If you could be a pro in any sport, which one would you choose and why?

First topic message reminder :

There has been much discussion about comparisons between individuals and different sports but if you could have taken up a sport to professional level, which would it be and why?
(caveat:- F1 is an engineering competition, not a sport so is excluded)

leinsterbaby wrote:

Hibbz wrote:

McLaren wrote:If we agree the likes of tennis and F1 require the most skill would others agree rugby requires the least of all pro sports?

Seconded. Just an excuse for the fat kids to bully the skinny ones in school.

Nonsense there is a place for kids of all sizes on the rugby team. Fatties in the front row, skinny lads out the backs.

Unfortunately very true or us skinnies would have been allowed to leave you fatties to it.

drive4show wrote:

leinsterbaby wrote:

super_realist wrote:Rugby to me is one of the most boring games in the world to watch. Stupid rules such as ballerina lineouts, squint scrum put ins and too much homo-erotic man contact for my liking.

Im not surprised as you are one of the most boring posters I have ever come across on any forum.

Feel free to leave if you don't like it here...............

I will the quality of discussion from some posters is apauling.
Adios.

leinsterbaby wrote:

drive4show wrote:

leinsterbaby wrote:

super_realist wrote:Rugby to me is one of the most boring games in the world to watch. Stupid rules such as ballerina lineouts, squint scrum put ins and too much homo-erotic man contact for my liking.

Im not surprised as you are one of the most boring posters I have ever come across on any forum.

Feel free to leave if you don't like it here...............

I will the quality of discussion from some posters is apauling.
Adios.

bye now!!

McLaren wrote:Diggers

A fly half may well be skilful compared to a prop but not compared to other sports people outside rugby.

We will have to agree to differ on that one Im afraid Mac. Huge skill set required for that role IMO and need to be executed under immense pressure of getting a battering.
Imagine standing on a tee knowing you had to get your drive away in 5 seconds otherwise Neil Back was going to rip your head off. Adds a bit of extra pressure.

Or even appalling Leinster.

Quote Leinster: "apauling"

Cheerio then.

Baseball pitcher. If you are in the elite class (say a competitive ERA of 3.5 or less) you perform about 30 days a year for a couple of hours/day. But, it sure isn't easy to get there.

Also suggesting F1 drivers aren't top-notch athletes is nuts. Managing those courses in traffic and at the G-forces they are subjected to require amazing coordination, reaction and anticipation skills. They only make it look easy from a distance.

I'll be Morgan Pressel's caddie, and will be sure to put the hours in to get on top........

JDandfries wrote:

leinsterbaby wrote:

drive4show wrote:

leinsterbaby wrote:

super_realist wrote:Rugby to me is one of the most boring games in the world to watch. Stupid rules such as ballerina lineouts, squint scrum put ins and too much homo-erotic man contact for my liking.

Im not surprised as you are one of the most boring posters I have ever come across on any forum.

Feel free to leave if you don't like it here...............

I will the quality of discussion from some posters is apauling.
Adios.

bye now!!

Yes indeed........

Diggers wrote:

McLaren wrote:Diggers

A fly half may well be skilful compared to a prop but not compared to other sports people outside rugby.

We will have to agree to differ on that one Im afraid Mac. Huge skill set required for that role IMO and need to be executed under immense pressure of getting a battering.
Imagine standing on a tee knowing you had to get your drive away in 5 seconds otherwise Neil Back was going to rip your head off. Adds a bit of extra pressure.

I'm not sure any one of us is suggesting golf comes top of the list in terms of combinations of skill and fitness. Skill yes (as do darts and snooker) fitness? Not even close.

Here's one for a discussion. If Darts and Snooker fit the bill as sports in terms of the competitive and physical exertion definition, what about chess? After all it takes as much exertion to move a chess piece as it does to throw a dart. I'm playing in a mid-age (unfit but not yet decrepid) Open at Effingham tomorrow but I'll check back on Thursday to see if people have an opinion.

Diggers wrote:Could I be Victoria Pendletons bike seat ?

Diggers glad it's not just me that is a lecherous g1t!

