Does football really require skill to play?

[plantcity3]

Baseball far and away requires the most skill, whiple I'd say football is the easiest to play for someone starting out.

That said, I would say football is the hardest/most sophisticated game to play and understand, especially the higher up you get.

The only skill required for baseball is patience. It barely qualifies as a sport; it's more of an exercise in uninterrupted tedium. Any good athlete can play the game- it's just that few want to. The idea that baseball "far and away requires the most skill" is utterly ridiculous. It's the type of thing that pudgy kids with no athletic ability typically say to make themselves feel better.

What kind of patience allows you to hit a 95 mph fastball?

What happened to Jordan when he tried baseball? TMac recently?

 

[TRock305]

Baseball far and away requires the most skill, whiple I'd say football is the easiest to play for someone starting out.

That said, I would say football is the hardest/most sophisticated game to play and understand, especially the higher up you get.

The only skill required for baseball is patience. It barely qualifies as a sport; it's more of an exercise in uninterrupted tedium. Any good athlete can play the game- it's just that few want to. The idea that baseball "far and away requires the most skill" is utterly ridiculous. It's the type of thing that pudgy kids with no athletic ability typically say to make themselves feel better.

What kind of patience allows you to hit a 95 mph fastball?

What happened to Jordan when he tried baseball? TMac recently?

Easier to do than to tackle Barry Sanders in the open field. Any good athlete who dedicates himself to the task can hit a 95 mph fastball every once in awhile.

Notice how Jordan and TMac didn't tryout for an NFL team. How'd Bo Jackson do when he played MLB after he sustained a career ending football injury? Wasn't he an all star?

Baseball is like golf. It's for old and injured athletes-- and wannabes who can't compete in a real sport.

 

[Cane Dynasty]

Nothing requires skill to play.

Everything requires skill to excel at.

Stupid thread is bout as dumb as it gets.

 

[KtrainHurricane]

Nothing requires skill to play.

Everything requires skill to excel at.

Stupid thread is bout as dumb as it gets.

Again, I'd argue that hockey is the one sport that does require "skill" to play, considering most people don't know how to skate. If you can't skate, it's not possible to play this particular sport... On the other hand, pretty much everybody can run or walk, which is what's fundamentally required for almost every other sport.

 

[CaneGangForEver]

Football requires less skill than most other professional sports. How can anyone say a sport like Hockey takes less skill than football? Golf also requires much more skill than Football. Soccer as well.

For the genius who attempted to use Jordan as an example as to why baseball takes less skill than football. Why would Jordan go play football when he played baseball at a younger age and had ZERO experience in playing football. If football takes so much skill why can a guy like Jimmy Grahm, who would have no NBA success, come into the NFL and dominate?

It's most people here would crap on a sport like soccer when they have zero idea on what skills are needed in the sport. Same people would crap on professional tennis players and be like "LOL tennis pansy sport".

The fact is every single sport requires its own set of skills. From football to swimming, it's just that football is at the lower part of the totem in the skill department. Doesn't make it less enjoyable

 

[plantcity3]

Baseball far and away requires the most skill, whiple I'd say football is the easiest to play for someone starting out.

That said, I would say football is the hardest/most sophisticated game to play and understand, especially the higher up you get.

The only skill required for baseball is patience. It barely qualifies as a sport; it's more of an exercise in uninterrupted tedium. Any good athlete can play the game- it's just that few want to. The idea that baseball "far and away requires the most skill" is utterly ridiculous. It's the type of thing that pudgy kids with no athletic ability typically say to make themselves feel better.

What kind of patience allows you to hit a 95 mph fastball?

What happened to Jordan when he tried baseball? TMac recently?

Easier to do than to tackle Barry Sanders in the open field. Any good athlete who dedicates himself to the task can hit a 95 mph fastball every once in awhile.

Notice how Jordan and TMac didn't tryout for an NFL team. How'd Bo Jackson do when he played MLB after he sustained a career ending football injury? Wasn't he an all star?

Baseball is like golf. It's for old and injured athletes-- and wannabes who can't compete in a real sport.

My reply is not which one is easier. Im responding to your claim that baseball requires no skill. This entire topic is silly to argue back and forth. Every sport has a select few that can perform at a high level. Thats why they get the millions.

If baseball is so easy, and you get paid millions in guaranteed money, why are you not trying out? Yes, anyone can blindly swing and hit a fastball, but if you think just hitting it "every once in awhile" is good enough then you dont understand baseball very well. Just like it takes "skills" to tackle Barry Sanders in the open field, it takes "skills" to place a breaking ball exactly where you want it, or to turn on a 95 mph fastball on the inside of the plate? No wannabe or injured athlete will have the hand speed or wrist strength combined with hand eye coordination plus mechanics (notice all those "skills") to hit that pitch somewhere that does not produce an out.

Btw, I could easily argue that Bo played football just off being a freakishly gifted athlete. Also, he put just as much work into play baseball as he did football. I remember seeing an interview with him saying he loved baseball just as much as he loved football. Its not like baseball was just a second sport he did just cause he could.

 

[Klamalama]

Nothing requires skill to play.

Everything requires skill to excel at.

Stupid thread is bout as dumb as it gets.

As an example, the USTA has about 700,000 tennis players, as members. They all play tennis. Only a fraction excel in it.

 

[Cane Dynasty]

Nothing requires skill to play.

Everything requires skill to excel at.

Stupid thread is bout as dumb as it gets.

Again, I'd argue that hockey is the one sport that does require "skill" to play, considering most people don't know how to skate. If you can't skate, it's not possible to play this particular sport... On the other hand, pretty much everybody can run or walk, which is what's fundamentally required for almost every other sport.

Nothing requires any skill to play. Period. Nothing. I could go stumble around on skates with a stick and be "playing" hockey.

WORDS MEAN THINGS. They have definitions. It is important to understand that fact.

To play it well or excel at anything requires varying degrees of skill. Yes I would agree with that.

 

[TRock305]

Baseball far and away requires the most skill, whiple I'd say football is the easiest to play for someone starting out.

That said, I would say football is the hardest/most sophisticated game to play and understand, especially the higher up you get.

The only skill required for baseball is patience. It barely qualifies as a sport; it's more of an exercise in uninterrupted tedium. Any good athlete can play the game- it's just that few want to. The idea that baseball "far and away requires the most skill" is utterly ridiculous. It's the type of thing that pudgy kids with no athletic ability typically say to make themselves feel better.

What kind of patience allows you to hit a 95 mph fastball?

What happened to Jordan when he tried baseball? TMac recently?

Easier to do than to tackle Barry Sanders in the open field. Any good athlete who dedicates himself to the task can hit a 95 mph fastball every once in awhile.

Notice how Jordan and TMac didn't tryout for an NFL team. How'd Bo Jackson do when he played MLB after he sustained a career ending football injury? Wasn't he an all star?

Baseball is like golf. It's for old and injured athletes-- and wannabes who can't compete in a real sport.

My reply is not which one is easier. Im responding to your claim that baseball requires no skill. This entire topic is silly to argue back and forth. Every sport has a select few that can perform at a high level. Thats why they get the millions.

If baseball is so easy, and you get paid millions in guaranteed money, why are you not trying out? Yes, anyone can blindly swing and hit a fastball, but if you think just hitting it "every once in awhile" is good enough then you dont understand baseball very well. Just like it takes "skills" to tackle Barry Sanders in the open field, it takes "skills" to place a breaking ball exactly where you want it, or to turn on a 95 mph fastball on the inside of the plate? No wannabe or injured athlete will have the hand speed or wrist strength combined with hand eye coordination plus mechanics (notice all those "skills") to hit that pitch somewhere that does not produce an out.

