{{Unreferenced|date=December 2007}}

{{For|the 1994 film|Amateur (film)}}
{{Wiktionarypar|amateur}}
Most commonly an '''amateur''' is understood to be someone who does something without pay or formal training. Conversely, a ''[[professional]]'' is someone who has received training in a particular area and who also makes a living from it. The word comes from [[French language|French]], and can be translated as "lover of", reflecting the amateur's motivation to work as a result of a love or passion for a particular activity.

As with any construct, amateurism can be seen in both a negative and positive light. Since amateurs often do not have training, amateur work can sometimes be seen as sub-par. For example, amateur [[Sportsperson|athletes]] in sports such as [[basketball]] or [[Football games|football]] are not regarded as having the same level of ability as professional athletes.

Alternatively, the lack of financial recompense can also be seen as a sign of commitment to an activity. For instance, until the 1970s most Olympic events required that the athletes be amateurs. Receiving payment to participate in an event disqualified an athlete from that event, as in the case of [[Jim Thorpe]]. This rule remains in place for [[boxing]] and [[football (soccer)|football]] events.

Amateurs make valuable contributions in the fields of [[computer programming]] through the [[open source]] movement. [[Amateur dramatics]] is the performance of either [[play]]s or [[musical theater]], often to high standards but lacking the budgets of the professional [[West End theatre|West End]] or [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] performances. [[Astronomy]] and [[ornithology]] have also benefited from the activity of amateurs.

Pursuing amateur activities to the same standards as professionals is sometimes referred to as ''professional amateurism''.

== See also ==
* [[Volunteer]]
* [[Hobby]]
* [[Amateur astronomy]]
* [[Amateur radio]]
* [[Amateur sports]]
* [[Corinthian (disambiguation)]]
* [[Home movies]]
* [[Bush League]]
* [[Mark Korpics]]
[[category:occupations]]

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