The post you've all been waiting for, well I've been waiting for it. As you can see, the results from you, the people, state which sport requires more athleticism.
Swimming - 77%
Baseball - 22 %
Many of you have probably guessed who is partial to what sport, and I'm sure if I had more male readers, there would have been a few more votes for baseball.
Here are my reasons for siding with swimming:
Look at Michael Phelps, he is the picture of health, strong, muscular, has great endurance. Being a swimmer requires a lot of training. Sure, anyone can become a swimmer, but those who were once heavy, quickly lose weight swimming. It is a sport of constant motion, the person who is the fastest wins. It does require coordination also, fly, breaststroke, flip turns, etc.
Baseball on the other hand isn't the picture of health. Look at Pablo Sandoval, he is fat. He almost always gets out at 1st base because he is slow. But he has great hand eye coordination. And, if you look closely, he has a tin of tobacco in his butt pocket (not to mention all the players who have done performance enhancing drugs - A Rod....). Yep, you can chew chaw while participating in your sport. It is a sport of outwitting the opponent with steeling bases, change ups and curve balls, not of power and endurance.
Kalli and Jo, I see both your points concerning hand eye coordination. But I've done both sports, and I think anyone could learn hand eye coordination. With the right timing, you can hit a ball or you can release a pitch so that it lands in a catchable location. And swimming can be learned also. I'm not saying anyone could be a professional at either sport, but that both sports can be learned by anyone. But one will improve your health, while the other will improve your socialization skills while you are chilling in left field waiting for someone to hit a perfectly timed pitch to you.
I'm still sticking with swimming requires more athleticism. Skills can be learned with enough practice. You can do anything you want to do.
Baseball on the other hand isn't the picture of health. Look at Pablo Sandoval, he is fat. He almost always gets out at 1st base because he is slow. But he has great hand eye coordination. And, if you look closely, he has a tin of tobacco in his butt pocket (not to mention all the players who have done performance enhancing drugs - A Rod....). Yep, you can chew chaw while participating in your sport. It is a sport of outwitting the opponent with steeling bases, change ups and curve balls, not of power and endurance.
Kalli and Jo, I see both your points concerning hand eye coordination. But I've done both sports, and I think anyone could learn hand eye coordination. With the right timing, you can hit a ball or you can release a pitch so that it lands in a catchable location. And swimming can be learned also. I'm not saying anyone could be a professional at either sport, but that both sports can be learned by anyone. But one will improve your health, while the other will improve your socialization skills while you are chilling in left field waiting for someone to hit a perfectly timed pitch to you.
I'm still sticking with swimming requires more athleticism. Skills can be learned with enough practice. You can do anything you want to do.
And isn't baseball being removed from the Olympics?
Comments?
4 comments:
I already voted for swimming and commented about it, but I just wanted to say again that I'm with you on this one. Yes, baseball may take skill, but skill does not equate with athleticism. There are lots of things that take skill, hand-eye coordination, or whatever that are clearly not sports. "Athletic" has more to do with physical strength and ability.
So you can say that baseball players are skilled, but I don't think you can say they are necessarily athletic because they are skilled. And I certainly don't think you can say they are MORE athletic than, say, a swimmer because they are skilled at what they do.
Tell Bill to show me a baseball player that can outrun Usain Bolt to first base and I'll grant him that the baseball player is athletic. :)
"It is a sport of outwitting the opponent with steeling bases, change ups and curve balls, not of power and endurance.".......you obviously never played baseball. Do you honestly think it requires no speed to STEAL a base or no arm strength and stamina to throw curveballs and change-ups? Do you have any idea of the physical toll it takes to pitch? Could you hit a 100mph, or an 85 mph slider the other way for a homerun? Could you scale a wall to rob a hitter of a homerun? Suuuure no athleticism...lol
Check the definition of athleticism....and yes, you have no idea what you're talking about.
Jay
Jay,
I didn't say that baseball players weren't athletes, I said that swimming requires more athleticism.
I have to disagree with part of what you said. I don't think any amount of practice would produce good hand-eye coordination for me. I voted for baseball based on me. I will always be afraid of playing baseball. I love swimming:) Hopefully for the honor of the Olson name, my boys won't take after me.
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