Determining the Best Athlete

[Firebird]

Here's an interesting (read: stupid) idea concocted by a Page 2 writer at ESPN in which he will try work at determing the best "athlete" by competing with various top athletes in various sports. His method: play against them in various playground sports. You can read about his justification (ZOMG a Penn State football player once beat Michael Phelps when he was 13! Lance Armstrong said he's uncoordinated!). The games he wants to play?

Most of us haven't swum the butterfly against one another, thrown a javelin or ridden a bicycle for hundreds of miles. But most of us have played dodgeball, tag, floor hockey, four square and one-on-one basketball.

In the months ahead, I will compete against top athletes from a variety of sports in playground activities such as wiffle ball, H-O-R-S-E, backyard football, four square, soccer penalty kicks, the 50-yard dash, arm-wrestling and badminton.

IMHO, this is incredibly stupid and in no wise a good test of how good an athlete is. (Yeah, he may look hot but I'd whip him in flag football). I will readily concede that a swimmer or cyclist might not be the best all around athlete, but this is not the way to determine it. It reeks of populist crapola and hatred for true elites. Not to mention that the sports are all heavily reliant on one particular skill (hand/eye coordination). That should be A factor, but not a deciding factor, which it is in foursquare, wiffle ball, HORSE, football, and badminton. That's far too many "ball" sports.


Currently, I believe that the best test of athleticism available in an offically sanctioned event is the decathalon, which consists of:


100 M
Long Jump
Shot Put
High Jump
400 M
110 M Hurdles
Discus
Pole Vault Javelin
1500 M

But, for my test of the ultimate athlete I would change it up a bit. I'd leave

100 M
400 M
1500 M

To get an idea of how you do in sprints, a sustained run, and long distance. I'd also keep the hurdles for speed + agility, the high and long jump, and shot put. I'd drop javelin, discus, and pole vault.

I'd also add: a boxing match (though it would be tough to work this one logistically), a weight lifting event (benchpress), and a swimming event (200M). I need one more, one that tests hand/eye coordination. Ideally, it needs to be something that is not overreliant on an extremely specialized skill. I'm open to suggestions for that one.

So give me your suggestions and make any changes. If you want to determine the BEST athlete out there, what paces do you put the world's best through?

[dragons08]

http://img67.imageshack.us/img67/5603/33671911uf2.jpg

[slorch]

Here's an interesting (read: stupid) idea concocted by a Page 2 writer at ESPN in which he will try work at determing the best "athlete" by competing with various top athletes in various sports. His method: play against them in various playground sports. You can read about his justification (ZOMG a Penn State football player once beat Michael Phelps when he was 13! Lance Armstrong said he's uncoordinated!). The games he wants to play?



IMHO, this is incredibly stupid and in no wise a good test of how good an athlete is. (Yeah, he may look hot but I'd whip him in flag football). I will readily concede that a swimmer or cyclist might not be the best all around athlete, but this is not the way to determine it. It reeks of populist crapola and hatred for true elites. Not to mention that the sports are all heavily reliant on one particular skill (hand/eye coordination). That should be A factor, but not a deciding factor, which it is in foursquare, wiffle ball, HORSE, football, and badminton. That's far too many "ball" sports.


Currently, I believe that the best test of athleticism available in an offically sanctioned event is the decathalon, which consists of:


100 M
Long Jump
Shot Put
High Jump
400 M
110 M Hurdles
Discus
Pole Vault Javelin
1500 M

But, for my test of the ultimate athlete I would change it up a bit. I'd leave

100 M
400 M
1500 M

To get an idea of how you do in sprints, a sustained run, and long distance. I'd also keep the hurdles for speed + agility, the high and long jump, and shot put. I'd drop javelin, discus, and pole vault.

I'd also add: a boxing match (though it would be tough to work this one logistically), a weight lifting event (benchpress), and a swimming event (200M). I need one more, one that tests hand/eye coordination. Ideally, it needs to be something that is not overreliant on an extremely specialized skill. I'm open to suggestions for that one.

So give me your suggestions and make any changes. If you want to determine the BEST athlete out there, what paces do you put the world's best through?

all of that is good, but how about strategy or playmaking ability? Does Michael Irvin's toughness or John Elway's reading a defense, or MJ's refusal to lose fit into the "best athlete" discussion?

The mental part is a huge factor in how I judge an athlete, at least in team sports. Ryan Leaf had all the measurables, but his head was so jacked up it made John Hinkley Jr. feel good about himself...

[Firebird]

all of that is good, but how about strategy or playmaking ability? Does Michael Irvin's toughness or John Elway's reading a defense, or MJ's refusal to lose fit into the "best athlete" discussion?

The mental part is a huge factor in how I judge an athlete, at least in team sports. Ryan Leaf had all the measurables, but his head was so jacked up it made John Hinkley Jr. feel good about himself...

I guess we could include a chess match, but in all seriousness that is an intangible that there is no way of measuring. I also don't really consider mental ability or head stuff part of what makes someone "athletic" but rather what makes someone a winner. What I'm really interested in is the sheer athletic ability of athletes from various sports. If you can suggest some way of measuring the head stuff, then I'd be interested in how you would do it. I would never include Wes Welker in any discussion of best athlete, but I'd still want him on my team for many of those reasons, know what I mean?

[slorch]

I guess we could include a chess match, but in all seriousness that is an intangible that there is no way of measuring. I also don't really consider mental ability or head stuff part of what makes someone "athletic" but rather what makes someone a winner. What I'm really interested in is the sheer athletic ability of athletes from various sports. If you can suggest some way of measuring the head stuff, then I'd be interested in how you would do it. I would never include Wes Welker in any discussion of best athlete, but I'd still want him on my team for many of those reasons, know what I mean?

agreed.

[AE 8008]

Here's an interesting (read: stupid) idea concocted by a Page 2 writer at ESPN in which he will try work at determing the best "athlete" by competing with various top athletes in various sports. His method: play against them in various playground sports. You can read about his justification (ZOMG a Penn State football player once beat Michael Phelps when he was 13! Lance Armstrong said he's uncoordinated!). The games he wants to play?



IMHO, this is incredibly stupid and in no wise a good test of how good an athlete is. (Yeah, he may look hot but I'd whip him in flag football). I will readily concede that a swimmer or cyclist might not be the best all around athlete, but this is not the way to determine it. It reeks of populist crapola and hatred for true elites. Not to mention that the sports are all heavily reliant on one particular skill (hand/eye coordination). That should be A factor, but not a deciding factor, which it is in foursquare, wiffle ball, HORSE, football, and badminton. That's far too many "ball" sports.


Currently, I believe that the best test of athleticism available in an offically sanctioned event is the decathalon, which consists of:


100 M
Long Jump
Shot Put
High Jump
400 M
110 M Hurdles
Discus
Pole Vault Javelin
1500 M

But, for my test of the ultimate athlete I would change it up a bit. I'd leave

100 M
400 M
1500 M

To get an idea of how you do in sprints, a sustained run, and long distance. I'd also keep the hurdles for speed + agility, the high and long jump, and shot put. I'd drop javelin, discus, and pole vault.

I'd also add: a boxing match (though it would be tough to work this one logistically), a weight lifting event (benchpress), and a swimming event (200M). I need one more, one that tests hand/eye coordination. Ideally, it needs to be something that is not overreliant on an extremely specialized skill. I'm open to suggestions for that one.

So give me your suggestions and make any changes. If you want to determine the BEST athlete out there, what paces do you put the world's best through?



Wii baseball homerun derby

[the_phoenix612]

Wii baseball homerun derby

this.

on second thought, this is the only event necessary.

[svhorns]

Wii baseball homerun derby

that would make me the best athlete in the world!

[twcpfan1]

I think the male half of an olympic medal level pairs figure skating team requires a pretty good athlete. Particularly if the female is well built like some of the Canadian women.

[Favpack]

Add something with kicking, hand/eye coordination, strength and, maybe a skill like free throws under pressure, or putting.

[twcpfan1]

Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer?