For the sake of argument, I'm going to say it's not a sport (yes, I'm actually saying this in a flood of overwhelming supportive comments in a Q&A thread for some reason). If it somehow is a sport, it would be a terrible choice.

Let's compare it with chess and 100m sprinting.


1. No spectacle or interaction
The public judges activities on spectacle. There's no debate about that. Sprinting has a lot of spectacle. We view them in front of a big screen, with our hearts pounding in unison, hoping that one of the runners that we support would win. Stadiums are often packed to see who runs the fastest in a 100m race. While chess does not have a lot of spectacle in itself, the board is often projected on a massive screen, with commentators picking up where the players left off, and allows the audience to interact by thinking through each move along the way, generating a substantial amount of hype. Beyblade, however, doesn't typically generate enough hype for most of us to care. It's pretty pathetic when your stadium and your spinning tops are that small, no? It feels really underwhelming, and you can't really interact with the situation as a viewer, since pretty much everyone's already done substantial testing on most competitively viable combos. It'd be really boring if chess grandmasters recreate the exact same game over and over again.


2. Lack of decision making from the competitors
Chess is a game where both players fight for control over the board. There are a lot of decisions to be made, and it is possible for the best players to make mistakes. While sprinting doesn't require a lot of decision making, every step must be powered by the athlete. Throughout the entire process, both chess players and athletes could influence the game. Beyblade, on the other hand, has only two critical decisions available, namely the launch technique and combo customization, and the latter has significantly more impact than the former. You can't change beyblades mid-match, only slight adjustments to mode-changing tips, frames or launch techniques, which makes the matches after the first one really boring to watch. Sports with numerous rounds such as tennis is interesting to watch, because endurance is also an important factor, and so the match isn't always based on skill or power. I don't really think that launching multiple turns would be too tiring in particular, so there isn't too much of a variation to launching, thus the match has already been decided before even launching. This is by no means satisfying to anyone. 3 on 3 is slightly more interesting, but that's pretty much it really. A sport that determines the victor by their equipment and not their skill is boring for everyone involved. Even MTG adds in a bit of luck into the mix, and the players make active decision throughout the entire match. But with Beyblade? What happens after your first launch? You have no power to further influence the battle. The only time I see this being subverted is the RC and SC beyblades, and even then the remote control feature is a bit tacky with possible EM interference, not to mention that only a few beyblades could be controlled.

3. A monopoly on beyblade production
Somebody has already mentioned this on the "beyblade as legitimate sport" thread already, and I'll just leave it right here.

I don't think Beyblade is a sport, by far, but I don't think there is an impossibility for it becoming a sport due to its constructed nature.

Because this seems fun:

1. No spectacle or interaction
The public judges activities on spectacle. There's no debate about that. Sprinting has a lot of spectacle. We view them in front of a big screen, with our hearts pounding in unison, hoping that one of the runners that we support would win. Stadiums are often packed to see who runs the fastest in a 100m race. While chess does not have a lot of spectacle in itself, the board is often projected on a massive screen, with commentators picking up where the players left off, and allows the audience to interact by thinking through each move along the way, generating a substantial amount of hype. Beyblade, however, doesn't typically generate enough hype for most of us to care. It's pretty pathetic when your stadium and your spinning tops are that small, no? It feels really underwhelming, and you can't really interact with the situation as a viewer, since pretty much everyone's already done substantial testing on most competitively viable combos. It'd be really boring if chess grandmasters recreate the exact same game over and over again.

You wrecked part of your own argument by saying how chess is projected on a big screen. Big screens weren't always used for chess when people played it originally. Beyblade could also be projected on big screens.

You argue that it's boring because the combos are all worked out. But then why even play the game, because in turn, wouldn't that be boring as well? And why bother making videos and watching other people play as it is if it's so boring?

To some people, it is interesting. It comes down to if enough people deem it interesting, but the game would have to evolve its presentation, for sure.

2. Lack of decision making from the competitors
Chess is a game where both players fight for control over the board. There are a lot of decisions to be made, and it is possible for the best players to make mistakes. While sprinting doesn't require a lot of decision making, every step must be powered by the athlete. Throughout the entire process, both chess players and athletes could influence the game. Beyblade, on the other hand, has only two critical decisions available, namely the launch technique and combo customization, and the latter has significantly more impact than the former. You can't change beyblades mid-match, only slight adjustments to mode-changing tips, frames or launch techniques, which makes the matches after the first one really boring to watch. Sports with numerous rounds such as tennis is interesting to watch, because endurance is also an important factor, and so the match isn't always based on skill or power. I don't really think that launching multiple turns would be too tiring in particular, so there isn't too much of a variation to launching, thus the match has already been decided before even launching. This is by no means satisfying to anyone. 3 on 3 is slightly more interesting, but that's pretty much it really. A sport that determines the victor by their equipment and not their skill is boring for everyone involved. Even MTG adds in a bit of luck into the mix, and the players make active decision throughout the entire match. But with Beyblade? What happens after your first launch? You have no power to further influence the battle. The only time I see this being subverted is the RC and SC beyblades, and even then the remote control feature is a bit tacky with possible EM interference, not to mention that only a few beyblades could be controlled.

If you follow the tournaments, there's interesting strategy that goes into play. People size-up and study opponents, adjusting and choosing parts as necessary. And you have the deck format. These you did not address.

You may not be able to control after launch, but I'm not so sure it's fair to discount all before that.

There are multiple sports based on how far you can throw an object, and there is nothing for you to control once you release it.

3. A monopoly on beyblade production
Somebody has already mentioned this on the "beyblade as legitimate sport" thread already, and I'll just leave it right here.

What about Starcraft? Blizzard controls it entirely....yet it's a sport.

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I think Beyblade is just not a big enough thing and tournaments aren't well-organized/designed for easy large-scale crowd watching (simple solution being big TVs). If these 2 aspects were to change, then it would be different. But I think the former would have to come to be worth it at all.

But I am concerned about how it would evolve as a sport because I'm not sure how strongly TT and Hasbro could assert control if they saw such potential, and though the game might evolve over time to better fit, they haven't proven I can trust them more than the WBO in judgement just yet. And then yeah, age limits--boooooo!

I'm fine with just enjoying my game without fancy involvements anyway. But this was still fun to go through. :) Thanks for the interesting arguments, and I look forward to seeing what you think of what I said.

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[[ Michigan Blader | Avatar photo by Ivan Kislov ]]

You wrecked part of your own argument by saying how chess is projected on a big screen. Big screens weren't always used for chess when people played it originally. Beyblade could also be projected on big screens.

The thing is, big screens attract far more attention from the average person. That doesn't automatically legitimize an activity  as a sport per se,  but popularity helps it gain momentum. You don't need a chess set to play chess, because you could just learn the rules, draw a chessboard and move rocks around, with very little effect to your training. On the other hand, you have to purchase actual parts from specific brands, often hidden in multiple boosters, in order to be remotely competitive, not to mention that some parts may wear out over time, forcing you to buy multiple boosters for a single fragile part. This is far too hostile for any person outside of the small and niche group of competitive bladers to fully enjoy beyblade.

You argue that it's boring because the combos are all worked out. But then why even play the game, because in turn, wouldn't that be boring as well? And why bother making videos and watching other people play as it is if it's so boring?

To some people, it is interesting. It comes down to if enough people deem it interesting, but the game would have to evolve its presentation, for sure.

To each their own, I suppose. I personally find the most joy in testing out certain parts against meta combos, and I earn a sense of accomplishment whenever my combo successfully counters a meta combo.  I prefer expanding on uncharted territory.

If you follow the tournaments, there's interesting strategy that goes into play. People size-up and study opponents, adjusting and choosing parts as necessary. And you have the deck format. These you did not address.

You may not be able to control after launch, but I'm not so sure it's fair to discount all before that.

There are multiple sports based on how far you can throw an object, and there is nothing for you to control once you release it.

I've mentioned 3 on 3, which is what I suppose you'd call a deck format, and as I've mentioned, it's the only format that intrigues me.

While studying opponents is definitely a requirement, this more or less revolves around what meta combo you'd choose to counter, which again, determines the battle before even launching.

The problem is, beyblade is primarily based on the combos you build (or those that are built for you by other people), not launching skills. In Olympic discus throw games, the discuses are standardized, and skill is the only determining factor. You don't get to standardize beyblades unless in ancient beigoma matches or Chinese spinning tops.

What about Starcraft? Blizzard controls it entirely....yet it's a sport.

Although I've never played Starcraft myself, I'm guessing Blizzard wouldn't charge you a fee for every unit you deploy, and I assume that everyone is on a level playing field, so that the determining factor for winning is skill and reaction time, not which expansion pack you manage to purchase. The same could not be said for beyblade.

What do you mean by "should it"?
If it's a sport then it's a sport. If it's not then it's not.
What more do you want it to be?
It will never be featured it the olympics or something like that because you can pay for advantage in this game. And if everyone used the same standard issue Beyblade, then all the fun and most of the strategy of this game would be lost.
Regular Beyblade tournaments are still being held on this planet. And I think that is all we can really ask for.

Never say never, man. It very well could be featured in the olympics if it gets big enough

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Yes, it should be considered as a sport. In this world it maybe is considered as a kids toy but as many of you have said a 'ball' is also a toy after all.. But for all of us here, I am sure it's more than just a spinning top. Beyblade  teaches us LIFE in a whole different way. It teaches us that at the end of the day you win or lose it does not matter. The fact that you did your best,are willing to come back better next time and are proud of what you did is all that matters. So yes, it should be considered as a sport.

Wise words, my friend, very wise words.

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I just don't understand it when you guys say "It should be considered a sport"
What changes when the world accepts Beyblade as a sport? If you consider it a sport, then go ahead and consider it a sport.
Also, the arguement that a ball is also a toy is stupid. Because in ball sports people don't battle each other using their balls. And it's not possible to buy better balls to gain advantage. There is also no mold differences in the balls unless the rules change.
As I said: There ALREADY IS something called Beyblade competition in this planet. What more do you want?
And what do you mean when you say that it should be considered a sport?

Then what do u call dodgeball, or ga-ga ball (isreali pit dodgeball)?

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I don't think Beyblade is a sport, by far, but I don't think there is an impossibility for it becoming a sport due to its constructed nature.

Because this seems fun:

1. No spectacle or interaction
The public judges activities on spectacle. There's no debate about that. Sprinting has a lot of spectacle. We view them in front of a big screen, with our hearts pounding in unison, hoping that one of the runners that we support would win. Stadiums are often packed to see who runs the fastest in a 100m race. While chess does not have a lot of spectacle in itself, the board is often projected on a massive screen, with commentators picking up where the players left off, and allows the audience to interact by thinking through each move along the way, generating a substantial amount of hype. Beyblade, however, doesn't typically generate enough hype for most of us to care. It's pretty pathetic when your stadium and your spinning tops are that small, no? It feels really underwhelming, and you can't really interact with the situation as a viewer, since pretty much everyone's already done substantial testing on most competitively viable combos. It'd be really boring if chess grandmasters recreate the exact same game over and over again.

You wrecked part of your own argument by saying how chess is projected on a big screen. Big screens weren't always used for chess when people played it originally. Beyblade could also be projected on big screens.

You argue that it's boring because the combos are all worked out. But then why even play the game, because in turn, wouldn't that be boring as well? And why bother making videos and watching other people play as it is if it's so boring?

To some people, it is interesting. It comes down to if enough people deem it interesting, but the game would have to evolve its presentation, for sure.

2. Lack of decision making from the competitors
Chess is a game where both players fight for control over the board. There are a lot of decisions to be made, and it is possible for the best players to make mistakes. While sprinting doesn't require a lot of decision making, every step must be powered by the athlete. Throughout the entire process, both chess players and athletes could influence the game. Beyblade, on the other hand, has only two critical decisions available, namely the launch technique and combo customization, and the latter has significantly more impact than the former. You can't change beyblades mid-match, only slight adjustments to mode-changing tips, frames or launch techniques, which makes the matches after the first one really boring to watch. Sports with numerous rounds such as tennis is interesting to watch, because endurance is also an important factor, and so the match isn't always based on skill or power. I don't really think that launching multiple turns would be too tiring in particular, so there isn't too much of a variation to launching, thus the match has already been decided before even launching. This is by no means satisfying to anyone. 3 on 3 is slightly more interesting, but that's pretty much it really. A sport that determines the victor by their equipment and not their skill is boring for everyone involved. Even MTG adds in a bit of luck into the mix, and the players make active decision throughout the entire match. But with Beyblade? What happens after your first launch? You have no power to further influence the battle. The only time I see this being subverted is the RC and SC beyblades, and even then the remote control feature is a bit tacky with possible EM interference, not to mention that only a few beyblades could be controlled.

If you follow the tournaments, there's interesting strategy that goes into play. People size-up and study opponents, adjusting and choosing parts as necessary. And you have the deck format. These you did not address.

You may not be able to control after launch, but I'm not so sure it's fair to discount all before that.

There are multiple sports based on how far you can throw an object, and there is nothing for you to control once you release it.

3. A monopoly on beyblade production
Somebody has already mentioned this on the "beyblade as legitimate sport" thread already, and I'll just leave it right here.

What about Starcraft? Blizzard controls it entirely....yet it's a sport.

---

I think Beyblade is just not a big enough thing and tournaments aren't well-organized/designed for easy large-scale crowd watching (simple solution being big TVs). If these 2 aspects were to change, then it would be different. But I think the former would have to come to be worth it at all.

But I am concerned about how it would evolve as a sport because I'm not sure how strongly TT and Hasbro could assert control if they saw such potential, and though the game might evolve over time to better fit, they haven't proven I can trust them more than the WBO in judgement just yet. And then yeah, age limits--boooooo!

I'm fine with just enjoying my game without fancy involvements anyway. But this was still fun to go through. :) Thanks for the interesting arguments, and I look forward to seeing what you think of what I said.

DUUUUUUUUDDDDDDDDEEEEEEEE, we totally need to make the tourneys internationally broadcasted live from each tourney!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We also need to convince tt & hasbro to make more age divisions so people over 20 can play in their own tourney!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Don't mess with the soon to be number 1 blader.

