What Sport Has the Best All-Around Athletes?

[MissMillie]

I'm inclined to agree w/ this guy:


http://cognoscenti.wbur.org/2013/08/29/tennis-is-the-best-garry-emmons



I even agree w/ his second pick.

[cantbeserious]

1. Soccer - Motocross

eom

[Scuba]

2. Bowling and golf.

[bluedigger]

3. I think you confused "athletes" with "couch naps".

[jakeXT]

4. He didn't mention darts

[Scuba]

5. An oversight on my part.

[bluedigger]

23. I love darts.

Double in, double out.

[Chan790]

6. All-around multi-skill full-body complete athletes?

Track--particularly decathletes, triathletes and those in jumping disciplines.

Ice Hockey--pretty much you have to work every muscle group in the body, requires a huge amount of agility and balance.

Soccer and Lacrosse--requires a fine-balance of strength and agility, works pretty much every major muscle group. Require very-broad bases of natural talents among several varied skill-sets.

From a health standpoint though, it's swimmers far and away. Competitive swimmers consistently are the healthiest athletes. The diet though can be brutal when you quit; a competitive swimmer like Michael Phelps eats on-average 15000 kCal/day during intensive-training periods. To avoid massive weight-gain on-retirement or during periods of sustained injury, one is required to spend about two weeks eating minimally in order to reset one's metabolism or else you'll continue to crave 15000 kCal while gaining several pounds a day. (1lb represents 3500 kCal so taking out biological function and metabolic burn, you'd gain about 3lb/day at basic levels of physical activity.) To give an idea of the caloric-burn-rate of swimmers the recommendation for people swimming the English Channel is to consume an additional 40000 kCal in the week preceding their attempt in order to have stored enough energy.

[bluedigger]

20. Nordic skiiers also rate highly in this group.

Conditioning, power, endurance, flexibility, balance, etc. And sometimes they get to shoot guns. Ball games are for wusses.

[panader0]

6. The U of Arizona Wildcat basketball team

Number one baby!

[Chan790]

9. Hmm. Interesting, we're both #6 in this thread.

We must have both pressed "Post" at the exact same millisecond. (or the server received the posts at the exact same time.)

I wonder if that's ever happened before?

The main screen says "7 replies" (which is correct) but we're both numbered "6".

[rurallib]

8. I have always felt it was boxing

probably the most physically fit, hand-eye coordination must be top notch to stop the punches of an equal opponent, must be incredibly quick footed.
I would never agree with tennis. For one thing today's rackets are way too powerful, thus making the game mostly a service spar. Plus they only use one hand. Boxers, basketball players etc, must use both hands equally well.

Boxers and pro basketball players for me.

[Tom Ripley]

18. [phone]

[hack89]

10. Curling. nt

[sharp_stick]

24. Damn right

Such an unappreciated group of athletes we are.

[GoCubsGo]

11. Hockey.

I'd like to see a tennis player play one's game on skates, carrying 20 lbs. of equipment, and being constantly smacked by one's opponents. Let's see how many of them would have survived the triple overtime Game 1 of last year's Stanley Cup final, and then come back and play again two days later. And, that's after one of the teams played a double overtime game a few days before that. Ain't no way tennis players are better "all-around athletes" than hockey players.

[Myrina]

13. ^^ this ^^

Most of the hockey players I know also play soccer and golf.
(And the northerners also fish, hike, swim/waterski etc)
... not only are the conditioned out the ya-ya but they tend to be gifted in more than just one sport.

[GoCubsGo]

16. Exactly right.

I'm constantly reading stories about various players who excelled in soccer, baseball, football, etc., along with the hockey, but gave them up to concentrate on the one sport.

[Demo_Chris]

12. Gymnastics or Figure Skating

Nothing else even comes close.

[JCMach1]

14. Football players (i.e. what Americans call Soccer)

[Paladin]

15. Years ago I heard that long-distance snow skiing was at the top of the list. (nt)

[Xyzse]

17. Hockey and MMA

[NV Whino]

19. I would say swimmers

Overall use of body and stamina.

[begin_within]

21. Decathlon

[sharp_stick]

22. Curling And Here's Why

It's the only sport I ever played that had ashtrays at the ends and 1/3 the way down each sheet of ice. In addition it was expected that everybody drink throughout the game.

You try chucking a 40lb stone down a sheet of ice or sliding just in front of that stone sweeping the ice clean all while being half cut and having a smoke dangling out of your mouth.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

25. I would say it's boxing

At the highest level, it requires tremendous hand-eye coordination, hand speed, and instant reflexes. It's a craft that requires years to hone, in the art of hitting and not getting hit. It requires an offensive mind and a defensive one at the same time. It's a sport requiring great mental focus and the ability to adapt to the strategy of one's opponent. It requires great stamina and long hours of road work (long distance running) are required to train a boxer to go round after round with only a one minute pause in between. It requires arm and leg strength (punches are delivered through the muscles, the back, and through the arms - pure arm punches have little effect). It also requires the ability to suffer pain and exhaustion in the body from debilitating body shots delivered by the opponent. It requires the ability to suffer punishment to the head and still maintain mental focus. More than anything else, it tests an athlete's heart and ability to walk through any pain and suffering and still have the will to win.