Isnt it funny that baseball players are considered pro athletes...

[Brent Maguire]

Baseball is absolutely more of a skill game than a sheer athleticism sport. 

 

I didn't play past high school ball but I can say hitting a baseball, judging a ball from the outfield or locating your spot as a pitcher is much tougher than anything else I ever tried in sports. 

[Brandon]

To generate the club head speed of a professional golfer or the bat speed of a ML hitter requires athleticism. That said, in terms of speed, strength and agility, football players take the cake. Football is an athlete's game. Baseball is a skill game. Generally speaking.

Growing up, the kids who couldn't throw or hit a baseball, or dribble or shoot a basketball, played football. Hell, I didn't play football until it was apparent I wasn't going to be playing baseball after high school.

Golf is a magic gray area for me. Dudes like Stadler, Waldorf, Perry, etc. plus weekend warriors that shop at Big Dogs can play and at times put up solid scores. That said, like most sports, the athletic ones are the cream of the crop and put in the effort to be successful.

[mrwicked]

i think hockey requires the most overall athleticism, skill and intelligence. 

next up would be synchronized curling.

[LBHalos17]

Worst thread ever... If some of you really believe what you're saying, then why aren't you professional sports millionaires?

[stormngt]

I have no clue what you said, but NASCAR and Golf aren't real sports to me....and I love golf. Just because they are on ESPN with things like poker doesn't make them athletic or sports outside of merely being competitive.

Sorry you think mental skills consist of being athletic.

[stormngt]

Your an idiot for thinking hitting a golf ball or base ball or throwing a curve ball is mental. And I am sorry your such a shallow person to think athleticism is just running and jumping.

[sneaky_flute]

Gymnasts and soccer players are probably the most athletic of all.

[nate]

lmao!  Soccer players?  I definitely think they are good athletes, certainly better than baseball, but not near the best.

 

I would say Hockey, by a long shot, then basketball and football skill position players.

Edited October 29, 2013 by nate

[sneaky_flute]

Soccer players run several miles in each game and dribbling and other moves require considerable amounts of skill.

[Brandon]

Worst thread ever... If some of you really believe what you're saying, then why aren't you professional sports millionaires?

If all it took was being athletic, there would be a lot more professional athletes.

[nate]

Hockey players do the same at a speed 10x soccer.  They also have to have incredible hands and agility.

[Brandon]

Your an idiot for thinking hitting a golf ball or base ball or throwing a curve ball is mental. And I am sorry your such a shallow person to think athleticism is just running and jumping.

I'm sorry you can't use "you're" or post correctly.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Its simple. It just comes down to things being different in context.

Yes, there's some fat ass baseball players. To be fair though, they generally play a small handful of positions. Most outfielders and middle infielders are pretty fit.

I think mlb as a whole is trending towards being more fit. Especially with steroud testing making it so doing a cycle of clem doesn't even out a lazy lifestyle.

I also would argue that are in better shape than they seem, but that the uniform itself (which is generally baggy) kind of disguises it. Not at all saying that guys like prince, papi, mcab etc are in shape hidden under a baggy jersey. But there's a lot of guys who are.

All that being said, is it as athletic as most football positions? No. Is it more so than some other sports? Yes.

[Brandon]

Hockey players do the same at a speed 10x soccer. They also have to have incredible hands and agility.

I don't disagree with hockey, but the speed is logistical to the fact we use skates and the amount of friction.

Soccer is a lot harder than people give credit for. The clock always runs and is 90 minutes, so you don't get to catch a break during a huddle or step out of some batters box, plus the skill aspect.

The toughest and most athletic thing I've done outside hockey is wrestling.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Soccer players run several miles in each game and dribbling and other moves require considerable amounts of skill.

that's a good point, but like basketball, the majority of the running is more jog than sprint. (Not taking anything away, just saying its not high impact for four quarters as some think)

That said, gymnastics for the most part is super athletic. In my earlier days, when 7 out of 10 guys I lifted with were making weekly trips to mexico to get cheap steroids, the strongest pound for pound guy I knew (by far) was a non roiding gymnist. I only worked out with him occasionally, but was always blown away how much weight he could push, and how trim he remained.

I'm too lazy these days to train like I used to, but I've always been a huge believer in athletic training over weight training.

[ten ocho recon scout]

Agreed on wrestling.

[nate]

Yeah, wrestling is extremely technical and physical.

[Brandon]

With soccer you just have to pace yourself like a marathon runner or cyclist. With hockey at least we did line shifts within 45 seconds to a minute and a half.

[nate]

I don't disagree, I played soccer.  Conditioning is huge and skillfully handling a soccer ball is very difficult.

 

I just think hockey is much more difficult because of the speed the game is played.  And because of how physical it is.

[ten ocho recon scout]

People who have never wrestled don't know how much cardio is involved simply tying up. Add to the fact most guys (at the high school and college level) are on an extremely low cal diet, and you can picture how much harder it is than most other sports.

Then add doing it with a boa constrictor around your neck and rubber bands in your face, and you have the apex predator of athletics.

[notherhalo]

Baseball is an American sport

 

in the great sport of baseball you can be:

 

300 lbs or 160 lbs... and be the best

black, white, hispanic or asian..... and be the best

42 years old... and be the best

18 years old... and be the best

and you can be DRUNK.... and still be the best!!!!

 

can you do that in soccer? dont think sooo

can you do that in hockey, basketball, tennis or any other gay european sport? DONT THINK SO

 

GOD BLESS BASEBALL

GOD BLESS AMERICA, the land of opportunity, no matter how fat, drunk or whatever minority you are!!!

Edited October 29, 2013 by notherhalo

[tomsred]

Bowlers take the cake.  A baseball only weighs 6 oz..  Try throwing a bowling ball that weights 16 lbs..

[yk9001]

I wrestled in high school. It was ridiculously hard. The balance, combined w strength and endurance, is a good combo.

It was 30 + years ago but i remember one match. After one six-minute match, i did not have the strength to sqeeze a water bottle to get a drink. It took that much out of you.

I think its ridiculous to denigrate any sport. Soccer takes tremendous stamina. And what i see high school kids do today on the field - it blows away what we could do.

My son played water polo. Another ridiculously hard sport to master.

Football has an added injury factor. Baseball has a fear factor. All are tough.

[Stradling]

Badminton players are by far the most athretic.

[Brandon]

People who have never wrestled don't know how much cardio is involved simply tying up. Add to the fact most guys (at the high school and college level) are on an extremely low cal diet, and you can picture how much harder it is than most other sports.

Then add doing it with a boa constrictor around your neck and rubber bands in your face, and you have the apex predator of athletics.

Yeah, I was one of the rare dudes on the team in that I never had to cut weight all four years in high school...it was actually the opposite. I feel like when I was a senior I was close to where I'm at now at 6' tall, but I wrestled 145s and was essentially under weight. I even wrestled tournaments at 152 when an injury happened to our reg and got worked by the stronger dudes.

Wrestling was tough just in matches, but practice for those was a beast and I started wrestling in 4th grade and it never got easy or easier.