How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

[MassNole]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Well, nobody could transfer sports without training, but there are guys in the NBA who were considered great prospects in the NBA and MLB. TMac was clocked throwing in the 90s and was scouted by the Braves. Nate Robinson and Big Baby Davis could have easily played in the NFL.

I don't really see any guys from other sports being able to play in the NBA. Gates was a good player in college, but was 6'4" and played power forward. Tony Gonzalez played in college, too, but couldn't have played in the league.


As far as transferability, I think if basketball was taken away, a lot of NBA players could be playing other sports professionally.

Tony Gonzalez was projected as a 1st Round pick in the NBA, but unlike Charlie Ward, chose the NFL over the NBA. Charlie Ward was also an athlete who could have played in either league.

[MassNole]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

That's proof of athleticism, not disproof.




Put a lineman or QB in a four hour tennis match with Rafael Nadal and watch how athletic they look. It's just a different set of skills, man. Within football, there are different levels of athleticism by position. With basketball, the level of athleticism is closer from player to player because the roles from 1 to 5 are much more similar per position.

It's also about the level of the sport as well. You can't compare semi-pro tennis to elite tennis. Same as you can't compare fullcourts at the Y to an NBA game. There's a reason NBA players don't play a whole 48 minutes. Just shows how much more is put into each minute of a professional game. Who do you know that could take on Roger Federer that isn't athletic?

That wouldn't be as much athleticism as it would be a lack of a specialized skill. Similarly put Nadal in a bike race vs. Lance Armstrong and watch his heart explode, or put him in a blocking drill against even a RB and see how unathletic he looks.

[Cebby]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Put a lineman or QB in a four hour tennis match with Rafael Nadal and watch how athletic they look.

Put any non-NFL athlete on an NFL line or covering a Randy Moss, Fitz, Chad Johnson, or Steve Smith and watch how athletic they look.

Every athlete would look like crap in any pro league aside from the legit two sport athletes.

[DaImmaculateONe]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Problem is yall are comparing the athlete to another athlete pro career. You need to at least try and put them in different sports and see how they would do.

How well do u think Randy Moss vs Nadal vs Kobe would do playing 90mins of soccer? If you took them to a batting cage would be the first one to connect on a 90mph fastball? Who wins in a swimming contest or boxing?

[Brankles]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Tony Gonzalez was projected as a 1st Round pick in the NBA, but unlike Charlie Ward, chose the NFL over the NBA. Charlie Ward was also an athlete who could have played in either league.

Gonzalez averaged 6.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg in his last season at Cal, where he came off the bench. I doubt he would have played in the NBA as a 6-4 power forward with those type of numbers.


Charlie Ward is a good example of being able to cross over from NFL to NBA (even though he didn't play in the NFL), but it's extremely rare to see. Ward also was drafted into baseball and was considered a good tennis player when he entered amateur tournaments. The guy was just an athlete, period.

[Brankles]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Problem is yall are comparing the athlete to another athlete pro career. You need to at least try and put them in different sports and see how they would do.

How well do u think Randy Moss vs Nadal vs Kobe would do playing 90mins of soccer? If you took them to a batting cage would be the first one to connect on a 90mph fastball? Who wins in a swimming contest or boxing?

Yeah, that's the way I look at it, too.

Take out the sports that each player plays professionally and then compare them.

[Rocky]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

This debate just proves what I said earlier. The best athletes are the best athletes.....regardless of sport.

Serena Williams, D-Wade, Julius Peppers, Ed Reed, Torri Hunter, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Federer, Allen Iverson, Michael Phelps, etc. are just elite athletes no matter what sport they play. I could see KG being a elite pitcher if he worked years and years on pitching and the mechanics....just like I could see a young Barry Bonds being a All-Star NBA SG if he worked years and years playing basketball because athletically they have the advantage over almost anyone in their sport.

When you play professional sports, you can see the transcendent athletes. Trust me. Great athletes are just great athletes....great players are another thing.

[ehh]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Take the Powell brothers from Syracuse, they all had explosive athletic ability and agility and moves that would make Barry Sanders' eyes pop out.

C'mon Mass, take a step back and read what you just wrote. Not to mention people can't actually tackle you in lax, makes it a lil easier to dodge and juke people.

[MassNole]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

C'mon Mass, take a step back and read what you just wrote. Not to mention people can't actually tackle you in lax, makes it a lil easier to dodge and juke people.

Yes, but someone trying to contain you with a 6' stick really makes it hard to get around them.

Really can you deny this isn't one fine athlete?

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[Cebby]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Compared to Barry Sanders, yes we can deny that.

[Maxattax3]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Problem is yall are comparing the athlete to another athlete pro career. You need to at least try and put them in different sports and see how they would do.

How well do u think Randy Moss vs Nadal vs Kobe would do playing 90mins of soccer? If you took them to a batting cage would be the first one to connect on a 90mph fastball? Who wins in a swimming contest or boxing?

Randy Moss would win the soccer game. I bet Nadal has played more soccer (more euro haha) but Moss' speed would kill the other two here.

Im giving the edge in the batting cage to Nadal simply because he hits balls with a "stick" in his sport.

Swimming...I dont know. I have a joke but dont want to touch that one

Boxing is Kobe all the way. Hes 6'6. reach + quick hands.

[GSW]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

you have to be very athletic to play Soccer.

[Maxattax3]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

you have to be very athletic to play Soccer.

to play it well perhaps... But Ive been on plenty of soccer teams with many starting players that didnt have a shred of athleticism. In Texas... soccer teams are filled with the kids that arent physically or emotional strong enough for football (not always, but for the most part. and especially at the Recreational level). I think that is why I was so dominant in soccer until I was about 17...All the best athletes in my area played other sports.

[MassNole]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

I gotta say reading through this thread, I love the perception that because the best athletes flock to the money sports, it is automatically assumed those sports require the greatest amount of athleticism.

[rsnomar05]

Re: How Do You Define Athleticism and What Sport Do You Feel Players Need It Most?

Ninja Warrior > All (and yes, it's a sport).

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OR5c8Q-3Eh0