Boxing the most famous sports men ever to grace this planet have been boxers. It's a sport that separates boys from men.

KeizoYamata wrote:Boxing the most famous sports men ever to grace this planet have been boxers. It's a sport that separates boys from men.

Men = thugs, boys - people who value their ears and noses intact? I'll carry on being a boy then....


Think I'd go for one of cricket, golf or snooker. 1) cos they're the three sports I follow most, except perhaps football, and 2) cos they don't need huge amounts of physical strength or fitness, which suits me as a skinny weedy unfit bloke

Rugby for me, so long as I'd have been good enough to have at least one cap for England in a match either at Twickers against one of the big boys (or vs. Wales at the Millennium Stadium, at a push).
Awesome.

KeizoYamata wrote:Boxing the most famous sports men ever to grace this planet have been boxers. It's a sport that separates boys from men.

I like boxing but I think you over-egg the fame of many of them.

Diggers wrote:Could I be Victoria Pendletons bike seat ?

Now there's an interesting thought. Can think of a lot worse...

Football, because then Rio Ferdinand could video me roasting page 3 girls in London hotels.

Seriously it would be mainly for the cash and the fact that in 10 years you can earn enough to set you up for life and then relax for the rest of your life, turning up on soccer sunday, charity golf days, question of sport, etc once in a while to keep things ticking over. It's also quite a settled life compared to other sports like golf or tennis where you live out of a suitcase, or cyclists and swimmers that train and compete from morning til night. Footballers have a lot of time on their hands to pursue other hobbies and enjoy life away from the game.

Given the massive appeal of football, pretty much every man in the world kicks a ball about at some stage of their lives, to get to play for a top club shows a huge achievement compared to most other sports.

raycastleunited wrote:Football, because then Rio Ferdinand could video me roasting page 3 girls in London hotels.

Seriously it would be mainly for the cash and the fact that in 10 years you can earn enough to set you up for life and then relax for the rest of your life, turning up on soccer sunday, charity golf days, question of sport, etc once in a while to keep things ticking over. It's also quite a settled life compared to other sports like golf or tennis where you live out of a suitcase, or cyclists and swimmers that train and compete from morning til night. Footballers have a lot of time on their hands to pursue other hobbies and enjoy life away from the game.

Given the massive appeal of football, pretty much every man in the world kicks a ball about at some stage of their lives, to get to play for a top club shows a huge achievement compared to most other sports.

You'd have to put up with everyone thinking you were an absolute knobber, which in the case of many footballers (Ashley Cole, Diouf, John Terry etc) would be absolutely true.

super_realist wrote:

raycastleunited wrote:Football, because then Rio Ferdinand could video me roasting page 3 girls in London hotels.

Seriously it would be mainly for the cash and the fact that in 10 years you can earn enough to set you up for life and then relax for the rest of your life, turning up on soccer sunday, charity golf days, question of sport, etc once in a while to keep things ticking over. It's also quite a settled life compared to other sports like golf or tennis where you live out of a suitcase, or cyclists and swimmers that train and compete from morning til night. Footballers have a lot of time on their hands to pursue other hobbies and enjoy life away from the game.

Given the massive appeal of football, pretty much every man in the world kicks a ball about at some stage of their lives, to get to play for a top club shows a huge achievement compared to most other sports.

You'd have to put up with everyone thinking you were an absolute knobber, which in the case of many footballers (Ashley Cole, Diouf, John Terry etc) would be absolutely true.

And you'd have to spend most of your time in the company of professional footballers. Golf every time.

PLus if you were a footballer you'd have to say:
"At the end of the day"
"Obviously"
"The boys done well"
"Over the moon"
"It's a team game"
and other assorted cliches on an far to frequent basis, plus you'd have to have vulgar cars which ultimately ruin the marque, even more vulgar houses and a trophy girlfriend who was conventionally attractive but a shallow, gold digging hag in reality.

Tennis or golf everytime.

super_realist wrote:PLus if you were a footballer you'd have to say:
"At the end of the day"
"Obviously"
"The boys done well"
"Over the moon"
"It's a team game"
and other assorted cliches on an far to frequent basis, plus you'd have to have vulgar cars which ultimately ruin the marque, even more vulgar houses and a trophy girlfriend who was conventionally attractive but a shallow, gold digging hag in reality.

Tennis or golf everytime.

I thought that Lee Westwood had binned his clubs in favour of a pair of boots when I heard him say "You don't win majors on a Friday." Classic...

Just make sure you play for man utd, they all seem like great guys to hang out with, well maybe not rooney or nani.

Are you joking Mac, Most sane people wouldn't be seen dead in the company of "professional" footballers.

I think what lee meant by "you dont win majors on a friday" was "I wont win a major on any day of the week, ever".

NedB-H wrote:

KeizoYamata wrote:Boxing the most famous sports men ever to grace this planet have been boxers. It's a sport that separates boys from men.

Men = thugs, boys - people who value their ears and noses intact? I'll carry on being a boy then....


Think I'd go for one of cricket, golf or snooker. 1) cos they're the three sports I follow most, except perhaps football, and 2) cos they don't need huge amounts of physical strength or fitness, which suits me as a skinny weedy unfit bloke

Boxing is a gentlemans sport. Funny you call them thugs but how many boxers have you seen get drunk and into fights outside the ring unlike the pampered and spoilt footballers and cricketers?

Eh, quite a lot actually.
Footballers and Cricketers are far more numerous in any event, but there have been lots of badly behaved boxers who have made the headlines.

KeizoYamata wrote:Boxing is a gentlemans sport. Funny you call them thugs but how many boxers have you seen get drunk and into fights outside the ring unlike the pampered and spoilt footballers and cricketers?

Tyson
Hatton
Hilton Jnr
Herbie Hide
Riddick Bowe
Tony Ayala
Anthony Fletcher
Bruno..............................

MustPuttBetter wrote:

KeizoYamata wrote:Boxing is a gentlemans sport. Funny you call them thugs but how many boxers have you seen get drunk and into fights outside the ring unlike the pampered and spoilt footballers and cricketers?

Tyson
Hatton
Hilton Jnr
Herbie Hide
Riddick Bowe
Tony Ayala
Anthony Fletcher
Bruno..............................

You couldn't wait to post that could you?

Tyson only defended himself against an attack from a fellow boxer. Hatton was hit first by some bouncer thug, Hide was against another boxer..i could go on but no point arguing each point. Have you seen the way footballers and cricketers conduct themselves? Boxers are saints compared to these idiots.

Was Tyson just defending himself when he was convicted for sexual assault or his numerous nightclub skirmishes. There are just as many incidences per capita of boxers being badly behaved as there are footballers/cricketers.

How long do you suggest i should have waited Einstein?
I'm desperate for you to 'educate' me on the acceptable intermission between post and response. Please go ahead.......

Bless those poor little boxers being picked on.
Tyson was convicted of sexual assault (filter won't let me write r*pe) you genius!
Hatton has admitted class A drug use
Hide was arrested for possessing a knife in that 'attack on him'

Oh yes, gentlemen!

You could go on but you're right, there's no point - as is often the case

Get a grip!

The extra curricular activities of boxers would be expected to be a bit more "tabloid fodder" than, say, cricketers and rugby players due to the higher likelihood that boxers have come from a different upbringing - they would have hardly all attended the same public school! Footballers are no better or worse than boxers - just look at the English national team - not one player that has not been exposed for doing something shameful.

Boxing is a fantastic sport that is as good as any other mainstream sport in the UK. Some will not like the brutality but just as many will not like the long drawn out nature of a test match or the sometimes stop start nature of Rugby. Like any sport, the average play is only interesting for the fan but when something spectacular happens, boxing can provide entertainment to rival any other sport.

Sharrison, no one's saying boxing isn't a decent sport, or at least i'm not.
I'm saying it's ridiculous to call it a gentlemen's sport and proclaim how angelic they all are compared to footballers.
Ridiculous
As you said, they've often come from a different upbringing. One that hardly makes them gentlemen!

