A few weeks ago, Sports Illustrated let two guys debate who was the better athlete: Tiger Woods or Roger Federer. Both are probably the greatest to ever play their sport. But who is the better athlete?.

The pro-Federer writer (I don’t remember the guys’ names) pointed out that Tiger’s physical demands don’t go beyond walking and swinging your arms (though swinging with great practiced precision). Federer, on the other hand, must actually run, jump, spin, fight fatigue, and draw deeply from gutsy reserves when things aren’t going well. He must swing his arms hundreds of times more than Tiger does. And he must adjust for and out-think each opponent (whereas Tiger competes against the course, not an opponent).

So I don’t think there’s any doubt that Federer is the better athlete. But if you start playing this game, you could argue that many mediocre NBA players are better pure athletes than Federer. But I don’t want to go there.

Are Jeff Gordon and Daryl Waltrip athletes? Auto racing has all the trappings of a sport–competition, big crowds, Vegas betting. But I have trouble seeing these guys as athletes any more than I see video-gamers, chess players, and archers as athletes. To be an athlete, you need to do something that truly taxes you physically. So, does that mean ballroom dancers and synchronized swimmers are athletes, but Jeff Gordon isn’t?

Okay, I need to think about this some more. Or maybe not. I don’t know why I’m even writing about this. I should go outside and do something physically demanding and therefore athletic, like shoveling snow. On the other hand, considering all the finger movement necessary to type, how about advancing blogging as a sport?