toughest sport? - analysis - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

dy156 · 04-29-2004, 11:45 AM

There was a thread similar to this awhile back, but this is different take on it. I found this article, and the numbers in it fascinating, and sometimes amusing.

The chart can't easily/ clearly be replicated, so here is the link:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills

I strongly recommend that you see the page as they intended, because the numbers below make it confusing.

Some observations:
I was kind of confused as to why rugby was ranked lower than real football, and surprised at how high football was ranked, because it depends on what position you play. I bet bull riders would quibble with the fact that their strength requirement is the same as golf. By their definition, I'm also suprised that soccer's analytical ability is greater than baseball's. I laughed at the "nerve" required to play table tennis.

Quote:

We sized them up. We measured them, top to bottom. We've done our own Tale of the Tape, and we've come to a surprising conclusion. Pound for pound, the toughest sport in the world is . . .
Boxing.

The Sweet Science.

That's the sport that demands the most from the athletes who compete in it. It's harder than football, harder than baseball, harder than basketball, harder than hockey or soccer or cycling or skiing or fishing or billiards or any other of the 60 sports we rated.

In Page 2's Ultimate Degree of Difficulty Grid, boxing scores higher than them all.
But don't take our word for it. Take the word of our panel of experts, a group made up of sports scientists from the United States Olympic Committee, of academicians who study the science of muscles and movement, of a star two-sport athlete, and of journalists who spend their professional lives watching athletes succeed and fail.

They're the ones who told us that boxing is the most demanding sport -- and that fishing is the least demanding sport.

We identified 10 categories, or skills, that go into athleticism, and then asked our eight panelists to assign a number from 1 to 10 to the demands each sport makes of each of those 10 skills. By totalling and averaging their responses, we arrived at a degree-of-difficulty number for each sport on a 1 to 100 scale. That number places the difficulty of performing each sport in context with the other sports we rated.

On the grid below, click on each sortable category to find out how our 60 sports rank in each skill. A glossary key is included at the bottom of the grid that explains each category.

So put on the gloves, get in the ring and let the roundhouse hooks begin.

Degree of Difficulty: Sport Rankings

Key
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.

We sized them up. We measured them, top to bottom. We've done our own Tale of the Tape, and we've come to a surprising conclusion. Pound for pound, the toughest sport in the world is . . .
Boxing.

The Sweet Science.

That's the sport that demands the most from the athletes who compete in it. It's harder than football, harder than baseball, harder than basketball, harder than hockey or soccer or cycling or skiing or fishing or billiards or any other of the 60 sports we rated.

But don't take our word for it. Take the word of our panel of experts, a group made up of sports scientists from the United States Olympic Committee, of academicians who study the science of muscles and movement, of a star two-sport athlete, and of journalists who spend their professional lives watching athletes succeed and fail.

They're the ones who told us that boxing is the most demanding sport -- and that fishing is the least demanding sport.

We identified 10 categories, or skills, that go into athleticism, and then asked our eight panelists to assign a number from 1 to 10 to the demands each sport makes of each of those 10 skills. By totalling and averaging their responses, we arrived at a degree-of-difficulty number for each sport on a 1 to 100 scale. That number places the difficulty of performing each sport in context with the other sports we rated.

On the grid below, click on each sortable category to find out how our 60 sports rank in each skill. A glossary key is included at the bottom of the grid that explains each category.

So put on the gloves, get in the ring and let the roundhouse hooks begin.

Degree of Difficulty: Sport Rankings
SPORT END STR PWR SPD AGI FLX NER DUR HAN ANA TOTAL RANK
Boxing 8.63 8.13 8.63 6.38 6.25 4.38 8.88 8.50 7.00 5.63 72.375 1
Ice Hockey 7.25 7.13 7.88 7.75 7.63 4.88 6.00 8.25 7.50 7.50 71.750 2
Football 5.38 8.63 8.13 7.13 6.38 4.38 7.25 8.50 5.50 7.13 68.375 3
Basketball 7.38 6.25 6.50 7.25 8.13 5.63 4.13 7.75 7.50 7.38 67.875 4
Wrestling 6.63 8.38 7.13 5.13 6.38 7.50 5.00 6.75 4.25 6.38 63.500 5
Martial Arts 5.00 5.88 7.75 6.38 6.00 7.00 6.63 5.88 6.00 6.88 63.375 6
Tennis 7.25 5.13 7.13 6.75 7.75 5.63 3.00 5.00 8.38 6.75 62.750 7
Gymnastics 5.38 6.13 6.63 5.00 6.38 10.00 7.50 6.88 4.50 4.13 62.500 8
Baseball/Softball 4.63 5.75 7.63 6.50 6.75 4.75 5.13 5.63 9.25 6.25 62.250 9
Soccer 7.75 4.50 5.13 7.25 8.25 4.75 3.63 6.25 6.50 7.50 61.500 10
Skiing: Alpine 5.13 5.25 6.00 7.38 6.13 5.63 8.38 6.00 5.13 5.63 60.625 11
Water Polo 7.88 6.63 6.88 5.38 6.38 5.00 4.25 6.38 6.25 5.63 60.625 11
Rugby 6.75 7.00 6.38 5.88 6.00 4.13 6.50 7.88 4.38 5.63 60.500 13
Lacrosse 6.63 5.13 5.75 7.00 6.63 4.75 4.38 6.13 7.13 6.88 60.375 14
Rodeo: Steer Wrestling 4.00 7.00 7.88 3.88 4.88 5.00 7.88 6.88 5.13 4.00 56.500 15