That what I want to do have tournaments where there isn’t

Way more comments than I was expecting! Just asking a quesion and it seems I may have started an argument or something like that!

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Cuza was here.

Ohhhhhhh yes

YES IT SHOULD

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Yours,
        CAkEMAN1134

I personally think that beyblade SHOULD not be a sport. not to be rude to the OP

[REMOVED!]

you actually can train to get better. the better your physique the better blader you are, because everyone knows muscles=power, and power sometimes= wins.

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Don't mess with the soon to be number 1 blader.

Of corse video games are a sport

@[Cuza Ackerman 1] can you please change the title of the thread to answered?

I'm gonna be honest ... I was just browsing around and this title made me giggle ... but actually reading how serious people actually react to this, surprisingly made me ... less giggly.

I personally would IF and only IF it would actually be like the anime in which you as a person need to train to improve and not buy your way to victory. Cuz it's like a cardgame, you find something that's broken and play that right up until it gets banned or overturned by something new that's even more broken. That's why there's this thing called: the meta-game ... it's what makes competitive play boring as hell.
People don't try to become better in games like this, they're not improving their skills but they look for the most broken combo they can find to, pretty much, cheat their way to victory ... does it require skill to find these combos ... mleh, maybe a bit but in the end they're not winning on their own power but by a "default".

If people would just use what they like and would be able to improve their skill that way then it would also be more fun. But sadly enough that's not something that's possible ... I can't take Longinus with the planet driver and make it insanely strong, no matter how much effort I put into it, it'll stay the same wobbly, barely active bey it is ...

This is how me and my friend see things. We find what we like and do what we can to make it work for us. It's not just "pick what's best" it's more like "pick what works."

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~Thunder

@[Cuza Ackerman 1] can you please change the title of the thread to answered?

Will do!

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Cuza was here.

[REMOVED!]

Let's take a look at Google's definition of sport "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment."
Lets compare with beyblade:
An activity involving physical exertion (somewhat) and skill (definitely) in which an individual or team (uh-huh) competes (yep) against another or others for entertainment (definitely).
So yes, in technical terms, beyblade is a sport.

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It's the same as asking "is golf a sport?" Technically, yes, but many people argue no.

I'm gonna be honest ... I was just browsing around and this title made me giggle ... but actually reading how serious people actually react to this, surprisingly made me ... less giggly.

I personally would IF and only IF it would actually be like the anime in which you as a person need to train to improve and not buy your way to victory. Cuz it's like a cardgame, you find something that's broken and play that right up until it gets banned or overturned by something new that's even more broken. That's why there's this thing called: the meta-game ... it's what makes competitive play boring as hell.
People don't try to become better in games like this, they're not improving their skills but they look for the most broken combo they can find to, pretty much, cheat their way to victory ... does it require skill to find these combos ... mleh, maybe a bit but in the end they're not winning on their own power but by a "default".

If people would just use what they like and would be able to improve their skill that way then it would also be more fun. But sadly enough that's not something that's possible ... I can't take Longinus with the planet driver and make it insanely strong, no matter how much effort I put into it, it'll stay the same wobbly, barely active bey it is ...

I disagree. Try putting any of the top ranking bladers here in a mirror match against some random kid from some tournament and they'll win most of the time. Yes, not completely every time, (especially) the Burst series likes being random, but that alone proves that battles are more than about combos and parts.
  I'm not saying that launching techniques are rocket science, and most people will probably get the basics down in an hour, maybe even a few minutes, but there are some things that are indeed hard to master. Especially the latest drivers like Destroy, Yard or Volcanic are incredibly interesting parts with a lot of depth. For example I yesterday I spent like two hours just perfecting my launch for Yard, so it doesn't knock itself out even when I launch it hard. 

While yes, some parts are terrible, and Takara Tomy sometimes messes up balancing the performance/teeth height, beyblade is a cool game, maybe not a sport yet, that depends on the community, but still a very fun game.

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I think it should be a very good sport all around the
world just like the anime! I have a beyblade club at my school! I believe that we should all sign a petition allowing beyblade to be an official sport
So it can be world wide.

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GETSUGA TENSHIO!!

I think it should be a very good sport all around the
world just like the anime! I have a beyblade club at my school! I believe that we should all sign a petition allowing beyblade to be an official sport
So it can be world wide.

Sorry dude but we need to take baby steps before outright signing a petition.

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~Thunder

[REMOVED!]

I consider it one of the hardest sports skill-wise, like golf almost.

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Blader in the IE of Southern California. Ice909 on Discord. 

Ban all the "high viability" parts, then it would be interesting as a sport

Ohhhhhhh yes

Nice profile pic.

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Don't mess with the soon to be number 1 blader.

Ohhhhhhh yes

Nice profile pic.