Basketball vs Football

[Ilmater]

PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE ANSWERING THE POLL QUESTION. Here is my argument. The requirements of a basketball player is:

A) Tall
B) Coordinated

Requirements of a football player:

A) Tall (to a degree, depends on position)
B) Fast
C) Strong
D) Agile
E) Coordinated
F) Intelligence

I don't care for basketball. I don't hate it, I just think that football is a superior sport and requires far more from its players. My friend today told me that, "basketball has the best athletes in the world, period." I think that by ANY measure, that's ridiculous. I want to see how many of you agree. I think that as long as you can shoot well and are tall enough to compete, you can be a basketball player. That's one skill. Even the fattest football players have to be as agile as possible, as balanced as possible, as strong and fast as possible, and have to be very smart.

The intelligence one is the toughest to argue. I'm not saying basketball players are dumb, I'm saying they don't have to be as smart as the average football player. A football player will spend more time studying their opponent and working on their own skill than a basketball player. And on any given play, a football player has to react much faster to a wider variety of moves from the defense/offense than a basketball player.

Please set one of us straight. I realize that what makes an "athlete" is really tough to define, but I think that this example is pretty cut and dry in favor of football players.

 

[HomerSapien]

lol.... neither. both are overpaid pansies.

 

[coldmeat]

You think that basketball players aren't agile or fast? And there is no way that the best athletes are in football or basketball.

 

[Deeko]

Oh come on...I watch both, I'm a much bigger fan of football, and think football players are much more athletic. However, to say all a basketball player needs is to be tall and coordinated is just plain stupid.

 

[wkabel23]

Centers need to be tall; o and d line need to be fat. :roll:

Basketball is an amazing sport, by far one of the simplest sports to just pick up and play in the same conditions that professionals play in. Don't have to bother with pads, or finding 22 people. I've played both and I enjoyed both. It is hard to go out and play an actual game of football though...but I can, and do, play bball at the gym almost every day.

Stop debating what makes an athlete and go play one of the sports, imo.

 

[slsmnaz]

different types of athletes. Many excelled at both sports until they had to choose. There's even been a Heisman winner that played in the NBA rather than the NFL.

 

[dbk]

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
different types of athletes. Many excelled at both sports until they had to choose. There's even been a Heisman winner that played in the NBA rather than the NFL.

His name was Charlie Ward.

 

[Unheard]

Hockey > Baseball > Football > Golf > Bowling > Curling > Water Polo > Basketball

 

[BigJ]

Defensive backs and wide receivers are probably the best examples of what an athlete truly is.

 

[LS20]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
I think that as long as you can shoot well and are tall enough to compete, you can be a basketball player.

wow. its that easy? what am i doing working a 9-5 making thousands when i could play a few hours a week making millions

 

[neegotiator]

I'll admit football players are probably the better athletes (though guys like Dwight Howard and Amare Stoudemire make a good case for basketball players), but these guys are on the move constantly and the centers and forwards take a beating down in the paint so they're not slouches far as conditioning goes. But just because you're tall and coordinated doesn't make you the best basketball player. Obviously the point-guard has to react to different defenses and different defenders, and set-up the offense for their teammates. Guys on D have to provide help defense quickly, watch for cutters, etc... Given the 24 second shot-clock, it's not like they've got an eternity to decide, they've gotta move pretty quick too.

I'm not sure how you got to football players spending more time studying/working on their skillset. Guards'll work on their ball handling, keeping guys in front of them on D, shooting off screens, etc...defenders study tapes of their opponents to see what their tendencies are, where they like to get the ball, or whatever kind of info gives defenders an edge. They have to prepare just like football players, and as far as skillset possibly more so because they have to work on both offensive and defensive ends.

 

[Deeko]

Originally posted by: BigJ
Defensive backs and wide receivers are probably the best examples of what an athlete truly is.

Halfbacks? In addition to having most of the responsibilities of a WR, they are expected to be a lot stronger & to be able to pass protect.

 

[sciencewhiz]

Couldn't Antonio Gates not cut it at Basketball, so he became one of the best TEs in the game?

 

[msparish]

Depends on what you define as athleticism. Different attributes are needed for each sport. That said, it is much more difficult to play in the NBA than it is to play in the NFL. The NBA has a much larger pool of players to select from and there are many fewer spots available in the league. Based on that alone, NBA > NFL. If you don't think NBA players are fast, strong, and agile you are a fool. In addition, NBA schemes can be very complex. The big difference in scouting comes from the fact that NFL teams play 1 game per week. NBA teams can play 4 games in 5 nights.

