DAMIEN said:
You're getting off from the point. The point is, Athletes are someone who compete in a sport, trying to emerge as a winner in a competition. To suggest Surgeons as possible athletes regardless the type of competition they are in is illogical.
Basically, you are dismissing NASCAR racers because of generalizations that come to your mind when the word, NASCAR, runs across your mind.
Hey, you misintrepreted my post. Agreeing with Wodin's FUCK NO was my response to your question. Everything below that was tounge-in-cheek.
This is a bodybuilding/power lifting/AAS board. You're going to get a more narrow definition of "athlete" than anyone competing in a sport, as you say. Sitting on your ass driving a car, regardless of the g-forces, vibrations, heat, noise, and coordination that takes, isn't going to cut it. You get that in lots of professions.
Other "sports" I don't consider athletes, although they meet your definition...
bowlers
badmitton players

how the hell do you spell that anyway...
pool players
crocket
putt putt golf (hey, they have "pro's" too)
whatever that lawn bowling crap is called
stock car racers
those mini-racetrack racers
actually, any kind of POWER assisted racing
hell, throw in sailboat racers too
lots more too
anything where the athlete's physical prowess isn't a VERY major portion of determining the winner.