Boxing!

My (participation) favorites, golf, fishing, shooting are all in the bottom 10 (woo-hoo, let's hear it for conservation of energy! Do I get any bonus points for that?). :D

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

Hey, that's BS. Fishing is dead last? I went charter Salmon fishing last weekend and it takes a lot of skill to hold a beer and cigar while reeling a 15lb fish in.

hockey second. those guys are in great shape. my list, fishing. roller hockey, swimming, 12 ounce beer curls.

Aussie rules Football is killer. Can't make heads or tails of what the hell they are doing out there but marvel at the athletic ability.
Oh yeah, fishing IS for tough guys. I trout fish and know personally the strength of character needed not to dissolve into a screaming puddle when the wind kicks up as you start your forward cast and the little fuc&ing hook goes into the back of your neck.

Don't forget the manual dexterity required to untangle the backlash!

I am a huge baseball fan and have played since T-ball and I also waterski, both were listed as the same endurance... I could play 30+ innings of baseball (and have) and not even break a sweat and I played CF and SS and was also counted on to steal bases. If I were to waterski for even a few straight hours I would be ready to collapse and my arms and legs would be mush, not to mention how every muscle in my body would hurt the next day.

Just a useless observation I had to make...

While I agree completely Ike, I will play devil's advocate and say that Major League Baseball Players play a 162 game season, and often play every day out of the week. That does take some endurance. I don't know the schedule of pro waterskiers.

edit: although maybe that goes under durability.

Where is Hawaiian Ironman on the list... ask the editor to do one if it does not deserve to be in the list.

Do 3.5km swim, 180 km bike ride and 42 k run in 9 hours buddy

I am a big Rugby fan, for having lived in England and South Africa. I think Rugby is a tougher sport than American Football. This list has been compiled by American so-called experts, who are obviously biased towards the sports that they know best.
Why the hell would Ice Hockey require more strength, power and durability than Rugby? Crap.

I agree with Takahashi, triathlons should have made the list.

Originally posted by Speed-ER doc
While I agree completely Ike, I will play devil's advocate and say that Major League Baseball Players play a 162 game season, and often play every day out of the week. That does take some endurance. I don't know the schedule of pro waterskiers.

edit: although maybe that goes under durability.

I think the travel takes more endurance than the actual games :p

boxing, is somehow "harder" than muai thai, or bull riding (is that what they've listed as "steer wrestling"??), huh?? just usual sports journalist bs.

it's so hard to compare one sport over another, as while some demand more of one attribute than another, and the actual physical demands of one "sport" over another (i can hardly call golf, pub games, shooting, and other leisure "sports" real sports) vary a little, but to say that one is actually more difficult than another is really really stupid, as what makes a sport difficult isn't what the sport is, but the level of competition, how much effort it takes to succeed.

in that vein, then, boxing is certainly not the most difficult sport considering all the flunkie #1 contenders that roll in and out each year through the different weight classes. that "sport" is a meat grinder, and for the most part the best and brightest are in other sports, like football or baseball or basketball... the biggest money sports (it's hard to be a long-term successful prize fighter).

and blah blah blah... this is just silly. and no, boxing is definitely not the hardest sport.

If you're speaking in monosyllables by the time you're 50 then yeah, it's a tough sport.

Lots of sports have one or two of the categories that they're highest in, and that defines the difficulty of the sport. Adding up all the categories to come up with an "overall difficulty" is absurd.

It reminds me of when they brought in some firm at one of my jobs to give us all psych profiles. Some of the info was useful, some was dumb. But what really took the cake is when they averaged everyone's profile for each shift to get a "personality" for each shift. That's when I volunteered to go back to work.

In the end mastery is difficult in most sports. Golf may not be physically demanding but try to make it on the Tour. Most people can ride a bike, but try racing one over a mountain pass at the speeds the pros do. Heck, try to become world champ at darts or tiddley-winks. Maybe that's how we should define a sport - it's as hard as you want it to be.

Wow, y'all take your sports seriously. It's supposed to be recreation.

Anyway, just imagine one was trying to compile such a list. How should it be done? The people they chose to judge these sports were fairly qualified and diverse, although there did seem to be a bias toward American televised sports. Whatever, take it for what it is.

It to me was an interesting method to fairly give a subjective rating to 60 different sports. Of course there is going to be controversy. They knew that. And you and I read it, which is what they wanted. If you view it as more of a conversation-starter than a historic document, then it is pretty cool imo.

SOCCER...the real football...PERIOD...

american football is a joke...and I can say that because I played both...padding is for puss'...try constantly running for 90+ minutes..sorry football doesn't hold a bar of soap to soccer..

Rugby is some hard ass stuff too...that's rougher than soccer...hell you purposely tackle and slam into people without pads in that one...

Hockey definitely...

but baseball, basketball, and american football are sports for whiny babies that want a lot of money for doing a recreational activity...that sucks in my opinion...

Things involving grown men chasing around a ball aren't "sports" they are just games of the sort that children could play on a playground.

Racing is a sport. Plenty of other things are as well. But "games" with balls aren't.

.02 :)

Originally posted by Psylence

Racing is a sport. Plenty of other things are as well. But "games" with balls aren't.

.02 :)
You mean sex is not a sport?
Damn! The only activity I'm good at.

Originally posted by hotpot
You mean sex is not a sport?
Damn! The only activity I'm good at.

Reminds me of a joke. Woman looks down at a man's tiny little thing and asks, "Who do you think you're going to satisfy with that?"

He says, "Me."

OMG..you have got to be kidding...about the racing..

i will agree with you but it depends on what racing you are talking about...

...and i'm not gay, but I like playing with balls...LOL...:D

Originally posted by XeRo
SOCCER...the real football...PERIOD...

american football is a joke...and I can say that because I played both...padding is for puss'...try constantly running for 90+ minutes..sorry football doesn't hold a bar of soap to soccer..

Rugby is some hard ass stuff too...that's rougher than soccer...hell you purposely tackle and slam into people without pads in that one...

Hockey definitely...

but baseball, basketball, and american football are sports for whiny babies that want a lot of money for doing a recreational activity...that sucks in my opinion...

Just curious, but where did you play football? Running for 90+ minutes hardly qualifies soccer as tougher than football. Lots of sports involve endurance of that magnitude. I don't know much about rugby, but if you've ever had a facemask to facemask collision at about 20 yards apart, then you might be inclined to say football is tougher than soccer.

no, racing is certainly a great sport, and until very recently demanded unbelievable courage and mental fortitude to want to compete and win despite the risks. for motorcycle racing, it's almost as bad as it's always been, and only in F1 has it actually become quite "safe" (leading the young idiots to take more chances and more wrecks).

it's still one of the most difficult sports to succeed in because of the unbelievable amount of time, money, and talent required to be competetive at all levels. i think it's too far down the list.

Just came back from Cancun and I'd say that none of those sports matched the soccer/basketball hybrid that the Mayans played. The game concluded when the captain from the winning side put the ball through the hoop - and was then sacrificed to the gods. You gotta be tough to play with that going on in your mind.

haha... well if we could say ANY sport across all time?? gladitorial battles are the toughest sports of all time (which i suppose is why the Romans found it so entertaining).

Right on Wakeech! I used to race motorcycles. It's brutal, both on the body and on the wallet.

F1, however, is for sissies. If I wanted to watch a parade I'd..err..watch a parade. Take off all the computer assisted crap and 9000lbs of downforce and let REAL MEN wrestle the cars around the track.

Man..i hate sounding like i'm bragging that's why i don't offer the info up front...

I played football, soccer, basketball, and baseball in high school..

I was a running back at first but my first year (8th grade after JV season) on varsity we ran an option where the QB tossed me the ball and I threw it..i then got looks from the varsity coach's for a QB position..i ended up being first string QB my 10-12 years and I was being looked at for possible recruitment from UofA, Auburn, and LSU until in my 12 grade year while playing for the city league 18 and under men's soccer club at state tourney the field was wet and I did a diving header and slide into the goal post tearing the tendons and ligaments and dislocating my right shoulder..the ball (head)of my humerus could be seen in my armpit...needless to say my pitching career for varsity baseball was over as well as any football chance anywhere...i played my senior soccer season for high school with my arm pretty much shrinkwrapped to my body with althetic gauze and tape...i now can't lift heavy objects (20lbs+) over my head and no more free weights such as barbells and such...

