Better Athletes NFL or NBA players?

[D.Brasco]

NFL, unless you consider height a component of athleticism, which most people don't. The most athletic guy in the NBA over the last decade was probably Nate Robinson, and there are a lot of NFL players who fit his athletic profile.

The only way the NBA has better athletes is if you consider height a factor. Say you have a 6 ft guy, and a 6'6" guy, and they run the same 40 speed, bench the same amount, have the same vertical, etc. In all ways they are athletically identical, except one is half a foot taller. Is the taller guy a better athlete, purely because he's taller? if you say no, then the NFL has better athletes, if you say yes than the NBA likely does. Personally I say height is not a part of athleticism.

Height does play a part in athleticism let's be real. The average man in america is about 5'9" the average height of athletes in all of the 4 major sports are 6'+. There is a correlation. Longer arms and limbs play a big factor in giving you an athletic edge.

Usain Bolt is a great example of this factor, with his long ass strides to make up for his slow start speed.

Usain Bolt is a great athlete because he's fast, not because he's tall. if he was the same speed but 5'10", he'd be just as good an athlete.

What? you really think if usain bolt was 5'10" he'd be winning all those gold medals? The fact he's 6'5" and takes huge strides is one of the main factors he's been so dominant over his competition and set all these world records. This is a known fact that's often discussed about him.

Measuring 6’5″, Bolt’s height means that he can complete a 100 metre sprint in 41 strides, instead of a more usual 44 for elite sprinters.

http://thenextweb.com/lifehacks/2011/07 ... ble-speed/

Also how many of the top athletes in any of the major 4 sports are 5'10"? It's ridiculous to discount height from athletic ability. Even the just 6' athletes in both NFL and the NBA usually have ridiculously long wingspans compared to the average population at their height.

[litex]

What? you really think if usain bolt was 5'10" he'd be winning all those gold medals? The fact he's 6'5" and takes huge strides is one of the main factors he's been so dominant over his competition and set all these world records. This is a known fact that's often discussed about him.

Sure, Bolt has long strides and is tall. I'm not denying that. What I'm saying, is that if he were able to traverse the same distance at the same speed, but happened to be a different height, he would not somehow be a worse athlete. You don't get "extra credit" for being tall.

If there is a tall guy who runs the 40 in 4.3, and a short guy who also runs the 40 in 4.3, the fact that the tall guy is tall doesn't make him a better athlete. The only thing that would make him a better athlete is if he were actually faster (in other words, Usain Bolt is a great athlete because he's faster than anyone else. If he was short and faster than anyone else, he'd still be a great athlete. if he were 6'5" and slow, he wouldn't be a good athlete). If there is a tall guy with a 44" inch vertical, and a shot guy with a 44" inch vertical, the tall guy is not somehow a better athlete because he's tall.

Also how many of the top athletes in any of the major 4 sports are 5'10"? It's ridiculous to discount height from athletic ability. Even the just 6' athletes in both NFL and the NBA usually have ridiculously long wingspans compared to the average population at their height.

That doesn't make wingspan or height a component of athleticism. Lots of traits show up in most pro athletes, but not in the general population, but still aren't athletic traits--for example, athletes in all sports are typically vastly more competitive than the general population, but competitiveness is not a component of athleticism.

[JWillTheFreak]

I'm surprised no-one mention Randy Moss in here yet one of the most athletic athletes ever. People are mentioning C Johnson and Dez Bryant but Moss was on another level!

Overall NFL athletes are better then NBA... If you take top 100 from each sport and did a nba and nfl combine, I can guarantee NFL would be on top!!!

[litex]

I'm surprised no-one mention Randy Moss in here yet one of the most athletic athletes ever. People are mentioning C Johnson and Dez Bryant but Moss was on another level!

Overall NFL athletes are better then NBA... If you take top 100 from each sport and did a nba and nfl combine, I can guarantee NFL would be on top!!!

NBA selects for height to a degree the NFL doesn't, and height is not a component of athleticism, so the NFL is more athletic.

