McNabb has NASCAR fans fueled up

[OrangeMojo]

Do u need hand eye coordination to be an athlete. Jordan sucked at baseball.

I wouldn't say he sucked at baseball - he was decent at the AA level (think it was AA - can't remember which) as a 6'6" dude who hadn't played the game since high school.

 

[Marsh01]

He's right. They are not.

 

[Cusefan95]

Do u need hand eye coordination to be an athlete. Jordan sucked at baseball.

Jordan had great hand-eye coordination, and if he'd spent his youth learn how to hit a curveball instead of perfecting his jumper he could have been a major league outfielder.

 

[Orangeyes]

Jordan had great hand-eye coordination, and if he'd spent his youth learn how to hit a curveball instead of perfecting his jumper he could have been a major league outfielder.

Heard an 'expert' the other day say that if MJ had only concentrated on baseball from youth on up he would have been about a 250 hitter with 15 HR's a year. I don't understand how you can accurately project that?

 

[cuseincincy]

He's right in that they are not athletes. Is car racing a sport? I'd say yes and so is horse racing. But neither jockeys or drivers are athletes in my mind. Juts because you participate in a sport or game does not make you an athlete in my narrow mind. Iw as goign to look up the definition of athlete then decided I didn't really care, I have my own definition in my head and will go with that. Tennis players? Yep they're athletes, but not table tennis. Bowlers? Nope. Golfers" Probably not, its a game and a sport but I don't think of them as athletes. The necessity of hand eye coordination and endurance do not make someone an athlete. And yes I do think baseball players are athletes but the whole 95 mile an hour fastball thing is over rated. Just because soemthing is hard does not make it an athletic activity. Playing the field is athletic but not hitting. Just MO

 

[TexanMark]

Fighter Pilots are as much an athlete as NASCAR drivers. They each possess a highly trained skill but neither have to run fast, stay in top shape or be stronger than the average guy.

 

[Orangeyes]

He's right in that they are not athletes. Is car racing a sport? I'd say yes and so is horse racing. But neither jockeys or drivers are athletes in my mind. Juts because you participate in a sport or game does not make you an athlete in my narrow mind. Iw as goign to look up the definition of athlete then decided I didn't really care, I have my own definition in my head and will go with that. Tennis players? Yep they're athletes, but not table tennis. Bowlers? Nope. Golfers" Probably not, its a game and a sport but I don't think of them as athletes. The necessity of hand eye coordination and endurance do not make someone an athlete. And yes I do think baseball players are athletes but the whole 95 mile an hour fastball thing is over rated. Just because soemthing is hard does not make it an athletic activity. Playing the field is athletic but not hitting. Just MO

So while Michael Jordan is playing basketball he's an athlete, as soon as he plays golf he isn't?

 

[Guinness]

Fighter Pilots are as much an athlete as NASCAR drivers. They each possess a highly trained skill but neither have to run fast, stay in top shape or be stronger than the average guy.

Can the average guy handle the G loads that both jets and race cars put on the body? Or can the average guy take 3 or 4 hours of 130 degree heat?

I get that fighter pilots and race car drivers are not athletes in the way we think basketball or football players are but to compare them to the average guy is kind of silly imo. There will always be exceptions to the rule (like Tony Stewart) but for the most part I think both a fighter pilot and race car driver require some sort of physical fitness above the average guy. I would wager to be really good at either requires quite a bit of physical fitness.

 

[Marsh01]

He's right in that they are not athletes. Is car racing a sport? I'd say yes and so is horse racing. But neither jockeys or drivers are athletes in my mind. Juts because you participate in a sport or game does not make you an athlete in my narrow mind. Iw as goign to look up the definition of athlete then decided I didn't really care, I have my own definition in my head and will go with that. Tennis players? Yep they're athletes, but not table tennis. Bowlers? Nope. Golfers" Probably not, its a game and a sport but I don't think of them as athletes. The necessity of hand eye coordination and endurance do not make someone an athlete. And yes I do think baseball players are athletes but the whole 95 mile an hour fastball thing is over rated. Just because soemthing is hard does not make it an athletic activity. Playing the field is athletic but not hitting. Just MO

I will defend golfers a little. While you dont have to be a great athlete per sey you do need to be in decent shape. I never ride when I play and walk and carry (or use my hand cart) all the time. I also on more than 25 occasions during the season will walk 36 holes (once with buds and once with my son) so you do need to be in somewhat condition wise decent shape.

I still say that hitting a golf ball is the hardest thing to do in sports.

 

[TexanMark]

Can the average guy handle the G loads that both jets and race cars put on the body? Or can the average guy take 3 or 4 hours of 130 degree heat?

I get that fighter pilots and race car drivers are not athletes in the way we think basketball or football players are but to compare them to the average guy is kind of silly imo. There will always be exceptions to the rule (like Tony Stewart) but for the most part I think both a fighter pilot and race car driver require some sort of physical fitness about the average guy.

