A Realistic View at 2016

[mvp 78]

no one said based on injuries. nba has a 12 man roster. to think the average nba player isnt more physically fit than the average MLB player is naive.

 

Being physically fit has nothing to do with playing a demanding sport. Is a 7 footer who jogs back and forth and can barely jump playing a more physically demanding sport than a starting CF? That's up to interpretation.

 

Is your question really "which sport requires the most aerobic exercise?"

 

Maybe you need to provide a better description of what you mean by "physically demanding."

[mvp 78]

In the NBA, you barely get dinged up from contact. Everything possible foul is called these days. McHale isn't clotheslining Rambis in '16 NBA finals.

 

In MLB, you have a hard object launched in your direction that is likely to break bones or give you a concussion. There is additional rotator cuff strain that pitchers face due to repetitive motions.

 

To me, MLB may be less athletic than the NBA, but is more physically demanding due to the higher likelihood of sustaining injuries.

[Hugh2]

to play any sport, hobby, game at a professional level is both physically and mentally taxing.

to think baseball isnt the least "physical" sport of the major 4 is plain wrong.

 

I beg to differ. Running on a treadmill for 30 minutes is 100X more physical than sprinting 60 feet 4 times in 30 minutes (at least it requires more physical activity) but the latter will dramatically increase your chance of injury and thus provide for much wear an tear.

 

I think people who are saying that baseball isn't that physically taxing don't understand human physiology that much. Something being physically challenging to do, and something being physically taxing on your body ARE NOT analogous. A lot of the motions that are functional in baseball are very unnatural movements. The Act of swinging a baseball bat, pitching a pitch, and going from 0-60 in a split second are very taxing on the body.

 

Also, someone who sits down and only has to get up to bat is probably less warmed up sitting on the bench, which if anything puts someone at a much larger risk of suffering an acute injury.

 

People who are looking at this, are looking at it from the wrong angle. I worked as a trainer, I was 30 credits shy of a degree in health and human performance before I switched to a business degree, I've worked in gyms my whole life and I've worked with a PT and professional athletes as well.....I know what I'm talking about.

 

P.S....I come in peace!!! not trying to sound stand offish.

[User Name]

i never denied that so why do i need to state it?

you think an MLB player is more physically demanding than NBA player you havent a clue.

 

Answer my question.

[User Name]

I beg to differ. Running on a treadmill for 30 minutes is 100X more physical than sprinting 60 feet 4 times in 30 minutes (at least it requires more physical activity) but the latter will dramatically increase your chance of injury and thus provide for much wear an tear.

 

I think people who are saying that baseball isn't that physically taxing don't understand human physiology that much. Something being physically challenging to do, and something being physically taxing on your body ARE NOT analogous. A lot of the motions that are functional in baseball are very unnatural movements. The Act of swinging a baseball bat, pitching a pitch, and going from 0-60 in a split second are very taxing on the body.

 

Also, someone who sits down and only has to get up to bat is probably less warmed up sitting on the bench, which if anything puts someone at a much larger risk of suffering an acute injury.

 

People who are looking at this, are looking at it from the wrong angle. I worked as a trainer, I was 30 credits shy of a degree in health and human performance before I switched to a business degree, I've worked in gyms my whole life and I've worked with a PT and professional athletes as well.....I know what I'm talking about.

 

P.S....I come in peace!!! not trying to sound stand offish.

 

You are now my spirit animal. You explained what I've been trying to explain in a much more eloquent manner. Swinging a bat and throwing a pitch are extremely taxing and unnatural motions with an extremely high rate of wear and tear/injury risk, and that's without the solid mass hurtling at you at up to 100 MPH.

[moonslav59]

Being physically fit has nothing to do with playing a demanding sport. Is a 7 footer who jogs back and forth and can barely jump playing a more physically demanding sport than a starting CF? That's up to interpretation.

 

Is your question really "which sport requires the most aerobic exercise?"

 

Maybe you need to provide a better description of what you mean by "physically demanding."

 

This topic has gotten off course. This all was started in the context of Papi playing DH vs other major sports (in general- not specific positions) and how it relates to his injuries.

.

I meant it in the context of Papi playing DH in MLB vs another major sport (other than maybe as a punter or place kicker). I was too vague in my initial statement and have been roasted alive with tangents and semantics.

 

Only a few have actually responded to the, what I felt was obvious, intent of my statement.

[moonslav59]

Based on injuries: NFL > NHL > MLB > NBA

the NBA.

But, in the context of Papi's situation, I can't see him running up and down the court with NBA players.

 

Playing any MLB position, other than maybe catcher and pitcher, would rank as less physically demanding than the NBA.

 

Out of all positions in the 4 major sports, in my opinion, only punter and placekicker rank as less demanding positions than DH.

[User Name]

But demanding in what sense, just to clear this up: Overall physical fitness or injury likelihood?

[Jasonbay44]

Basketball is actually a very injury prone sport, and there is a lot of severe injuries in that sport as well. When I was in HS, there was a lot of statistics showing that basketball was the third most injury prone sport behind obviously football and I wanna say the other sport was soccer. However, this was for the high school level and not the pros and I'm not sure how much those numbers would differ.

 

But basketball is definitely a sport that has a lot of injuries and I would love to see the numbers comparing injuries from different pro sports, because basketball has a lot, a majority are foot/ankle injuries, which was my issue when I played.

[Bellhorn04]

But demanding in what sense, just to clear this up: Overall physical fitness or injury likelihood?

 

I'll clarify me: Injury likelihood is what I've been talking about through all of this.

[moonslav59]

But demanding in what sense, just to clear this up: Overall physical fitness or injury likelihood?

 

For Papi, it doesn't matter which one, but I was intending to mean Physical fitness needed to play the game well- injuries were secondary but focused on foot stress.

[User Name]

But then that doesn't make any sense, since injuries to his legs and problems with preparation because of wear-and-tear on his body are reasons 1 and 1A why he's considering retirement.

[jacksonianmarch]

You are now my spirit animal. You explained what I've been trying to explain in a much more eloquent manner. Swinging a bat and throwing a pitch are extremely taxing and unnatural motions with an extremely high rate of wear and tear/injury risk, and that's without the solid mass hurtling at you at up to 100 MPH.

 

As a collegiate baseball player followed by a summer league and fall league player, I can tell you that the grind of the season is as taxing as anything I have ever done. No, a single game is certainly not as taxing as a football game. Anyone comparing a single game of each is foolish. But I have played 140 games in a season before. By the end, everything hurts, your arm is dragging, your legs have no life and your core is beat up beyond belief. And I did this as a 21 yr old. I couldn't imagine doing it now at 34, let alone at Papi's age of 39. I also hit the gym a fair amount and nothing actually makes me sorer than a softball game. Old man softball does it more than 90 minutes of weight lifting or cardio. There is no real way to simulate throwing a ball or swinging in anger than actually throwing the ball and swinging in anger.

 

I have also heard the whole unnatural thing about throwing a ball. There is nothing "unnatural" about throwing. It is how we ate when we were living in the woods before the dawn of civilization. But we didn't throw our spear 120 times in a 2.5 hour period every 5 days. That is the unnatural thing about it

 

Baseball is a lot of quick bursts with small muscles. The muscles in the feet, the hands, the wrists are put through insane stress. Even the pelvis and the core, those muscles are much larger, but there aren't many sports out there taking those muscles from absolutely nothing to absolutely everything in a twisting motion and back again like baseball.

[moonslav59]

I'll clarify me: Injury likelihood is what I've been talking about through all of this.

 

Yes, and I'm fine with that angle, since I was referring to Papi's physical issues.

 

I still think injuries are more likely in the NBA, especially if you are not in good shape.

 

I think a significant amount of baseball injuries are due to the fact that players do not need to be in good shape to be good at it, so they tweek hammies and backs, and groins, and...

[Spudboy]

As a collegiate baseball player followed by a summer league and fall league player, I can tell you that the grind of the season is as taxing as anything I have ever done. No, a single game is certainly not as taxing as a football game. Anyone comparing a single game of each is foolish. But I have played 140 games in a season before. By the end, everything hurts, your arm is dragging, your legs have no life and your core is beat up beyond belief. And I did this as a 21 yr old. I couldn't imagine doing it now at 34, let alone at Papi's age of 39. I also hit the gym a fair amount and nothing actually makes me sorer than a softball game. Old man softball does it more than 90 minutes of weight lifting or cardio. There is no real way to simulate throwing a ball or swinging in anger than actually throwing the ball and swinging in anger.

 

I have also heard the whole unnatural thing about throwing a ball. There is nothing "unnatural" about throwing. It is how we ate when we were living in the woods before the dawn of civilization. But we didn't throw our spear 120 times in a 2.5 hour period every 5 days. That is the unnatural thing about it

 

Baseball is a lot of quick bursts with small muscles. The muscles in the feet, the hands, the wrists are put through insane stress. Even the pelvis and the core, those muscles are much larger, but there aren't many sports out there taking those muscles from absolutely nothing to absolutely everything in a twisting motion and back again like baseball.

 

Was the grind of 140 games comparable in any way to medical school and residency?

[Slasher9]

Wow. A lot of "experts" in here.

NHL is by far the most physically demanding of the 4.

Nfl is second only slightly ahead of the nba. And that is only because it's a collision sport. But I bet nba players are pretty close to the NHL guys in fitness.

The MLB guys are far behind in 4th place.

Now if we are talking about the toughest thing to do in the 4 major sports it would be a toss up between hitting a baseball and scoring a goal in hockey. Both are fail percentage tasks.

Btw if we added that other sport called soccer they would bump MLB down to 5th......

[Slasher9]

The only professional sport someone like David Ortiz at this age and at this stage of his physical life could play is baseball.

And I don't think he could even do it in the national league.....

[User Name]

Wow. A lot of "experts" in here.

NHL is by far the most physically demanding of the 4.

Nfl is second only slightly ahead of the nba. And that is only because it's a collision sport. But I bet nba players are pretty close to the NHL guys in fitness.

The MLB guys are far behind in 4th place.

Now if we are talking about the toughest thing to do in the 4 major sports it would be a toss up between hitting a baseball and scoring a goal in hockey. Both are fail percentage tasks.

Btw if we added that other sport called soccer they would bump MLB down to 5th......

 

Are you an "expert"? Don't answer, it's a rhetorical question. So what makes your opinion more valid again?

[User Name]

As a collegiate baseball player followed by a summer league and fall league player, I can tell you that the grind of the season is as taxing as anything I have ever done. No, a single game is certainly not as taxing as a football game. Anyone comparing a single game of each is foolish. But I have played 140 games in a season before. By the end, everything hurts, your arm is dragging, your legs have no life and your core is beat up beyond belief. And I did this as a 21 yr old. I couldn't imagine doing it now at 34, let alone at Papi's age of 39. I also hit the gym a fair amount and nothing actually makes me sorer than a softball game. Old man softball does it more than 90 minutes of weight lifting or cardio. There is no real way to simulate throwing a ball or swinging in anger than actually throwing the ball and swinging in anger.

 

I have also heard the whole unnatural thing about throwing a ball. There is nothing "unnatural" about throwing. It is how we ate when we were living in the woods before the dawn of civilization. But we didn't throw our spear 120 times in a 2.5 hour period every 5 days. That is the unnatural thing about it

 

Baseball is a lot of quick bursts with small muscles. The muscles in the feet, the hands, the wrists are put through insane stress. Even the pelvis and the core, those muscles are much larger, but there aren't many sports out there taking those muscles from absolutely nothing to absolutely everything in a twisting motion and back again like baseball.

 

I've been powerlifting for almost 10 years (5 competitively): Zero major injuries.

 

I played a baseball/beer league mix for four: Two oblique strains, slight meniscus tear in left knee (don't wish that on Horseface Teixeira), grade 2 intercostal strain, and the birth of the bursa issues on my elbows.

 

But, I'm no expert.

[moonslav59]

Are you an "expert"? Don't answer, it's a rhetorical question. So what makes your opinion more valid again?

 

Yeah, I mean no Myth Busters references so no legitimacy.

[User Name]

Yeah, I mean no Myth Busters references so no legitimacy.

 

Seriously though, at least they follow some semblance of actual research instead of making s*** up on the internet, which we are all guilty off, to a certain extent. I'll take the myth busting over "this is what I said but it isn't what I said" any day of the week.

[User Name]

 

It may not meet the extremely high scientific standards of Talksox members who coincidentally don't share this opinion, but it's better than making s*** up on the internet.

 

Science!

[Jasonbay44]

I personally think fishing and poker are the most difficult sports, the wear and tear on the body is absurd.

[moonslav59]

I don't think this helps our position one bit, but if you do....

 

http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills

 

Most demanding sports:

1) Boxing

2) Ice Hockey

3) Football

4) Basketball

5) Wrestling

6) Martial Arts

7) Tennis

8) Gymnastics

9) Baseball/Softball

10) Soccer

 

and...

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/832927-what-is-the-worlds-toughest-sport/page/12

 

Youghest sports...

1) Water Polo

2) Aussie Rules

3) Boxing

4) Rugby

5) Ice Hockey

6) Football

7) Hurling

8) Basketball

9) Gymnastics

10) Gaelic Football

11) Soccer/Tennis

13) Ironman Triathlon

 

Again, this isn't my choice of proving anything, but neither is ghost busters, errr, I mean Myth Busters.

 

 

[SoxHop]

99 percent of the world would take a MLB gig.

 

99 percent of the world would take any other sport gig and get destroyed the first two hours of practice.......

 

I don't consider golf a sport.... kind of a beer drinkers hobby like darts.....

[Emp9]

Oh, Peil.... right.

[Emp9]

99 percent of the world would take a MLB gig.

 

99 percent of the world would take any other sport gig and get destroyed the first two hours of practice.......

 

I don't consider golf a sport.... kind of a beer drinkers hobby like darts.....

 

What about Lawn Darts? Lots of casualties

[User Name]

I personally think fishing and poker are the most difficult sports, the wear and tear on the body is absurd.

 

I had to quit my chess league for that very same reason.

[User Name]

99 percent of the world would take a MLB gig.

 

99 percent of the world would take any other sport gig and get destroyed the first two hours of practice.......

 

I don't consider golf a sport.... kind of a beer drinkers hobby like darts.....

 

1) No they wouldn't. Stop making stuff up.

 

2) No they wouldn't. Stop making stuff up.

 

3) Golf is a sport because it requires a lot of skill.

[User Name]

I don't think this helps our position one bit, but if you do....

 

http://espn.go.com/espn/page2/sportSkills

 

Most demanding sports:

1) Boxing

2) Ice Hockey

3) Football

4) Basketball

5) Wrestling

6) Martial Arts

7) Tennis

8) Gymnastics

9) Baseball/Softball

10) Soccer

 

and...

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/832927-what-is-the-worlds-toughest-sport/page/12

 

Youghest sports...

1) Water Polo

2) Aussie Rules

3) Boxing

4) Rugby

5) Ice Hockey

6) Football

7) Hurling

8) Basketball

9) Gymnastics

10) Gaelic Football

11) Soccer/Tennis

13) Ironman Triathlon

 

Again, this isn't my choice of proving anything, but neither is ghost busters, errr, I mean Myth Busters.

 

 

 

No it isn't. Scientific method and peer-reviewed sources bruh.

 

However, I must admit I admire your strength, for moving goalposts is hard work!