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What Sport has the Best Athletes? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Sinn Fein
- Start date
My buddy insisted it was baseball. I thought he was nuts.
His argument centered around the notion that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports. And, that, as kids, top athletes go for the hardest sport, and filter down from there - i.e. only move on from baseball if they can't cut it.
I argued that hitting a baseball was a skill, rather than an athletic achievement - its probably a little of both.
His argument centered around the notion that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports. And, that, as kids, top athletes go for the hardest sport, and filter down from there - i.e. only move on from baseball if they can't cut it.
I argued that hitting a baseball was a skill, rather than an athletic achievement - its probably a little of both.
Bull Dozier
Footballguy
So the argument you're trying to decide is what is an athletic movement vs what is a skill, not which sport has the best athletes? The answer to the first question is going to define the answer to the second. If you just try to answer the question without the first, the answers are going to be all over the board.
Yes and no. His argument was that athletes gravitate towards the hardest sports - with the best athletes gravitating towards baseball, and those athletes that could not master the sport moved on to other sports.
So, it was less about hitting a baseball as an athletic achievement, and more about the best athletes could do that.
Of course "athleticism" could mean a lot of different things: strength, speed, agility, cardiovascular endurance
I argued that basketball players, in general, had to exhibit excellence in most of those attributes - thus were the best athletes.
Don Quixote
Footballguy
I think the baseball gravitation is due to other factors — money and less physical punishment than other sports (leading to longer careers and healthier retirements; see Bo Jackson).
Jeff Samardzija is an example of someone who has certainly made more money playing baseball than he would have football, but I think he would have been a Pro Bowl caliber WR and he’s an average MLB starting pitcher.
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Bull Dozier
Footballguy
That's a dumb argument. Sports are extremely regional. Kids in Texas aren't going to give hockey a try when the state sport is football. Kids in Minnesota gravitate towards hockey more than most states. Etc etc. There's no pecking order for the sports that kids start out at.
While they are exerting a lot of energy, they get a lot of breaks. Hard to argue hockey over something like soccer, where they are always on the field. Though, I hate both sports so I just ignore them both and look at others.
Epic Problem
Footballguy
AhrnCityPahnder
Yinz-o-riffic
1. Endurance/stamina
2. Raw Strength
3. Honed skill
I think a "best athelete" has to include all of these, not just one or two. Of those listed -- Hockey, MMA, and Track and Field seem like leading candidates to me. notable omission is collegiate wrestlers, they're way up there.
2. Raw Strength
3. Honed skill
I think a "best athelete" has to include all of these, not just one or two. Of those listed -- Hockey, MMA, and Track and Field seem like leading candidates to me. notable omission is collegiate wrestlers, they're way up there.
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To be fair to my buddy - he is a former strength and conditioning coach for UK basketball, and has worked with athletes across multiple sports on a professional level.
ETA - still not buying his argument, but he has a bit of a relevant background.
ETA - still not buying his argument, but he has a bit of a relevant background.
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I think the area Hockey misses out on is endurance. There is a reason why there are so many line-shifts.
They certainly put in a lot of work during their shift - but endurance/stamina is not really a critical factor towards their success.
Bull Dozier
Footballguy
I take it by your wording you are a hockey player? Just trying to determine if you have a bias. I don't play hockey or soccer, so I don't have a dog in the fight. I also probably worded it wrongly, in that I wasn't implying soccer should be over hockey. I view them as on par with each other, but different from each other.
parasaurolophus
Footballguy
I dislike this argument for soccer. Sure, they are on the field a lot. They also stand around and light jog a lot. They have to pace themselves. The human body cant sprint for 90 minutes so they have to find ways to stay under the anaerobic threshold as often as possible. The sport would be more entertaining if they could sub. The fact that you are watching from so far away and it is such a big field makes it look even slower.
ShamrockPride
Footballguy
Soccer. A soccer player runs an average of 7 miles every match. Combine that with the technical competencies of maneuvering a ball with just your feet, and I'll choose them.
