What do you think is the hardest thing to do in sports?

[BLUE 1,026]

I imagine this will vary depending on what sports you follow the closest. For me, it has to be hitting a baseball. A hitter literally has tenths of a second to recognize what pitch is being thrown to him based on some very minute details (arm angle, shape of the red stitches as the pitch approaches him etc), adjust to it, all while it's being thrown at them at insanely high speeds, and make contact. Getting a hit 30% of the time in baseball is considered good.

 

For sports I don't follow, I think being a race car driver and hockey goalie would be insanely difficult, as well.

Edited September 29, 2013 by BLUE

[RazorStar 4,025]

Play for the Mets.

[BLUE 1,026]

Ha!

[The Burfict Storm 39]

Lose gracefully.

[southgadawg 52]

In my youth I was blessed to be exceptionally talented at several sports (although obviously a master of none..though I am pretty sure I could have played minor league baseball if I had chose that route). I have played basketball with guys that played in the NBA (as well as playing basketball against the best woman athlete I have ever met in Teresa Edwards--5 time olympian!). I have played baseball against guys that played in the MLB. I have played football with guys that played in the NFL (but admittedly only "friendly" pick up games on this one). I have played tennis with guys that played on the pro-circuit. On a side note I have played chess against more than one grand master and pool against former world champion Johnny Archer.

 

I'd have to say that hitting a baseball successfully (for a basehit) has got to be one of the most difficult things in sports. I could hit a 95 mph fastball but it was a good slider that would make me look silly. Think about this how many things in sports if you convert into a 30% (.300 avg) you are doing far above average? I'd think that the vast majority of people who were off the street and trying to face a good major league level pitcher wouldn't even stand in the batter's box after the pitch was thrown (unless they just closed their eyes and were too frozen in terror to move lol).

Edited September 29, 2013 by southgadawg

[Bay 2,003]

Hitting a baseball.

Mastering DB in Todays NFL

 

I'd imagine being a goalkeeper (especially on penalty kicks) in Soccer is quite tough even though scoring chances are down

 

I mean that net is frickin huge

[OSUViking 505]

Responding to adversity. It's something that people with all of the talent in the world fail to do, and for that, they fail.

[southgadawg 52]

Responding to adversity. It's something that people with all of the talent in the world fail to do, and for that, they fail.

Very good answer! I will admit I wasn't looking at the question from that point of view until you gave that answer. Surely that is one of the things that the majority of professional athletes struggle with no matter their sport.

[theMileHighGuy 656]

I think it's playing quarterback in the NFL. We see time and time again just how hard it is. The ball is in your hands every play, and you get credit for every win and every loss.

 

With the way the rules changes have gone, CB is now getting next to impossible to play well, so mad respect to those that do it.

[Sarge+ 3,436]

Hitting off a guy like David Price or Clayton Kershaw when they are on their A game.

[southgadawg 52]

I think it's playing quarterback in the NFL. We see time and time again just how hard it is. The ball is in your hands every play, and you get credit for every win and every loss.

 

With the way the rules changes have gone, CB is now getting next to impossible to play well, so mad respect to those that do it.

Your answer brings a couple of questions to my mind...1. is just playing qb in the nfl that difficult? (and yes it is definitely difficult but how difficult?) 2. how are you determining what a successful qb is? (is it win %? is it completion? ESPN's QBR? quaterback rating? what is the measurement?)

 

You also have hit on both sides of the same coin. You acknowledge that defensive backs now have a much more difficult time doing their job well because in essence the quarterback's job has been made easier.

 

Don't get me wrong I am not saying that being an NFL qb is easy by any stretch of the imagination. I certainly couldn't imagine lining up behind center, reading the defense, and the making a completed pass play 20 yards down the field. However there are any number of quarterbacks each season that complete over 60% of their passes. What is it specifically about being a quarterback that is the thing (or things) that make it so difficult.

 

LOL and yeah I like this thread because I want to see people's thought processes.

[seanbrock 1,684]

Gymnastics seems retardedly hard.

 

I never played Center, but I can imagine making calls at the line, making sure the snap is right and blocking the biggest guys on the opposing team is pretty damn hard.

 

Like some have mentioned, hitting at the major league level seems pretty nuts.

 

How about trying to defend a player like LeBron James or Durant.

[housemd 338]

Bay mentioned it, being a goalie in soccer is a hard job. That goal is huge plus the players today are very accurate.

[oochymp 2,393]

hockey goalie has got to be up there, you're trying to stop a 3 inch disk of rubber that can be hit at up to 100 MPH, you often have players blocking your view of the shot, meaning you might not even see the puck until it's only a few feet from you, it can be deflected, changing the direction, at any time between when it's hit and when you have to stop it, and oh yeah, when you do manage to stop it, there are other guys standing right next to you waiting to stash a rebound if you don't immediately get control of it, how NHL goalies regularly maintain over 90% save percentages is beyond me

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Anything where you are lining up or playing one on one against somebody else with the ball or otherwise sport object seems like it would be extremely difficult to me. All there is between you

Playing goalie in Hockey or Soccer... Both hitting and throwing a baseball (as a pitcher) seems like it would be increidbly difficult. Mosrt of you have talked about how hard it is to hit the ball... But man, to consistently put the pressure on your arm to throw a variety of speeds 100+ times a game and get it within that strike zone? I could never do it.... Playing CB in the NFL.

And to be honest... Being a ref / umpire / whatever for any sports crosses me as being extremely difficult.


But that's why we love the sports we do, I suppose.

[BigBen07 285]

For an individual accomplishment example:

 

Baseball: one of them is trying to pitch a perfect game. It's impossible to predict what's going to happen on each pitch. A batter could get a hit, be walked if there is a 3 ball count, or get hit by the pitch itself. Also, a fielder could end up getting an error at any point, or the ball can take a bad bounce. You just never know.

Edited September 30, 2013 by BigBen07

[blotsfan 2,112]

Going against a top MMA fighter.

[BwareDWare94 723]

I'm going to discount playing quarterback right off the bat. There are several harder positions in football.

 

1. Hitting a baseball. I can't even hit a 60mph pitch.

2. Dirt track race car driver. You have to learn how to drive with immense speed and control, and the surface is ALWAYS different.

3. Cornerback--It's all physical skill.

4. Offensive Lineman in football/Post defender in basketball. Both positions require you exert all of your physical strength on nearly every play, and you have to regain that strength snap after snap after snap.

5. Kicker in football. I think it's ridiculous that this hasn't been mentioned yet.

[BUCK3Y3 44]

Cheer for the Brown's.

No one has even mentioned Golf. Its fucking hard.

[Cheese Head 11]

For me it has to be hitting a baseball or softball. Never been very good at it.

[housemd 338]

Ski jumping.

[Phins4life 271]

In no particular order...

 

- Haven't seen it mentioned yet, but returning a 140+ MPH serve in tennis is up there.

- batting consistently in the majors

- pitching a perfect game

- Iron Man triathlons...seriously, it's insane

- Staying on your feet for 12 rounds while another guy relentlessly swings at you

- Countless others

 

Idk...way too hard to break it down to one thing, but if I had to choose, I'd say winning a triathlon. The amount of time you have to put in to build up that kind of cardio endurance is staggering.

[BJORN 679]

Hardest thing to do: Hit a baseball.

 

Hardest thing to win: Stanley Cup.

[Maverick 791]

Just saw this thread. Cool thread, Eduardo.

 

Football: Holding onto the ball after a catch

Baseball: Hitting the ball

Soccer: Defend some of these talented ball handlers

Hockey: Definitely goalie

Basketball: not fouling when players drive the basket lol

[oochymp 2,393]

Soccer: Defend some of these talented ball handlers

I would argue blocking a pk is the toughest thing to do in soccer