mlb vs nba

[chapwilvaug72]

where are the worlds greatest athletes

i once said no doubt it is nba

now i say mlb; mlb goes in glimpses where nba can only dream about

N.B.: mike Jordan failed at baseball; this is not coincidence

speed of action is nba selling point; it masks alot of true reads of what defines super human athletic traits

mlb has as its biggest problem pace of game, however the pace allows for glimpses of the superest feats of the category elite athletes/mlbs elite are beyond belief/nba elite not so much

then of course at another level higher are kembasized and shabazzed-extra terrestrial

 

[zls44]

Yes.

 

[UConNick]

Overall I'd say NBA, but in terms of skills in which you apply athleticism, it's Major League Baseball. Baseball is the hardest sport to play in the world, simply because of the reaction time and coordination needed to hit a round object with another round object in 3/10 of a second. Not to mention learning to throw can make you look like a village idiot until you do it correctly. I often win arguments like this because of one single fact: you can pick up any sport in high school freshman year, and if you're athletic enough, be a varsity player by the time you're an upperclassmen. Except baseball. There are too many specialized skills and athletic maneuvers to master in 3 years.

 

[intlzncster]

Is this a complete troll job?

I would say MLB has most of the least athletic professional athletes on the planet.

In the US, it's either NBA or NFL.

 

[Husky25]

There is a subtle difference between skill and ability.

The NFL has the greatest athletes. They need strength, stamina, and fast twitch muscle mass, knowledge, and technique all at the same time. True, there are about 45 seconds between plays but they have to reach peak performance again time after time.

In terms of athletic ability, after football comes soccer, then hockey, then basketball.

Baseball is last. However the skill required to hit a round ball with a round bat squarely in less than a half second is the hardest thing to do in sports.

 

[Gurleyman]

The Jordan couldn't play baseball thing is a ridiculous argument. He hadn't played baseball since high school, and had never really received high level instruction. Baseball players take years to develop their swings to the point where they can be successful at a high level. Jordan could do athletic things on a baseball field fine - steal bases, run down fly balls, etc. - but the very specific hand-eye skill it took to hit a baseball was something that he couldn't possibly catch up on after almost 15 years away from the sport.

It's like saying Usain Bolt can't golf, so golf has the best athletes.

 

[mauconnfan]

There is a subtle difference between skill and ability.

The NFL has the greatest athletes. They need strength, stamina, and fast twitch muscle mass, knowledge, and technique all at the same time. True, there are about 45 seconds between plays but they have to reach peak performance again time after time.

In terms of athletic ability, after football comes soccer, then hockey, then basketball.

Baseball is last. However the skill required to hit a round ball with a round bat squarely in less than a half second is the hardest thing to do in sports.

THIS

 

[Gurleyman]

Overall I'd say NBA, but in terms of skills in which you apply athleticism, it's Major League Baseball. Baseball is the hardest sport to play in the world, simply because of the reaction time and coordination needed to hit a round object with another round object in 3/10 of a second. Not to mention learning to throw can make you look like a village idiot until you do it correctly. I often win arguments like this because of one single fact: you can pick up any sport in high school freshman year, and if you're athletic enough, be a varsity player by the time you're an upperclassmen. Except baseball. There are too many specialized skills and athletic maneuvers to master in 3 years.

That's a better argument for hockey than it is for baseball. You have to learn a new mode of transportation for hockey, and still have the hand eye coordination to hit a fast moving puck (and handle physical contact from the defense).

 

[Palatine]

I think the greatest athletes are in the Tour de France. Most athletes from other sports like baseball or basketball would kill themselves in the Tour. The endurance, explosion, concentration, reaction time and level of fitness far exceeds sports like baseball.

 

[James]

I would say hockey is the hardest sport athletically because just the physics of skating are complex. Then you're getting hit at full speed all the time its pretty insane.

Also you can't pick up basketball, hockey, or baseball as a FRESHMAN and become a varsity athlete (well maybe a crap one) ...unless youve won the genetic lottery. I would say the easiest sport to pick up is soccer. All you need to do is a play with a soccer ball all summer and run long distance.

 

[James]

Golf is easily the least athletic though. sometimes i don't even consider golf a sport, more like hobby. like playing backgammon

 

[Kitaman]

Hmmm, I've never seen an overweight soccer player. Just sayin. . . .

 

[intlzncster]

However the skill required to hit a round ball with a round bat squarely in less than a half second is the hardest thing to do in sports.

Ok, I'll bite. Hit a golf ball straight?

 

[intlzncster]

I would say the easiest sport to pick up is soccer. All you need to do is a play with a soccer ball all summer and run long distance.

Oh god no. You can become a rec player, sure. But you can become a rec basketball, or flag football, or stick ball player quite easily too .

Becoming a pro soccer player requires playing since about 5 years old. Only thing on the same level is hockey.

Professionally, basketball can be picked up in a few years, as we've seen. Football as well. Baseball is less the case, but it happens.