This kind of aggravates me too because I never had the intent of playing football or baseball for college I played to stay in shape for soccer....i had a scholarship to play at Clemson U but turned it down because their Zoology department didn't offer what I wanted...so i went to my parents Alma Mater, Auburn U, and played soccer for them...

so there you have it,..a glimpse at my misfortunate, as some call it, sports career...

i have played soccer since i can remember...i played in Germany's Bundesliga one summer and got to meet a lot of European stars and practice with them as well...

I have taken and given more shots than just a 20 yard mask to mask encounter...i have had and given concusions from being hit so hard...believe me ...to me...soccer and other less americanized sports are WAY more endurance and physically challenging than your prized football...i still watch college football though..i gotta root for the home team and the Alma Mater...WAR DAMN EAGLE!


Originally posted by Winning_BlueRX8
Just curious, but where did you play football? Running for 90+ minutes hardly qualifies soccer as tougher than football. Lots of sports involve endurance of that magnitude. I don't know much about rugby, but if you've ever had a facemask to facemask collision at about 20 yards apart, then you might be inclined to say football is tougher than soccer.

so psylence...from your comment i am assuming you are talking about NASCAR?

sorry that's not racing...
sure there are some dynamics such as playing with geometries with the car but..i can think of a THOUSAND different things that are more productive, stimulating, and require more effort than driving 500 miles in a circle to end up in the same damn place where you started from...it be different if there were turns involved and you had to actually RACE...NASCAR to me is like drag racing in a circle...

I remember reading an actual medical study that was done to test the fitness of many types of professional athletes. (I think it was done in the late 70s early 80s).

In this study, professional motocross racers came out on top.

Before you guys say - they just ride a motorcycle around, try it yourself. I thought the same thing, then started motocrossing about 5 years ago (I thought I was in great shape, worked out 4 times a week, rode bikes, etc etc). Anyway, after 2 laps I was blowing hard. You really have to be able to move the bike constantly (it weighs about 240 lbs). You use your body, legs constatnly while riding. You really never sit except in cases to help with traction or to make the bike jump higher. You spend 90% of your time in a crouched position, so your legs are contantly working.

Lastly, a pro race consists of at least 2- 40 minute races. Thats 40 minutes non stop, going 100%, with adrenalin pumping the hole time.

i guess no one has ever seen any Mixed Martial Arts tournaments...Boxing only takes into account punching while MMA takes into account all of boxing including kicking and grappling with gloves 1/4 the weight and size of boxing gloves...oh, and you can elbow, knee, kick the guy to head, you can bodyslam and drop him directly on his neck, you can lock his elbows up and if he doens't give up, you're allowed to break it...and yet there are still FAR less injuries in MMA than boxing...ironic, isn't it?

so, how is boxing a tougher sport?

oh absolutely...BRx8..been there done that too...tournaments are very rigorous on the body...especially when involving trapping, and close quarters combat...aerials...well i won't even get into that...

Originally posted by BRx8
i guess no one has ever seen any Mixed Martial Arts tournaments...Boxing only takes into account punching while MMA takes into account all of boxing including kicking and grappling with gloves 1/4 the weight and size of boxing gloves...oh, and you can elbow, knee, kick the guy to head, you can bodyslam and drop him directly on his neck, you can lock his elbows up and if he doens't give up, you're allowed to break it...and yet there are still FAR less injuries in MMA than boxing...ironic, isn't it?

so, how is boxing a tougher sport?

I agree, MMA sounds tougher. But I have a guess on the injuries...it's because you can tap out in MMA, but you can't really tap out in boxing. And some of the injuries are from long term exposure to boxing. The matches are longer, etc.

Originally posted by Winning_BlueRX8
I agree, MMA sounds tougher. But I have a guess on the injuries...it's because you can tap out in MMA, but you can't really tap out in boxing. And some of the injuries are from long term exposure to boxing. The matches are longer, etc.

As far as injuries, again look at motocross for toughness.
Wrecks are common, it is rare for a MX racer to not have broken many bones.

I remember a video of Doug Henry (Ex MX champ).
In one race he broke both arms, he crawled over to the fans and was trying to get them to pull off his helmit for him (It was a hot day and those helmits bake you once you stop moving).

