Hardest championship to win in pro sports?

[GibbsGrad2002]

Stanley Cup

 

[Straight Shooter]

1. On every play in football the objective of the defense is to stop a player. In hockey the defensive objective is to stop a puck. It would stand to reason then how football would be a more physical sport by nature of the objective.

The range of players who are attempting to stop the player with the ball in football goes anywhere from high 100 lbs. to 3 or 4 hundred pounds. Where is the 300 or 400 lb. hockey player?

2. Hockey is a physical game but if it was anywhere near as physical play in and play out there is no way they could play that many games. There is checking in hockey but that is a tactic in hockey...not the objective.

3. That's just the hitting part. It undoubtedly takes skill and stamina to skate..but I doubt it's as physically challenging to skate as it is to actually use the brute strength of your muscles to get you from one speed on a football field to another, change directions and expose your limbs/joints to twists, jarring and impact.

It is much more of a challenge to stay healthy short term and long term in football than hockey IMO. Without taking anything away from hockey as I know how some feel but I don't even see the debate on that one.

Go to youth ube and find some vids of great hits in hockey and then some of the great hits in football....I think the football hits will certainly be more violent...in some cases helmet to helmet, helmet to sternum, etc. Considering the average weight of a bowling ball can weigh what about what a football player's head and helmet weigh...that can be like taking a bowling ball in the chest or against your head.

I'm not taking into consideration the regular season. I'm looking at from the playoffs on and in the NFL playoffs if you're a team that gets a first round bye, that means you only have to win two games to get to the Super Bowl. In the NHL and NBA it's a best-of-seven format while in MLB it's a best-of-five and a best-of-seven. It's much more of a grind than in the NFL because of the format.

 

[Jagger69]

1. On every play in football the objective of the defense is to stop a player. In hockey the defensive objective is to stop a puck. It would stand to reason then how football would be a more physical sport by nature of the objective.

The range of players who are attempting to stop the player with the ball in football goes anywhere from high 100 lbs. to 3 or 4 hundred pounds. Where is the 300 or 400 lb. hockey player?

2. Hockey is a physical game but if it was anywhere near as physical play in and play out there is no way they could play that many games. There is checking in hockey but that is a tactic in hockey...not the objective.

3. That's just the hitting part. It undoubtedly takes skill and stamina to skate..but I doubt it's as physically challenging to skate as it is to actually use the brute strength of your muscles to get you from one speed on a football field to another, change directions and expose your limbs/joints to twists, jarring and impact.

It is much more of a challenge to stay healthy short term and long term in football than hockey IMO. Without taking anything away from hockey as I know how some feel but I don't even see the debate on that one. The Cup wins every time in my book.

Go to youth ube and find some vids of great hits in hockey and then some of the great hits in football....I think the football hits will certainly be more violent...in some cases helmet to helmet, helmet to sternum, etc. Considering the average weight of a bowling ball can weigh what about what a football player's head and helmet weigh...that can be like taking a bowling ball in the chest or against your head.

'Mega....the question has nothing to do with the points you bring up. A plain fact....in the NFL, a team can simply win 3 games in a row and win the Super Bowl. In hockey, a team needs to win 16 games and can possibly lose as many as 12 in the process. A 28 game marathon as opposed to possibly only 3? Huge difference, not even close. It's MUCH more grueling and difficult to win a Stanley Cup than it is the Super Bowl.

Besides, if you want to start drawing direct physical comparisons between the 2 sports, imagine putting a 300 pound offensive lineman in skates or a 5' 9" slick and speedy right winger in pads and cleats and it just doesn't equate. Hockey and football are diametrically opposed to each other in almost every aspect. The Stanley Cup effort wins every time in my book.

 

[delta9]

I would say the World Series is most difficult to win. Especially since they instituted the wild card. In a shortened series it isn't always the best team that wins. Also with baseball, the number 1 starting pitcher for any team will probably only get a chance to pitch at most 3 times in a 7 game series. There isn't any other sport where the starting lineup changes as much.

 

[Tittyman5000]

I also agree the UFC light heavy weight championship :yesyes:

 

[mrtrebus]

World Aeroball Championship

 

[LukeEl]

For me it is a time between the Stanley Cup and the World Cup, also don't forget Quiddicth that is a tough trophy to win too.

