Open Mic: Which Sport Has The Best Athletes?

Which sport has the best all-around athletes?

That question has been asked, debated, and fought over by sports fans for decades. Yet despite the attention this subject has received, no concrete consensus has been reached.

This athleticism debate is most intense inside the United States borders. Sports fans around the globe usually give their football the top spot in this discussion.

I can't argue.

From what I know and have read, I can easily narrow the discussion down to two sports; boxing and soccer.

Boxing

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American sports fans are usually quick to name boxing as the most physically demanding sport in the world. There is usually months between matches for professional boxers like Floyd Mayweather Jr., Miguel Cotto, or Manny Pacquiao. During this period there is intense training tuned specifically to the boxer's next opponent.

Boxing at the highest level requires a plethora of physical and mental abilities. Not only must a boxer be in absolute top physical condition, they must also be extremely sharp mentally.

A boxer is required to have superb coordination, foot speed, strength, power, quickness, and endurance in order to have even the least bit of success.

When "boxing" comes to mind, the normal fan will not think of cardiac endurance as a critical element for boxers. In reality, anaerobic endurance, or the ability to conduct an activity without oxygen, is used many times in the ring when throwing combinations at your opponent.

Training for this sport of quick, powerful thrusts usually involves intense interval running.

The one word I would use to define boxing would be "intense." Intense training is required months before the actual match, and intense bursts during the 12-round fight.

Soccer

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There is no doubt that soccer players are in top physical shape. The average mid-fielder runs seven to nine miles in a single match. Training for this kind of aerobic activity is certainly strenuous.

Most people will dismiss soccer from this athleticism debate because they think that upper body use is slim to none.

This couldn't be farther from the truth.

I have no experience with this sport, but I do know that it is very common in soccer to head the ball, hold off a defender with your arms, and catch line-drive kicks as a goalie.

Besides endurance, many other things are required of soccer players. Feet coordination is needed when running, twisting, and wedging between defenders.

Strength and power are needed in the legs to kick the ball with enough velocity to score. Strength and power are needed in the upper body in order to hold off defenders.

Quickness and acceleration are also key aspects of a player's game.

Honorable mention: Professional dancing

If you thought of stage dancing as soon as you read the above title, you probably laughed out loud. I am not talking about stage dancing, but about professional dancers.

I do not consider dancing a sport, but do think all dancers are very athletic. They are required to have excellent coordination, strength, footwork, foot speed, quickness, endurance, and balance.

In addition to the physical abilities needed, there are plenty of mental requirements for dancers. Spacial awareness, timing, and vision are all needed.

As boxing fans say, boxers are the best athletes "pound for pound." They are not allowed to have any excess body fat, and must train harder than any athlete from any sport.

So much blood, sweat, and tears go into their training and hard work that professional boxers only have around two twelve-round matches a year.

Boxers are the best all-around athletes in the world, but there is plenty of athleticism in sports. After all, why else would we watch so consistently?