Then another year, he (same guy) was going up a hill that then drops over the other side, his throttle got stuck on, he ended up jumping about 100 ft or more and came down at the bottom of the hill, broke his back. (He came back the following year and one the championship).

XeRo, I'm insulted! :D
Why on earth you would assume NASCAR because I'm dissing F1 is beyond comprehension. Look no further than rally racing for real sport and the BEST drivers around.
NASCAR is F1's redneck cousin. Just as artificial and boring.

AHHHHHH...YAY!!!,...ok sorry for the insult...whew...i thought i was gonna get bashed in the head for that one...but you gotta give it to F1 a little...yeh the parade crap is stupid but at least there's some racing in it...

Rally on the other hand...that is cool stuff...

Well, of that list, I've only played baseball, golf, and ice hockey. And I do have to say that hockey does deserve to be at the top of the list!

You have to play with other skaters that can go up to 30 MPH, pucks that can surpass 100 MPH (goalies can't avoid those, they have to stop them!), work with your teammates to put the puck into your opponent's net more times than they put it into yours, all while trusting your weight on 2 1/8 inch wide blades on a super-slippery surface.

Nevermind the assholes that sometimes play to injure and fight; this is a recipe that is ripe for accidents! I know! I have 2 scars on my face that were from accidents (and one cracked my cheekbone too, I went back to playing the next day!) I've strained my left knee more times that I wish to remember (thanks to one forementioned asshole who tweeked it the first time with his own knee...). Both of my rotator cuffs (sp?) are torn. I've cracked a vertebre once while refereeing ice hockey. And I go back for more... :D

It fortunate that you only play through 1-2 minute long shifts at a time. In the early days of hockey, players didn't even have that luxury.

You really can't coach set plays in hockey. The coach can only really set guidelines, and it mostly up to the players to implement those guidelines in respect to game conditions. Intelligence is the second most important quality in the game. The first is skating ability! This is the case for every position in the game, even goalies.

And the best part. If the clock is running, the game is in play. None of this time ticking away inbetween play. You are in for a full hour worth of action! (None of this do a play for 5 seconds, setup for the next play while the clock is ticking in 20 seconds like in football...correction: American football. Real footbal (soccer) is pretty damn cool)

Originally posted by hotpot
I am a big Rugby fan, for having lived in England and South Africa. I think Rugby is a tougher sport than American Football. This list has been compiled by American so-called experts, who are obviously biased towards the sports that they know best.
Why the hell would Ice Hockey require more strength, power and durability than Rugby? Crap.

I agree with you that Rugby is up there. However, you should really take a closer look at hockey. I suggest you go to your local ice rink and put on some skates. After you do that think of a 245 lbs guy crushing you against the boards at 25 mph. You obviously need power, strength and durability. I played a little bit of ice hockey and can tell you that it can be extremely physically demanding.

Originally posted by Psylence
Look no further than rally racing for real sport and the BEST drivers around.

i disagree. WRC and SCCA like events are slow. they run twisty stuff, but the cars are mega-easy to drive (just like in F1, but with 3 computer controlled diffs and ultra traction control), and not exactly stupendously powerful with only ~300hp. i'm simply saying: for a premier series, their cars are wimpy (which is the same gripe with F1... too easy to control, too controlled an environment). the environment of rally is what creates the largest disequalities.

i'm not sure where i'd pick something as a "the best to drive", but hardcore hillclimbs like the Pikes Peak, stuff that hasn't gotten any softer since they started racing (like bikes), and enduro racing like the unbelievable Paris a Dakar or Le 24 Heurs Du Mans (but even that needs some serious shaking up, IMO).

Ernest Hemingway said: "There are only three real sports: motor racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing. Everything else is just a game." ;)

Regards,
Gordon

I think male gymnists are some of the most in-shape/strong people around. So I would have to say gymnastics.

Originally posted by guy321
I think male gymnists are some of the most in-shape/strong people around. So I would have to say gymnastics.

unfortunately you're not competitive unless you're a midget and train rigourously with designer physiology enhancing drugs these days. you have to be strong and flexible, but the level of relative endurance is low. mental concentration has to be very high, as does co-ordination, but that's no different from any top-flight sport.

i think it's a great developmental activity for kids, but as a competitive sport a bit of a bore and a joke.