Poll: Toughest Sport

[emeraldrafael]

Snip

You dont have to get into a fight. There's been games without fights in the NHL at least. I'm not sure how bad fighting is in the Russian league or other international leagues, but I've heard its about the same or lower then the NHL.

And by

and some players are encouraged to start fights.

It would probably help if you gave me a specific name as an example, but i'm gonna guess you mean the enforcer. That guy just goes out and pretty much his entire job is to discourage the other team from laying some dirty hits. So in a sense, yes, he's encouraged to fight, but more so he's just encouraged to skate around and look tough about stuff so no one takes a run at your star (or any other) player. besides, Most (if not all) fights in the NHL are planned by the players and they'll ask, so there's an etiquette and you can deny to fight.

Which is different from those scuffle things you see players get into when some guys crowd around a puck and tempers flare up. Thats why refs dont break up the fights.

Why did you not include boxing and karate and all that jazz? Id have to say track/cross country. For any and every race you participate in, you push your body to its limits, and you go a little bit farther and a little bit faster each time.

I wanted to have sports where the object wasnt physical harm/contact to score points (I.e. Boxing, MMA, Karate). But if you wnat to say that, go ahead. Just if I did, pretty much every post would be MMA or Boxing. SO it was more just a way of evening the playing field.

Crew.

What is crew, and would you (or anyone else) care to elaborate?

 

[TheSEPH88]

Dunno If this counts as a sport but cheerleaders got it pretty tough belive it or not.

 

[Sharps92]

I can't personally make a great decision because the only sports i've really played properly out of them are rugby and football (soccer).

Of course rugby is a contact sport and you get hit by big guys, but most injuries in it are simple impact injuries.

I've been playing both Football (soccer) and rugby for years, and I have surprisingly been injured or seen more injuries as a result of football rather than rugby, far more.

Yes football isn't a pure contact sport, but there is a very high risk to pull, strain, tweak muscles in football, plus players are flinging their legs about with blades and studs on their feet.

Even though I am probably biased, more painful muscle injuries are picked up from football rather than *mostly* simple impact injuries from sports such as rugby, hockey, and american football.

 

[Abbyrose07]

I would say Ice Hockey...both of my brothers play it and I have seen them get so many injuries from it. One got sliced open with a hockey blade, one got knocked out by a hockey puck, both got concussions from being checked too hard, both have broken multiple bones etc

 

[Nautical Honors Society]

Oh i was going to say boxing before I read the bold so I picked other...woops.

In boxing you are legally allowed to kill a man...

Anyway, I guess I'd say Rugby.

 

[Ailia]

I guess it's a Canadian thing, but I'm a bit thrown off by how many people think hockey is hard. .__.

I find rugby brutally hard. The running I'm fine with but after being tackled five times I don't want to get up anymore.

 

[emeraldrafael]

Oh i was going to say boxing before I read the bold so I picked other...woops.

In boxing you are legally allowed to kill a man...

Anyway, I guess I'd say Rugby.

At this point I wouldnt even worry about it. I'm thinking of changing that, since i've gotten flak for not including Boxing/MMA/Wrestling, though I thought the reason was sound enough and rather common sensical.

 

[sixtysix]

I'm sorry but I need to go on record as saying that that hardest sport in the world is pro starcraft 2.
the soul sucking losses, fact that one mistake can cost you the game in a mater of seconds, the 30 minute games requiring constant concentration.

 

[The Afrodactyl]

Hockey or Rugby.

Hockey for overall technical requirements with a smidge of violence.
Rugby for overall violence with a smidge of technical requirement.

(English btw.)

 

[Red Right Hand]

For all the people who think hockey is incredibly hard, try and watch a game of shinty or hurling. Basically hockey without all the padding.

EDIT: Wikipedia just told me that shinty was "one of the forebears of ice hockey", so I guess thats why they are so similar.

 

[PAGEToap44]

Probably the Irish sport of hurling.

Followed closely by rugby.

Bunch of nancies playing hockey and football think they're tough? Try playing without your body armour... wusses.

Well said that man. I have played rugby quite a bit and yes, I believe it is among the elite of toughest sports. For one simple reason... neck injuries. Especially in the scrum, it hurts when it goes wrong.