Think about it. Say for arguments sake that in the general population, one person in a thousand will be born with extreme athletic ability. Those people are the potential talent pool for the NFL. But most of these people could never play in the NBA, because they're way too short. So the talent pool for the NBA is limited by a non-athletic factor (height) to a degree that the NFL isn't.

[Ganji]

Rugby players are the most athletic ones. they do same stuff NFL players do with no padding on.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL5wyc9IS74[/youtube]

[DetroitSho]

jordan ran a 4.3 40 in college and had least a 44" vert with some claiming he had a 48" vert. he's taller and stronger than sanders with much better lateral movement as well so yes, he blows him out of the water in terms of pure athelticism. there's videos of jordan throwing footballs over 65 yards with no practice whatsoever so the guy had a cannon too. can you name one TE or WR in the NFL today more athletic than lebron/jordan? let's not even get into wilt.

I'd put a lot of money on Deion in a race, 40, 100, 200, whatever. Dude ran track in college. Once played a baseball game, went and ran a leg of the 4x100, then went back and played the second game of a double-header. And stronger? Both about 195 pounds, one 5 inches shorter and played football. I'd put a lot more money on Sanders being stronger. Not that that has anything to do with athletic ability. Lateral quickness? Lemme guess, you never saw Prime return punts or cover receivers. Not to mention playing baseball compared to Jordan. But ok, maybe Jordan can out jump him (maybe not), so I guess he blows him out of the water....

sure he could beat mj in a race but that's only if mj didn't run track and get some practice first. guys like lbj are running 4.6 40s without any practice doing it! you don't think they can improve their 40 times a bit with proper technique and some repition/training like nfl/track players do? gimme a break. you still can't name me one te or receiver in the league today more athletic than lebron. or name me a single guy in the nfl that has ever had the overall athletic package wilt had.

My man, are you familiar with Deion Sanders? He's one of the greatest athletes ever. And just because somebody said Jordan ran a 4.3 doesn't mean it legitimately happened. And for that matter, Deion ran in the 4.2s twice at the combine when he didn't even plan to run. He threw on regular gym shoes (not track shoes) and ran. I've seen footage of him dunking a basketball off skates during some Atlanta Falcons skate-ball game.

I know Jordan is supposedly the best at everything in the world he touches, but I'm rolling with Deion.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RealGM Forums mobile app

[litex]

I'd put a lot of money on Deion in a race, 40, 100, 200, whatever. Dude ran track in college. Once played a baseball game, went and ran a leg of the 4x100, then went back and played the second game of a double-header. And stronger? Both about 195 pounds, one 5 inches shorter and played football. I'd put a lot more money on Sanders being stronger. Not that that has anything to do with athletic ability. Lateral quickness? Lemme guess, you never saw Prime return punts or cover receivers. Not to mention playing baseball compared to Jordan. But ok, maybe Jordan can out jump him (maybe not), so I guess he blows him out of the water....

sure he could beat mj in a race but that's only if mj didn't run track and get some practice first. guys like lbj are running 4.6 40s without any practice doing it! you don't think they can improve their 40 times a bit with proper technique and some repition/training like nfl/track players do? gimme a break. you still can't name me one te or receiver in the league today more athletic than lebron. or name me a single guy in the nfl that has ever had the overall athletic package wilt had.

My man, are you familiar with Deion Sanders? He's one of the greatest athletes ever. And just because somebody said Jordan ran a 4.3 doesn't mean it legitimately happened. And for that matter, Deion ran in the 4.2s twice at the combine when he didn't even plan to run. He threw on regular gym shoes (not track shoes) and ran. I've seen footage of him dunking a basketball off skates during some Atlanta Falcons skate-ball game.

I know Jordan is supposedly the best at everything in the world he touches, but I'm rolling with Deion.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using RealGM Forums mobile app

Deion was a great athlete, but Bo Jackson was better. He ran the 40 in 4.12 seconds. He was so fast that he could do this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lk3l_L-VJ3w

[litex]

For anyone who isn't familiar, here's a good breakdown of some of the superhuman **** Bo Jackson did:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/20 ... e/?print=1

September 2, 1986

Bo's first game. His first at-bat was against Hall of Famer Steve Carlton. He hit a ground ball to second base, and Tim Hulett picked it up and threw to first -- only Bo was already past the bag.

