Is horse racing a sport? | The Tylt

When you watch a jockey hanging onto a 1,000-pound animal, and controlling every moment it makes on a track, how can you not say horse racing is a sport? The main athletes might be the horses, but it’s the jockeys that make this a sport.

Despite standing around 4'10" to 5'6" and weighing between 112 to 126 pounds, jockeys can command an animal nearly 10 times their weight. It takes strength and precision to steer horses around the field, or toward a specific route to victory.

Detractors say horse racing is just gambling under the guise of sport. What they don’t see is the beauty of athletes working together with their horses to achieve a hard-earned win. It is that partnership between man and beast that make this the “Sport of Kings.” And there is nothing more exciting than watching the final stretch of any race. Money can't buy that.

People who say horse racing is cruel are ignorant of the sport. These horses were bred to race. They are not forced to raced because it is physically impossible to force a 1,000-pound animal to do anything. There are some bad apples who may abuse their animals, but the welfare of horses is a high priority for most breeders.

There is no way you go to a horse race, and call it a sport. There is no other sport where humans have so little to do with activity on the field of play. If you want to call jockeys—whose job is to ride and hit a horse to go faster—athletes, there are some big fans of “50 Shades of Grey” who would love to get paid for that as well.

Horse racing is just an outdoor casino with one game. There’s nothing really sporting about it. Fans can go to real sporting events like basketball or football, and enjoy it because it’s fun to watch. With horse racing, the only joy comes from betting. Why do you think it’s one of the only “sports” to have betting INSIDE the venue?

People like to act like horse racing is a sport, but it's really just a business with a race attached. No amount of whacky hats, alcohol and pretty horses can hide the fact that the “sport” is just an easy way gamble and look classy doing it.

Stop with the charade. Horse racing is not a sport.

Aside from not being a sport, horse racing is undeniably cruel to the horses. Equine athletes are drugged, and sometimes they are killed if their legs are broken. Name another sport that kills athletes for a bad performance.