Can the average guy work in a steel mill handling a huge cauldron of molten metal in high temps?

I never considered NASCAR drivers as athletes. Of course fighter pilots/NASCAR drivers need to be able to withstand high G forces, have great eye/hand coordination, ballz of steel and for the most part be very athletic..I just don't consider them athletes in the same vein as Football, Basketball, Hockey, etc...players.

 

[#FRANchise]

What sport do you guys consider to be the purest form of an athlete? I personally think that Olympic track and field has to be near the top of the list More specifically decathlon participants. Their combination of sprints, distance running, strength and technique (Shut put and javelin) as well as the jumps is pretty unmatched IMO


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[cuseincincy]

So while Michael Jordan is playing basketball he's an athlete, as soon as he plays golf he isn't?

He would technically be an athlete who is playing golf. Not an athlete because he's playing golf. He could be playing tiddlywinks and still be an athlete, just not being athletic at that moment. Golf was one I struggle with because I am a golfer. At the end of the day most of my time on the golf course is spent sitting in a cart drinking beer or stronger. Ultimatley it does coem down to how you use the term athlete or athletic alogn with the games people play. Since a ball is involved I may change to athlete for golf (but I'm still going to drink and smoke while I play it!)

 

[cliftonparksufan]

What sport do you guys consider to be the purest form of an athlete? I personally think that Olympic track and field has to be near the top of the list More specifically decathlon participants. Their combination of sprints, distance running, strength and technique (Shut put and javelin) as well as the jumps is pretty unmatched IMO

That's a great question and I am surprised that no one has answered. It's interesting to think of an athlete in an competitve sport, like hockey or basketball which I think are the two toughest or a non competitve sport, like decathlon which could be but I wouldn't think or it or even MMA. No question that golf is very tough but someone who hits 1000 balls a day with the proper coaching could be a scratch golfer. I was always on the Tiger bandwagon because he was so much better than everyone else.

I had a roommate in college that was great in all solo sports. He once threw 29 straight strikes in bowling in practice. He once made 75 straight free throws. He was great in all video games. He was great in foosball. However you put in on a team sport and he was less than average.

I think there is a big difference between greatest athlete and hardest sport to play. For instance you have to skate to play hockey, but if you do it since you were 3 years old, it's just like walking so it's not hard.

 

[sufandu]

They're not athletes. If your own body isn't what is moving you, you're not doing something athletic. The activity must require some form of running and/or jumping to be athletic.

People saying, "Let's see a basketball player do what they do," is not an argument. Let's see a Nascar driver, or a football player for that matter, go on Axe Men and cut down trees and haul logs all day. Would that make loggers athletes? Let's see them lay bricks all day everyday. Does that make brick layers athletes? Of course not, despite both activities being physically demanding.

I'm sure there are some athletic Nascar drivers, just as there are athletic accountants, but that doesn't make the activity of Nascar one requiring athleticism.

 

[sufandu]

What sport do you guys consider to be the purest form of an athlete? I personally think that Olympic track and field has to be near the top of the list More specifically decathlon participants. Their combination of sprints, distance running, strength and technique (Shut put and javelin) as well as the jumps is pretty unmatched IMO

I have a very narrow definition of sport. To be a sport I require the activity to include running and/or jumping to try and score points while an opponent attempts to deny you those points and attempts to score their own. By my narrow definition, track & field wouldn't be a sport. This, despite me loving it and having run track in high school and a short time in college. I have a separate designation for activities such as track, swimming, gymastics, etc. I call them athletic endeavors (nit picky, I know). They all require some sort of speed, endurance, agility, and technique (add it together and you have athleticism), but lack opposition. While it's true that there are competitors, no one competing can actively prevent an opponent doing something.

 

[Orangeyes]

Jimmie Johnson: 'Yes, I am an athlete'

 

[jekelish]

What sport do you guys consider to be the purest form of an athlete? I personally think that Olympic track and field has to be near the top of the list More specifically decathlon participants. Their combination of sprints, distance running, strength and technique (Shut put and javelin) as well as the jumps is pretty unmatched IMO

Honestly, I would probably say basketball. It combines virtually every athletic movement you could possibly need or use, for everyone on the court. I can go and run 5 miles right now no problem, but put me on a basketball court for 15 minutes and I'm dying. It's so much different, alternating between jogging, sprinting, jumping, etc...it's just a different level of fitness.

That's why, while soccer takes endurance, I think it's easier to play soccer than basketball. You can stand around a ton in a soccer game. You can stand around a ton during a football game. Baseball? Don't get me started. Track, unless you're doing distance running, you're not going to be exerting yourself for more than a couple minutes, max. But playing 35 minutes or more of a basketball game? That just takes absurd fitness and athleticism to do well.