"Oh man, nothing that big should move that fast," said Royals Hall of Famer and former hitting coach John Mayberry.

April 14, 1987

Bo Jackson faced Detroit's Nate Snell with the bases loaded. In spring training that year, Snell had forced Bo to pop out with the bases loaded and Bo threw his bat and glared at Snell.

"Bo was the kind of guy who wanted to prove you wrong," Frank White says. "If you told him he couldn't do something, he would do it."

Snell threw a fastball, and Bo crushed it. Grand slam. It was his fourth hit of the day, his second homer, seventh RBI. He also stole a base. When the bat boy picked up the bat, he realized something. Bo had broken his bat on the homer again.

July 29, 1988

Bo Jackson was facing Baltimore's Jeff Ballard. He called timeout and stepped out of the box. He adjusted his batting glove when he realized that the umpire did not actually grant his timeout, and Ballard was throwing the ball. Jackson jumped back into the box, swung that bat and ... yeah. He hit a home run. "Most amazing thing I've ever seen in my life," says Bob Schaeffer, Kansas City's first-base coach at the time.

May 15, 1989

Legendary baseball writer Peter Gammons was in Minnesota to write a Sports Illustrated cover story about Jackson, so he watched Bo take batting practice. It was a typical Bo hitting session -- he cracked rockets all over the field. Then it was time for his last swing. Bo jumped into the cage and hit left-handed. He hit a titanic shot 450 feet off the Hardware Hank sign in right field.

Left-handed.

"I got work to do," Bo said to the other players, whose jaws had dropped. He ran out to the outfield to shag some fly balls.

May 23, 1989

Bo locked into a fastball battle with Nolan Ryan. Up to that point, they had met six times, and Bo had struck out six times. This time, Nolan kept pumping 100-mph fastballs and Bo kept fouling them off, a real clash of the titans. Ryan was not going to try a curveball -- this was man-to-man. He threw one last fastball. Bo connected. Bo hit the ball 461 feet, the longest ever homer at Arlington Stadium.

"They better get a new tape measure," Bo said.

July 11, 1989

All-Star Game in Anaheim. Bo Jackson led off with a monstrous 448-foot home run to straightaway center field -- it cleared two fences out there.

"Unbelievable," Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn would say.

"I got a piece of it," Bo would say.

The next inning, he beat out a double-play grounder by running to first in 3.81 seconds -- one of the fastest times ever clocked for a right-handed hitter. He stole second base (becoming only the second player to hit a homer and steal a base in an All-Star Game, with Willie Mays). He scored the game-winning run. He was selected MVP.

July 11, 1990

Bo ran up the outfield wall. Literally. He chased down a fly ball and caught it about four steps in front of the fence. He put his right foot on the wall, then his left, then his right -- until he was 7 feet off the ground and sideways. For a guy who didn't want to be seen as a superhero, he sure kept doing superhero things.

And thats just in baseball. He was just as freakish in the NFL (and even better in Tecmo Bowl...)

[Neutral 123]

NFL, unless you consider height a component of athleticism, which most people don't. The most athletic guy in the NBA over the last decade was probably Nate Robinson, and there are a lot of NFL players who fit his athletic profile.

The only way the NBA has better athletes is if you consider height a factor. Say you have a 6 ft guy, and a 6'6" guy, and they run the same 40 speed, bench the same amount, have the same vertical, etc. In all ways they are athletically identical, except one is half a foot taller. Is the taller guy a better athlete, purely because he's taller? if you say no, then the NFL has better athletes, if you say yes than the NBA likely does. Personally I say height is not a part of athleticism.

Height does play a part in athleticism let's be real. The average man in america is about 5'9" the average height of athletes in all of the 4 major sports are 6'+. There is a correlation. Longer arms and limbs play a big factor in giving you an athletic edge.

Usain Bolt is a great example of this factor, with his long ass strides to make up for his slow start speed.