SPORT END STR PWR SPD AGI FLX NER DUR HAN ANA TOTAL RANK
Track and Field: Pole Vault 3.38 6.88 7.25 6.13 5.38 7.00 6.63 4.25 5.25 3.75 55.875 16
Field Hockey 6.75 4.50 5.38 6.00 5.75 4.63 3.75 5.00 6.63 6.50 54.875 17
Speed Skating 7.63 7.25 7.38 8.88 4.00 4.25 4.50 4.63 2.88 3.50 54.875 17
Figure Skating 6.38 5.25 6.63 5.13 6.88 8.25 4.88 4.00 3.13 4.25 54.750 19
Cycling: Distance 9.63 6.38 6.25 5.13 3.75 2.63 5.88 6.88 3.00 4.88 54.375 20
Volleyball 5.13 4.88 6.63 5.00 7.00 5.13 2.88 4.63 7.25 5.88 54.375 20
Racquetball/Squash 6.13 3.75 5.00 5.50 7.25 5.88 2.38 2.88 8.38 6.50 53.625 22
Surfing 4.63 5.00 4.13 4.25 6.63 5.50 8.25 5.50 4.38 4.88 53.125 23
Fencing 4.63 3.75 4.25 5.13 6.13 5.63 4.88 4.25 7.25 6.88 52.750 24
Skiing: Freestyle 4.13 5.13 4.88 5.13 6.63 6.88 6.63 5.13 4.13 3.88 52.500 25
Team Handball 4.88 3.88 5.38 5.50 6.00 4.50 3.00 3.88 7.88 5.88 50.750 26
Cycling: Sprints 4.25 6.13 7.88 7.50 4.00 2.88 4.75 4.50 3.63 4.50 50.000 27
Bobsledding/Luge 3.50 5.50 6.50 6.75 4.13 3.25 7.75 3.50 4.13 4.25 49.250 28
Ski Jumping 3.50 4.50 5.75 4.63 4.00 5.00 9.00 4.63 4.38 3.50 48.875 29
Badminton 5.25 3.25 4.00 5.63 7.38 5.25 1.25 2.63 7.25 6.13 48.000 30
SPORT END STR PWR SPD AGI FLX NER DUR HAN ANA TOTAL RANK
Skiing: Nordic 9.00 5.75 4.38 5.13 4.00 4.00 2.75 5.50 3.63 3.88 48.000 30
Auto Racing 5.88 3.50 2.63 1.63 2.75 1.75 9.88 4.38 8.00 7.50 47.875 32
Track and Field: High Jump 3.00 6.00 7.00 6.13 5.63 6.63 3.50 3.50 3.50 2.88 47.750 33
Track and Field: Long, Triple jumps 4.00 5.63 7.13 6.75 5.00 5.75 2.75 3.25 4.00 3.13 47.375 34
Diving 2.88 5.13 4.63 3.00 3.50 8.50 8.38 5.00 3.00 3.00 47.000 35
Swimming (all strokes): Distance 9.25 5.25 4.63 5.50 3.63 5.50 2.63 4.63 2.88 3.00 46.875 36
Skateboarding 4.13 3.75 3.75 4.13 6.13 5.13 6.50 5.25 4.88 3.13 46.750 37
Track and Field: Sprints 3.50 5.13 7.25 9.88 4.63 5.13 2.00 4.13 2.63 2.38 46.625 38
Rowing 8.13 7.75 7.13 4.00 2.50 4.00 1.75 4.38 2.88 3.63 46.125 39
Rodeo: Calf Roping 3.13 5.38 5.00 4.25 5.63 3.88 4.88 3.75 6.38 3.75 46.000 40
Track and Field: Distance 9.63 5.25 3.75 6.00 3.25 4.38 2.00 5.75 1.88 4.13 46.000 40
Rodeo: Bull/Bareback/Bronc Riding 3.25 5.38 4.00 1.75 3.63 4.25 9.50 7.38 3.63 3.13 45.875 42
Track and Field: Middle Distance 6.00 5.13 5.13 7.75 4.00 4.88 2.00 4.75 2.13 3.75 45.500 43
Weight-Lifting 4.13 9.25 9.75 2.63 2.50 3.38 4.00 4.75 2.25 2.38 45.000 44
Swimming (all strokes): Sprints 4.13 5.25 6.25 7.88 3.63 5.50 2.50 3.25 2.75 3.00 44.125 45
SPORT END STR PWR SPD AGI FLX NER DUR HAN ANA TOTAL RANK
Water Skiing 4.63 5.00 4.50 3.00 4.25 4.75 5.88 4.63 4.13 3.25 44.000 46
Table Tennis 3.50 2.50 4.63 4.13 5.88 4.25 1.38 1.88 8.88 6.00 43.000 47
Track and Field: Weights 3.25 7.88 9.13 3.00 3.13 3.00 2.25 3.63 4.00 2.88 42.125 48
Canoe/Kayak 6.75 5.25 5.63 3.50 2.75 3.88 3.63 3.25 3.13 4.25 42.000 49
Horse Racing 4.00 3.88 2.88 1.38 2.88 3.75 8.00 4.50 3.88 6.50 41.625 50
Golf 3.25 3.88 6.13 1.63 1.75 4.00 2.50 2.38 6.00 6.38 37.875 51
Cheerleading 3.63 3.63 3.38 2.25 4.13 7.50 3.63 3.38 2.50 2.25 36.250 52
Roller Skating 4.75 3.38 4.00 5.13 4.00 3.50 2.63 3.38 2.88 2.63 36.250 52
Equestrian 3.38 3.25 1.75 1.25 2.50 2.88 6.00 2.75 2.88 5.13 31.750 54
Archery 2.88 4.50 3.13 1.13 1.63 2.63 2.75 2.13 6.63 3.25 30.625 55
Curling 2.25 2.63 2.50 1.50 2.25 2.63 1.75 1.50 4.88 5.63 27.500 56
Bowling 2.25 2.75 3.38 1.00 1.88 2.38 1.63 1.25 4.75 4.13 25.375 57
Shooting 2.25 2.50 1.38 0.88 1.13 1.75 2.38 1.88 6.75 4.00 24.875 58
Billiards 1.00 1.00 1.75 0.75 1.00 2.63 1.63 0.75 5.25 5.75 21.500 59
Fishing 1.38 1.63 1.25 0.63 1.50 1.13 0.88 0.88 2.38 2.88 14.500 60