 

[RandV80]

I'd say in its purest form, Rugby. The game's essentially built around trying to destroy the other team (simplifying it a bit, but it's incredibly physical.)
With Hockey, it's not meant to be played with that much physical contact. Just take a look at the difference between the NHL and IIHF or Olympics hockey games: the latter are far more tame. This is just because of the way the NHL game is influenced by appealing to fans of the sport.

But if it was straight out physical exertion, I'd have to go with tennis. You just have to be insane to play like those really good tennis players.

I'd say you're a little off here. While it's true hockey can be played with much lighter contact (I personally play no hitting adult rec league hockey), what you see in the NHL isn't an effort to appease the fans. It's all about the different growth and culture of the game between Europe and North America, and the size of the rinks. The smaller rinks we have over here makes using the body more effective, and people players don't throw more hits just because they can and it pleases the fans, but rather because it is again, effective. If you go to a session of casual drop in hockey you'll always come across someone that can stickhandle through everyone at will. Let a dman play the body instead of the puck and all that puck handling skill goes right out the window. Not everyone may realize but hitting and physical play in hockey is a skill just the same as puckhandling or passing is. And on the smaller ice surface we use in North America filling out a teams depth with low talent but physical or defensive players is more effective than using 3rd and 4th rate skilled players.

The Olympic games are a little different because at that levelyou're basically merging 10-20 teams into one, and have enough 1st rate offensive talent to build an entire team out of. Grinders can still be effective however for teams with less depth, like Jarko Ruutu on team Finland.

I agree though that Rugby is likely more physical (don't know the sport that well myself) but hockey is a much more difficult sport to play. So it depends on how you want to judge that.

 

[KuwaSanjuro]

I always hear Lacrosse can be one of the most violent sports, don't know whether that answers you're question but hey. I've never seen it being played, have seen it in films and that but nothing else. Being British rugby is often all around, Six Nations on right now, and when we played that in school it was really tough but enjoyable, I tackled a guy who was 6'2, being 5'6 that's an achievement.

 

[Fooz]

why is cricket on there haha

 

[emeraldrafael]

why is cricket on there haha

I needed something to fill the list and I figured since I had baseball, I need its british equivalent (or at least what we Americans like to think it is). Its just easier to say Baseball and Cricket are on there for Lulz.

Yay hockey! the fastest sport on earth. Go Bruins!

You have to be pissed, but I wanna leave this hear for everyone who says that that "armour" the NHL
players wear makes them less manly and the game less tough:
http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=551872

 

[laststandman]

I hear Brodeur got hurt agents the evil that is Montreal, hope it's not to serous. also gotta give it up for goalies, Thomas is phenomenal this season (he was supposed to be an alternate to Rask too)

The thing about Marty is that he's smart and wont play if he doesnt feel 100% He seemed to be fine though. He just bruised his right knee. The Habs didnt stand a chance yesterday though, not with the Devils playing the way they are now. And Thomas has been something else this season. He'll win the Vezina for sure, which is funny because he was supposed to be an alternate. He's proven himself to be a staple on the Bruins though.

 

[emeraldrafael]

Snip

I'd watch out. People are saying Kris Letang is the next Sergei Gonchar, where he may just be having an exceedingly good season. Which isnt to say he's not talented, just you should probably wait to say that till the next season he proves himself as consistent season to season.

EDIT:
Just look at the Halak/Price comparison.

 

[Sticky Squid]

Other: Golf
Have you ever been golfing? That shit is literally club-snappingly frustrating and difficult on off days, only twelve-long strings of curse words on good days.

This was my choice.
Requires a lot of concentration, and even the slightest change in your mindset could screw you over.

 

[BenzSmoke]

I'd say Rugby because it's like (American) Football without all the stop and go. Hockey is a close second.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

Ultra marathons. Seriously, what on that list is more physically demanding than running a 75-100 mile race?

Even if you're in peak physical shape, the exertion can cause you to piss blood and destroy your organs internally from the act of doing it.

Sure rugby and football and hockey see their fare share of injuries from people hitting other people, but ultra marathons can damage people just by them attempting to finish the event.