Bassmaster Classic is here! Is fishing a sport?

The Bassmaster Classic is here! The three-day competition runs from Friday through Sunday at Grand Lake with the weigh-ins at the BOK Center.

It's a great event for Green Country and is a big boost to the economy. It also got me thinking. Is fishing a sport? FOX23's own Jeff McAdam talked to fishing rock star Kevin VanDam and Oologah native and elite angler Edwin Evers. They both said a competitive angler burns 9,000-10,000 calories a day! That sounds impressive, but I really have no idea what's a lot of calories burned. Do not hire me as your nutritionist. I do have the internet though, and I'm told you can find a lot of information on there. So I looked up some activities. Here's what I found out.

Here's how many calories you would burn doing these activities for eight hours (assuming you weigh about 200 pounds):

Aerobics, general                                4,840 calories
Basketball game, competitive              5,960 calories
Boxing, in ring                                     8,936 calories
Cycling, 16-19mph, very fast, racing    8,936 calories
Fire fighter, climbing ladder, full gear    8,192 calories
Football, competitive                           6,704 calories
Forestry, ax chopping, fast                  12,656 calories
Running, 10.9 mph (5.5 min mile)        13,4000 calories

Alright, you get the point. Two quick caveats. I'm using a calories-burned chart from nutristrategy.com. I have no idea what that is. Second, the logic behind this comparison is in no way sound.

My two closing thoughts: First, let's go ahead and call fishing a sport. Who's that hurt? Who are you, the sports-naming police?! Second, I have fulfilled the FOX23 website guru's request to write a new blog. Are you happy, Katie?