Pro–am
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Pro–am (or pro/am, pro am, ProAm; a contraction of professional–amateur) refers to a sporting event where both professional career athletes and amateurs compete. It could also refer to a collaboration between professionals and amateurs in a scientific discipline such as astronomy.[1]
Overview
In reference to individuals, the term also has another meaning: it implies someone that is intermediate, indeterminate or fluctuating between amateur and professional status, an idea more related to the similar socio-economic term "
As an adjective, the term may also refer to an open contest or series of contests (e.g., "pro–am tournament", "pro–am tour") in which professionals and amateurs compete without distinction; those limited to "professional–amateur" players and barring full-time pros; or those of a semi-professional or minor league level, short of the top competitive ranks in the sport.
Pro–am competition is especially common in
In dance sport, pro–am provides an opportunity for an amateur to take part in competitions with a professional partner. In this case, the teacher is usually also the dance partner. All of the most relevant international dance sport associations, including the World Dance Council, World DanceSport Federation, and International Dance Sport Association, offer pro–am competitions as parts of their international events. The world's oldest dance competition, the Blackpool Dance Festival, featured its first pro–am event in 2014. Chains of franchised pro–am studios, like the Arthur Murray and Fred Astaire studios, are found nationwide in the United States. Pro–am dance sport has also started to break ground in Europe, with studios such as Agens Pro–am (Germany), and ProAm-Tanzen (Austria).
See also
- Professional sports
- Semi-professional sports
- Amateur sports
- High performance sport
References
- ^ "Explained in 60 Seconds: Pro-Am". CAPjournal. International Astronomical Union Communicating Astronomy with the Public. Retrieved 15 February 2013.