In a recent family debate (of which I was only party to over text messaging) the Sports Fiancee and the Sports Soon-To-Be-Brother-In-Law got into it on whether the NFL or MLB has better athletes. Now I get to weigh in from the relative safety of my own blog. I worry neither about the venom from the SSTBBIL nor do I worry about the Sports Fiancee making me sleep on the Sports Couch. Depending on how you look at the argument and whether you are a glass half empty or glass half full type of person, they are both right and both wrong.
There are MLB players who are better athletes than some NFL players. There are some NFL players who are better athletes than some MLB players. With so much diversity in position, stature, body size, heritage, specialty, and skill sets, there is no way to lump all football players or all baseball players into one category. There is also no standard of comparison. You couldn't say, oh, Pujols is not a good athlete because he couldn't pick up a blitz like Marshall Faulk used to. On the other side of the same coin, you couldn't say oh, Peyton Manning isn't a good athlete because he couldn't hit a split finger fastball. There have been few notable exceptions in players who actually could do both (Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders). One would argue that neither of them could tackle well, Bo being a running back and Deion being a skinny corner who relied on not letting his receiver catch the ball instead of tackling him. Michael Jordan was arguably the greatest NBA player ever. Was he less of an athlete because he couldn't hit a curve ball in the minor leagues? I'd say no.
It is all about the different skill sets. Yes, Michael Vick could throw a football 50 yards from his knees. Is he more of an athlete than Randy Johnson who could hit 100+ mph with a fastball? Yes, your fast wide receivers and corners can run ridiculous 40 yard dashes. Now, time Curtis Granderson or an in-his-prime Ichiro on a dead sprint to first. Home to first is 127 feet, just over 42 yards. Does speed make the athlete? Shaquille O'Neal didn't need speed. NFL linemen aren't known for blazing foot speed, neither are MLB pitchers. Does that make them less athletic? Speed doesn't even translate into success. Ask the Raiders of the 90s (four of the fastest receivers in the game for most of the decade, no championships).
There is simply no comparison between the different sports. Baseball players play the longest season with the most games and least between game downtime. Football players play a more brutally physical game. Basketball players play the fastest paced game. Soccer players play the longest timed game without breaks. Sumo wrestlers have the most dedication. Rugby players go the longest without a true offseason. Every sport takes different skills. Every position within each sport takes different skills. Within the same sport or even same team, you have different skill sets that can't determine who is the better athlete. Is Payton Manning less of an athlete because he has less running speed than Demaryius Thomas? Is Derek Jeter a better athlete than A-Rod because Jeter has more rings?
Every professional American sport has the opposite argument as well. There are examples strewn throughout the sports world of athletes reporting out of shape. Charles Barkley once called Oliver Miller "UFO, Unidentified Fat Object." Nowadays, Sir Charles calling anyone fat would be a case of pot and kettle. Of course, Chuck hasn't stepped foot on a basketball court as a professional since 2000. Examples can be found off the hardwood: CC Sabathia is huge; pick any offensive lineman from the NFL; Dirk Nowitski of the world champion Dallas Mavericks reported overweight and out of shape in the post-lockout season.
Being able to throw a spiral is the mark of a quarterback. It's not even the mark of a good quarterback. I can throw a spiral (a topic that came up in the aforementioned family debate in the form of a $10 bet). I played defensive line in high school. Being able to pick off a batter on 1st or 2nd is a good skill for a pitcher. Mtich Williams was good at it. Unfortunately, he had very little control, earning him the nickname "Wild Thing" before Charlie Sheen's Rick Vaughn character. Williams is most famous for his blown save in giving up the walk-off home run to Joe Carter in game 6 of the 1993 World Series
Football players have to do all the stuff they do and do it in pads. (Catchers notwithstanding) baseball players don't. On the other hand, rugby players make fun of football players for wearing pads. There is no sure fire skill that translates across the different sports t measure who is the most athletic. The only skill that does translate across the sports is athleticism itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment