[quote]VikingsAD28 wrote:
MitchorRuby wrote:
randman wrote:
golf
x2
I agree, no one will pass Tiger as long as he continues to play.[/quote]
am i the only one in the world that hates tiger?
Polo.
Boxing.
No one will ever be better than Sugar Ray Robinson.
And if you want to become #1, you have to have the heart of lion and the willingness to take more physical abuse than any other sport dishes out… when that bell rings, ain’t nowhere to hide…
If golf was actually a sport, I would say golf because of Tiger.
That being said.
Easy, Baseball.
All you have to do is take steroids and you can break the all-time records 
[quote]Airtruth wrote:
pstruhar7786 wrote:
any of them? they all require a certain predisposition towards being INCREDIBLE at the specific sport, which without you could never reach #1…
that being said, i’d say basketball, due to the height factor in the equation which means you need more genetic help.
Yep, and the more height you get the lower your agility.
Basketball
Football
Gymnastics
The other sports don’t require nearly as much athletecism, combined with a short training window.
Even the best players are not the best once they reach 35 sometimes younger. So you pretty much have 10 years of training to be the best.
Football and basketball make it even more difficult because of the team equation. After all the scoring you have to worry about making your team better. Then when you retire your knees ankles and hips are shot.
Gymnastics is tough because it’s judged, and on top of that you can’t f up. the slightest miss at the wrong moment can completely mess up a routine.[/quote]
I second what you’re saying, every sport is tough to become the best at, but these sports seem to have the smallest window, also to echo what somebody said there are so many standout football players, to be head and shoulders above them is nearly impossible. Some would say MVP is the equivalent to being #1 but that factors in way too much team play. Also hard to discern in team sports if a player seems to be the best because of his team or he is just that good.
[quote]Airtruth wrote:
pstruhar7786 wrote:
Basketball
Football
Gymnastics
The other sports don’t require nearly as much athletecism, combined with a short training window.
[/quote]
Don’t know about that one, every sport requires athleticism. What are you basing that statement on? I’d say the level of competition determines how much athleticism is required. Once again, each sport has it’s separate requirements and all of them would factor into “athleticism”
[quote]nomorewar wrote:
VikingsAD28 wrote:
MitchorRuby wrote:
randman wrote:
golf
x2
I agree, no one will pass Tiger as long as he continues to play.
am i the only one in the world that hates tiger?[/quote]
I don’t hate Tiger, but I’ll admit I love seeing him do bad… Just cuz everyone’s on his jock.
[quote]Curran wrote:
Polo.[/quote]
I will second this one, as well, this and swimming are a lot tougher than people who have never done either even know.
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Boxing.
No one will ever be better than Sugar Ray Robinson.
And if you want to become #1, you have to have the heart of lion and the willingness to take more physical abuse than any other sport dishes out… when that bell rings, ain’t nowhere to hide…[/quote]
You have to have the heart of a lion regardless of the sport. As far as punishment goes, I know at least one year ('02, I think) the sport that caused the most emergency room visits in the U.S. was actually basketball according to ESPN magazine followed by Football. Don’t remember seeing boxing on the list, actually. What is more punishing? Having your face bashed in? or breaking an appendage or even being crippled? and what about MMA?
Test Match Cricket or Darts.
[quote]TDub301 wrote:
You have to have the heart of a lion regardless of the sport. As far as punishment goes, I know at least one year ('02, I think) the sport that caused the most emergency room visits in the U.S. was actually basketball according to ESPN magazine followed by Football. Don’t remember seeing boxing on the list, actually. What is more punishing? Having your face bashed in? or breaking an appendage or even being crippled? and what about MMA?[/quote]
Yea, but in other sports, injuries are a once in a while occurrence- something that you can’t plan on and just hope to avoid.
In boxing, the point is to injure someone so badly with your fists that they can’t get up again.
As Xen has said, fighting is the ultimate dominance factor that all sports are at their base. You dunk over a guy? Great. You’re saying you’re the Alpha Male. Talk to much, you end up in a fight, and then your dunk don’t mean shit when you’re lying in a pool of blood.
Boxing (and MMA, I will say) are that baseline. There is nothing more primal or terrifying then being in a fight.
(Good luck with golf.)
[quote]redgladiator wrote:
bconngemini wrote:
What sport would be the hardest to become #1 on the planet in?
Baseball?
Weightlifting?
Sprinting?
The more popular the sport and the more people particpate the harder.[/quote]
I can’t believe everyone has missed this point and turned this into another “my sport is more badass then your sport” thread.
Required skill or difficulty has almost nothing to do with how hard it is to become the best player in a sport. You could invent a sport that requires more gifted genetics then any other, requires more practice and skills development then any other, etc. etc., BUT, if that sport only had one person playing it it would be the easiest sport to be the best at, all you would have to do is be better than one guy. Of course it’s a bit more complicated then that, but it seems pretty safe to say that the more popular the sport the more difficult it will be to become the best player, since not only does that popularity mean there are more people to be better then but also that the average skill exhibited in the sport will be higher, since competition is naturally greater.
Given all that, I’d throw my vote in for something like soccer or baseball, something that has huge popularity as far as people actually playing.