I'm not counting stuff like triathlon or decathlon or anything like that, by the way, because that stuff, along with Iron Man and stuff like that, is just on another level. I'm just talking about the primary sports.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

That could have been it, too. Probably just my faulty memory. College days coming home to roost.

being able to hit a 95 mph fastball is most certainly a more athletic accomplishment than hitting a jump shot. we are talking about reaction time , vision, hand /eye, not to mention the fact that you have to accept the fact that someone is hurling a spheroid at you that could disable you if misplaced.


its not like throwing darts or bowling where you dont have to react..you just take your time ..aim, and go..

there are very few MLB players anymore that are not athletic. you get a few 1bmen , dh types here and there...but the days of dudes like kruk being taken seriously by teams are long gone.

i would say the ability to throw an object is an athletic trait..just as much as the ability to jump...in fact evolutionarily, throwing is much more important an ability than jumping for humans.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

Do u need hand eye coordination to be an athlete. Jordan sucked at baseball.

actually he didnt suck at baseball. he hit in the low 200s in AA for nearly a full season. for a person with very limited baseball experience, that is freaking incredible. most guys coming out of high school would start at rookie ball, then move to low class a..then high class a ..and THEN AA..and they say moving from high A to AA is as difficult as moving from AA to the majors. the fact that he hit 202 with a 289 onbase..17 doubles...that to me is incredible for a dude basically off the street

 

[Melancer46]

I would bet an athlete of McNabb's caliber would have a much easier time developing a high level proficiency (say an equivalent of FCS college football) at NASCAR than top flight NASCAR drivers could develop to be FCS level football players.

The drivers are incredibly talented and have skills that most people, including NFL players, don't have. But they're not athletes.

I'd be willing to bet any amount of money that Jimmie Johnson would run circles around Donovan McNabb. Obviously not every NASCAR driver is like Jimmie, but every football player isn't Calvin Johnson, every basketball player isn't LeBron James, etc. The majority of NASCAR drivers are in very good shape. Even the ancient drivers like Mark Martin still work out every other day to try to remain competitive with the other drivers.

Also, I think McNabb would kill to look like this:

I don't even like NASCAR, but it was a laughable comment on McNabb's part.

An athlete is defined as someone that is proficient in sports and or physical fitness. NASCAR racing is a sport, and every race (not to mention the workouts leading up to races) is a physical workout. So they pass the athlete test for me.

 

[OburgOrange]

I have to say hockey players are the greatest example of being an athlete. The speed, hand/eye coordination, and toughness is unmatched.Try to skate at those speeds while controlling the puck and having someone try to take you out. You dont see hockey players going on the DL for a hangnail. Nor do you see any chubby players like you do in football and baseball. Just the best there is

 

[IthacaBarrel]

There are also attorneys and doctors in very good shape, doesn't make them athletes. Most know I love horse racing, I get shite all the time because I don't consider jockeys athletes. Look at Mike Smith and Gary Stevenson ( Jockeys), two guys in their early fifties, in ridiculous shape, arguably the best two riders in the sport right now but I still don't think they are athletes, tremendously talented but not true athletes.

Kruk is the best, BTW. I think most old school baseball players don't care what you refer to them as, they really don't. Baseball players are a different mold especially the ones prior to the steroid boom. More concerned about playing the game, chewing tobacco and beer

 

[richard levy]

Being physically fit generally makes a person better in all aspects of life, shouldn't be the criterium for being an athlete. There was a quote related to another matter that I would use in this discussion. Is someone an athlete, "i 'll know it when I see it'

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I have to say hockey players are the greatest example of being an athlete. The speed, hand/eye coordination, and toughness is unmatched.Try to skate at those speeds while controlling the puck and having someone try to take you out. You dont see hockey players going on the DL for a hangnail. Nor do you see any chubby players like you do in football and baseball. Just the best there is

OH stop... basketball, football, soccer, track and field, wrestling, hockey and yes baseball are all athletes, not one over the other, IMO

 

[NKR1978]

I'd be willing to bet any amount of money that Jimmie Johnson would run circles around Donovan McNabb. Obviously not every NASCAR driver is like Jimmie, but every football player isn't Calvin Johnson, every basketball player isn't LeBron James, etc. The majority of NASCAR drivers are in very good shape. Even the ancient drivers like Mark Martin still work out every other day to try to remain competitive with the other drivers.

Also, I think McNabb would kill to look like this:

I don't even like NASCAR, but it was a laughable comment on McNabb's part.

An athlete is defined as someone that is proficient in sports and or physical fitness. NASCAR racing is a sport, and every race (not to mention the workouts leading up to races) is a physical workout. So they pass the athlete test for me.

I have friends who look like that who never played a sport in their life beyond youth soccer and little league. Being dedicated to working out, having good genes and eating right don't make people athletes.

If we allow race car drivers to call themselves athletes, what's stopping professional gamers from wanting to be considered athletes? Then it's just a slippery slope down to some worked out kid who plays Dungeons and Dragons and wins some sort of championship saying he's an athlete too.