OT: ESPN ranks 60 sports from hardest to easiest.

[STEVEHOLT]

You can make an argument for so many of these sports. Gymnastics-yeah, right. There is a reason you don't see people perform over the age of 25 or near there. Horse Racing-very underrated. Yes, some jockeys can do it into their 40's and 50's, but that's like less than5 or 10 people in the entire world.

Love the comment on fishing being rated 60th. Some guy says he can sit there all day and not catch a thing. It's harder than people think. LOL!!!

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Someone complained why ice hockey is ranked harder than field hockey.

 

[pfister1]

Leisure activity? Then why are there scholarships and national champions for D1-D3 and juco ? I sound like such a 90 year old stubborn golfer lol

Hmmmm!?!?!?!?

Just Noticed there are NCAA Debate National Championships??

 

[CuseFaninVT]

904K views · 35K reactions | Cross-country skiing | When is something considered a sport, anyways? More jokes: https://youtu.be/3OU5Hgsa-9s | By Jim Gaffigan | Facebook

When is something considered a sport, anyways? More jokes: https://youtu.be/3OU5Hgsa-9s

www.facebook.com

 

[PeteCalvin]

I’m surprised that they didn’t mention any Lumberjack Championship events, like axe throwing and log rolling. Considering ESPN’s late night broadcasts in the early days were teeming with lumberjack competitions, should have been a no-brainer.

 

[cuseincincy]

To me it comes down to intent of the question. Is it the hardest sport to participate in? Or the hardest to excel at? To excel at professionally? I'm guess the latter with basketball being so high. Anyone can play basketball. Not everyone can wrestle a steer or surf. Billiards at 59? I'd say that depends on how many drinks you've had. "Baseball/Softball"? Hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things to do in sports. Hitting a softball is one of the easiest things to do in sports. Not the same at all.

 

[UnknownOrange]

It's also funny to think, at the highest professional level, athletes in their respective sports at different positions within their own sport.

Basketball is likely the only sport where an 'out of position' player, is still somewhat OK. Like Josh Hart running point guard for the Knicks. Not ideal, but not insanity.

Now imagine Kirk Cousins having to be a DT for a game.

Or Nolan Arenado being asked to go 7 shutout on the bump

 

[Brooky03]

It's also funny to think, at the highest professional level, athletes in their respective sports at different positions within their own sport.

Basketball is likely the only sport where an 'out of position' player, is still somewhat OK. Like Josh Hart running point guard for the Knicks. Not ideal, but not insanity.

Now imagine Kirk Cousins having to be a DT for a game.

Or Nolan Arenado being asked to go 7 shutout on the bump

I think your point stands, but those examples would be more like Hart playing C than PG. He can dribble and pass well. He can’t make himself 7ft tall.

 

[jncuse]

To me it comes down to intent of the question. Is it the hardest sport to participate in? Or the hardest to excel at? To excel at professionally? I'm guess the latter with basketball being so high. Anyone can play basketball. Not everyone can wrestle a steer or surf. Billiards at 59? I'd say that depends on how many drinks you've had. "Baseball/Softball"? Hitting a baseball is one of the hardest things to do in sports. Hitting a softball is one of the easiest things to do in sports. Not the same at all.

Depends on the type of softball. The windmill version or the various lob versions? I agree the lob variations are certainly easier and its a totally different level of skill. But windmill? Very different game, but it's not really any easier to hit.

Windmill games at a higher level tend to have no more scoring than baseball (and it's probably lower). Hitting is hard.

I was a good hitter in baseball in my teenage years, and I could time any pitcher except for the few elite in the league. Perhaps it was because I didn't play any windmill growing up (and there was some towns in Ontario and Quebec where it was the dominant form of ball) , but I played about 4 games against men's competitive teams around 17 as they needed bodies a few times...and I couldn't make the adjustment to catch up to pitches. I found it really tough.

