Of the 6 major sports, does basketball require the least amount of skill?

[QUOTE=Sarcastic]

There's a better chance of Lebron James being able to make it as a soccer player than a short soccer player making it to the NBA.[/QUOTE]
I think thats kind of proving the point made by the OP in this thread. The athleticism threshold to make it in the NBA is MUCH higher than in any other sports.. You can be an average sized guy and be in the MLB.. or the NFL[assuming you hit the gym].. or the NHL, but theres no way to boost your height.. so if you're not tall you cant make the NBA. And in addition to being tall, you have to have the coordination and movement/quickness of a guy 6 inches shorter than you.

[QUOTE=tpols]I think thats kind of proving the point made by the OP in this thread. The athleticism threshold to make it in the NBA is MUCH higher than in any other sports.. You can be an average sized guy and be in the MLB.. or the NFL[assuming you hit the gym].. or the NHL, but theres no way to boost your height.. so if you're not tall you cant make the NBA. And in addition to being tall, you have to have the coordination and movement/quickness of a guy 6 inches shorter than you.[/QUOTE]

I thought the OP talking about "skill"?

[QUOTE=catch24]I thought the OP talking about "skill"?[/QUOTE]
In a lot of people's minds athleticism is like the opposite of skill. People who get by on pure athleticism are often looked at as having the 'easy way' to success in whatever theyre playing where as people who get by on skill are often marveled at for their work ethic and dedication. So since a lot of NBA players get by on their height and athleticism alone, the OP looks at that as them being less skilled by their counterparts in other sports. And when you think about it in today's age, it's kind of true. The fundamentals in basketball are being eroded. Look how many guys cant even shoot the ball or make the correct passes. It's all about how hard you can dunk and how good your dribbling looks.. and scouts pick guys almost exclusively on their physical specs instead of their actual games saying they can be 'molded'.

[QUOTE=tpols]In a lot of people's minds athleticism is like the opposite of skill. People who get by on pure athleticism are often looked at as having the 'easy way' to success in whatever theyre playing where as people who get by on skill are often marveled at for their work ethic and dedication. So since a lot of NBA players get by on their height and athleticism alone, the OP looks at that as them being less skilled by their counterparts in other sports. And when you think about it in today's age, it's kind of true. The fundamentals in basketball are being eroded. Look how many guys cant even shoot the ball or make the correct passes. It's all about how hard you can dunk and how good your dribbling looks.. and scouts pick guys almost exclusively on their physical specs instead of their actual games saying they can be 'molded'.[/QUOTE]

I don't disagree with anything you've said. Good stuff. In-terms of [I]skill[/I]; however, how would you rank the sports - least to most difficult or vice versa?

[QUOTE=Sarcastic]Hakeem Olajuwon played soccer and was supposedly a great goalie.

There's a better chance of Lebron James being able to make it as a soccer player than a short soccer player making it to the NBA.[/QUOTE]

Goalie again... Lebron, even trainning since a little kid, would have no chance to make it as a soccer player (not talking about gk's). First, he would not play in a high level soccer country. Second, he's just too tall. I only know one player over 6'6, Peter Crouch and he looks clumsy as hell (just like Lebron would) and is far from being a great player.

And about the goalie part, Lebron would be the tallest gk in the premier league. While the height is great to defend high shots, the low corner shots would kill him.

[QUOTE=catch24]I don't disagree with anything you've said. Good stuff. In-terms of [I]skill[/I]; however, how would you rank the sports - least to most difficult or vice versa?[/QUOTE]
In terms of pure ability to master all of the skills related to one's sport[hardest to easiest]:

Soccer
Basketball
Baseball
Hockey
Football

In my last ranking I had the order different, but in that one I was ranking them based on how important skill is to dominate. Like in soccer for instance, you need to be extremely skilled at juggling the ball, kicking, having great footwork, etc. You need to be skilled to play. In basketball however, youll see 7 footers pulled off the street who have very little skills at all[see hasheem thabeet].. but to master basketball's full range of skills is very hard. You you need great footwork, great coordination to be able to sync your dribbling with your movement, great touch on your shot, the ability to pass anywhere on the court and to make all different types of passes.. shit even things like rebounding can be skillful. Look at how rodman always was able to put himself in position to rebound the ball. Thats a skill. The thing is though most NBA players dont need to master these skills to make it.. so they just get by on their athleticism. That doesn't take away from how hard it is to master the full range of basketball skills though.

[QUOTE=tpols]In terms of pure ability to master all of the skills related to one's sport[hardest to easiest]:

Soccer
Basketball
Baseball
Hockey
Football

In my last ranking I had the order different, but in that one I was ranking them based on how important skill is to dominate. Like in soccer for instance, you need to be extremely skilled at juggling the ball, kicking, having great footwork, etc. You need to be skilled to play. In basketball however, youll see 7 footers pulled off the street who have very little skills at all[see hasheem thabeet].. but to master basketball's full range of skills is very hard. You you need great footwork, great coordination to be able to sync your dribbling with your movement, great touch on your shot, the ability to pass anywhere on the court and to make all different types of passes.. shit even things like rebounding can be skillful. Look at how rodman always was able to put himself in position to rebound the ball. Thats a skill. The thing is though most NBA players dont need to master these skills to make it.. so they just get by on their athleticism. That doesn't take away from how hard it is to master the full range of basketball skills though.[/QUOTE]

Another solid post. Quick question though - and be honest. If an athlete had one off season to pickup a sport, which of the following is he more likely going to excel at? Soccer, Basketball or Baseball? You pick the position(s) you want to enhance your skillset btw.

[QUOTE=tpols]In my last ranking I had the order different, but in that one I was ranking them based on how important skill is to dominate. Like in soccer for instance, you need to be extremely skilled at juggling the ball, kicking, having great footwork, etc. You need to be skilled to play. In basketball however, youll see 7 footers pulled off the street who have very little skills at all[see hasheem thabeet].. but to master basketball's full range of skills is very hard. You you need great footwork, great coordination to be able to sync your dribbling with your movement, great touch on your shot, the ability to pass anywhere on the court and to make all different types of passes.. shit even things like rebounding can be skillful. Look at how rodman always was able to put himself in position to rebound the ball. Thats a skill. The thing is though most NBA players dont need to master these skills to make it.. so they just get by on their athleticism. That doesn't take away from how hard it is to master the full range of basketball skills though.[/QUOTE]

All sports are extremely hard to master. I've played with soccer pro's and they made every amateur on the field looking like a 10 year old kid. It's a completely different level. The power on their shots is just crazy.

[QUOTE=lakers_forever]All sports are extremely hard to master. I've played with soccer pro's and they made every amateur on the field looking like a 10 year old kid. It's a completely different level. The power on their shots is just crazy.[/QUOTE]
I ranked soccer as the number one hardest sport to master in terms of skill.

[QUOTE=tpols]I ranked soccer as the number one hardest sport to master in terms of skill.[/QUOTE]

Oops. My bad. But I don't know about being the hardest. All of them are hard as hell to master. It's a difficult comparison.

[QUOTE=catch24]Another solid post. Quick question though - and be honest. If an athlete had one off season to pickup a sport, which of the following is he more likely going to excel at? Soccer, Basketball or Baseball? You pick the position(s) you want to enhance your skillset btw.[/QUOTE]
Assuming the athlete is like 6'1 or 6'2 so he could competitively play a position in basketball, I'd say baseball. I've seen kids who were just HS level soccer players, who could juggle the ball with their feet incredibly.. like keep it going for over 5 minutes. I cant even imagine how good/skilled you'd have to be to be in higher levels. And its very hard to pick up the coordination with your feet for soccer if you never played it when you were young.

And with basketball, have you ever seen a kid play it for the first time at like 16 or 17? They will look so uncoordinated it's not even funny. Their shooting form will look awkward.. they will be looking at the ground when they dribble.. overall it just takes so much practice to master all of the fine details of basketball. And assuming this guy is around the height I listed before, he would have to be a point guard.. meaning he'd have to be even more skilled than your average player to excel.

