What men’s team sport, besides football, is an American considered the best player in? (1 Viewer)

[NewlyRetired]

Shower thought today as I was thinking about the best player in various team sports.

I believe currently Baseball, Basketball, Hockey, Soccer, Field Hockey, Cricket, Volleyball, Rugby and Handball all have non Americans who are considered at the top of the sport.

Am I missing anything obvious?

 

[SofaKings]

Hot dog eating?

 

[Mister CIA]

Gambling and advertising.

 

[ghostguy123]

Off hand I'd think NBA, but I also dont pay much attention anymore. Who's the current top 3 in the NBA these days?

 

[ChiefD]

Baseball.

Bobby Witt, Jr.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Off hand I'd think NBA, but I also dont pay much attention anymore. Who's the current top 3 in the NBA these days?

It would probably vary on who you ask but Jokic, Doncic and SGA are all non Americans and they would be very high on most people’s lists I think.

 

[RCon]

Off hand I'd think NBA, but I also dont pay much attention anymore. Who's the current top 3 in the NBA these days?

It would probably vary on who you ask but Jokic, Doncic and SGA are all non Americans and they would be very high on most people’s lists I think.

Neither are Wemby and Giannis. One could make a credible argument that those are the top five, none of whom are American.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Off hand I'd think NBA, but I also dont pay much attention anymore. Who's the current top 3 in the NBA these days?

It would probably vary on who you ask but Jokic, Doncic and SGA are all non Americans and they would be very high on most people’s lists I think.

Neither are Wemby and Giannis. One could make a credible argument that those are the top five, none of whom are American.

Agreed.

I just checked the latest NBA MVP odds and it looks like the top 3 highest odds to win are non American.

There has not been an American born NBA MVP since way back in 2017/18 with Harden.

 

[Dr. Octopus]

lacrosse

 

[AAABatteries]

Unless you consider NASCAR a team sport (I don’t) then I got nothing.

 

[NewlyRetired]

lacrosse

That is a good one!

I don’t know enough about the sport to say one way or another but when googling, Jeff Teat is often mentioned as the best current player in the world, but he is not American either.

 

[NewlyRetired]

Unless you consider NASCAR a team sport (I don’t) then I got nothing.

I left out Golf, Tennis, track, skiing, and auto racing as while they have some aspects of team play, I mostly consider those individual sports.

 

[SofaKings]

Team Speedskating

 

[Zow]

Baseball.

Bobby Witt, Jr.

Witt is awesome but Ohtani is still the clear answer.

 

[Zow]

Scheffler in golf is the answer.

 

[Zow]

Unless you consider NASCAR a team sport (I don’t) then I got nothing.

I left out Golf, Tennis, track, skiing, and auto racing as while they have some aspects of team play, I mostly consider those individual sports.

Ah, gotcha.

 

[Ilov80s]

Softball?

 

[Gally]

Baseball.

Bobby Witt, Jr.

Witt is awesome but Ohtani is still the clear answer.

Depends on you want to define best player. Last year Ohtani was definitely the best hitter but he didn't play the field. The game has more too it than just hitting. Theoretically if he comes back from TJ and can get into a top of the rotation starting role again while continuing to hit at the pace he was then he is the easy answer.

A SS that plays every day, is a gold glove winner, hits 30+ HR steals 30+ bases is in consideration vs a DH only player.

I would agree Ohtani is the answer but that is assuming he can come back to pitch at the level he was before. As strictly a DH it's hard for me to put him as the best overall player.......hitter yes.....player is tougher

 

[NewlyRetired]

Softball?

That is a good one.

That is assuming there must be some form of professional men’s softball?

 

[Zow]

Softball?

That is a good one.

That is assuming there must be some form of professional men’s softball?

There most certainly is.

When I played a lot Brett Helmer was arguably the best slow pitch men's softball player in the world (hitter for sure) and he was American. I imagine there's still a strong chance the best player is an American.

 

[Brony]

Softball?

That is a good one.

That is assuming there must be some form of professional men’s softball?

Why did you make this question so narrow down to men's team sports?

 

[NewlyRetired]

Softball?

That is a good one.

That is assuming there must be some form of professional men’s softball?

Why did you make this question so narrow down to men's team sports?

Because that is what I was thinking about in the shower today.

 

[SofaKings]

Softball?

That is a good one.

That is assuming there must be some form of professional men’s softball?

There most certainly is.

When I played a lot Brett Helmer was arguably the best slow pitch men's softball player in the world (hitter for sure) and he was American. I imagine there's still a strong chance the best player is an American.

queue up Real American Hero....

 

[Ron Swanson]

There is a pro team format of Pickleball called MLP and an American (Ben Johns) is currently the best. But, as much as I love to play the sport I even chuckle at the concept of a Pro version of it.

 

[TheAristocrat]

Jimmy Knorp in professional Wiffleball.

To answer your follow-up, no I can't join your fantasy wiffleball league. In too many already.

 

[Zow]

Jimmy Knorp in professional Wiffleball.

To answer your follow-up, no I can't join your fantasy wiffleball league. In too many already.

I get so jealous every time I see professional wiffleball. We basically did that in my backyard as a kid and it's about as much fun as humanly possible.

 

[Snoopy]

Kickball: https://kickball.com/champions/

 

[Maik Jeaunz]

Baseball.

Bobby Witt, Jr.

I'm a Dodger fan and Ohtani is my guy, but Witt is special. probably #2 for me. but if Elly De La Cruz can get his average up, watch out.

 

[Leroy Hoard]

Jimmy Knorp in professional Wiffleball.

I was about to give this a laugh but then I realized he and it actually exist.

 

[General Malaise]

Softball?

That is a good one.

That is assuming there must be some form of professional men’s softball?

Why did you make this question so narrow down to men's team sports?

Because that is what I was thinking about in the shower today.

You and I sure think about different things in the shower.....

 

[TheAristocrat]

Jimmy Knorp in professional Wiffleball.

To answer your follow-up, no I can't join your fantasy wiffleball league. In too many already.

I get so jealous every time I see professional wiffleball. We basically did that in my backyard as a kid and it's about as much fun as humanly possible.

I like that some guys go wild on the wiffle bat flip.

:wifflebatflip:

Edit: Wiffleball is awesome but batting racquetballs with a metal bat was literal stupid fun

 

[brun]

I believe there is pro team competition for cornhole. Just guessing the top couple dozen players are American.

 

[Bossman]

Pretty easy to just pick a sport that is exclusive to USA.
Pickleball, cornhole, and Nascar racing.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Pretty easy to just pick a sport that is exclusive to USA.
Pickleball, cornhole, and Nascar racing.

Figures. A sport we do while drunk, one because we are too out of shape for tennis, and one that involves cars.

 

[Major]

Off hand I'd think NBA, but I also dont pay much attention anymore. Who's the current top 3 in the NBA these days?

you definitely pay little if any attention to it

 

[Leroy Hoard]

I was going to say bowling but Jason Belmont is Australian.

 

[BassNBrew]

Dodgeball....that's a big ol' no.

 

[the moops]

Pretty easy to just pick a sport that is exclusive to USA.
Pickleball, cornhole, and Nascar racing.

None of those are team sports

 

[Desert_Power]

I guess it is time for us to invent a new global sport. Have the kids tried disk golf or pickleball?

 

[BLOCKED_PUNT]

E-sports?

it IS a team thing but I don't know much about it.

though according to this site a bunch of Koreans are the best

Rankings

old article but at one point in time America might have had the best gaming nerds

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Baseball.

Bobby Witt, Jr.

I'm a Dodger fan and Ohtani is my guy, but Witt is special. probably #2 for me. but if Elly De La Cruz can get his average up, watch out.

I'm such a huge fan, despite no relation to the Royals.

We like to check out ballparks with our kids when we're in a new city. Last year we were in KC, and hit up a Royals game. Right at the start of the year before anyone knew they were good. My son was 9 at the time, and pretty into playing baseball, but kids these days aren't the best at hustle.

I remember at least two plays from Bobby in that game. One he hit a basic line drive single into right field, but instead of jogging to first he sprinted, and when the right fielder was lazy about fielding the ball, he turned a very normal base hit to right field into a double, with nothing but hustle.

Then another play later in the game, he hit a routine weak fly ball. But he didn't jog it out. He ran it out. And when the CF fumbled it, Bobby was on 3rd, instead of on 1st like every other player in the league would have been.

My son is still tired of hearing me harp on these things.

 

[FreeBaGeL]

Pretty easy to just pick a sport that is exclusive to USA.
Pickleball, cornhole, and Nascar racing.

None of those are team sports

Even though it's more fun 1v1, 2v2 is very much the primary game type for pickelball (IE teams).

 

[DA RAIDERS]

They’re a team competing individually. Mikaela Shiffrin is the best ever in skiing.

 

[RCon]

Even though it's more fun 1v1, 2v2 is very much the primary game type for pickelball (IE teams).

Oof. I tried 1v1 pickleball once, in my mid thirties and thought it was brutal on the knees. Can't imagine what I'd think now, nearly 20 years later.

 

[the moops]

Pretty easy to just pick a sport that is exclusive to USA.
Pickleball, cornhole, and Nascar racing.

None of those are team sports

Even though it's more fun 1v1, 2v2 is very much the primary game type for pickelball (IE teams).

Still not a team sport. Doubles tennis isn't a team sport either. I don't know why, it just isn't.

 

[El Floppo]

Pretty easy to just pick a sport that is exclusive to USA.
Pickleball, cornhole, and Nascar racing.

None of those are team sports

Even though it's more fun 1v1, 2v2 is very much the primary game type for pickelball (IE teams).

Still not a team sport. Doubles tennis isn't a team sport either. I don't know why, it just isn't.

College tennis teams might beg to differ.


but yeah- I'm with you on this.

 

[msudaisy26]

I was going to say bowling but Jason Belmont is Australian.

He might be the greatest ever. I don't think he is the best right now.

 

[msudaisy26]

Caitlyn Clark for the WNBA.

 

[Gatorade]

Water polo ?
4X100 and 4X 400 relay races ?
Wrestling in high school and college is a team sport
Some events in gymnastics
Synchronized swimming ?
Synchronized diving ?
Curling ?

 

[Sammy3469]

Water polo ?
4X100 and 4X 400 relay races ?
Wrestling in high school and college is a team sport
Some events in gymnastics
Synchronized swimming ?
Synchronized diving ?
Curling ?

Have you SEEN some of the Hungarians, Serbians, or Croatians?