What do ya'll think?

djtestudo · 04-29-2004, 12:01 PM

In my opinion, other then several of them needing to be taken off the list due to not fitting my definition of a sport, it's a good list. Several of the rodeo events could probably be a little higher, but it's ok overall.

Grondar · 04-29-2004, 12:46 PM

Very good info!

I often pondered this exact issue, and it's really neat to see an entire article (w/ ratings) devoted to it.

Thanks for sharing.

streak_56 · 04-29-2004, 01:25 PM

I'm proud that hockey is second though..... Boxing is good... I've always thought highly of boxing

BigGov · 04-29-2004, 01:48 PM

I like how Soccer is put in its proper place. Behind tennis.

kutulu · 04-29-2004, 02:15 PM

Martial Arts got some good respect there but it really got screwed on its speed (17th) and agility (21st) rankings.

It was also funny how gymnasts were ranked so low for agility (15) and strength (15). Pound for pound gymnasts are just as strong as football players.

telekinetic · 04-29-2004, 02:33 PM

How are rugby and lacross rated lower than basketball and football?

kutulu · 04-29-2004, 03:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by twistedmosaic
How are rugby and lacross rated lower than basketball and football?

Arrogant ESPN dipshits, that's how.

Peryn · 04-29-2004, 03:26 PM

i think some of their ratings are pretty messed up..especially the flexability rating.

And i quote i think fits.... from Dogma... "Mass genocide is the most exhausting activity one can engage in, next to soccer."

Jesus Malverde · 04-29-2004, 10:16 PM

Boxing and Ice Hockey are the tops on this, but they are arguably going through some terribly tough times in the sports world right now.

