ESPN's World Toughest Sports - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

RedCoffee · 07-03-2011, 08:13 AM

Top 10:

1. Boxing
2. Ice Hockey
3. American Football
4. Basketball
5. Wrestling
6. Martial arts
7. Tennis
8. Gymnastics
9. Baseball
10. Soccer

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills

ENDURANCE: The ability to continue to perform a skill or action for long periods of time. Example: Lance Armstrong
STRENGTH: The ability to produce force. Example: NFL linebackers.
POWER: The ability to produce strength in the shortest possible time. Example: Barry Bonds.
SPEED: The ability to move quickly. Example: Marion Jones, Maurice Green.
AGILITY: The ability to change direction quickly. Example: Derek Jeter, Mia Hamm.
FLEXIBILITY: The ability to stretch the joints across a large range of motion. Example: Gymnasts, divers.
NERVE: The ability to overcome fear. Example: High-board divers, race-car drivers, ski jumpers.
DURABILITY: The ability to withstand physical punishment over a long period of time. Example: NBA/NHL players.
HAND-EYE COORDINATION: The ability to react quickly to sensory perception. Example: A hitter reacting to a breaking pitch; a drag racer timing acceleration to the green light.
ANALYTIC APTITUDE: The ability to evaluate and react appropriately to strategic situations. Example: Joe Montana reading a defense; basketball point guard on a fast break.

Regulator75 · 07-03-2011, 08:17 AM

No Rugby?
It should be in the top 5.

RedCoffee · 07-03-2011, 08:20 AM

Rugby is 12th. They gave Rugby 4/10 for hand-eye coordination which makes no sense because just the slightest bobble or knock-on results in a lose of possession.

They also gave Tennis 3/10 for nerves. I don't know many sports that are more nervous then match point in tennis.

Sliver · 07-03-2011, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedCoffee

Rugby is 12th. They gave Rugby 4/10 for hand-eye coordination which makes no sense because just the slightest bobble or knock-on results in a lose of possession.

They also gave Tennis 3/10 for nerves. I don't know many sports that are more nervous then match point in tennis.

They defined nerves as overcoming fear. A match point in tennis doesn't take the same level of nerves a high dive would or driving an Indy car...three seems generous in that context.

Da_Chief · 07-03-2011, 08:53 AM

Basketball is tougher then martial arts? rugby? They have baseball on there? besides the pitchers throwing their arm out what's so tough? Soccer? Good God! This list is more of a popular sports around the world then anything.

valo403 · 07-03-2011, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Da_Chief

Basketball is tougher then martial arts? rugby? They have baseball on there? besides the pitchers throwing their arm out what's so tough? Soccer? Good God! This list is more of a popular sports around the world then anything.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you didn't actually read the criteria they used

FurnaceFace · 07-03-2011, 09:03 AM

Agree on rugby, I think that should be higher. Also if boxing is at the top shouldn't MMA be there too? To me it has to rank higher as it's full contact boxing with smaller gloves. I don't know why auto racing isn't listed there somewhere (maybe it's lower down) but from the categories it must rank pretty high on a number of them.

I also bet ESPN hasn't watch an Aussie Rules match nor lacrosse.

RedCoffee · 07-03-2011, 09:19 AM

Boxing seems to be worse now with the soft gloves. Sure nobody gets killed instantly anymore but 12 rounds of getting bopped in the head must lead to long-term damage.

Baseball's just a grind. Do anything for 162 days nagging injuries appear.

Table 5 · 07-03-2011, 09:35 AM

The fact that baseball is on this list is a joke. At any point in the game, half the players aren't doing anything, and the majority of the other half is standing around daydreaming. The fact that they can cram 162 games in a season, sometimes 2 games a day, tells you all everything about how tough it really is.

squiggs96 · 07-03-2011, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Table 5

The fact that baseball is on this list is a joke. At any point in the game, half the players aren't doing anything, and the majority of the other half is standing around daydreaming. The fact that they can cram 162 games in a season, sometimes 2 games a day, tells you all everything about how tough it really is.

