Soccer doesn't even have the world's best athletes. Athletics > all.
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.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.
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.
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.
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.My point was about athletics not dominating in terms of producing allround athletes, not about where football ranks.
I'm willing to read that report if it's less than 100 pages.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.
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.
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.
Its like when the Bloods and Crips made a truce.Reasonable and well considered post