Epic Problem
Footballguy
I've played and played soccer too. Hockey is an absolute grind. Start, stop, change directions, get hit into a board, start again, do your best at going 0-60 because you're already 50 feet behind the action, puck changes possession while you're trying to catch back up, stop and turn, back to full speed again as quick as possible to get into position. Now you're on defense, puck going back and forth, change your balance, keep moving, keep moving....This all happens in about 20 seconds. Oh! by the way, keep your balance on ice with razors on your feet while you're doing all of that.
I get that soccer is constant motion, and I'm not questioning their fitness, but the playing area is so large, the majority of players have long periods on not exerting themselves at full speed. That allows them to stay in for prolonged periods of time.
Hockey's played in a bandbox there's no time to take off when you're on the ice. And if you are staying what appears to be still, you're still moving while balancing. No matter how trained you are to do it, it takes constant effort There's no balancing yourself in soccer cleats, you're naturally designed to stand on your own two feet.
belljr
Footballguy
Super King
Footballguy
NFL players. Cornerbacks, specifically. Dude's can run a 4.3 40, while still being able to bench over 300 lbs. Some over 400. Nevermind the insane change of direction skills.
Ned
Footballguy
Super King
Footballguy
SWC
Bromigo
i say bball because it is like a combination of every other sport where you have timing endurance footwork handwork knowledge of the game understanding of complex offenses reading of a court insane physical abilities and you have to do that on both sides of the ball every play every trip down the court and there is literally no time to take a play off due to the court being relatively small versus other sports so that has my vote but i respect other opinions here because basically this could not be a more subjective question take that to the bank bromigos
Dr. Octopus
Footballguy
I'd agree with you on baseball. Hitting is a skill. I don't consider (all) baseball players as great athletes.
I went with basketball for the poll - the way they move at that size is freakish.
How are you defining "endurance"?
According to this - the best average shift time is 57 seconds (the lowest average is 33 seconds) - so somewhere around 45 seconds per shift.
That does not really require endurance. It is certainly high intensity, but skating for a minute, resting for 2 is not demonstrating endurance.
jvdesigns2002
Footballguy
Water polo takes some freakish athleticism.
However, In terms of all around physical skill/athleticism- I think basketball. Elite basketball players are insane athletes in my opinion. Speed, power, being able to accelerate and stop on a dime, the required coordination of footwork and your arms, strength, the endurance level, jumping ability, and the ability to have a soft shooting touch on top of that all.
However, In terms of all around physical skill/athleticism- I think basketball. Elite basketball players are insane athletes in my opinion. Speed, power, being able to accelerate and stop on a dime, the required coordination of footwork and your arms, strength, the endurance level, jumping ability, and the ability to have a soft shooting touch on top of that all.
Jules Winnfield
Footballguy
The General
Footballguy
Lebron combines the most skills of what I consider athleticism. Endurance, strength, hand/eye, balance.
Now about all the flipping he does though...
Now about all the flipping he does though...
belljr
Footballguy
relative to hockey - their last shift of the game is just as intense as the first. Without endurance they can't play 3 games a week at the level they play and have the first shift be equally fast and hard as the last
I'm not saying the the "same endurance" as a marathon runner. But without cardio stamina you can't play hockey , imo
jvdesigns2002
Footballguy
Covering 7 miles in a 90 minute span in spurts with a halftime break does not require world class athleticism. Their skill level required in controlling the ball with their feet is what is impressive- not their endurance
Epic Problem
Footballguy
over 2 and half hours - you work hard for 15 minutes?
That is not a good example of endurance.
Epic Problem
Footballguy
Can we add into the fact that the hockey player is doing this with about 15 pounds of equipment strapped on his body?
Epic Problem
Footballguy
Why? they have endurance, and not much else.
The hockey issue arose when someone said they had it all - speed, strength and endurance. I only took exception to endurance.
jvdesigns2002
Footballguy
Some of the non mainstream sports are getting pretty overlooked here. I mentioned water polo earlier. Gymnastics also require some insane combinations of endurance, strength, and insane ability. Parkour is also nuts.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2vfoyY9lshI
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2vfoyY9lshI
Northern Voice
Footballguy
If you want the strength and athleticism of football players with better conditioning and more constant movement of soccer, I think that's a case for rugby (which I'm kind of shocked only has one vote)
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Insein
Footballguy
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