 

[GoCuse14]

Depends on the type of softball. The windmill version or the various lob versions? I agree the lob variations are certainly easier and its a totally different level of skill. But windmill? Very different game, but it's not really any easier to hit.

Windmill games at a higher level tend to have no more scoring than baseball (and it's probably lower). Hitting is hard.

I was a good hitter in baseball in my teenage years, and I could time any pitcher except for the few elite in the league. Perhaps it was because I didn't play any windmill growing up (and there was some towns in Ontario and Quebec where it was the dominant form of ball) , but I played about 4 games against men's competitive teams around 17 as they needed bodies a few times...and I couldn't make the adjustment to catch up to pitches. I found it really tough.

Men's fast pitch, against a good pitcher is tough.

 

[721Comstock]

The ladies finally getting to play at the Red Bull Rampage.

Female Mountain Bikers Backflip Their Way to Equality

Traditionally, only men were invited to the scariest and most lucrative event in mountain biking. This year, women shared equally in the adrenaline and the prizes.

www.nytimes.com

 

[CuseFaninVT]

The ladies finally getting to play at the Red Bull Rampage.

Female Mountain Bikers Backflip Their Way to Equality

Traditionally, only men were invited to the scariest and most lucrative event in mountain biking. This year, women shared equally in the adrenaline and the prizes.

www.nytimes.com

I’ve seen some of these. People are insane.

 

[We Are Syracuse]

Re: golf, I'm trying to figure out the most tactful way to word this.

If a sport features elderly and overweight people playing it regularly, it's probably shouldn't be high on this list.

Oh boy... You told me you've never played a round of golf without telling me you've never played a round of golf.

I used to think this until I picked up golf last year. First off, walking 18 ain't easy... Let alone the skill golf requires which is by far the most out of any sport. Golf is BONKERS in terms of how hard it is and the perfection you need to have despite each shot being incredibly different (especially when you factor in course and hole location / greens). It's insanely hard. This whole argument of which is the toughest sport is way too subjective to me. Combination of ATHLETICISM (Size, Strength and Speed) and SKILL required, basketball has to be up there in Top 3. As well as soccer and football (especially QB position). Combat sports (UFC / Boxing) are no doubt #1 in my opinion any way you look at it.

 

[upperdeck]

Each sport has its thing that makes it hard.

Golf - easy you can play it until you are 80+
But to play it at high high level. Hard. Go to most any avg course at the tips and add 50 yds or more to see what the pros deal with. Then up the speed of the greens.. Then walk the 18 and when you are done go hit 1000 more shots and putt and chip for an hr or 2. Do that day after day and see how you deal with it. But what makes golf hard is the what happens when you are not playing well. On a good day for us we hit 12/14 fairways and 14 greens and thats all fine. But on the days you hit 7 fairways and 8 greens and still need to shoot 4 under to compete. Thats what makes a pro. Getting our of bunkers and trees and real rough in every condition.

Baseball/softball. The skill side of it equates even to slow pitch and in some ways more in slow pitch. The hitting side fast pitch can be harder than baseball but even in slow pitch when you play at high levels or on open fields or with 1 person HR rules it can be tough. But baseball has the most variety of thinking stuff than any sport because of where the ball can go before and after its pitched and hit and most people never even know they are in the wrong spot

contact sports vary all over because it rewards a body type most of us never have or had.

Some sports are just things that most people never do. Like how many ride horses at high level. Its tough and physical

Thinking ice hockey is easy. If you can skate thats one thing, can you pass and shoot and do it, while getting decked into boards and do it at full speed for 60 min. thats why shifts only last 30-40 secs, can you take pucks out of the air and pass to spots or move the puck behind the back and thru the legs at speed.

Most of us just never have the time or will to master any sport. Being good at several is hard and there is a reason hockey/baseball/golf some people can cross over because the skill sets match up nicely.

some sports the skill set doesnt really match up at all to other sports.