 

[ralph furley]

Nba

 

[Hot Mega]

I'm not taking into consideration the regular season. I'm looking at from the playoffs on and in the NFL playoffs if you're a team that gets a first round bye, that means you only have to win two games to get to the Super Bowl. In the NHL and NBA it's a best-of-seven format while in MLB it's a best-of-five and a best-of-seven. It's much more of a grind than in the NFL because of the format.

I think you have to consider the regular season if you want to actually try to determine in what sport has the hardest championship to win of those listed (in practical terms).

'Mega....the question has nothing to do with the points you bring up. A plain fact....in the NFL, a team can simply win 3 games in a row and win the Super Bowl. In hockey, a team needs to win 16 games and can possibly lose as many as 12 in the process. A 28 game marathon as opposed to possibly only 3? Huge difference, not even close. It's MUCH more grueling and difficult to win a Stanley Cup than it is the Super Bowl.

Besides, if you want to start drawing direct physical comparisons between the 2 sports, imagine putting a 300 pound offensive lineman in skates or a 5' 9" slick and speedy right winger in pads and cleats and it just doesn't equate. Hockey and football are diametrically opposed to each other in almost every aspect. The Stanley Cup effort wins every time in my book.

Oh I think it does because the question asks of the ones listed, which is the has the hardest champ. to win? Not, 'Which league has allot of playoff games?'

First it's only for practical purposes since the difficulty of winning any championship in any league will be based on how competitive the league is at a given point in time.

That aside, if you were to ask any team with the potential of winning their league's championship what is the biggest challenge they face and 1 for 1 they will tell you staying healthy and in my mind the NFL is the league where the challenge to do so is greater.

As far as the diametrical contrasts you raise, I'm not sure I follow you. My point in bringing up the stature of some who play football was to illustrate further the hazards the average football player faces in an effort to stay healthy...not articulate some skill.

That's aside from the natural hazards of running, cutting and jumping...Hockey players as talented as they may be are not under the same risks for injury skating. They're just not...:dunno:

Regarding staying healthy in order to try and win; a few years ago the Colts' coach ignited a firestorm of debate when he choose to sit his key players in an effort to not expose them to injury after they secured home field for the playoffs.

Now that's a dilemma, the threat of injury versus the necessity to maintain rhythm, timing, etc.

In almost every case managers and coaches would like to get their key players rest but football is the only sport where the overwhelming consideration would be risk of injury.

From the first day camp opens until the Champion has won, I think that challenge is greater in the NFL than any other sport because it takes more to stay healthy IMO.

 

[The Grasshopper]

^ Nice points 'Mega. I have already voted on the Stanley Cup but do believe a case can easily be made for three of these picks. The NBA can be bought, in baseball's case... the same. On the flip side, the Montreal Expos should have won a title and look what happened to them.

 

[julialee89]

A FIFA cup: Being gayer than the players already in the sport looks extreamly hard!

 

[zell]

^ Nice points 'Mega. I have already voted on the Stanley Cup but do believe a case can easily be made for three of these picks. The NBA can be bought, in baseball's case... the same. On the flip side, the Montreal Expos should have won a title and look what happened to them.

Trying to buy a championship didn't go to well for the Heat this year,and the only teams in baseball that can do so are large market teams like The Yankees,Red Sox,Angels,and even they don't win every year.

 

[Bloodshot Scott]

World Series

 

[The Grasshopper]

Trying to buy a championship didn't go to well for the Heat this year,and the only teams in baseball that can do so are large market teams like The Yankees,Red Sox,Angels,and even they don't win every year.

Yeah, I understand on the Heat but they spent so much money on a handful of players. Smarter teams lock up championship SuperStars and great defensive or otherwise type players and generate success, not that LeBron and D'Wayne Wade aren't of this type but that's where I am going with that.

In the case of baseball, it is much the same... the large market teams tend to have better luck being able to fill not only pitching rosters etcetera but coaches and management from lesser markets with $$$. The BlueJays of Toronto were able to gun with the big boys back when and once the Expos made a play in that direction... well they are no longer around, just my two cents.

 

[Marlo Manson]

IMO it's Lord Stanley's Chalice!! That's the end of this discussion as far as I'm concerned!! :2 cents: