Tony Abi Saab is the CEO of Brescia Middle East, a leading company in Lebanon and the Middle East providing sales and distribution of sporting good products. In the following article, Tony Abi Saab discusses what the modern sportsman of today’s landscape looks like.
In a world where nature is vanishing and technology feels omnipresent, there is a group of people that choose to get away from it all – the outdoorsmen. But what is a sportsman or outdoorsman? Can they be defined? Does Thoreau qualify for living in the woods, or Teddy Roosevelt for his love of nature? What does an outdoorsman look like? Tony Abi Saab of Brescia Middle East dives into these questions below:
The Basic Definition
Before getting into the definition of an “outdoorsman,” what is a “sportsman?” It is easy to think that a “sportsman” can refer to anyone who plays sports, or enjoys the outdoors, but that is not the case, by definition.
Tony Abi Saab of Brescia Middle East explains that the term sportsman is an archaic way of saying “outdoorsman” and many times seemed interchangeable. This term referred to outdoor recreational activities people would partake in. But which activities make someone a true outdoorsman?
Not all outdoor activities qualify someone as an “outdoorsman.” Those that participate in outdoor sports are not considered outdoorsman by definition, but athletes. The term is actually much more enveloped in outdoor sporting activities, such as:
- Fishing
- Hunting
- Hiking
- Biking
- Camping
An outdoorsman does not need to do all of those to earn their title. As Tony Abi Saab dives into later in the article, what makes someone an outdoorsman is inside, not outside.
Standards
So, what makes someone a “true outdoorsman?” It’s hard to say. Most sources agree that there’s a desire for oneness with the land beneath the rugged guise of a true nature enthusiast. Many outdoorsmen enjoy being with themselves or a small group of people in the woods, fields, or mountains.
But social media has added extra dimensions to the idea of what a true outdoorsman is. Many hikers climb tall mountains, only to post their sunrise photos on Instagram, for example. Hunters and fishermen enjoy showing off their winning catches. Is someone an outdoorsman for climbing the tallest mountain or catching the largest catfish? Well, Tony Abi Saab says that it’s complicated.
It’s Inside, not Outside
In a perhaps contradictory sense, the best way to determine if someone is an outdoorsman is to talk to them. “Real” outdoorsmen feel connected to the natural world. They are also usually more introverted than most people. Despite this, they have a real sense of adventure.
Because of this, Tony Abi Saab of Lebanon says that it’s pointless to create a blanket definition of a “true outdoorsman.” Someone could partake in all of the sports above and not feel anything. If someone hikes for likes, the definition gets muddier.
A New Definition
Aside from the outmoded use of “sportsman,” has the definition of “outdoorsman” changed? Not really. An outdoorsman has always been someone who hikes, fishes, and/or hunts (again, they don’t need to do all of those).
But the relationship between people, nature, and technology has changed explains Tony Abi Saab. Some people in “van culture” consider themselves outdoorsmen, even if they spend a lot of time in their vehicles with gas-lit fires. Likewise, “canned hunts” have issues aside from animal rights.
Perhaps the spectrum of who is or is not an “outdoorsman” can best be summarized by an old proverb: “the cat would eat fish but not wet her feet.” The phrase means “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” If the cat becomes a man in an Eddie Bauer jacket, is the man an outdoorsman if he refuses to get wet?
What Does Someone Give Up
Tony Abi Saab of Brescia Middle East explains that the best impersonal metric of someone being an outdoorsman or not might be “how much is this person giving up?” Part of the fun of outdoor activities is being away from technology and other humans. Camping, fishing, and hunting awaken something primal, ancestral, and almost spiritual, within a person. For an outdoorsman, it is replaced with a connection to nature.
But the second biggest sacrifice is time. If someone sacrifices entire days to go on hunting safaris, lives outside in a tent, or stays up all night to catch that one fish, they could be considered an outdoorsman.
Compared to connection and time, money is nothing. But, to be fair, if someone buys the best fishing rod they can for catching a legendary catfish, they are probably considered an outdoorsman, too.
Conclusion
Tony Abi Saab explains that there are many different ways to be labeled an “outdoorsman.” Thoreau lived in a cabin in the woods, but neither he nor Teddy Roosevelt were disconnected from the rest of the world. They still gave up time and resources to connect with nature in different ways. For those with adventurous spirits, a curiosity of nature, and willingness to step away from the mundane of modern technology and culture, labels aside – those are the ones who will truly benefit from what nature can provide to the human spirit.