I'm amazed at how hockey players have to play so many games in a row, with so little rest. Boxers get a long time in between bouts, but hockey players have to fight through soreness. Tough bastards.

Spartak · 04-30-2004, 03:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kutulu
Arrogant ESPN dipshits, that's how.

Bingo.

the420star · 04-30-2004, 09:16 AM

I was just about to start a thread about this, but i would just like to mention something. Sailing was left of this list, i personaly sail competivly and am rather offended it was left off. Sailing is an olympic sport and a large number of people activly perticipate in competive sailing. ESPN broadcasts it, has comintators dedicated to and it makes sportscenter. Anyone know why they would leave it out?

frolichoek · 04-30-2004, 09:59 AM

Personally, I think that sailing is a hobby that is done competitively. There is no doubt that it takes talent, skill, and several other attributes that could make it considered a sport, but I could make the same argument for horse racing, figure skating, and to some extent, NASCAR. But, I could think of several that were on this list that I would take off before I would take sailing off, namely fishing.

ForgottenKnight · 04-30-2004, 11:01 AM

Fencing is 24th! WOO HOO!
Hockey is 2nd! WOO HOO!

nash · 04-30-2004, 11:07 AM

Hmm, I think wrestling (I'm a fan) should get more points in endurance and analytic aptitude. Durability is important depending on how many matches you wrestle in a day... Flexibility really isn't that important, maybe minus a point or so there. Strength helps, but not as much as most people would think -- skll is much more important. You have to anticipate moves and lure your opponent into a certain position or mindset in addition to executing your moves, so I think analytic aptitude should get a point or so there. Endurance because you are exerting 90% plus at all times, but they get ~30 sec breaks every two minutes or so.

Maybe we can critique some ratings of our favorite sports and see how they compare with ESPN's ratings.

edit: I think I should add that I think that boxing would still be a tougher sport than wrestling. Boxing is a very tough sport, I agree. But I don't think basketball would be tougher than wrestling despite the schedule.

kutulu · 04-30-2004, 11:35 AM

I was impressed that pole vaulting got such a high rank. I did that through HS and my first year of college and its a hard thing to do. Once I saw a kid miss the landing pit and land on his head. 3 years later I heard about him and he was basically a vegetable.

heccubusiv · 04-30-2004, 12:07 PM

haha... the highest sporting even involving horses with out cowboys or jockess is 54... sorry very bitter... but i can agree with that

Hanxter · 04-30-2004, 12:47 PM

water polo - hands down - tried it - damn near drowned

89transam · 05-02-2004, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Hanxter
water polo - hands down - tried it - damn near drowned

Word. Played in HS. Its a hard sport and ritefully it got one of the higher endurance ratings, but it should be higher in total rank. Swimming got no love however, apperantly its not as tough as surfing and Badmitton. Field hockey got screwed also, how soccer be so high and it be so low?

MSUPete · 05-02-2004, 09:38 PM

This list is BS. Rugby is 80 minutes of constantly moving, football stops every 10 seconds. How can they say football is more demanding than rugby?

Cuball · 05-03-2004, 12:29 AM

I also find the gap between rugby and football rather large ....

UtterlyConfuseD · 05-03-2004, 01:26 AM

Thanks for the post! though i think fencing and martial arts should have been close to each other...

Vaultboy · 05-03-2004, 03:51 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by MSUPete
This list is BS. Rugby is 80 minutes of constantly moving, football stops every 10 seconds. How can they say football is more demanding than rugby?

Even more importantly, In rugby your forwards (the guys who take the battering) typically play at least 65 minutes, with 3 of them normally playing the full 80 minute game. I also fail to see how football could have a higher hand-eye requirement than rugby (with the exeption of receivers an QB's), as in rugby your forwards also need good hand-eye coordination.

Also, in rugby you are allowed 5 subs, and once a sub is made, its normally permanent (depending on certain rules, i.e. blood-binm etc). Combined with the constant pace of play, this makes it unfathomable to me why football is ranked so much higher than rugby.

cameroncrazy822 · 05-03-2004, 04:40 AM

I'd have to vote for amateur wrestling (not professional wrasling)...

almostaugust · 05-03-2004, 08:15 AM

Im dubious of this type of analysis, it seems terribly Americanized in its ranking too. Im happy with boxing 1st but think rugby and soccer need to be much higher up. Rugby (and Rugby league) at least needs to be in front of NFL Football.

cheesemoney · 05-03-2004, 11:19 PM

Rugby fan here, but the athletes in rugby just aren't at the same level of the athletes in American football. Its a different sport. Football you wear pads, then kill with your helmet. Rugby's high on endurance, where football's more like boxing. Except you get hit and you aren't protected and still are expected to make the play. They are both tough--the best rugby players can try to make it in the NFL, but the best football players have a better shot making it on a rugby squad.

