Someone enlighten me as to why people in motorsports are considered athletes.

I would say so. If you claimed to be a professional athlete, I would say no

 

OK , so here's my beef , according to your logic :

I play beer league , over 40's men's soccer and I'm an athlete

All 20 drivers in F1 are exponentially more fit than I am , but because their sport involves them being in a car , I am more of an athlete than them

I don't buy it

 

Well here's my potatoes,

I should have said professional athlete from the start, my bad

 

Also asked a mod to add the word professional into the title for any future "athlete" terminology usage...

 

But then you would be saying that one needs to be paid to be an athlete , no ?

 

And if that definition means "being paid", then would Oz be a professional if the manager of the other team kicked him $100 to throw the game?

 

Haha silly turtles!

 

Money does not matter. I would say being in the national sports limelight would be a good definition.

so someone who has volunteered their time to race for Live United and someone who is paid to race for auto zone should both not be consider professional athletes. Did that come out right....?

 

No, you can be sponsered by a company and volunteer your time. But we both know that is probably not going to happen and people will demand some form of payment.

 

A professional is a person who is engaged in a certain activity, or occupation, for gain or compensation as means of livelihood; such as a permanent career, not as an amateur or pastime

The term is also used in sports to differentiate amateur players from those who are paid—hence "professional footballer" and "professional golfer".

In sports, a professional is someone who receives monetary compensation for participating. The opposite is an amateur, meaning a person who does not receive monetary compensation. The term "professional" is commonly used incorrectly when referring to sports, as the distinction simply refers to how the athlete is funded, and not necessarily competitions or achievements.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional#section_2

 

A "gain or compensation as means of livelihood" does not mean you have to get paid, getting paid is just one example. Who says someone does not volunteer their time to race for a company and in return it gets their name nationally known and in the limelight? It's not very likely but it can happen.

And the example that Rich gave, that is a little different than getting paid to do a job.

 

You asked

 

Pro athletes are the ones getting paid , amatuer athletes are not

That's pretty much it

 

Being a good driver takes a specific skill set. You have to know where to tell the car to go and how fast you have to make it go. Manhandling a race car around a track is not easy. It just isn't.

If you think it's easy just enter an autocross event for shits and gigs. Even short runs like that would change your mind.

 

There are sports that require major mental strength,
There are sports that require major Physical stength,
Some sports require both.

An athlete is a person that can excel in a sport at a professional level next to a normal person that couldnt do it right there and then.

Could you be thrown into a nascar race with no training or past experience? Nope.
But the athlete that has trained and excelled in nascar and has a ton of experience, Can

Thats why he is an athlete he can do something a normal person could not do.

 

\/

 

Not to have a pissing contest or anything

 

I'm done here

Anybody can do this shit

http://youtu.be/H8rS07ynQ0Q

 

Dude thats pussy shit! Anybody could do that, Shit i do that on my spare fucking time man. I dont even wear firesuits or helmet im a professional