Usain Bolt is a great athlete because he's fast, not because he's tall. if he was the same speed but 5'10", he'd be just as good an athlete.

sure he could beat mj in a race but that's only if mj didn't run track and get some practice first. guys like lbj are running 4.6 40s without any practice doing it! you don't think they can improve their 40 times a bit with proper technique and some repition/training like nfl/track players do? gimme a break. you still can't name me one te or receiver in the league today more athletic than lebron. or name me a single guy in the nfl that has ever had the overall athletic package wilt had.

Bo Jackson was a much better athlete than Wilt, because being tall is not a component of athleticism. You don't get extra credit for running a fast 40 time while being tall. The 5'8" guy with a 46" vertical and 4.3 40 time is a better athlete than a 6'6" guy with a 42" vertical and 4.5 40 time.

There is an inverse relationship between mass and speed. So it is rare for a man of Bolt's size to produce enough power to move that fast. His combination of height and the power he generates are advantageous. Size is advantageous in most sports. In most sports, all else the same, the guy who is larger is going to have the advantage.

I'm not sure this really applies to the original question as basketball requires a level of skill that I'd say goes beyond the specialized and limited skills need to play football. Basically, a very skilled basketball player can overcome a lack of athleticism. That is less likely to happen in the NFL, with maybe QB being the only real exception.

[TheOGJabroni]

I'm surprised no-one mention Randy Moss in here yet one of the most athletic athletes ever. People are mentioning C Johnson and Dez Bryant but Moss was on another level!

Overall NFL athletes are better then NBA... If you take top 100 from each sport and did a nba and nfl combine, I can guarantee NFL would be on top!!!

Randy Moss is an absolute freak athlete, no argument there. But to say that he is on another level to Calvin Johnson is just being a bit nostalgic. I am a huge fan of both players. Probably my favorite two receivers over the past two generations of players but gun to my head, I'm picking Johnson as the better athlete ten times out of ten.

[KobeDwightPau]

Rugby players are the most athletic ones. they do same stuff NFL players do with no padding on.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL5wyc9IS74[/youtube]

NFL players would slaughter those rugby players by training 2 weeks, oops, sorry, no one would even make it through a practice at the level of athleticism they play at.

[JWillTheFreak]

I'm surprised no-one mention Randy Moss in here yet one of the most athletic athletes ever. People are mentioning C Johnson and Dez Bryant but Moss was on another level!

Overall NFL athletes are better then NBA... If you take top 100 from each sport and did a nba and nfl combine, I can guarantee NFL would be on top!!!

Randy Moss is an absolute freak athlete, no argument there. But to say that he is on another level to Calvin Johnson is just being a bit nostalgic. I am a huge fan of both players. Probably my favorite two receivers over the past two generations of players but gun to my head, I'm picking Johnson as the better athlete ten times out of ten.

I guess you haven't seen Moss in his prime if you pick Johnson over him. Johnson over Moss only has strength everything else I would give to Moss.

[KobeDwightPau]

I'm surprised no-one mention Randy Moss in here yet one of the most athletic athletes ever. People are mentioning C Johnson and Dez Bryant but Moss was on another level!

Overall NFL athletes are better then NBA... If you take top 100 from each sport and did a nba and nfl combine, I can guarantee NFL would be on top!!!

Randy Moss is an absolute freak athlete, no argument there. But to say that he is on another level to Calvin Johnson is just being a bit nostalgic. I am a huge fan of both players. Probably my favorite two receivers over the past two generations of players but gun to my head, I'm picking Johnson as the better athlete ten times out of ten.

Well, then you would be dead.

[TheOGJabroni]

I'm surprised no-one mention Randy Moss in here yet one of the most athletic athletes ever. People are mentioning C Johnson and Dez Bryant but Moss was on another level!

Overall NFL athletes are better then NBA... If you take top 100 from each sport and did a nba and nfl combine, I can guarantee NFL would be on top!!!

Randy Moss is an absolute freak athlete, no argument there. But to say that he is on another level to Calvin Johnson is just being a bit nostalgic. I am a huge fan of both players. Probably my favorite two receivers over the past two generations of players but gun to my head, I'm picking Johnson as the better athlete ten times out of ten.