Hockey is great--if you want to pool from the smallest talent pool imaginable. For that alone it shouldn't be #2. Also, NHB fighting outta be high on that list, even with rules its about as tough as boxing (less repetitive injury to the head since grappling is allowed).

Its a list--why do I even fucking care??

omid · 05-08-2004, 12:21 PM

IMHO billiards is harder than curling.

Krycheck · 05-08-2004, 02:22 PM

When I first saw the title of the thread I thought of hockey. I don't dissagree that boxing is #1 either.

DaGus · 05-08-2004, 03:42 PM

i think one of the harder sports are Formula 1, think it in this way,

they drive for about 1 and a half hour in totaly extreme forces

take for example on the monza circuit, they brake from 370kph to 80-90kph in just ~100meters in every 1min and 20sec, end there on you make ~13 more brakes and then you have to accelerate out of every corner just as fast as you do the braking, and then you have the side forces on the upper body that are extreme ( up to 5G on some circuits)

here is the ordinary day of a F1 driver when he is nt behind the stering wheel

Quote:

08,00 breakfast
08,45 Gym 2,5 timmar
11,15 relaxing traing
around 12,00 small lunch
13,00 bicycle
15,00 Gym 2,5 hours
17,30 swimming 1 hour
19,00 dinner
21,00 Time to go to bed

i should vote for F1

kutulu · 05-10-2004, 12:07 PM

Andrew · 05-10-2004, 04:32 PM

Every major sport's daily workout is harder than that, DaGus. Look at Tiger Wood's in golf.

nickt · 05-10-2004, 05:20 PM

I reckon Schumacher would beat any NFL player or NBA star in an arm wrestle...and he could do it 100 times in a row...the physical stress of driving a formula 1 car cannot be compared to any other form of "auto racing" (as they so aptly classify it) or any other sport generally and it should be in its own classification and somewhere near the top.

I also agree with the rugby/soccer comments above...these sports are much more strenuous than NFL or NBA...American sports are too statisticised and stop/start...this gives players time to recover....not to mention interchange benches instead of permanent subsitutions.

Take note...the top soccer clubs/players in Europe play about 70 matches per year, usually two per week, with a break of about 1 month each year. These games consist of 90 minutes of non-stop play, compare that with 48 minutes of stop/start basketball where a player will also have time on the bench and even less play time in NFL.

Rubgy players wear minimal protection and cop the same knocks that NFL players do, but have no time outs, no offence/defence and play continuously for 40 minute halves.

I think ESPN should learn more about the sports they are rating before saying American sports are the best/hardest/toughest.

How the hell does baseball fit in the top 10 anyway??? Its easier than cricket!!!

And I agree that boxing is the top of the list.

ace81385 · 05-10-2004, 08:53 PM

I agree with Boxing and hockey being in top 5 but basketball!!! wtf thats not a difficult sport... Honestly rugby and lax are tougher sports than basketball and require more skill but Im happy Ive always said hockey is the most difficult sport around and i was close its #2 Iactually think hockey is tougher because hockey players have like 3 games a week and boxer are like a 3 times ayr thing.

Chuckles · 05-11-2004, 05:53 PM

angry that waterpolo and swimming are not up there, especially waterpolo. That should be top 5 easily. Knock off freggin basketball and football sheesh. Shove rugby higher too. Bring down tennis some too.

BigGov · 05-11-2004, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by nickt
I reckon Schumacher would beat any NFL player or NBA star in an arm wrestle...and he could do it 100 times in a row...

I'm sorry, but I'll take Nate Newton, Larry Allen, Gilbert Brown, or Ray Lewis over Schumacher anyday.

schUsseln · 08-15-2004, 11:23 PM

the ratings for rowing are insane! The rank is fudgeable, and meaningless, but to rate flexibility and durability so low is retarded. Wonder if these "experts" have ever actually competed or worked closely with even 5% of these sports, individually. If not, where is that expertise, really?

This is worse than US News and World report!

BigGov · 08-16-2004, 12:05 AM

Have most of them competed in every single sport? Hell no. I doubt anyone has.

Meanwhile, it's very feasible to have participated in a majority of those sports, the others can me reasonable ranked from life experiences.

Just look at the number one sport. Boxing. Very few people step into the boxing ring, meanwhile, it's easy to respect it as a contender for the top spot because most people know what it's like to throw a punch, most people have probably taken a shot to the head at some point in their life (punch or otherwise), and they know how difficult it can be to willingly subject one self to such torture.

Compare that to skateboarding. Again, very few people actually participate in it, but many people can respect the coordination and timing that goes into it.

Sphinkx · 08-16-2004, 12:53 AM

Why isn't Triathlon in it? Also one of the toughest sport I think. First you have 4 km of swimming. Next you have 120km of cycle. And last but not least you have a run of 30km. It isn't a team sport so you have to do it all by yourself. No help from anybody. Maybe it isn't as tough as boxing, but it does belong in the top 3 I think!

WeAllDie1Day · 08-16-2004, 02:51 AM

The anaylysis for boxing is bullshit. MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) like PRide, or UFC would defenitely be the 1st....their's no grappling, kicking/kneeing, lower body attacks in boxing but their is in MMA. However, all of the elements of boxing are incorporated into MMA

Almo · 08-16-2004, 11:57 AM

WeAllDie... your avatar is.... hypnotic!

04-29-2004, 12:01 PM	#2 (permalink)
djtestudo Baltimoron Location: Beeeeeautiful Bel Air, MD	In my opinion, other then several of them needing to be taken off the list due to not fitting my definition of a sport, it's a good list. Several of the rodeo events could probably be a little higher, but it's ok overall. __________________ "Final thought: I just rented Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine. Frankly, it was the worst sports movie I've ever seen." --Peter Schmuck, The (Baltimore) Sun

04-29-2004, 12:46 PM	#3 (permalink)
Grondar Junkie Location: Pa, USA	Very good info! I often pondered this exact issue, and it's really neat to see an entire article (w/ ratings) devoted to it. Thanks for sharing. __________________ "Yes, I rather like this God fellow. He's very theatrical, you know, a pestilence here, a plague there. Omnipotence. Gotta get me some of that." -Stewie

04-29-2004, 01:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
BigGov WoW or Class... Location: UWW	I like how Soccer is put in its proper place. Behind tennis. __________________ One day an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walked into a pub together. They each bought a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage, three flies landed in each of their pints. The Englishman pushed his beer away in disgust. The Scotsman fished the fly out of his beer and continued drinking it, as if nothing had happened. The Irishman, too, picked the fly out of his drink but then held it out over the beer and yelled "SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, YOU BASTARD!"

04-29-2004, 02:33 PM	#7 (permalink)
telekinetic zomgomgomgomgomgomg Location: Fauxenix, Azerona	How are rugby and lacross rated lower than basketball and football? __________________ twisted no more

04-29-2004, 03:26 PM	#9 (permalink)
Peryn Junkie Location: San Diego, CA.	i think some of their ratings are pretty messed up..especially the flexability rating. And i quote i think fits.... from Dogma... "Mass genocide is the most exhausting activity one can engage in, next to soccer." __________________ Dont cry kid, It's not your fault you suck.

04-29-2004, 01:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
streak_56 who ever said streaking was a bad thing? Location: Calgary	I'm proud that hockey is second though..... Boxing is good... I've always thought highly of boxing

04-29-2004, 02:15 PM	#6 (permalink)
kutulu Junkie	Martial Arts got some good respect there but it really got screwed on its speed (17th) and agility (21st) rankings. It was also funny how gymnasts were ranked so low for agility (15) and strength (15). Pound for pound gymnasts are just as strong as football players.

04-29-2004, 10:16 PM	#10 (permalink)
Jesus Malverde Psycho Location: Sinaloa, Mexico	Boxing and Ice Hockey are the tops on this, but they are arguably going through some terribly tough times in the sports world right now. I'm amazed at how hockey players have to play so many games in a row, with so little rest. Boxers get a long time in between bouts, but hockey players have to fight through soreness. Tough bastards. __________________ ...I'm that cat by the bar toasting to the good life...

04-30-2004, 09:16 AM	#12 (permalink)
the420star Psycho Location: Cow Country, CT	I was just about to start a thread about this, but i would just like to mention something. Sailing was left of this list, i personaly sail competivly and am rather offended it was left off. Sailing is an olympic sport and a large number of people activly perticipate in competive sailing. ESPN broadcasts it, has comintators dedicated to and it makes sportscenter. Anyone know why they would leave it out? __________________ No, they arnt breasts, they are personalities, because its ok to like a girl for her personalities.

04-30-2004, 09:59 AM	#13 (permalink)
frolichoek Tilted	Personally, I think that sailing is a hobby that is done competitively. There is no doubt that it takes talent, skill, and several other attributes that could make it considered a sport, but I could make the same argument for horse racing, figure skating, and to some extent, NASCAR. But, I could think of several that were on this list that I would take off before I would take sailing off, namely fishing. __________________ Count me in, bra.

04-30-2004, 11:01 AM	#14 (permalink)
ForgottenKnight Jesus Freak Location: Following the light...	Fencing is 24th! WOO HOO! Hockey is 2nd! WOO HOO! __________________ "People say I'm strange, does that make me a stranger?"

04-30-2004, 11:07 AM	#15 (permalink)
nash Psycho	Hmm, I think wrestling (I'm a fan) should get more points in endurance and analytic aptitude. Durability is important depending on how many matches you wrestle in a day... Flexibility really isn't that important, maybe minus a point or so there. Strength helps, but not as much as most people would think -- skll is much more important. You have to anticipate moves and lure your opponent into a certain position or mindset in addition to executing your moves, so I think analytic aptitude should get a point or so there. Endurance because you are exerting 90% plus at all times, but they get ~30 sec breaks every two minutes or so. Maybe we can critique some ratings of our favorite sports and see how they compare with ESPN's ratings. edit: I think I should add that I think that boxing would still be a tougher sport than wrestling. Boxing is a very tough sport, I agree. But I don't think basketball would be tougher than wrestling despite the schedule. Last edited by nash; 04-30-2004 at 09:55 PM..

04-30-2004, 11:35 AM	#16 (permalink)
kutulu Junkie	I was impressed that pole vaulting got such a high rank. I did that through HS and my first year of college and its a hard thing to do. Once I saw a kid miss the landing pit and land on his head. 3 years later I heard about him and he was basically a vegetable.

04-30-2004, 12:07 PM	#17 (permalink)
heccubusiv #1 Irish Fan Location: The Burgh	haha... the highest sporting even involving horses with out cowboys or jockess is 54... sorry very bitter... but i can agree with that __________________ Fuck Ohio

04-30-2004, 12:47 PM	#18 (permalink)
Hanxter The Griffin	water polo - hands down - tried it - damn near drowned

05-02-2004, 09:38 PM	#20 (permalink)
MSUPete Upright	This list is BS. Rugby is 80 minutes of constantly moving, football stops every 10 seconds. How can they say football is more demanding than rugby?

05-03-2004, 12:29 AM	#21 (permalink)
Cuball Insane Location: Belgium	I also find the gap between rugby and football rather large .... __________________ Let's GO

05-03-2004, 01:26 AM	#22 (permalink)
UtterlyConfuseD Upright	Thanks for the post! though i think fencing and martial arts should have been close to each other...

05-03-2004, 04:40 AM	#24 (permalink)
cameroncrazy822 Junkie Location: MD	I'd have to vote for amateur wrestling (not professional wrasling)...

05-03-2004, 08:15 AM	#25 (permalink)
almostaugust Junkie Location: Oz	Im dubious of this type of analysis, it seems terribly Americanized in its ranking too. Im happy with boxing 1st but think rugby and soccer need to be much higher up. Rugby (and Rugby league) at least needs to be in front of NFL Football. __________________ 'And it's been a long December and there's reason to believe Maybe this year will be better than the last I can't remember all the times I tried to tell my myself To hold on to these moments as they pass'

05-03-2004, 11:19 PM	#26 (permalink)
cheesemoney Loser Location: Paradise	Rugby fan here, but the athletes in rugby just aren't at the same level of the athletes in American football. Its a different sport. Football you wear pads, then kill with your helmet. Rugby's high on endurance, where football's more like boxing. Except you get hit and you aren't protected and still are expected to make the play. They are both tough--the best rugby players can try to make it in the NFL, but the best football players have a better shot making it on a rugby squad. Hockey is great--if you want to pool from the smallest talent pool imaginable. For that alone it shouldn't be #2. Also, NHB fighting outta be high on that list, even with rules its about as tough as boxing (less repetitive injury to the head since grappling is allowed). Its a list--why do I even fucking care??

05-08-2004, 12:21 PM	#27 (permalink)
omid Crazy Location: Aliso Viejo, California	IMHO billiards is harder than curling. __________________ Kick butt buzz-cut dickheads who didn't like what I said. The good times are killing me. Jaws clenching tight we talked all night, oh but what the hell did we say? The good times are killing me.

05-08-2004, 02:22 PM	#28 (permalink)
Krycheck Sultana ruined my evil persona Location: Los Angeles	When I first saw the title of the thread I thought of hockey. I don't dissagree that boxing is #1 either. __________________ His pants are tight...but his morals are loose!!

05-10-2004, 04:32 PM	#31 (permalink)
Andrew Tilted	Every major sport's daily workout is harder than that, DaGus. Look at Tiger Wood's in golf.

05-10-2004, 05:20 PM	#32 (permalink)
nickt Whaddya mean my hair is "GREEN"??? Location: Melbourne	I reckon Schumacher would beat any NFL player or NBA star in an arm wrestle...and he could do it 100 times in a row...the physical stress of driving a formula 1 car cannot be compared to any other form of "auto racing" (as they so aptly classify it) or any other sport generally and it should be in its own classification and somewhere near the top. I also agree with the rugby/soccer comments above...these sports are much more strenuous than NFL or NBA...American sports are too statisticised and stop/start...this gives players time to recover....not to mention interchange benches instead of permanent subsitutions. Take note...the top soccer clubs/players in Europe play about 70 matches per year, usually two per week, with a break of about 1 month each year. These games consist of 90 minutes of non-stop play, compare that with 48 minutes of stop/start basketball where a player will also have time on the bench and even less play time in NFL. Rubgy players wear minimal protection and cop the same knocks that NFL players do, but have no time outs, no offence/defence and play continuously for 40 minute halves. I think ESPN should learn more about the sports they are rating before saying American sports are the best/hardest/toughest. How the hell does baseball fit in the top 10 anyway??? Its easier than cricket!!! And I agree that boxing is the top of the list. __________________ AND WHERE.......... ...is the Batman?

05-10-2004, 08:53 PM	#33 (permalink)
ace81385 Insane	I agree with Boxing and hockey being in top 5 but basketball!!! wtf thats not a difficult sport... Honestly rugby and lax are tougher sports than basketball and require more skill but Im happy Ive always said hockey is the most difficult sport around and i was close its #2 Iactually think hockey is tougher because hockey players have like 3 games a week and boxer are like a 3 times ayr thing.

05-11-2004, 05:53 PM	#34 (permalink)
Chuckles Insane Location: California	angry that waterpolo and swimming are not up there, especially waterpolo. That should be top 5 easily. Knock off freggin basketball and football sheesh. Shove rugby higher too. Bring down tennis some too.

08-15-2004, 11:23 PM	#36 (permalink)
schUsseln Upright Location: San Francisco	the ratings for rowing are insane! The rank is fudgeable, and meaningless, but to rate flexibility and durability so low is retarded. Wonder if these "experts" have ever actually competed or worked closely with even 5% of these sports, individually. If not, where is that expertise, really? This is worse than US News and World report! __________________ A moral point of view too often serves as a substitue for understanding in technological matters. -Marshal McLuhan

08-16-2004, 12:05 AM	#37 (permalink)
BigGov WoW or Class... Location: UWW	Have most of them competed in every single sport? Hell no. I doubt anyone has. Meanwhile, it's very feasible to have participated in a majority of those sports, the others can me reasonable ranked from life experiences. Just look at the number one sport. Boxing. Very few people step into the boxing ring, meanwhile, it's easy to respect it as a contender for the top spot because most people know what it's like to throw a punch, most people have probably taken a shot to the head at some point in their life (punch or otherwise), and they know how difficult it can be to willingly subject one self to such torture. Compare that to skateboarding. Again, very few people actually participate in it, but many people can respect the coordination and timing that goes into it. __________________ One day an Englishman, a Scotsman, and an Irishman walked into a pub together. They each bought a pint of Guinness. Just as they were about to enjoy their creamy beverage, three flies landed in each of their pints. The Englishman pushed his beer away in disgust. The Scotsman fished the fly out of his beer and continued drinking it, as if nothing had happened. The Irishman, too, picked the fly out of his drink but then held it out over the beer and yelled "SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, YOU BASTARD!"

08-16-2004, 12:53 AM	#38 (permalink)
Sphinkx Upright Location: The land of beer!	Why isn't Triathlon in it? Also one of the toughest sport I think. First you have 4 km of swimming. Next you have 120km of cycle. And last but not least you have a run of 30km. It isn't a team sport so you have to do it all by yourself. No help from anybody. Maybe it isn't as tough as boxing, but it does belong in the top 3 I think!

08-16-2004, 02:51 AM	#39 (permalink)
WeAllDie1Day Upright	The anaylysis for boxing is bullshit. MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) like PRide, or UFC would defenitely be the 1st....their's no grappling, kicking/kneeing, lower body attacks in boxing but their is in MMA. However, all of the elements of boxing are incorporated into MMA

08-16-2004, 11:57 AM	#40 (permalink)
Almo Tilted	WeAllDie... your avatar is.... hypnotic!