Airsoft is a recreation of warfare, right down to the smallest detail. Flashbangs, grenades etc. No other "sport" is so close to modern warfare as airsoft.

Can some one also explain this please http://www.airsoftireland.com/airsoft.php

the first line - "Airsoft is similar to paintballing, but much better. The guns used in airsoft look remarkably like real-world firearms."

Fiach Dubh

If you have a problem with something on ASI's site you should take it up with them. Hivemind is a member of the IAA not ASI.

o1s1n

How about we turn the tables a bit.

Ion C, you are an offensive troll. Can you refute that statement?

kdouglas

ion c wrote:

Hivemind I didn't no refer to Airsofters as Ghillie Suit wearing Gimps did I? Nore do sport paintballers wear spandex. Retract that also please.

Boston in the end every sport is conflict, be it Airsoft or Tennis. My point is that Airsoft is a recreation of warfare, right down to the smallest detail. Flashbangs, grenades etc. No other "sport" is so close to modern warfare as airsoft.

Can some one also explain this please http://www.airsoftireland.com/airsoft.php

the first line - "Airsoft is similar to paintballing, but much better. The guns used in airsoft look remarkably like real-world firearms."

it's called an opinion, in the opinion of airsoft players, it is better

ambro25

ion c wrote:

My point is that Airsoft is a recreation of warfare, right down to the smallest detail. Flashbangs, grenades etc. No other "sport" is so close to modern warfare as airsoft.

[applause at perspicacity]
And your other point is?
[/applause at perspicacity]

Boston

ion c wrote:

Boston in the end every sport is conflict, be it Airsoft or Tennis. My point is that Airsoft is a recreation of warfare, right down to the smallest detail. Flashbangs, grenades etc. No other "sport" is so close to modern warfare as airsoft.

Thats a matter of propective. I'd consider a sport where you go out with a real gun and real bullets and shoot a living creature dead (hunting) to be closer to actual war. At the end of the day your logic is along the lines of, "If it looks, talks and acts like a duck, its a duck" even though its clearly a man in a duck suit.

Hivemind187

ion c wrote:

Hivemind I didn't no refer to Airsofters as Ghillie Suit wearing Gimps did I? Nore do sport paintballers wear spandex. Retract that also please.

Boston in the end every sport is conflict, be it Airsoft or Tennis. My point is that Airsoft is a recreation of warfare, right down to the smallest detail. Flashbangs, grenades etc. No other "sport" is so close to modern warfare as airsoft.

Can some one also explain this please http://www.airsoftireland.com/airsoft.php

the first line - "Airsoft is similar to paintballing, but much better. The guns used in airsoft look remarkably like real-world firearms."

I refuse to retract the spandex comment as I have seen plenty of photos of professional paintballing teams wearing shiney spandex garb. If its not spandex then I will apologise to the Spandex manufacturers.

o1s1n

Ditpaintball, I see this guy is one of your own crowd. Get him under control please or he can wave goodbye to his access to this forum.

Airsoft is a sport which people enjoy the world over. We do not have to justify it to you simply because it's more realistic than your speedball.

I'm now closing this joke of a thread.

Just an update..if you would like to read further about this, try here

http://www.paintballer.ie/viewtopic.php?t=1201