Certainly not gentleman and whoever made that comment made a very silly one there. Footballers are no better than boxers and offer a very poor comparison though but are also likely to have had an equally unstructured upbringing. A list of current England players and their misdemeanours shows this:

Hart - fighting and drinking in a club
Rio - missed drugs test, lots of affairs
Terry - affairs, drinking, fighting
Cole - affairs, prostitutes
Barry - has super injunction (that few may know about)
Gerrard - fights in bars
Lampard - affairs
Croutch - affairs, prostitutes
Rooney - no need to list

The list goes on and on. Can't think of one player that I'd enjoy grabbing a beer with. The reason behind all of this might be that boxers generally have poor upbringings and footballers generally go pro at a very young age. This means that they both have a lot of growing up to do at a very young age and without the close eye of parents/teachers/family at that age it is understandable that they might stray. Cricketers and rugby players offer a stark contrast because a pro in either of these sports is probably from a better background and the actual sports allow players to start later thus gaining some life experience with the guidance at home before being let out onto the world.

Cricketers might stay like this but as rugby players are being picked up much earlier now that there is more money in the game, we will start to see more and more rugby players in trouble. A few years ago, it was common for rugby players to have a university education because at uni they are offered a good competitive level of rugby and they will also not be physically developed enough at 18 so what else do you do for 2-3 years? Now though, clubs are snapping up players at 18 and this age will probably get younger as the financial rewards for success keep increasing. This is why over the past, say, 5 years rugby players have popped up in the tabloids more than before.

No one's saying footballers are angels
'Bad boys' to participants i suspect their on a par

But then no one said football was a gentlemen's sport!

Actually, cricket, which I have always seen as one of the most gentlemanly of sports has had to hold it's head in shame recently. I thinking that, what has happened to sport?!?

Boxers and fighting outside the ring, footballers and affairs, cricketers and bungs, rugby players on tours, cyclists and drugs, etc etc. Seems like F1 (apparently not a sport) and golf have the most dignity. Probably won't be long before they follow the crowd...

sharrison01 wrote:Boxers and fighting outside the ring, footballers and affairs, cricketers and bungs, rugby players on tours, cyclists and drugs, etc etc. Seems like F1 (apparently not a sport) and golf have the most dignity. Probably won't be long before they follow the crowd...

Unfortunately i think Tiger has covered almost all of those activities on his own thereby excluding golf from the dignity list!

MustPuttBetter wrote:

sharrison01 wrote:Boxers and fighting outside the ring, footballers and affairs, cricketers and bungs, rugby players on tours, cyclists and drugs, etc etc. Seems like F1 (apparently not a sport) and golf have the most dignity. Probably won't be long before they follow the crowd...

Unfortunately i think Tiger has covered almost all of those activities on his own thereby excluding golf from the dignity list!

Forgot about that! And F1 isn't a sport - reality TV it is then. The people can't be any worse than sportsmen...

The cricket boys know how to 'relax' when not working.Good point about Tiger -tarnished us all methinks.
What was up with westy at the weekend apart from the obvious missed cut?He seemed really odd in the press calls.

I think it's incredibly naive to imagine that an awful lot of pro golfers don't put it about a fair bit when on tour. They are just people and given an opportunity a lot of people succumb to temptation. When the Tiger story broke a lot of the golf press talked about the hypocrisy of him being held out to dry while a lot of the tour were at it.
Its always struck me as bizarre that anyone would think pro golfers have a better morality just because they play golf. It's pretty clear Monty has something to hide for a start, it's just the press are less interested in exposing golfers than footballers and footballers also probably get more opportunities.

I don't think anyone's implying golfers are any better behaved than anyone else Digs?

There was a lot of talk about footballers affairs MPB, I'm just saying I doubt golfers are any better.

Diggers, I'd go so far as to say that all sportsmen are as bad as one another given the opportunity.

Digs, mainly because Keizo said boxers were saints compared to footballers and from there it went on

I'm agreed that golfers are no doubt just as bad

I'd say just people..well mainly men... given opportunities quite often cheat sadly. Actors as much as sportsmen.

super_realist wrote:Diggers, I'd go so far as to say that all sportsmen are as bad as one another given the opportunity.

At least something we agree on. Even though I think footballers are the worst of the bunch