Rank The Four Majour US Sports. (Sorry not Soccer*, I'm talking Football, Baseball, Basketball and Hockey. BECAUSE YES HOCKEY IS A MAJOUR SPORT DAMN IT!) in terms of the amount of athletic ability required to be successful at that sport.
I would say...
1) Baseball - I think that baseball is the top because of the two very unique phases of athletic ability required. Hitting a baseball I think has to be one of the hardest thing to do in sports. The dexterity and mental focus is phenomenal. Combine that with the physical skills to play defensively and baseball clearly has to be the top. It taxes both the body and your wits.
2) Hockey - Some people would say hockey is about running in to people. Actually it really isn't. Hockey secretly is about not running into people. It just tends to happen a lot because well they are playing on ice. Hockey is really a fast and beautiful it requires such body control. Plus, the entire game is played on skates.
3) Basketball - In terms of skill and dexterity required to play a spot I would rank basketball almost on par with hockey. I do however have to give hockey a slightly higher ranking for two reasons. First being well, the entire game is played on ice. Secondly the goalie position is a position of such skill that really has no equivalent in any sport really.
4) Football - Rounding out the list is football. Now first, I do have to say that being a almost sub-par athlete myself I take nothing away from anyone who is able to play any sport at a professional level. Even football has a good number of talent positions such as quarterback and place kicker. However, I must rank football the lowest due to the fact that at the very core of the game of football ones proficiency can be boiled down to your ability to ether run into other players or avoid being run into by other players.
*For the record, I would rank Soccer 2nd if it was included in this discussion due to the extreme levels of physical fitness required in combination with the coordination required to dribble the soccer ball.
2 comments:
I must respectfully disagree with the logic employed in your list. First of all, although it certainly takes great skill to hit a 98 mph Nolan Ryan fastball, it also takes great skill to dribble like Pistol Pete, shoot a puck like The Great One, or pick a defense apart like a chess grandmaster a la Peyton Manning. On the other hand, only in baseball (and golf) could you have a fat, old, out-of-shape alcoholic like Babe Ruth or John Kruk enjoy success. Could you see someone like John Kruk run up and down a basketball court or skate back and forth without having a coronary? Furthermore, there are many other variables to consider besides athletic skill or physical fitness when ranking the 4 big sports. What about entertainment value? The excitement of playoffs? The ability to play a certain sport in any kind of weather? Sports rivalries? Stars? Money? Watching vs. playing?
Here is my list:
1. Football
2. Hockey
3. Baseball
4. Basketball
Football, because you can play it rain or shine, indoors or outdoors...The playoffs are only 1 game instead of a series like the other 3 sports, which makes it more exciting. It is faster-paced and more exciting and action-packed than the slow, leisurely speed of baseball.
Hockey next, because they really are graceful, tough, skillful...they fight, and Buffalo has a professional team...Go Sabres!
Baseball next, because of it's long and storied tradition...
And finally basketball, which is still awesome, just not as awesome as the others...
Thank you for your comment whoever you are. I am always glad to hear from my readers. I hope you continue to visit and comment. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy when I get feed back.
I respect your right to disagree. However, I believe that you may have missed the point of my initial article. My rankings were based simply upon which sport I felt required the highest amount of athletic ability to succeed at. i actually think that your statements about Babe Ruth and John Kruk actually play into my line of reasoning. By any logical reasoning you are right fat drunken slobs should not be able to compete on an equal footing with someone who is at what could be seen as the height of physical refinement. That being said, there must be something that enables these individuals to succeed against opponents that posses seemingly greater physical abilities. I firmly believe that "x factor" to be innate athletic ability.
Your rankings are fine, when viewed in terms of how enjoyable the sport is to watch. I would disagree with you, but that would come down to taste and my feelings on the subject would be no more or less valid then yours.
Oh, and BTW. I too am from Buffalo NY. I am well aware of the existence of my own favourite team.
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