I'm guessing you've never played baseball before. You could similar things about all sports. Hockey the guys only skate around for 45 seconds at a time. During every play 75% of the guys are sitting on the bench just watching. Some of the players don't even play. They just sit on the bench the entire game day dreaming.

Table 5 · 07-03-2011, 10:17 AM

Ha, sure, if every hockey player had about 3 shifts a game, took a few slap shots from center ice and only went for the occasional skate around the rink, then you might have a point. I know it takes skill to hit a baseball going 90mph, but other than that, I just don't really respect the game as being all-around athletic....when guys like Cecil Fielder can be a star, you know it can't be. I bet the average F1 driver is in way better shape than a baseball player.

MrMastodonFarm · 07-03-2011, 10:21 AM

Boxing is a brutal sport. The 10 count that allows combatants to get there brains totally eff-ed... but as long as they can stand up in 10 seconds they can continue... is ruining so many peoples minds.

It needs to be reevaluated, there is nothing wrong with a guy being knocked out, and if he is done, he is done, let the ref make the call. Don't know if purists would ever allow it though.

wooohooo · 07-03-2011, 10:27 AM

I'm not sure if you've ever played hockey and baseball... or if you're American. But I won't argue the fact that Baseball isn't a sport, it is, but to compare it in toughness to Hockey is a joke. The only thing I think Baseball trumps hockey in is probably hand eye but even that is tough to argue.

Regulator75 · 07-03-2011, 10:38 AM

You nailed it. Couldn't agree more.

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Boxing is a brutal sport. The 10 count that allows combatants to get there brains totally eff-ed... but as long as they can stand up in 10 seconds they can continue... is ruining so many peoples minds.

It needs to be reevaluated, there is nothing wrong with a guy being knocked out, and if he is done, he is done, let the ref make the call. Don't know if purists would ever allow it though.

Resolute 14 · 07-03-2011, 10:40 AM

The anti-baseball crowd are getting lost because ESPN made a bad decision to use the word "tough". Everyone is thinking tough as in the physical sense, while ESPN is referring to it in the sense of being challenging. Baseball made the top ten because it was given the highest hand-eye coordination score, which I can't really argue with, and also scored well for power. And if anything, they scored it far too low for analytic aptitude. Depending on whether you are judging in the sense of a game or a season, the sport could be said to be ranked too high or too low for durability. If one wanted, they could argue that baseball should actually be higher.

Hemi-Cuda · 07-03-2011, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wooohooo

I'm not sure if you've ever played hockey and baseball... or if you're American. But I won't argue the fact that Baseball isn't a sport, it is, but to compare it in toughness to Hockey is a joke. The only thing I think Baseball trumps hockey in is probably hand eye but even that is tough to argue.

to me tipping a black disc traveling at 90 mph requires even more hand-eye than hitting a white sphere

RougeUnderoos · 07-03-2011, 10:45 AM

They probably should have called the list "Most Difficult Sports" or something like that. But of course they want us to argue about this and comment on their website.

Hitting a major league pitch is possibly the "most difficult" thing to do in sports, and it takes a lot of nerve to stand in there, but really, "toughness" and baseball don't go together. Well, there is Pete Rose and Lenny Dykstra. They were tough guys. Both criminals, too, oddly enough.

The way soccer and basketball players flop around, it seems to the casual observer (me) that toughness is actually frowned on. "What were you doing out there? That guy nearly hit you and you didn't fall down! Take a seat".

RougeUnderoos · 07-03-2011, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

to me tipping a black disc traveling at 90 mph requires even more hand-eye than hitting a white sphere

I think the comparison would more accurately be "tipping a black disc at 90 mph takes more hand-eye than fouling off a white sphere in batting practice".

The defenseman is generally shooting the puck deliberately for you to tip it and when they are doing it, they aren't winding up for 90mph shots.

ricoFlame · 07-03-2011, 11:42 AM

It's a stupid list with a dumb name. That said, these things always provoke interesting discussion

afc wimbledon · 07-03-2011, 12:17 PM

I would have added cycling ( assuming this is at the pro level in the top 5) there is almost nothing as physically demanding as the Tour.