When we talk about which sport has the best athletes, we have to define what it means to be a good athlete. The ability to sustain speed, strength, and agility simultaneously in competition, displaying the skill to excel at more than one sport.
Jim Thorpe comes to mind when we talk about men in the sports arena that were head and shoulders above everyone else. He won gold medals in the pentathlon, and decathlon in the 1912 Olympic games in Sweden, and played professional football and baseball.
His accomplishments landed him on the 1911 and 1912 All American football teams. Thorpe was considered the greatest athlete of his time. Who are the greatest athletes of our time? Every sport boasts good athletes, but which sport has the best?
For one, we can eliminate baseball players. While there are some studs that are in the major leagues, you don’t necessarily have to be in top physical shape to play. There are quite a few pitchers that are overweight and sport oversize midriffs, but it doesn’t inhibit their ability to throw or hit the baseball.
This doesn’t mean that they aren’t considered athletes, it just means that a lack of fitness doesn’t preclude them from doing their jobs. Add to that the fact their game is not very fast, and if you are not pitching, catching, or hitting you are basically waiting around for something to happen. For the most part they would not be good candidates for other sports like basketball and football.
Let’s compare football players and basketball players. Football players have to be in excellent shape to play. Lineman, linebackers, defensive backs, running backs, all have to be in tip top shape to compete. Their combination of strength, agility, and speed that is necessary to excel is unparalleled.
You have defensive lineman that are 250 plus pounds running down quarterbacks and running backs who are supposed to be faster. The players on a whole are much faster than they were in the 70’s and 80’s, and it is not uncommon any more for receivers, backs, and defensive backs to post forty yard dash times of 4.3 and below.
It’s not just all about the speed. Agility and quickness is evident at almost every position. Many defensive lineman (especially defensive ends) over match their counterparts by being too quick off the edge, or shooting the gaps. Offensive lineman may be the most un-athletic of the bunch, but the better ones are strong and quick, with good feet.
Bo Jackson and Deon Sanders come to mind. Both excelled at football and played professional baseball. Jackson stared with the Oakland Raiders and played baseball for the Kansas City Royals, and Sanders won super bowls with the 49ers and Dallas in the NFL, and played in a world series with the Atlanta Braves. They were football players first, baseball players second.
You don’t see baseball players transitioning to football, but we have seen football players play baseball. Many college football players have played on their school’s basketball teams as well. Regardless of their size their athleticism translated over well to the hardwood.
Charlie Ward of the Florida State Seminoles won a Heisman Trophy playing football, and was the starting point guard for their basketball team. He elected to play professional basketball and was a serviceable point guard for New York. His athleticism allowed him to choose between the two.
Outside linebackers may be the most athletic bunch of all, because they have to be strong enough to shed blockers and offensive lineman, fast enough to cover and run down backs and receivers, as well as quick and agile enough to get after the quarterback.
Looking at basketball players, their athleticism can’t be denied. They have to have more body control than the other athletes in the major sports because so much of their time is spent in the air. Having jumping ability is one thing, but being creative and agile while in the air is something totally different.
We have become used to watching the exploits of Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant, Dominique Wilkins, Julius Erving, and many others as they have defied gravity and done the unimaginable with no tera-firma to support them. No other sport requires as much in-the-air time as basketball.
What makes them special is the fact that they are very vulnerable while in that position, but have to focus on scoring, shooting, blocking a shot, and executing dunks. From a strength standpoint there are quite a few players coming in the NBA now that are not physically mature due to their age. You can get away with it if you are very talented (see Kevin Durant), but you can’t get away with it in the NFL.
Hakeem Olajuwon is a good example of a professional basketball player that was an exceptional athlete. His nickname was the dream, because there was no one you could compare him to with his cat like quickness, assortment of low post moves, and rare physical ability. At six feet and ten inches tall, he was constantly among the league leaders in steals, which was unheard of for a center.
Originally from Nigeria he excelled in soccer and played his college ball with Clyde Drexler at Houston (Phi Slama Jama). Olajuwon didn’t play basketball until he was seventeen years old but loved it immediately and realized that was the sport for him. He is generally regarded as one of the best to ever play his position.
Soccer professionals are good athletes, but we have not seen a professional soccer player cross over to another sport successfully. You have to use your hands well when it comes to the major American sports, and soccer players don’t use their hands.
Hockey pros are known for their skating skill and speed on the ice, in addition to their fighting. Their creative abilities on the ice are excellent, but don’t necessarily mean they are naturally athletic. The primary abilities needed in hockey are not needed in other sports, so they really stand alone as a sport.
Raphael Nadel is probably the most athletic of all the tennis players, with all due respect to Roger Federer. He shows his strength, speed and agility every time he plays, especially on clay. The women’s game boasts some good athletes as well, but the percentage is not that high if you look at tennis players as a group.
There are great athletes in all sports and we applaud them, but I believe football players for the most part are the best athletes in the world. It is a close call, but our gridiron professionals exhibit all the necessary attributes to make that claim. Their speed, strength and agility is demonstrated more on the football field then any other arena.