 

[mauconnfan]

Golf is easily the least athletic though. sometimes i don't even consider golf a sport, more like hobby. like playing backgammon

Yeah because in Backgammon you need to make sure you can get those "chips" out of the 6" rough on that board and curl them around a 100 ft high tree while hitting them 190 yards……..that's a perfect comparison? Haven't seen a lot of Backgammon people walking 6-7 miles a game either in the 90 degree humidity?

The things the PGA players do to play that game at the expectations required of them is certainly not a "hobby" by any means.

 

[James]

Oh god no. You can become a rec player, sure. But you can become a rec basketball, or flag football, or stick ball player quite easily too .

Becoming a pro soccer player requires playing since about 5 years old. Only thing on the same level is hockey.

Professionally, basketball can be picked up in a few years, as we've seen. Football as well. Baseball is less the case, but it happens.

Yeah I agree reaching the pros in soccer is nearly impossible due to how stinkin popular it is. But i also think its the easiest sport to be average at in hs, ride the pine etc.

 

[James]

Yeah because in Backgammon you need to make sure you can get those "chips" out of the 6" rough on that board and curl them around a 100 ft high tree while hitting them 190 yards……..that's a perfect comparison? Haven't seen a lot of Backgammon people walking 6-7 miles a game either in the 90 degree humidity?

The things the PGA players do to play that game at the expectations required of them is certainly not a "hobby" by any means.

Mau, phil mickelson is the 10th best golfer in the world. the guy is 44 and has a beer gut. I can't group it with sports like hockey soccer or hoops.

 

[Husky25]

Ok, I'll bite. Hit a golf ball straight?

Golf is tough, no doubt. It's hard to repeat the perfect swing over and over and you use muscles you had no idea you had, but the golf ball is not being hurled at you at 90 mph and braking down and in at the last second and the club face is not round, thereby decreasing the surface area that comes in contact with the ball.

 

[mauconnfan]

Mau, phil mickelson is the 10th best golfer in the world. the guy is 44 and has a beer gut. I can't group it with sports like hockey soccer or hoops.

I'm not saying you can put it up there with hockey or hoops but backgammon c'mon, hobby? It's a sport and takes training and practice…….These kids coming up are good athletes and the old, smoking cigarette golfers aren't as rampant as back in the day. They are athletes and you have to be pretty good to do the things they do…..you only need to see the people 20 feet away who are so confident they will hit it where they want to all the time……

 

[mauconnfan]

Golf is tough, no doubt. It's hard to repeat the perfect swing over and over and you use muscles you had no idea you had, but the golf ball is not being hurled at you at 90 mph and braking down and in at the last second and the club face is not round, thereby decreasing the surface area that comes in contact with the ball.

Agree here having played both extensively baseball is harder but not by a lot. That little white thing sitting there isn't as easy as it looks when you watch the pro's………the baseball is easy to hit when you know what's being thrown to you I think it's the ability to be quick, keep your hands back when a guy throwing 97 decides to throw an 87 wrinkle up to the plate…….that's where separation of baseball player to pro begins……….

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

Yeah I agree reaching the pros in soccer is nearly impossible due to how stinkin popular it is. But i also think its the easiest sport to be average at in hs, ride the pine etc.

A fat kid with a pulse can make a high school football team, and every year kids with basically no experience catch on in the NFL. That'll never happen with soccer.

That being said, for pure athleticism it's hard to beat an NFL tailback, safety, corner, etc

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I think the greatest athletes are in the Tour de France. Most athletes from other sports like baseball or basketball would kill themselves in the Tour. The endurance, explosion, concentration, reaction time and level of fitness far exceeds sports like baseball.

That's probably because athletes from baseball and basketball don't train to ride a bike across France for weeks on end, just a hunch. Just like Lance Armstrong probably wouldn't make an NBA roster.

I have a feeling someone like Adrian Peterson could become a nice little bike rider if he put his mind to it.

 

[mauconnfan]

I think the greatest athletes are in the Tour de France. Most athletes from other sports like baseball or basketball would kill themselves in the Tour. The endurance, explosion, concentration, reaction time and level of fitness far exceeds sports like baseball.

On the other hand a Tour De France bicyclist catching a spiral over the middle and getting shouldered by a 6'2" 235 lb safety wouldn't even make them flinch I'm guessing?

 

[mauconnfan]

John Kruk:
There's a story, a funny story, about me sitting in a restaurant. I'm eating this big meal and maybe having a couple of beers and smoking a cigarette. A woman comes by the table. She recognizes me and she's shocked because it seems like I should be in training or something. She's getting all over me, saying that a professional athlete should take better care of himself. I lean back and I say to her, "I ain't an athlete, lady. I'm a baseball player." That pretty much sums it up. In an age when athletes are getting bigger and stronger and more imposing every day, John Kruk of the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies is a hero for the rest of us. He likes his food, he likes his beer, he doesn't see much point in combing his hair and he plays the game of baseball too well for anyone to get away with hassling him about any of it.

 

[Walker11]

On average, the best athletes are the guys in the NBA. The best athletes overall may be in the NFL, but there are also many fat non-athletes. Hockey and soccer require amazing combinations of skill and endurance but I don't consider them the best athletes. It definitely depends on how you describe athleticism - to me, it means speed, agility, jumping ability etc. over endurance and coordination. Mentioning baseball is a joke.