Any definition of sport can be highly controversial. In most practical terms however sport is defined by its strong emotional association with competition and physical exertion, and its social definition as a game that can be won. The level of social organization that surrounds and impacts the sport helps to differentiate whether an activity is properly categorized as sport. The concept of sport therefore largely relies on these associations. It is this association that allows different sporting activities to be classified as either amateur sport or professional sport. However, many people argue that the term sport itself should be defined rather than the different activities that go into making up a sport.
The word sport can be used to describe any kind of physical exertion, skill, or technique used in competition, but there are two main types of sport that most people associate with professional sport. One type of sport is organized sport, which includes almost all of the popular competitive sports that we know today. Professional sport is generally separated into two main divisions; the team sport and the individual sport. The team sport is commonly associated with organized football, ice hockey, basketball, softball, baseball, rugby, lacrosse, volleyball, basketball and cricket.
The other main type of sport is individual sports. Individual sports are generally a result of personal interests or hobbies such as golf, swimming, rugby, tennis, skiing, cycling and weightlifting. Some examples of individual sports include cycling, badminton, swimming, tennis, badminton and table tennis. Professional sport encompasses a wide variety of athletic activities including cycling, swimming, rugby, basketball, hockey, polo and football. Each of these sports requires its own particular set of skills, techniques, and equipment. These differences lead to each sport having a specific set of rules and using particular equipment.