Is soccer the greatest sport?

Is soccer the greatest sport?

  • Yes

  • No

Results are only viewable after voting.
LOL, no.

Combat sports are the purest and greatest sports: Pankration king among them.

Soccer doesn't even have the world's best athletes. Athletics > all.
 
Yes in the objective sense as it's by far the largest sport in the world. Personally it's up there as well as it's a game that flows well, requires a lot of technique as it's far harder to control a ball with the feet compared to the hands, .

Madmick said:
Soccer doesn't even have the world's best athletes. Athletics > all.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say that. People in athletics for the most part lack focus on the allround aspect since most events are very narrowly defined. I generally don't see them listed highly when sports that require the most allround athleticism are ranked, nor have I've seen them be the best in competitions where athletes from different sports compete in allround events.
 
Squarechoke said:
I wouldn't say that. People in athletics for the most part lack focus on the allround aspect since most events are very narrowly defined. I generally don't see them listed highly when sports that require the most allround athleticism are ranked, nor have I've seen them be the best in competitions where athletes from different sports compete in allround events.
Click to expand...
Well I would, I have, and I've dissected anyone who has attempted to debate it with me over the years. Soccer doesn't aggressively select for athleticism relative to the most athletic sports. It's a skill-intensive sport with a very awkward demand (control of a projectile with the feet). There's a reason the QB is the least athletic guy on an American football field-- if I was forced to nutshell the grand ideas.

  • Combat Sports (fight instinct/capability)
  • Athletics
    • Sprinting (flight instinct/capability; ultimate speed sport)
    • Decathlon (top all-around pure athlete)
    • Misc (other events test more specific measures of top athletic prowess such as throwing power challenges or vertical plane challenges, for example)
  • Nordic Skiing / Marathon (ultimate endurance sports)
  • Weightlifting (ultimate power sport)
  • Powerlifting / Strongman (ultimate strength sports)
  • Gymnastics (ultimate body control 'acrobatic' sport; ultimate combination of relative strength, coordination, balance, flexibility)
  • Soccer (world's most popular sport; ball sport; team sport; skill sport)

The most glaring omission from my list is a "muscle memory" sport. I'm not sure which is most demanding of the base attributes that determine the greatest capability for success across the gamut of sports/games/recreations like this: Golf, Shooting/Biathlon, Archery, Curling, Bowling, Darts, Billiards, etc. It's something that's demanded across many sports, too. Quarterbacks and baseball pitchers are renowned for their throwing control, for example, and so are soccer players with their PK kicking accuracy and other foot-skills. So it's tough.
 
Madmick said:
Well I would, I have, and I've dissected anyone who has attempted to debate it with me over the years. Soccer doesn't aggressively select for athleticism relative to the most athletic sports. It's a skill-intensive sport with a very awkward demand (control of a projectile with the feet). There's a reason the QB is the least athletic guy on an American football field-- if I was forced to nutshell the grand ideas.

  • Combat Sports (fight instinct/capability)
  • Athletics
    • Sprinting (flight instinct/capability; ultimate speed sport)
    • Decathlon (top all-around pure athlete)
    • Misc (other events test more specific measures of top athletic prowess such as throwing power challenges or vertical plane challenges, for example)
  • Nordic Skiing / Marathon (top endurance sports)
  • Weightlifting (top power sport)
  • Powerlifting / Strongman (top strength sports)
  • Gymnastics (top body control 'acrobatic' sport; ultimate combination of relative strength, coordination, balance, flexibility)
  • Soccer (world's most popular sport; ball sport; team sport; skill sport)

The most glaring omission from my list is a "muscle memory" sport. I'm not sure which is most demanding of the base attributes that determine the greatest capability for success across the gamut of sports/games/recreations like this: Golf, Shooting/Biathlon, Archery, Curling, Bowling, Darts, Billiards, etc. It's something that's demanded across many sports, too. Quarterbacks and baseball pitchers are renowned for their throwing control, for example, and so are soccer players with their PK kicking accuracy and other foot-skills. So it's tough.
Click to expand...

My point was about athletics not dominating in terms of producing allround athletes, not about where football ranks.

I read an analysis made by a panel of sports scientists from the Olympic Committee, researchers of human muscle and movement, athletes, and sports journalists that wrote about athleticism. They evaluated sports for each aspect of endurance, strength, power, speed, agility, flexibility, nerve, durability, hand-eye coordination, and analytic aptitude. The highest track and field event ranked at #16.

Even though it's the widest and most competent panel I've read an analysis for that of course doesn't make it a close and shut argument where everything ranks, but I think it well supports my argument that athletics doesn't dominate the other sports. That goes even though a couple of the aspects aren't related to athleticism.
 
Katsumi Yamada said:
That sure sounds like rugby....which evolved from soccer and then devolved into American football.

American football is designed to sell ad-space. It's a commercial not a sport.
Click to expand...

Rugby has no forward passing though. Well unless you count when they punt it over, and everyone chases it down, but is not as tactical as soccer or Murka football forward passes.
 
tenor.gif
 
Squarechoke said:
My point was about athletics not dominating in terms of producing allround athletes, not about where football ranks.
Click to expand...
Athletics requires such profound excellence in such specific athletic endeavors (across many sports) that it's basically impossible to assess that based on crossover success. Unfair advantage to Athletics.

