ESPN is stupid.

[Peach]

Originally Posted by KShan5[PrFC]

Maybe...but softball is painfully boring to watch.

No more boring than baseball, when you get down to it. The only thing that makes baseball interesting is the venue (and I like baseball)

[KShan5[PrFC]]

Originally Posted by Peach

No more boring than baseball, when you get down to it. The only thing that makes baseball interesting is the venue (and I like baseball)

I'd disagree. There are some female sports that can compete with their male counterparts for entertainment value (Womens Sabre for instance), but then their are sports like basketball and softball that just can't (though basketball is much worse than softball).

However....it's a moot point, doesn't really have anything to do with the article.

[erooMynohtnA]

Originally Posted by KShan5[PrFC]

I'd disagree. There are some female sports that can compete with their male counterparts for entertainment value (Womens Sabre for instance), but then their are sports like basketball and softball that just can't (though basketball is much worse than softball).

I would much rather watch softball than baseball.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

Originally Posted by erooMynohtnA

I would much rather watch softball than baseball.

Good for you....though I'd guess you're in the minority.

[seak]

KShan as someone who is a huge baseball fan, and has played both baseball and softball, I would wholeheartedly agree with you. Part of the reason I find baseball more fun to watch then softball, is because I think there is a greater balance between pitchers and hitter.

The point I was making wasn't about which one was more interesting to watch but which one is harder to hit.

matt9476, hitting a softball/baseball being thrown by a professional is probably the single hardest thing to do in sports. That doesn't make baseball the hardest sport, or the most athletic.

[tchwojko]

Originally Posted by erooMynohtnA

I would much rather watch softball than baseball.

I'd rather watch a good game of any sort, where the participants are pushing their limits against an evenly matched opponent, with technique, tactics and strategy all playing a role. That's when I learn something about the sport.

[wwalkerjr]

I've always believed that great athletes will excel in almost any sport they choose. (See Jim Thorpe, Bo Jackson, Jesse Owens, Paul Robeson, Jackie Robinson, etc.)
I remember in the 1970s, ABC addressed "the best-athlete bar room argument" with a contrived contest among selected athletes from many sports including: boxing, baseball, football soccer, basketball, track and field, automobile racing, speed skating and I forgot what others. Remarkably, in the one competition I saw, a pole vaulter won and a race car driver (Peter Revson) finished second.
Personally, I rowed successfully (IRA championships) in college and fenced successfully (team and individual epee) in college. I can tell you there were Olympic athletes in both groups that I competed with and against that would have made the Olympics in other sports. Notably, Michael Marx and his brother Bob could have been great at other sports as well.

[ddavis]

Originally Posted by seak

matt9476, hitting a softball/baseball being thrown by a professional is probably the single hardest thing to do in sports. That doesn't make baseball the hardest sport, or the most athletic.

Actually, hitting the ball itself isn't very hard. The hard part is hitting it such that you can get on base.

There aren't really that many strikeouts in baseball. Even a "no hitter" usually involves a quite a number of hits...it's just that they are fly balls that are caught in the outfield. If we consider any contact between ball and bat a "hit" (think foul balls) then it is even easier. Just depends on how you define your terms and what restrictions you place on the actions.

For example, I'd say running a sub 10s 100m is a lot harder than hitting a baseball (under any definition.) There have only been a couple of dozen of people who have even accomplished this feat. Someone hits a baseball thrown by a professional virtually every time they play the game. Not that I'm arguing that running a sub-10s 100m is hardest thing to do in sport...what about a sub 9.9? 9.8? 9.7? etc...

[matt9476]

You could make an argument that just about anything is the most difficult action in sports. It just depends on your perception. As a former gymnast, I can watch a competition and marvel at how difficult many of those tricks are to perform. Anyone who played baseball can understand how difficult it is to hit a 100 mph fastball. Hockey players would tell you redirecting a slapshot past the goalie is hard.
I've competed in several sports (fencing, baseball, gymnastics, basketball, soccer, football, track, bowling, golf, volleyball) and covered many more as a reporter, and, in my opinion, men's gymnastics is the most difficult. But I agree with previous post that great athletes like Jim Thorpe and Jackie Robinson will excel at any sport.

[App13]

I agree with matt that mens gymnastics is the hardest sport. I attempted doing a summer program with a few buddies a last summer. Its intense.

[KShan5[PrFC]]

Originally Posted by App13

I agree with matt that mens gymnastics is the hardest sport. I attempted doing a summer program with a few buddies a last summer. Its intense.

Again it depends on your definition of hard.

[App13]

Originally Posted by KShan5[PrFC]

Again it depends on your definition of hard.

My definition is: "Marked by great labor or effort."

[mrbiggs]

This is stupid.

Any sport is hard because "sport" implies competition; it implies becoming the best in the world. It's obviously hard to become the best in the world at fencing because......you have to beat everyone else. That's also why it's hard in golf, tennis, gymnastics, curling, or any other sport. The techniques used and the abilities necessary are obviously different, but it's all going to be hard because you're always competing against other people.

The easiest sport in the world, if any of you were wondering, is a game I made up using a rope in my front yard when I was in middle school. What happens is you swing the rope and I decide how many points you get based on how cool it looked. I'm the best in the world and I'm the only one who's ever played it. I hardly even had to try to get good. But beyond that, you're going to have to work to get good at something.

[piste off]

Originally Posted by mrbiggs

This is stupid.

Any sport is hard because "sport" implies competition; it implies becoming the best in the world. It's obviously hard to become the best in the world at fencing because......you have to beat everyone else. That's also why it's hard in golf, tennis, gymnastics, curling, or any other sport. The techniques used and the abilities necessary are obviously different, but it's all going to be hard because you're always competing against other people.

Agree completely. Moreover, there is an infinite degrees of "hard" even within sports. Hitting a 100 mph fastball is hard, hitting .500 during a season is virtually impossible (as would be winning all three golds in Olympic fencing - foil, epee and sabre).

Now, if you want to talk about what is most impressive... that's pretty subjective. Having watched most Olympic sports, Gymnastics would get my vote - but that is just an opinion and certainly not worth anything and it has no "hard" basis for comparision.

R-

[cheeseman723]

Originally Posted by mrbiggs

The easiest sport in the world, if any of you were wondering, is a game I made up using a rope in my front yard when I was in middle school. What happens is you swing the rope and I decide how many points you get based on how cool it looked. I'm the best in the world and I'm the only one who's ever played it. I hardly even had to try to get good. But beyond that, you're going to have to work to get good at something.

I challenge you

[piste off]

Originally Posted by mrbiggs

The easiest sport in the world, if any of you were wondering, is a game I made up using a rope in my front yard when I was in middle school. What happens is you swing the rope and I decide how many points you get based on how cool it looked.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5ItAm-vIGg

Giddy up...

Oh, by the way, not sure how to score it... but I was wondering if you can award negative points in terms of "looking cool."

R-

[freerider258]

Originally Posted by piste off

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5ItAm-vIGg

Giddy up...

Oh, by the way, not sure how to score it... but I was wondering if you can award negative points in terms of "looking cool."

R-

Yea, I'd say that guys probably down to a -5. We may have to knock off some points for the outfit as well