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3 months ago
you copied off my article didnt you lol. Well i was saying why i believe NFL players could dominate in soccer cuz of the demand on their bodies compared to Soccer. Soccer is endurance related, and anyone who says its also physical, lol ha, come and let those so called physical soccer players try their hand in football if their so good and tough. NFL players need a week to recover from a game and even then their never completely 100%. once they get a little health back, wham, their playing again, and thats after a week. Soccer players can play after a day of rest. i guarantee if our elite football players could also play soccer just as well we would dominate because the physical part they would just knock those euro soccer players all over the place, we would intimidate and knock the wind and the stuffing out of them and then our taller athletic guys would just score. Can you imagine a guy like Ray Lewis or Ed Reed how hard they hit and fast they are. Darren Howard, the Outside linebacker for the Raiders ran down Darren McFadden in practice whose got elite speed, and Howard is 6'3 240, that should just tell you a little of how amazing the NFL players are, their not just bigger, but faster and stronger than most other athletes.
I would put Jackie Robinson in the top all time athletes. he lettered in 5 different sports in college, football and basketball among them. and even though he was known for baseball, which his combination of speed, power and fielding, was unmatched. the things he did even for baseball called for some good athleticism.
thinking about it and i have great respect for soccer, but youll get no argument from me that NFL players have the most grueling toughest sport to play and have the best athletes.
oh yeah and Olajuwan was 7'0 not 6'10, you dont get paired with Ralph Sampson as the twin towers at only 6'10, that was the thing that the twin towers being the two over 7 footers.
but anyway nice article.
3 months ago
I would argue that Men's Volleyball has the best athletes, no kidding.
3 months ago
Good points. I will have to think about that one. Men's volleyball huh?
3 months ago
I know that everybody is going to get on me about this.... But Hockey players are the best athletes. Just take a look at how they train... It's sick. I couldn't believe it myself. I always thought that football players were the most physical athletes as far as training. I still believe that football players are better physical specimens... but hockey players have some of the most grueling training regiments that I have ever seen. Just to skate around all game long at high speed / changing directions/ taking & giving hits/ the hand & eye cordination/ & the fighting make these guys absolutely amazing as athletes. If you would have asked me this question a year ago.... I would have said "football players hands down".
from 3 months ago
For sure when 6'3" 165lbs lightweight Ryan Miller (Sabres Goaltender) went to Syracuse, he performed the strength and conditioning tests with the football team and he was actually able to carry the same amount of weight a further distance then many of the football players... He's a goaltender.
3 months ago
Just look at some of the crazy shit that hockey players do to train... It will surprise you.
3 months ago
I will do some research into how hockey players train for my own edification and see how they stack up. I am curious now.
3 months ago
It also depends how you rate the athelticism aswell. Tennis players for example have tremendous cardio and have the hand eye coordination second to none. In fact Pete Sampras did NFL combine drills side by side with NFL cornerback Charles Woodson and Sampras was neck and neck with him the whole way. I can't imagin how a guy like Rafael Nadal would stack up, but I'd imaging he is up there with the top NFL athletes and where they would lead him explosiveness he would lead in endurance.
However I do agree football is a sport, especially at the middle linebacker, running back, defensive back and wide receiver positions that requires some big time all around athleticism. I would love to see guys like Randy Moss have played tennis instead of football, cause they would be like Marat Safin, but better. However, one has to ask what effects does training for your specific sport have on your overall build and athleticism?
3 months ago
Good points Leon. I would like to see how some of the tennis players match up myself. I always thought some of out best athletes should have gotten into Tennis, and would have been great at it, but there is not enough focus on it as a sport in this country.
3 months ago
I'm not too big a fan of rugby but if you've ever seen a game of rugby league (not rugby union - which is the more popular version of rugby) then you will have seen that these athletes are up there with the best. Being rugby, the players are all very, very powerful - more so than in rugby union (and american football) as there is a limit to how many 'plays' a team has to get to the other end of the pitch. this means that players have to try their hardest to get out of a tackle because 5 attempts at getting 100 yards is harder than unlimited attempts (ie. rugby union) or 4 attempts at moving 10 yards (american football). also, you will notice how rugby players need no protective clothing even though most collisions are head-on shoulder to rib collisions as opposed to a lot of tackles from the side in american football.
next, they need endurance as the game is relentless with no pauses (except very quick stops for conversion kicks). every player attacks and defends and there are only 13 players (i think) with not that many substitutions throughout the 80 minutes.
most players need high speed (unlike american football where a lot of players hardly move throughout the game.
they need agility
they also all need hand skills unlike in american football where most players don't ever touch the ball
they also need brains as teams are not told what to do play by play. they have to think on their feet for themselves.
i do actually like american football (although i'm not an avid fan) but i just think you are completely wrong in saying these athletes are the greatest when generally, they all have big rest periods during a match and very few of the players need all round fitness.
ps. rafa nadal is a beast of a man
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