You're making an incorrect connection between a sport and athletes.You can be an athlete that plays a sport, but you don't HAVE to be.Anyone can play a sport, but there must be a defining description of what a "true" athlete is and how it pertains to the sport in question.In the same guidelines as fishing you could also add bowling, darts, croquette, curling and beer pong.A sport is called such because a defining body of people deemed it so, probably because it's an organized event.That necessarily mean those that partake of that "sport" are now to be considered "athletes".I guess the bottom line is anything can be called a sport and anybody can be called an athlete because we all want to get our proverbial "participation trophies" in life?
Fish'n Religion
http://https://www.wffc2018.com/
https://campbellsvilletigers.com/news/2018/8/9/bass-fishing-dunagan-and-ratliff-to-be-honored-by-mayor-and-judge-executive-on-friday-aug-10.aspx My daughter is one of their athletic trainers.