Btw, I could easily argue that Bo played football just off being a freakishly gifted athlete. Also, he put just as much work into play baseball as he did football. I remember seeing an interview with him saying he loved baseball just as much as he loved football. Its not like baseball was just a second sport he did just cause he could.

Dumb. Even MLB players only hit 95 mph fastballs every once in awhile. And when they're trying, 16 other players are standing around doing nothing for extended periods of time. Baseball requires the absolute least in terms of skill and athletic ability. How many baseball players can you even fathom making an NFL roster? The best player in baseball history is Babe Ruth -- a jello-parfait of a man. I dare say, he couldn't play any other sports with any level of competency.

A lot of people like to cite Jimmy Graham as an example of why it takes little skill to play football-- as if he has no skills. The guy is just happens to have exceptional size and very good athletic ability, which makes it difficult to cover him-- now that he has been trained, coached, and developed a particular skill set. And it's not like teams in other sports don't take risks on developing naturally-gifted athletes. Heck, ****mbe Mutumbo played soccer his whole life, before Thompson suggested that he try basketball. Mutumbo picked it up pretty well. Doesn't mean basketball doesn't require skill.

 

[CaneGangForEver]

The only skill required for baseball is patience. It barely qualifies as a sport; it's more of an exercise in uninterrupted tedium. Any good athlete can play the game- it's just that few want to. The idea that baseball "far and away requires the most skill" is utterly ridiculous. It's the type of thing that pudgy kids with no athletic ability typically say to make themselves feel better.

What kind of patience allows you to hit a 95 mph fastball?

What happened to Jordan when he tried baseball? TMac recently?

Easier to do than to tackle Barry Sanders in the open field. Any good athlete who dedicates himself to the task can hit a 95 mph fastball every once in awhile.

Notice how Jordan and TMac didn't tryout for an NFL team. How'd Bo Jackson do when he played MLB after he sustained a career ending football injury? Wasn't he an all star?

Baseball is like golf. It's for old and injured athletes-- and wannabes who can't compete in a real sport.

My reply is not which one is easier. Im responding to your claim that baseball requires no skill. This entire topic is silly to argue back and forth. Every sport has a select few that can perform at a high level. Thats why they get the millions.

If baseball is so easy, and you get paid millions in guaranteed money, why are you not trying out? Yes, anyone can blindly swing and hit a fastball, but if you think just hitting it "every once in awhile" is good enough then you dont understand baseball very well. Just like it takes "skills" to tackle Barry Sanders in the open field, it takes "skills" to place a breaking ball exactly where you want it, or to turn on a 95 mph fastball on the inside of the plate? No wannabe or injured athlete will have the hand speed or wrist strength combined with hand eye coordination plus mechanics (notice all those "skills") to hit that pitch somewhere that does not produce an out.

Btw, I could easily argue that Bo played football just off being a freakishly gifted athlete. Also, he put just as much work into play baseball as he did football. I remember seeing an interview with him saying he loved baseball just as much as he loved football. Its not like baseball was just a second sport he did just cause he could.

Dumb. Even MLB players only hit 95 mph fastballs every once in awhile. And when they're trying, 16 other players are standing around doing nothing for extended periods of time. Baseball requires the absolute least in terms of skill and athletic ability. How many baseball players can you even fathom making an NFL roster? The best player in baseball history is Babe Ruth -- a jello-parfait of a man. I dare say, he couldn't play any other sports with any level of competency.

A lot of people like to cite Jimmy Graham as an example of why it takes little skill to play football-- as if he has no skills. The guy is just happens to have exceptional size and very good athletic ability, which makes it difficult to cover him-- now that he has been trained, coached, and developed a particular skill set. And it's not like teams in other sports don't take risks on developing naturally-gifted athletes. Heck, ****mbe Mutumbo played soccer his whole life, before Thompson suggested that he try basketball. Mutumbo picked it up pretty well. Doesn't mean basketball doesn't require skill.

