Sport:
an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.
I truly doubt that BASE jumping and by extension BASE Wing jumping would be considered a sport. An Activity? More likely. Just because something uses the tools of a traditional sport does not mean it should be classified into the same genre. If I take a horse and jump if off a ramp 30 ft up into a pool of water…that is not a sport, it is a spectacle.
I see no parallel between the practice of Eventing, a controlled sport and that of BASE idiocy other than the idea of pushing the edge of box. JER points out out that in BASE, it is only the human taking the risk, but in moments I do worry that at the top of our sport, humans are taking the risk without the consideration of the other living creature involved.
Another difference, BASE has no real rules, no course, nothing really defined other then some spots as “legal”. In eventing we have CDs that take into account (or are suppose too) rules that describe the type of and position of fences and questions. Are we pushing those rules? My own feeling is yes, but obviously a subjective view. Still, we do have deaths, we have a basic understanding of how or why, but seem reluctant to adjust for fear of “dumbing down” our sport. That is the troublesome part.
Humans are going to do crazy stupid things to test their…humanity. Fine, be creative, but don’t call it a sport and don’t do it at the expense of another living creature. BASE lunacy is not anything like Eventing, but we should be actively fighting to ensure that Eventing does not turn into the lunacy of unrestrained humanity.
I watched a youtube video of some idiots jumping off a cliff in wings suits. Our “guy” flew past one human crumbled on the rocky ground and we got to watch another wipe out in a tree. I had not expected that, but having experienced it…I’ll never watch something like that again nor ever support it.
