Best Athletes per pro Sport- sport as a whole
- Thread starter Sunshinedynomite 1
- Start date
While I would agree that out of that list, major league baseball players are the worst athletes, I will say that hitting a 95 mile an hour fastball, or a Jacob deGrom slider is significantly harder to do than any one skill the other athletes can do.
Ahhhhh…….. I misunderstood the premise. I thought he was looking for the best in each sport, not which sports overall produce the best athletes.
I would say just as pure athletes:
NBA
EPL
NHL
NFL
MLB
I don’t consider golf a sport but it would be below these others if it was.
NBA
EPL
NHL
NFL
MLB
I don’t consider golf a sport but it would be below these others if it was.
I submit RvP to represent the EPL. Words can’t describe the athleticism needed to do this.
Anything you can drink and smoke while you play is not a sport
Lol. Let’s see you play 72 holes walking 4 days in a row and shoot at or under par. Not a sport. Give me a break.
Soccer players on average run about 7 miles a game. NBA players run about 2.5, tennis players about 3 (the 11 hour match Isner and Mahut played they ran about 6 miles each), baseball players about .0375, and football players (receivers and corners) about 1.25. Walking 72 holes of golf over four days is a JOKE.
how about watching72 holes of golf over four days?
Of that group, I think the NFL has the most overall athletic (evidence combine tryouts) but I guess the argument would be that lineman and kickers bring the average down.
Of course, "athletic" probably needs some quantifiable metrics to make a comparison. Miles run per game could be one category...
Of course, "athletic" probably needs some quantifiable metrics to make a comparison. Miles run per game could be one category...
In general, when I think of athleticism, I think of quick movements. In other words, forward and lateral movement ability as well as jumping. Overall, I would say basketball probably leads as there’s not a single guy on any roster that’s not an above average athlete. Even guys like joker are way more athletic than people give them credit for.
If they’re out there for two minutes they’re out there over a minute too long.
Regarding Mahut v Isner in 2010 Wimbledon. Mahut also had two qualifier matches that went 5 sets, with one going 24-22 in the 5th! Love watching Mahut play doubles. No fanfare, no celebrating, just see if you can get the ball by him!
I’ll take NHL #1. Hard enough to handle the puck while getting checked and avoiding hits but oh yeah, you have to skate on ice in order to do it.
The OP said athletes, so intended or not I’d leave the specialized skill out of it as much as possible (shooting a ball, hitting a fastball, throwing a slider, placing a puck over a shoulder, etc). Maybe the angle here is to estimate the share of athletes in each sport that could go through the grind of the other games and keep up with the motions, if not the skills. Of course this still lacks somewhat, as so much of, say, the NBA is explosive jumping. And we’d also have to decide whether the athletes could be re-trained for the other sports’ needs (hard to estimate).
I don’t think the EPL guys would have difficulty making it through any of the other sports on their schedules, and hanging with the pace needed. I can’t say the same about the NFL. I think MLB and Golf are in only for completeness. The real question is NBA vs NHL, and I’m inclined to give NHL the nod.
Make mine:
1. EPL
2a. NHL
2b. NBA
3. NFL
4. MLB
5. PGA
I don’t think the EPL guys would have difficulty making it through any of the other sports on their schedules, and hanging with the pace needed. I can’t say the same about the NFL. I think MLB and Golf are in only for completeness. The real question is NBA vs NHL, and I’m inclined to give NHL the nod.
Make mine:
1. EPL
2a. NHL
2b. NBA
3. NFL
4. MLB
5. PGA
NBA
NFL
EPL
NHL
MLB
If the measure is pure physicality and athleticism rather than a specific skill (hitting a 95 mph fastball, handling a puck in traffic, dribbling a soccer ball through traffic, hitting a golf ball straight on a consistent basis), the NBA wins this by a frickin’ mile. The average NBA player is bigger, stronger, and faster than the average player in ANY of the other sports.
NFL players are to a certain extent specialists. Linemen are really strong but, with some notable exceptions, relatively slow. DB’s are fast/quick, but relatively small, and not as strong. There are some TE’s, RB’s, and LB’s who feature the best combination of athletic ability that football offers. But there is NO NBA player who is not an exceptional athlete.
If the endurance necessary to run back and forth a lot during an athletic contest was the best measure of athleticism, I’d rate EPL players higher.
Golf is a sport, but it is virtually all skill, not physicality.
NFL
EPL
NHL
MLB
If the measure is pure physicality and athleticism rather than a specific skill (hitting a 95 mph fastball, handling a puck in traffic, dribbling a soccer ball through traffic, hitting a golf ball straight on a consistent basis), the NBA wins this by a frickin’ mile. The average NBA player is bigger, stronger, and faster than the average player in ANY of the other sports.
NFL players are to a certain extent specialists. Linemen are really strong but, with some notable exceptions, relatively slow. DB’s are fast/quick, but relatively small, and not as strong. There are some TE’s, RB’s, and LB’s who feature the best combination of athletic ability that football offers. But there is NO NBA player who is not an exceptional athlete.
If the endurance necessary to run back and forth a lot during an athletic contest was the best measure of athleticism, I’d rate EPL players higher.
Golf is a sport, but it is virtually all skill, not physicality.
Not sure of my exact rankings but I think a qualifying criteria for me would be which sports are the most difficult to hide an “unathletic” participant. The combination of strength, speed, and agility in the NFL …particularly skill players, or an NBA player such as Iverson or Morant has me leaning that way. Of course doing a lot of these things on skates isn’t easy either.
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