All I got out of that was Jimmy Grahm was taught NFL skillsets in about 2-3 years. Heck I'll give you 4-5 years just to be nice

Think any football player could play soccer, tennis, hockey, **** even golf at the highest level with 4-5 years of training?

 

[TRock305]

Sure. Many could do it.

 

[plantcity3]

The only skill required for baseball is patience. It barely qualifies as a sport; it's more of an exercise in uninterrupted tedium. Any good athlete can play the game- it's just that few want to. The idea that baseball "far and away requires the most skill" is utterly ridiculous. It's the type of thing that pudgy kids with no athletic ability typically say to make themselves feel better.

What kind of patience allows you to hit a 95 mph fastball?

What happened to Jordan when he tried baseball? TMac recently?

Easier to do than to tackle Barry Sanders in the open field. Any good athlete who dedicates himself to the task can hit a 95 mph fastball every once in awhile.

Notice how Jordan and TMac didn't tryout for an NFL team. How'd Bo Jackson do when he played MLB after he sustained a career ending football injury? Wasn't he an all star?

Baseball is like golf. It's for old and injured athletes-- and wannabes who can't compete in a real sport.

My reply is not which one is easier. Im responding to your claim that baseball requires no skill. This entire topic is silly to argue back and forth. Every sport has a select few that can perform at a high level. Thats why they get the millions.

If baseball is so easy, and you get paid millions in guaranteed money, why are you not trying out? Yes, anyone can blindly swing and hit a fastball, but if you think just hitting it "every once in awhile" is good enough then you dont understand baseball very well. Just like it takes "skills" to tackle Barry Sanders in the open field, it takes "skills" to place a breaking ball exactly where you want it, or to turn on a 95 mph fastball on the inside of the plate? No wannabe or injured athlete will have the hand speed or wrist strength combined with hand eye coordination plus mechanics (notice all those "skills") to hit that pitch somewhere that does not produce an out.

Btw, I could easily argue that Bo played football just off being a freakishly gifted athlete. Also, he put just as much work into play baseball as he did football. I remember seeing an interview with him saying he loved baseball just as much as he loved football. Its not like baseball was just a second sport he did just cause he could.

Dumb. Even MLB players only hit 95 mph fastballs every once in awhile. And when they're trying, 16 other players are standing around doing nothing for extended periods of time. Baseball requires the absolute least in terms of skill and athletic ability. How many baseball players can you even fathom making an NFL roster? The best player in baseball history is Babe Ruth -- a jello-parfait of a man. I dare say, he couldn't play any other sports with any level of competency.

A lot of people like to cite Jimmy Graham as an example of why it takes little skill to play football-- as if he has no skills. The guy is just happens to have exceptional size and very good athletic ability, which makes it difficult to cover him-- now that he has been trained, coached, and developed a particular skill set. And it's not like teams in other sports don't take risks on developing naturally-gifted athletes. Heck, ****mbe Mutumbo played soccer his whole life, before Thompson suggested that he try basketball. Mutumbo picked it up pretty well. Doesn't mean basketball doesn't require skill.

Yea like I said, you dont understand baseball to well. Mlb players hit into outs way more then they strikeout and that does not include foul balls. So your "MLB players only hit a 95 mph fastball every once in awhile is invalid. If 16 players are on the field to catch a ball once its hit, do you think its luck when a batter hits the ball into a gap, or where a fielder is not positioned? What about pitching? Do you believe you can teach any great athlete how to throw a ball 95-99 mph, or how to throw a slider that catches just a corner of the plate?

All these examples you keep bringing up are pointless. Once again, every sport requires a different skill set to be good at that only a select few posses. Hence, the millions they get paid.

And I will follow along with you Babe Ruth example. Put most football players in the batters box against David Price. One high and tight fastball from Price would have most football players tucking there tails.

 

[KtrainHurricane]

Nothing requires skill to play.

Everything requires skill to excel at.