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
TDub301 wrote:
You have to have the heart of a lion regardless of the sport. As far as punishment goes, I know at least one year ('02, I think) the sport that caused the most emergency room visits in the U.S. was actually basketball according to ESPN magazine followed by Football. Don’t remember seeing boxing on the list, actually. What is more punishing? Having your face bashed in? or breaking an appendage or even being crippled? and what about MMA?
Yea, but in other sports, injuries are a once in a while occurrence- something that you can’t plan on and just hope to avoid.
In boxing, the point is to injure someone so badly with your fists that they can’t get up again.
As Xen has said, fighting is the ultimate dominance factor that all sports are at their base. You dunk over a guy? Great. You’re saying you’re the Alpha Male. Talk to much, you end up in a fight, and then your dunk don’t mean shit when you’re lying in a pool of blood.
Boxing (and MMA, I will say) are that baseline. There is nothing more primal or terrifying then being in a fight.
(Good luck with golf.)[/quote]
(1) How many people are injuries in a sport depends largely on how many people play the sort, not necessary how brutal the sport is.
(2) If only two people boxed…
Rhythmic gymnastics by far.
But seriously this discussion kind of precludes any team sports, doesn’t it? I mean, you can be ‘decent’ and win a Super Bowl. Then again, if you break it down by position, it’s kind of a wash. I’d say it’s as hard to be the #1 point guard as it is to be the #1 pitcher and the list could go on.
Based on individual sports, sprinting and boxing come to mind.
You guys saying sports like tennis, golf, formula one, etc are crazy. Those are sports that the best athletes don’t even try, except as hobbies. The hardest sport to be the best at would be the one that the most people do and take seriously. I think, world wide, that would be soccer.
In the US it’s probably basketball. It’s widely played and all the best athletes try it out. It’s the hardest to make to the top level. I base that statement on only 12 make an NBA roster vs over 50 for football and 25 for MLB. There’s also the genetic factor mentioned earlier. Hardwork won’t make up for being 5’8 in the NBA. David Eckstein isn’t as tall as my wife and hard work has made him a very successful shortstop.
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
TDub301 wrote:
You have to have the heart of a lion regardless of the sport. As far as punishment goes, I know at least one year ('02, I think) the sport that caused the most emergency room visits in the U.S. was actually basketball according to ESPN magazine followed by Football. Don’t remember seeing boxing on the list, actually. What is more punishing? Having your face bashed in? or breaking an appendage or even being crippled? and what about MMA?
Yea, but in other sports, injuries are a once in a while occurrence- something that you can’t plan on and just hope to avoid.
In boxing, the point is to injure someone so badly with your fists that they can’t get up again.
As Xen has said, fighting is the ultimate dominance factor that all sports are at their base. You dunk over a guy? Great. You’re saying you’re the Alpha Male. Talk to much, you end up in a fight, and then your dunk don’t mean shit when you’re lying in a pool of blood.
Boxing (and MMA, I will say) are that baseline. There is nothing more primal or terrifying then being in a fight.
(Good luck with golf.)[/quote]
You also need big fucking balls (cojones) to fight in front of thousands of people in the pro level.
Let me guess you’ve never golfed
[quote]jehovasfitness wrote:
If golf was actually a sport, I would say golf because of Tiger.
That being said.
Easy, Baseball.
All you have to do is take steroids and you can break the all-time records ;)[/quote]
Russian Roulette would be pretty hard to become #1 at.
and if you achieve this you wont be on top for long.
You got to include Ultarmarathons. There are races and competitors all over the world. A couple of U.S. examples.
Called the worlds toughest foot race the Badwater covers 135 miles from Badwater, Death Valley at 280’ below sea level and temps to 130F to Mt. Whitney Portal at 8360’. Covers three mountain ranges for a total of 13,000’ of cumulative vertical ascent and 4,700’ of cumulative descent with a 60 hr time limit. There is no prize money, just the Badwater belt buckle if you finish within 48 hrs.
In the Western States 100 the trail starts at an elevation of 6,200’ at Squaw Valley to Emigrant Pass, elevation 8,750’, a climb of 2,550 vertical feet in the first 4.5 miles. From the pass runners climb another 15,540’ and descend 22,970’ before reaching the finish with 30 hr time limit.
This isn’t just cardio.
[quote]Therizza wrote:
Rhythmic gymnastics by far.
But seriously this discussion kind of precludes any team sports, doesn’t it? I mean, you can be ‘decent’ and win a Super Bowl. Then again, if you break it down by position, it’s kind of a wash. I’d say it’s as hard to be the #1 point guard as it is to be the #1 pitcher and the list could go on.
Based on individual sports, sprinting and boxing come to mind.[/quote]
You’re confusing rating the best player with becoming the best player. It’s of course very hard to judge just who is the “best” in various team sports. But assuming that someone is the best, the question is how hard is it to get there.
synchronized swimming
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Boxing.
No one will ever be better than Sugar Ray Robinson.
And if you want to become #1, you have to have the heart of lion and the willingness to take more physical abuse than any other sport dishes out… when that bell rings, ain’t nowhere to hide…[/quote]
Mike Tyson = best boxer to ever life