That said, it is a pointless comparison. There are probably a handful of players in the NBA that could play in the NFL. Likewise, there are only a handful of players in the NFL that could play in the NBA. The two sports require different types of bodies and different types of athleticism.

 

[cubby1223]

Meh, can't call Basketball as having the best athletes, because the very first requirement of an nba player is height, which really isn't an athletic skill by any stretch of the imagination.

 

[zinfamous]

have you seen football players?

what has compelled you to even consider intelligence being a necessity among them?

QB maybe, but absolutely no other player needs to think on the field--and it shows. glaringly.

 

[Double Trouble]

OP, I pretty much agree with your analysis. I enjoy both bball and football, but overall I think the top football players are much better athletes. Sure, bball players have incredible skills etc, but football players (depending on the position) by and large have to have a larger variety of skills and master them all. So you can run fast? Yippee for you, but can you block? Can you run routes? Can you catch? Can you understand 2 deep coverage versus a straight zone? etc etc....

 

[slsmnaz]

Originally posted by: cubby1223
Meh, can't call Basketball as having the best athletes, because the very first requirement of an nba player is height, which really isn't an athletic skill by any stretch of the imagination.

yeah cause guys like AI and Steve Nash are huge

 

[BigJ]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Originally posted by: BigJ
Defensive backs and wide receivers are probably the best examples of what an athlete truly is.

Halfbacks? In addition to having most of the responsibilities of a WR, they are expected to be a lot stronger & to be able to pass protect.

Ah forgot halfbacks. Thanks.

 

[tfinch2]

Basketball players are more conditioned, jump higher, and are quicker. Football players are stronger and run faster. Both are equally coordinated.

More NBA players could play in the NFL than NFL players that can play in the NBA. Basketball requires more skill.

 

[dougp]

Originally posted by: Ilmater
PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE ANSWERING THE POLL QUESTION. Here is my argument. The requirements of a basketball player is:

A) Tall
B) Coordinated

Requirements of a football player:

A) Tall (to a degree, depends on position)
B) Fast
C) Strong
D) Agile
E) Coordinated
F) Intelligence

I don't care for basketball. I don't hate it, I just think that football is a superior sport and requires far more from its players. My friend today told me that, "basketball has the best athletes in the world, period." I think that by ANY measure, that's ridiculous. I want to see how many of you agree. I think that as long as you can shoot well and are tall enough to compete, you can be a basketball player. That's one skill. Even the fattest football players have to be as agile as possible, as balanced as possible, as strong and fast as possible, and have to be very smart.

The intelligence one is the toughest to argue. I'm not saying basketball players are dumb, I'm saying they don't have to be as smart as the average football player. A football player will spend more time studying their opponent and working on their own skill than a basketball player. And on any given play, a football player has to react much faster to a wider variety of moves from the defense/offense than a basketball player.

Please set one of us straight. I realize that what makes an "athlete" is really tough to define, but I think that this example is pretty cut and dry in favor of football players.

A) Tall (to a degree, depends on position)
B) Fast
C) Strong
D) Agile
E) Coordinated
F) Intelligence

Fast? Tony Parker, Kobe Bryant, Steven Nash, Jason Kidd, Clyde Drexler
Strong? Shaq, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Yao, Carlos Boozer, Karl Malone
Agile? Clyde Drexler, Nate Robinson,

Man, screw it - you have no KNOWLEDGE of what it'd take to be a basketball player. Very few players have the knowledge in the NFL - perhaps roaming safeties, QBs, RBs, WRs, etc. but a majority of the players don't have the "football IQ." Pretty much any player in the NBA save for probably 25% have more IQ than 80-90 of football players. That's because every player on the floor must have the grasp of shifting, zones, etc. and how to read moves. That is probably the only place anyone in basketball has over football. I'd say they equal out overall in the long run.

 

[Jawo]

Australian Football players > *

Seriously watch a game....its like rugby/soccer/american football all belnded together.

 

[zinfamous]

Originally posted by: dbk

Originally posted by: slsmnaz
different types of athletes. Many excelled at both sports until they had to choose. There's even been a Heisman winner that played in the NBA rather than the NFL.

His name was Charlie Ward.

and he actually didn't meet the requirements needed for him to play his position in the NFL:
1: height
2: white

so he went over to basketball, which really doesn't have a height requirement (Spud Webb, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, John Stockton (that dirty little elf), Jerry West, Steve Nash....

 

[imported_quasi]

ESPN says hockey is harder than both.

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

 

[Imdmn04]

Your poll is stupid, and you can't compare the different athletic ability that each sport requires.

I can just easily say football players are bunch of fat asses that just push people around like how you say bball players are just bunch of tall people. I hate it when people berate a sport when they don't understand it.