Stupid thread is bout as dumb as it gets.

Again, I'd argue that hockey is the one sport that does require "skill" to play, considering most people don't know how to skate. If you can't skate, it's not possible to play this particular sport... On the other hand, pretty much everybody can run or walk, which is what's fundamentally required for almost every other sport.

Nothing requires any skill to play. Period. Nothing. I could go stumble around on skates with a stick and be "playing" hockey.

WORDS MEAN THINGS. They have definitions. It is important to understand that fact.

To play it well or excel at anything requires varying degrees of skill. Yes I would agree with that.

Without having skated at least a handful of times (i.e. practicing or refining that particular "skill") I guarantee that you would not even be able to "stumble around on skates with a stick." Instead, you would step on the ice, fall on your ***, and fail to be able to get up and move more than a few inches, if that, before falling again.

We are taught from birth to walk and run. It's a natural thing, and therefore wouldn't be considered a "skill" needed to be learned for any given sport or activity. Taking it one step further, one could even argue that throwing something (a ball, car keys, a flashlight, whatever) is something that everyone eventually "learns" how to do because it is somewhat of a natural movement.

I still stand by my argument that skating, on the other hand, is a specified skill that is learned for a particular sport or activity, and not "natural" by any means.

 

[KtrainHurricane]

I think Devin Hester is another example that can easily be used here, in addition to Jimmy Graham. Hester never even really had a position until he got to the NFL, because he was incapable of learning the specified "skills" needed for the ones that he attempted to learn (WR and CB while at Miami); and even in the NFL, he is the 3rd or 4th guy in line at his position.

Yet, somehow, he still managed to find his way onto an NFL team (the highest, most elite level of competition within this particular sport) and become arguably the greatest of all time in one particular facet of the game in returning kicks, i.e. running fast with the ball in his hands...not something that I'd really call a "skill," but instead just a natural ability. This isn't really a "position" as usually discussed, per se, but he still gets a paycheck to perform this particular task which he seems to do extremely well without any specific developed "skills."

 

[Hurricanemike32]

or just athleticism and size?

let's have an offseason discussion on this.

I played soccer growing up but I can't see just what kind of skill it takes to push people around.

Clearly you have never played the sport and are just trolling. I on the other hand have never played soccer so I fail to see the skill required to play that sport. You have to be able to run for a long time and need a strong leg I guess. Other than that I am not certain what skill is needed to play that sport, although I am sure that there is more to it than that.

You can argue that certain positions, mostly at the line of scrimmage don't require skill. I am guessing that a linemen would argue that point. Clearly the players on the outside and in the backfield are extremely skilled athletes and to suggest otherwise is just foolish. The fact that their is such a variety of skill sets on display on a football field makes it the ultimate team sport in my opinion and it isn't close.

 

[kmwcane]

I think Devin Hester is another example that can easily be used here, in addition to Jimmy Graham. Hester never even really had a position until he got to the NFL, because he was incapable of learning the specified "skills" needed for the ones that he attempted to learn (WR and CB while at Miami); and even in the NFL, he is the 3rd or 4th guy in line at his position.

Yet, somehow, he still managed to find his way onto an NFL team (the highest, most elite level of competition within this particular sport) and become arguably the greatest of all time in one particular facet of the game in returning kicks, i.e. running fast with the ball in his hands...not something that I'd really call a "skill," but instead just a natural ability. This isn't really a "position" as usually discussed, per se, but he still gets a paycheck to perform this particular task which he seems to do extremely well without any specific developed "skills."

Returning kickoffs isn't simply "running fast with the ball in his hands." A returner, just to name a few things, has to be able to quickly analyze and read the blocks being made or that will be made by his teammates while determining the lanes and angles the oncoming defenders are taking. It is not easy to return kicks.

Football is a complex sport if you want to play it and do well at a high level.

 

[Utoronto]

Sports that take the most refinement and skills and are the hardest to just jump into and compete.

