Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

If you were to evaluate a sport in all aspects, what would be the best? consider things like risk of injury, cost, sociability, ease of getting a game together, exercise, fitness level required to play, fun, and any other aspects you think are important.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

poker

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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Kreis recommends a holistic approach of preparatory conditioning work with an emphasis on weight training and "a healthy mind."


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How are these people allowed to be doctors or even be quoted in articles? WTF I need to be dictator so I can put an end to this nonsense.

Also - Pentathlon !? Pentathlon !?!!!??

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

In no particular order:

Squash - a reasonable skill level is required, but once you reach that, the workout is absolutely tremendous and a ton of fun

Surfing - Yeah, access is a huge issue for 98% of people out there, but if you're lucky enough to live near good waves, it has everything.

Rock Climbing - There are a lot of good climbing gyms out there, only one partner necessary for basic climbs and one can learn to belay competently in a few minutes.

Water Polo - I've never played outside of high school gym class, but if I ever had access to regular pickup games, I'm convinced it would be the toughest workout ever that I was having too much fun to realize it was actually a workout.

Full Court Basketball, Soccer, Ultimate Frisbee - Obvious reasons. Probably the best bets as far as popularity, accessibility, low cost, etc...

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

Squash is awesome, really gets you moving fast in all sorts of directions and is just plain fun.

Rock climbing, also great fun although finding a partner can be a pain in the ass - I suggest a place that allows bouldering.

Basically, whatever you enjoy the most is the best for you.

Edit - clicked the link, I stopped reading after "Old manners of getting in shape seem to us today as antiquated and inefficient as using Indian clubs and medicine balls." Erm, medicine balls can give you a great workout, I have no idea on indian clubs, but yeah, this article is badly written and pretty poor content too.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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Surfing - Yeah, access is a huge issue for 98% of people out there, but if you're lucky enough to live near good waves, it has everything.


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I dunno about the statistics, but anecdotally in my experience surfing has a pretty high injury rate. Even if you stay away from rocks and reefs, avoid the really big waves, and avoid crowded spots, newbies seem to always hurt themselves. I know a lot of guys who broke or bruised ribs which is brutally painful. But yeah, it's fun and a great workout.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

indoor soccer

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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If you were to evaluate a sport in all aspects, what would be the best? consider things like risk of injury, cost, sociability, ease of getting a game together, exercise, fitness level required to play, fun, and any other aspects you think are important.

[/ QUOTE ] Ultimate Frisbee, only cost is for cleats, and maybe $10 if you want your own frisbee. Extremely good work out, cheap, very fun, people have pick up games everywhere so its easy to get in on games, tons of talking and getting to know new people. The only chances of getting hurt are if you pull a muscle which comes with most sports.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

Something like ground fighting (Brazilian jujitsu) would be up there for me. Great combination of strength/fitness/skill. Obviously ridiculously cheap because you need no equipment and just one opponent. Chance of injury is pretty much nil if you are both careful and have a reasonable skill level.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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Surfing - Yeah, access is a huge issue for 98% of people out there, but if you're lucky enough to live near good waves, it has everything.


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I dunno about the statistics, but anecdotally in my experience surfing has a pretty high injury rate. Even if you stay away from rocks and reefs, avoid the really big waves, and avoid crowded spots, newbies seem to always hurt themselves. I know a lot of guys who broke or bruised ribs which is brutally painful. But yeah, it's fun and a great workout.

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Surfing is an incredibly great sport, and the constant swimming keeps you healthy and relaxed and looking good. However, coming home bloody is pretty common. A lot of that is because surfing is so much fun and ballsy that plenty of people will surf pretty much anywhere, so if the waves are only a few feet above a reef, well, so be it ....

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

For super-competitive people or for people who want to get into something deeper than a mere sport, sometimes it will do: martial arts. Nothing is done for higher stakes or at higher intensity.

The other ones I'd choose because they are extremely social and often very easy to get going with others. Additionally, they can be played by a huge age range:

For the most in-shape people and the youngest especially: Racquetball. Very fun and fast moving, and aerobic.

Tolerates not being in good shape or young, but can still be very challenging for serious competitors: Tennis. Offers tremedous socializing opportunities and is lots of fun. Can be played as a single, as doubles, or in mixed doubles, and can be played between the sexes.

Tolerates even being pretty old, while remaining very competitive: Golf. Tends to be a lot more expensive than the other two, but a tremendous challenge to even the very young while also managing to be the perfect "old man" sport.

General fitness activity(not really as a sport): Swimming. Old and young find it relaxing and invigorating. Great for both a work-out and to help you feel better after one, both to wake up and ease oneself down to get ready for sleep. Almost impossible not to enjoy no matter how easy you take it or what age you are.

Team sport: Take your pick really. Some rely more on the team aspect, some more on coordinating individual prowess with a team's needs. A personal choice.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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Edit - clicked the link, I stopped reading after "Old manners of getting in shape seem to us today as antiquated and inefficient as using Indian clubs and medicine balls." Erm, medicine balls can give you a great workout, I have no idea on indian clubs, but yeah, this article is badly written and pretty poor content too.

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Yeah, medicine balls and clubs really do give you a great work-out, and both have been making come-backs. The clubs are incredible fitness tools.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

swimming??

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

As a general fitness activity, not a sport, hard to beat. Not a lot of fat surfers or body-surfers where I came from in Hawaii, but a lean body and terrific health was standard.

As a sport, I find it extremely dull and repetitive.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

rowing

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rowing

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meh, super one dimensional.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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swimming??

[/ QUOTE ] best sport? Its a good work out and fun but not even close to the best sport imo.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

Soccer. There is a reason it is the most popular sport globally. It hits on all the criteria you mentioned.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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Soccer. There is a reason it is the most popular sport globally. It hits on all the criteria you mentioned.


[/ QUOTE ] except the fun factor. [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] I just dont find soccer fun.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

ice hockey is pretty great. It's got speed, finesse (stickhandling etc), collisions and fights. Also, sharp blades on your feet and a long club. It's similar in ways to american football, soccer, and basketball. Football imo lacks what bball and soccer have as far as fakes and moves. You can certainly fake someone out but it doesn't involve control of a ball like in soccer/bball.

Pretty much everything else lacks what football has as far as hits. Hockey has it all.

It's really expensive though, and concussions are probably more common in this sport than most others.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

Football fails pretty miserably in this challenge. Tons of equipment required, high risk of injury, and from what I understand of the game (not much at all) requires a ton of people to have a proper game.

Ice hockey also, equipment, injury, and getting a skating rink make it far from ideal.

The ones I think are the best from personal experience are martial arts, golf, tennis.

Martial arts (kickboxing for me) was really great in all categories I listed in the OP.

Golf -really social, fun, but obviously very expensive. As for excercise, I think if you walk the course carrying your bag its a pretty decent workout.

Tennis - Also good all around

Rock climbing, rowing, and surfing all sound like fun, and I am gonna try them out when I get a chance. Rock climbing sounds especially appealing because I think it would build some muscle, not just endurance, and be really cool to actually climb a mountain.


I also forgot to mention fencing. Did some at school this year and was tons of fun, and some pretty decent exercise. Definitely not the best becuase its not very popular. Also didn't like the people much, I think I didn't like the people much, but that might be because it was on a team and I was one of the worse fencers.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

soccer or basketball.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

If football fails miserably so does golf. Football doesn't require much equipment. Hockey has much more, and golf has even more expensive equipment. You need about a 1/4 mi square at least to have an 18 hole course to play on.

You can definitely play football with some buddies with just the ball.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

Yoga

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

ddr

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

soccer ldo

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

Basketball is pretty good cardio if you play full court.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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If football fails miserably so does golf. Football doesn't require much equipment. Hockey has much more, and golf has even more expensive equipment. You need about a 1/4 mi square at least to have an 18 hole course to play on.

You can definitely play football with some buddies with just the ball.

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Football definitely requires a ton of equipment, for both playing and practicing.

Soccer is a great one when it comes to needing pretty much no equipment. Some of the best players in the world got that way by kicking a ball made of rags around, scoring goals between two t-shirts thrown on the ground.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

wow Golf is not a decent work out and isnt even close to the list let alone the top 10 with this criteria.

Football doesnt require tons of equipment. It requires a football and 8 cones(possibly more) or a high school field. Also cleats if youd like.

Id say Soccer, Basketball and Ultimate are at the top 3 that are best rounded, most others lack big time in some area(s).

Rowing, swimming? Seriously guys? "Best" sport? This isnt what sport gives the best overall workout.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

A work-out isn't the only thing that defines a sport by far.

Football sure does require a ton of equipment to be played at anything that's even a close approximation to the way it's really played. You could just as well say flying doesn't require a plane.

Swimming is a great work-out, but a poor sport.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

Ultimate.

+anyone can play
+lots of cardivascular
+combines frisbee, soccer, basketball, football
+fun
+low cost
+not complicated
+no need to be tall or jump (though it does help, it's way less of a big deal than basketball)
+practically no contact = min. risk of injury

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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A work-out isn't the only thing that defines a sport by far.

Football sure does require a ton of equipment to be played at anything that's even a close approximation to the way it's really played. You could just as well say flying doesn't require a plane.

Swimming is a great work-out, but a poor sport.

[/ QUOTE ] Im not saying a work out is the only thing that defines a sport. The "Best" sport is not one where the most you do is walk a little ways then swing then walk a little ways. Also one that costs tons of money.
Also having all the right equipment shouldnt count if you can play the sport the right way with out it. Ive never played football once with more than cleats. Also how many people play soccer with 2 cones(or markers for goals) is that not really soccer then? Also I dont put football at the top because of risk of injury, and its limited to guys(if you play tackle) which 2 hand touch just blows.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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Ultimate.

+anyone can play
+lots of cardivascular
+combines frisbee, soccer, basketball, football
+fun
+low cost
+not complicated
+no need to be tall or jump (though it does help, it's way less of a big deal than basketball)
+practically no contact = min. risk of injury


[/ QUOTE ] I had basketball in my top but you definitely need some skills to play. Some people I know cant even hit the rim with the basketball. Soccer and Ultimate, anyone can kick a ball or throw a Frisbee which is good. Dont need to be a freakish athlete either.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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A work-out isn't the only thing that defines a sport by far.

Football sure does require a ton of equipment to be played at anything that's even a close approximation to the way it's really played. You could just as well say flying doesn't require a plane.

Swimming is a great work-out, but a poor sport.

[/ QUOTE ] Im not saying a work out is the only thing that defines a sport. The "Best" sport is not one where the most you do is walk a little ways then swing then walk a little ways. Also one that costs tons of money.
Also having all the right equipment shouldnt count if you can play the sport the right way with out it. Ive never played football once with more than cleats. Also how many people play soccer with 2 cones(or markers for goals) is that not really soccer then? Also I dont put football at the top because of risk of injury, and its limited to guys(if you play tackle) which 2 hand touch just blows.

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When I'm thinking of playing football, I'm definitely not thinking of playing touch football.

I'm not a fan of golf myself, and know it has limitations like expense. I was just saying it remains a great sport anyway, as it is extremely social and can be played even when old, and by either sex. What else are you going to play even halfway competitively, and continue to refine your skill on, at 55 or 60 or beyond? It's one of those sports that has really strong, maybe even irreplaceable virtues, whether it's one's cup of tea or not. I'd highly recommend it to anyone for its social aspects alone, and its common use that way in business, too.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

basketball, lacrosse, ice hockey, tennis all superfun sports to play.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

Hendricks,
I'm not saying you have to emulate pros when you play, but for football, I always thought tackling and therefore padding were integral parts of the sport, and to exclude them, would make a game "mock" football. On the otherhand, I get the impression that in hockey, although checking is important, a game would maintain its hockeyness without it. Just seems like in hockey, there are so many other things, like skating, puck handling, and shooting, whereas in football without the tackling its basically catching and throwing. I have never played either of these so this could be very off...

As for golf being a workout, if you take a cart or get a caddy its not much of a workout, but carrying your bag for 5-6 hours on top of the swing keeps you healthy. Not an intense workout, but definitely good exercise.

Also what Blarg said.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

me and my friends play tackle football quite a bit and you dont need pads or any equipment to play.

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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me and my friends play tackle football quite a bit and you dont need pads or any equipment to play.

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yup, used to do this all the time in high school...just need a bunch of guys and a football...nobody every got hurt other than scrapes and whatnot...

Re: Whats the \"best\" sport?
 

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me and my friends play tackle football quite a bit and you dont need pads or any equipment to play.

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yup, used to do this all the time in high school...just need a bunch of guys and a football...nobody every got hurt other than scrapes and whatnot...

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huh...guess I'm just a giant vagina then.