Yes, that is a good and very valid point, however while they are technically competing against the clock, when they are running a race, they technically are reacting to the guy running next to them. For example, during the final leg of a race, if the guy next to them begins his kick, they can either wait a bit and hang back, or kick it into high gear as well….they speed up, he speeds up, etc. If someone comes into his lane and cuts him off, he has to react by either closing that gap or moving into a different position. But no, it is nowhere near the same type of “reaction” as a cornerback attempting to intercept a badly thrown pass, or darting to a running back to make a tackle.
This is a great point. I was talking to someone at work yesterday on I don’t golf. I boiled it down to when I compete I want my actions to directly hurt or benefit my opponent. Essentially a zero sum game.
I thought about that, but the algorithm didn’t seem to discount that as much as I would have personally.
I love how much soccer helps athletes to develop control over their bodies physically, but it hurts a little to see that one of the top sports for producing athletes is one in which it’s common to see a person faking like he’s almost dead for ten minutes, then hopping up and continue playing like nothing happened.
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I’ll update this with water polo and provide an update when it’s done.
A couple people just reminded me that I forgot hockey (not sure how I left that one out, seriously), so I need to do an update on the calculations anyhow.
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Sorry about that. I can’t believe I left out hockey. I grew up in Florida, so hockey doesn’t tend to be front of mind, but now that I think about it, it’s inexcusable to have bowling on this list and leave out hockey.
I’ll update the scorecard with hockey included.
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Agreed.
Also agreed. Usually speed, strength and endurance become the measure of an athlete. Also important are hand-eye coordination, anticipation, body control, reaction speed etc cetera.
Sport dependent maybe. Like a golfer needs amazing hand-eye coordination but he can be a fat, chain smoking piece of shit and excel (Daly).
Conversely, a runner just has to run. So the fastest runner has mastered this singular component but there’s virtually zero athleticism otherwise in most cases.
To me, a sport mixing explosiveness, power, endurance, agility, coordination, anticipation or basically as many of the boxes as possible at a high level wins “most athletic”.
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Add a throwing movement and I’m in. Take a guy like, LBJ. Arguably one of those most athletic individuals in recent history. He can run, jump, move very quickly, etc.. but he throws like this (21 seconds in):
To me throwing is a motor skill to develop, and will develop to the extent of underlying ability. I wouldn’t personally use it as measure. If it doesn’t get practiced it won’t be strong.
Throwing is a measure of explosiveness, hand-eye coordination, awareness, anticipation etc cetera but those athletic qualities can be exhibited in many ways.
In general, throwers are not the best all around athletes on a field. They typically aren’t well rounded, but other athletes can express the same traits throwers do.
For example a puncher shares very similar traits when “throwing” a punch, but has many challenges and obstacles to deliver through that a thrower doesn’t. And fighters are generally more athletic than most throwers, so I’d knock throwing kmitself down some notches.
Having done both at a fairly competitive level in high school (enough to get some no impressive scholarships for both anyway), and one for a bit in college, I just can’t see how football would be above wrestling. Don’t get me wrong, I love football. And I think the popularity of the sport probably ATTRACTS some better athletes, but Jesus wrestling as a sport just makes people into physical specimens
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I remember reading an article (it might have been on this site) about how sumo wrestlers had more total muscle mass than bodybuilders or powerlifters. Someone commented that they don’t lift weights, but then someone else pointed out that the weights they lifted were other sumo wrestlers.
There’s something to competing against an active resistance that really kicks in.
Hell, I’m half-tempted to label the half hour it takes to wrassle my 7 year old into bed as a HIIT block.
He threw it kind of like a football. I read your post and was expecting an Obama-like throw.
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LBJ throws full court basketball passes much better than that. So yeah, he wasn’t really trying, he was just being cool, ‘cause he LBJ ‘yo.
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It has incredible crossover to other sports to.
Soccer for example. You can be completely out classed technically, but guess what? Throws win.
“Oh, he did that cool foot thing!”
blam…
“Now he needs a waaaambulance.”.
You win. 
.
Thanks for this! Interesting indeed. And then came hybrid crossover sports like triathlon and CrossFit. Isn’t track and field a hybrid also?
I would add in some Aussie sports as well to this list, in particular Rugby League, it’s a similar game to Rugby (I’m assuming you mean Rugby Union) but it’s a more more physically demanding game and requires a greater level of athleticism.
The first time my kid did barbell squats was when he was a 16 year old high school hockey player, about 6’00” and 180 lbs. We worked up to an easy 225 x 10. It definitely builds some serious core and leg strength.
Most NHL players are total athletic units.
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I’d say the highest concentration of tough mfers too.
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I’d probably give the edge to MMA and high-level wrestlers in that department, but hockey is right at the top in my reckoning of both “toughness” and all-around athleticism.
Sparring with a 200lb pro fighter who will never, ever stop unless he’s broken or unconscious gave me some idea of their different level of “tough”. I know a guy who would let you tase him or try out your eye gouging technique just to make a point that it won’t stop him.
Yeah true, fight sports aside.
Weightlifting, yes.
Not strongman.
Pro Wrestling is really quite the underrated sport that requires a lot of athletic ability and thinking. Imagine stepping into a ring to take bumps that can really paralyze you not fully knowing every move to make. Sure the match might be determined, but not every move is.
Many athletes like football players didn’t do the wrestling “work” well at all.
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