With baseball, I've never seen an athletic kid not be able to throw the ball or swing a bat. It's a natural thing for us to be able to throw a ball or swing a bat. It's much more foreign to be juggling a ball with your feet, or bouncing a ball on the ground at all different angles around your body while you're moving. Sure it takes a lot of practice to get baseball down but I think you have an easier base to work with.

[QUOTE=tpols]I think thats kind of proving the point made by the OP in this thread. The athleticism threshold to make it in the NBA is MUCH higher than in any other sports.. You can be an average sized guy and be in the MLB.. or the NFL[assuming you hit the gym].. or the NHL, but theres no way to boost your height.. so if you're not tall you cant make the NBA. And in addition to being tall, you have to have the coordination and movement/quickness of a guy 6 inches shorter than you.[/QUOTE]

I disagree. Being tall is just a secondary condition you need to go along with skill. There are lots of very tall people in the world, and they don't automatically make it to the NBA. It requires amazing skill as well.

If every basketball player ever was tall you may have a point, but Muggsy Bogues and Spudd Webb prove height is not the determining factor for making the NBA.

[QUOTE=tpols]Assuming the athlete is like 6'1 or 6'2 so he could competitively play a position in basketball, I'd say baseball. I've seen kids who were just HS level soccer players, who could juggle the ball with their feet incredibly.. like keep it going for over 5 minutes. I cant even imagine how good/skilled you'd have to be to be in higher levels. And its very hard to pick up the coordination with your feet for soccer if you never played it when you were young.

And with basketball, have you ever seen a kid play it for the first time at like 16 or 17? [B]They will look so uncoordinated it's not even funny. Their shooting form will look awkward.. they will be looking at the ground when they dribble.. [/B]overall it just takes so much practice to master all of the fine details of basketball. And assuming this guy is around the height I listed before, he would have to be a point guard.. meaning he'd have to be even more skilled than your average player to excel.

With baseball, I've never seen an athletic kid not be able to throw the ball or swing a bat. It's a natural thing for us to be able to throw a ball or swing a bat. It's much more foreign to be juggling a ball with your feet, or bouncing a ball on the ground at all different angles around your body while you're moving. Sure it takes a lot of practice to get baseball down but I think you have an easier base to work with.[/QUOTE]

Just wanted to hear your idealization of the three sports and what make them difficult. Thanks. You're definitely right about the bold. Shit is too funny :oldlol:. Almost like a fish out of water.

And yeah, an athlete being 6'1" / 6'2" would be ideal for all sports (you could play any position in both baseball and soccer, and at least one in basketball). Swinging (and making contact)/throwing a baseball is probably easiest to pickup, but doing them consistently? I'd take my chances with shooting and dribbling a ball, or juggling/kicking for sure. Baseball at a professional level is still the toughest sport to play, IMO.

[QUOTE=Sarcastic]I disagree. Being tall is just a secondary condition you need to go along with skill. There are lots of very tall people in the world, and they don't automatically make it to the NBA. It requires amazing skill as well.

If every basketball player ever was tall you may have a point, but Muggsy Bogues and Spudd Webb prove height is not the determining factor for making the NBA.[/QUOTE]
Bro.. I'm not saying basketball is not a skillful sport. I actually think it is one of the hardest sports to master. There are just so many different skills to master. But the fact is most NBA players dont need to master those skills because they get by on their athleticism more than anything else. Being tall is a necessary condition to make it in the NBA. You just named the two biggest outliers in the history of the game. Bottom line if you're 6'10 and coordinated[and I dont mean in the basketball way, I just mean you're able to run fast, jump, catch a ball, do some of the basics etc.] you can make the NBA. If you're 6'0 with the same skillset as the 6'10 guy, however, you're not even making a division 2 college squad.

[QUOTE=catch24] Baseball at a professional level is still the toughest sport to play, IMO.[/QUOTE]
it might be.. this is all just my opinion. To me, they are all close. You will have to put in years and years of your life to master any sport's skillset..