But look at how many Wide Receivers or Cornerbacks have NCAA backgrounds in Track. Look at how many of our greatest stars in the major ball sports or the guys we talk about for GOAT athlete had backgrounds in Athletics at the college or high school level (Wilt Chamberlain, Bo Jackson, Jackie Robinson, Jim Thorpe, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, etc.)

Basically it's everyone, but they all left because there's relatively no money in Athletics.

I do now understand your drift about all-around athletes. The Decathlon is track's best offering here.
I read an analysis made by a panel of sports scientists from the Olympic Committee, researchers of human muscle and movement, athletes, and sports journalists that wrote about athleticism. They evaluated sports for each aspect of endurance, strength, power, speed, agility, flexibility, nerve, durability, hand-eye coordination, and analytic aptitude. The highest track and field event ranked at #16.

Even though it's the widest and most competent panel I've read an analysis for that of course doesn't make it a close and shut argument where everything ranks, but I think it well supports my argument that athletics doesn't dominate the other sports. That goes even though a couple of the aspects aren't related to athleticism.
Click to expand...
I'm willing to read that report if it's less than 100 pages.

Either the Decathlon or the Modern Pentathlon would be it. I remember ESPN doing an analysis a long time ago that put Boxing at #1, but it didn't really mean anything because it's incredibly difficult to quantify this. It's more subjective. The most objective way to assess is to measure the rate of success of the best athletes in that sport across other sports, but that data is exceptionally limited at an elite level.
 
Madmick said:
Athletics requires such profound excellence in such specific athletic endeavors (across many sports) that it's basically impossible to assess that based on crossover success. Unfair advantage to Athletics.

But look at how many Wide Receivers or Cornerbacks have NCAA backgrounds in Track. Look at how many of our greatest stars in the major ball sports or the guys we talk about for GOAT athlete had backgrounds in Athletics at the college or high school level (Wilt Chamberlain, Bo Jackson, Jackie Robinson, Jim Thorpe, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, etc.)

Basically it's everyone, but they all left because there's relatively no money in Athletics.

I do now understand your drift about all-around athletes. The Decathlon is track's best offering here.

I'm willing to read that report if it's less than 100 pages.

Either the Decathlon or the Modern Pentathlon would be it. I remember ESPN doing an analysis a long time ago that put Boxing at #1, but it didn't really mean anything because it's incredibly difficult to quantify this. It's more subjective. The most objective way to assess is to measure the rate of success of the best athletes in that sport across other sports, but that data is exceptionally limited at an elite level.
Click to expand...

There's nothing unfair about it. No sport has any right to be the allround best when it comes to athletic ability, nor does that really have any particular value. It's just an estimate of which sports develop the most allround ability, and that's not what makes a sport great or entertaining. Some athletes do simple things extraordinarily well, while other athletes do things that others can't even perform badly, let alone well.

Your link to athletes is backwards. They competed in athletics because it was available and they were good at it, but you can certainly learn to run fast in a different sport so you don't need to be a sprinter first. You'll just become one if you're fast.

Decathlon athletes are certainly likely to be up there in my view, but there's nothing that says that they'll automatically be the best among all sports. From my times seeing athletes from different sports compete against each other in various events I've also seen that I've underestimated the level of athleticism in some sports. For example I of course understood the endurance (both mental and physical) of enduro motorcyclists, but seeing how strong the guy I watched was really surprised me.

I read about that analysis in the papers some years back so I don't have a source of it readily available. Boxing was #1 there as well so it's possible the ESPN thing had some connection to it. As I said it doesn't make it a sure thing, but there were some really knowledgeable and well-educated people doing it so it does have some relevance when the matter is discussed.
 
Never understood the mouth-breathers reason for not liking it being because games are low scoring.

Just goes to show they don't understand what they're watching.

It's hard to score when your opponent isn't letting you... It's supposed to be hard to score in sports lol. That's why basketball isn't entertaining at all until the last quarter, or even the last 5-10 minutes.
 
52% says yes. .....on a forum dedicated to another sport.

<36>

Meaning the fans who believe American football, MMA, basketball, hockey, cricket, baseball, tennis etc etc etc are the greatest sport combined to be less than soccer.

GOAT sport confirmed.

<rawsun>
 
Yes! I don't watch soccer but am watching the world cup and am loving it.
 
From a Murican perspective, when the best player in the world (or second best?) is a giant flopping pussy on its biggest stage it really puts a damper on things.

Ive given the world cup a whirl and seeing someone regarded as highly as Ronaldo act like such a fake bitch is just pathetic.

Likewise, I can understand people saying the same thing about LeBron.

I do think the crowd atmospheres are electric. Those are cool to see and Id imagine theyre crazy in person.

And also, I can understand why Murican Football could be boring if you didnt understand it and were casually viewing. Same way that casual viewers can see Hockey being boring.
 
PUO3 said:
From a Murican perspective, when the best player in the world (or second best?) is a giant flopping pussy on its biggest stage it really puts a damper on things.

Ive given the world cup a whirl and seeing someone regarded as highly as Ronaldo act like such a fake bitch is just pathetic.

Likewise, I can understand people saying the same thing about LeBron.

I do think the crowd atmospheres are electric. Those are cool to see and Id imagine theyre crazy in person.

And also, I can understand why Murican Football could be boring if you didnt understand it and were casually viewing. Same way that casual viewers can see Hockey being boring.
Click to expand...

Reasonable and well considered post

<mma4>
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,308
Messages
55,482,189
Members
174,788
Latest member
loverich

Share this page

Back
Top