What is an athlete? The question is a surprisingly difficult one to answer. After watching the Olympics, the image that might come to mind is of a person launching off a 200-foot-high ramp, flipping and twisting in the air a few times, and landing on their skis — and many definitions do focus on competition and excellence. But some sports experts think it is important to expand the definition of athlete, because the more a person identifies as an athlete, rather than an exerciser, the more likely they are to physically push themselves.