1. Baseball
2. Basketball
3. Soccer
4. Football

First off, hockey would be number 1 on that list.

Soccer is not the easiest to just jump in and play?

It's the only sport in the world where you roll a ball into the middle of the field and within 5 mins you have a game going with 4 and 5 year olds. Also, grown women all across the country are playing it. What does that tell you?

 

[Cane Dynasty]

Nothing requires skill to play.

Everything requires skill to excel at.

Stupid thread is bout as dumb as it gets.

Again, I'd argue that hockey is the one sport that does require "skill" to play, considering most people don't know how to skate. If you can't skate, it's not possible to play this particular sport... On the other hand, pretty much everybody can run or walk, which is what's fundamentally required for almost every other sport.

Nothing requires any skill to play. Period. Nothing. I could go stumble around on skates with a stick and be "playing" hockey.

WORDS MEAN THINGS. They have definitions. It is important to understand that fact.

To play it well or excel at anything requires varying degrees of skill. Yes I would agree with that.

Without having skated at least a handful of times (i.e. practicing or refining that particular "skill") I guarantee that you would not even be able to "stumble around on skates with a stick." Instead, you would step on the ice, fall on your ***, and fail to be able to get up and move more than a few inches, if that, before falling again.

We are taught from birth to walk and run. It's a natural thing, and therefore wouldn't be considered a "skill" needed to be learned for any given sport or activity. Taking it one step further, one could even argue that throwing something (a ball, car keys, a flashlight, whatever) is something that everyone eventually "learns" how to do because it is somewhat of a natural movement.

I still stand by my argument that skating, on the other hand, is a specified skill that is learned for a particular sport or activity, and not "natural" by any means.

If you've never thrown, caught or carried a football with full pads on in a game you really have no clue to the skill required in "tackle football". It's as much as being able to walk and run as hockey is being able to swing a stick on skates.

Bottom line is ain't a **** one of us here cheering for a btich *** hockey team, or a soccer team, or any of that faqqoty stuff.

There's a reason football is king.

 

[Coach Macho]

I already ended this thread. Why are you guys still arguing? LOL

 

[CaneGangForEver]

Nothing requires skill to play.

Everything requires skill to excel at.

Stupid thread is bout as dumb as it gets.

Again, I'd argue that hockey is the one sport that does require "skill" to play, considering most people don't know how to skate. If you can't skate, it's not possible to play this particular sport... On the other hand, pretty much everybody can run or walk, which is what's fundamentally required for almost every other sport.

Nothing requires any skill to play. Period. Nothing. I could go stumble around on skates with a stick and be "playing" hockey.

WORDS MEAN THINGS. They have definitions. It is important to understand that fact.

To play it well or excel at anything requires varying degrees of skill. Yes I would agree with that.

Without having skated at least a handful of times (i.e. practicing or refining that particular "skill") I guarantee that you would not even be able to "stumble around on skates with a stick." Instead, you would step on the ice, fall on your ***, and fail to be able to get up and move more than a few inches, if that, before falling again.

We are taught from birth to walk and run. It's a natural thing, and therefore wouldn't be considered a "skill" needed to be learned for any given sport or activity. Taking it one step further, one could even argue that throwing something (a ball, car keys, a flashlight, whatever) is something that everyone eventually "learns" how to do because it is somewhat of a natural movement.

I still stand by my argument that skating, on the other hand, is a specified skill that is learned for a particular sport or activity, and not "natural" by any means.

If you've never thrown, caught or carried a football with full pads on in a game you really have no clue to the skill required in "tackle football". It's as much as being able to walk and run as hockey is being able to swing a stick on skates.

Bottom line is ain't a **** one of us here cheering for a btich *** hockey team, or a soccer team, or any of that faqqoty stuff.

There's a reason football is king.

Typical ignorant American comment

Football is king yet soccer is played in every single country in the world while football is essentially isolated to the US