Well, then you would be dead.

I'm surprised no-one mention Randy Moss in here yet one of the most athletic athletes ever. People are mentioning C Johnson and Dez Bryant but Moss was on another level!

Overall NFL athletes are better then NBA... If you take top 100 from each sport and did a nba and nfl combine, I can guarantee NFL would be on top!!!

Randy Moss is an absolute freak athlete, no argument there. But to say that he is on another level to Calvin Johnson is just being a bit nostalgic. I am a huge fan of both players. Probably my favorite two receivers over the past two generations of players but gun to my head, I'm picking Johnson as the better athlete ten times out of ten.

I guess you haven't seen Moss in his prime if you pick Johnson over him. Johnson over Moss only has strength everything else I would give to Moss.

I know these aren't the only measures but from quick research, Moss has him in 40 time. 4.25 compared to Johnson's 4.35 but Johnson has a 42.5 vertical to Moss' 39 and as stated, Johnson has him in strength and I don't think anyone in their right mind can debate that.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXRqyjzyBRg[/youtube]

Like I said, Randy Moss is a super freak athlete but to say he's on a different level than Johnson is crazy.

[B-Ball Freak]

LOL @ the guy discrediting Usain Bolts height...you really think he would be the fastest human on earth being 6'5? I mean like the guy said above it's been proven that the key to his speed is his strides.

[Ganji]

Rugby players are the most athletic ones. they do same stuff NFL players do with no padding on.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL5wyc9IS74[/youtube]

NFL players would slaughter those rugby players by training 2 weeks, oops, sorry, no one would even make it through a practice at the level of athleticism they play at.

NFL players don't have stamina to do crap, to much commercial breaks in NFL.

[therealbig3]

I only read the first couple of pages, but LOL at saying it's typical for NFL players to run 4.3 40s. The absolute fastest guys in the NFL like Chris Johnson and Desean Jackson run 4.3 40s, and they're twigs. They're skinny by NBA standards.

I think NFL players and NBA players are comparable athletes. They train differently and focus on different aspects of their physiques, so you can't do a straight up comparison, but they're two of the most physically gifted groups of athletes in the world, and I think if you can make it in one sport athletically, you could have made it in the other sport. In terms of skill, that's another story.

[therealbig3]

LOL @ the guy discrediting Usain Bolts height...you really think he would be the fastest human on earth being 6'5? I mean like the guy said above it's been proven that the key to his speed is his strides.

Isn't it also true that mechanically, taller people can't take as many strides in the same amount of time as a shorter person, because of the length of their limbs? They have to do more work in order to move their legs than the shorter person.

Typically, aren't the best sprinters not very tall? Just doing a quick search through the 100M gold medalists, and Carl Lewis was the tallest one I saw at 6'3", other than Bolt. Everyone else seemed to be in the 5'10" to 6' range. I think that's why Bolt is a freak, because people his height typically don't move that fast.

[mopper8]

I'm surprised no-one mention Randy Moss in here yet one of the most athletic athletes ever. People are mentioning C Johnson and Dez Bryant but Moss was on another level!

Overall NFL athletes are better then NBA... If you take top 100 from each sport and did a nba and nfl combine, I can guarantee NFL would be on top!!!

Randy Moss is an absolute freak athlete, no argument there. But to say that he is on another level to Calvin Johnson is just being a bit nostalgic. I am a huge fan of both players. Probably my favorite two receivers over the past two generations of players but gun to my head, I'm picking Johnson as the better athlete ten times out of ten.

I guess you haven't seen Moss in his prime if you pick Johnson over him. Johnson over Moss only has strength everything else I would give to Moss.

I mentioned Randy Moss, and pointed out that he played a few games in the NBA summer league and did not look particularly amazing athletically doing it. Athletic, no doubt, but not "wow that guy would be one of the most explosive athletes in NBA history" athletic.

I also find it weird that people are pimping Calvin Johnson as this insane athlete while downplaying Lebron as being only special because he's tall. Well, if Johnson has the same proportions, but was 6'1, he also wouldn't be as amazing. Part of what makes him so crazy special is his size.

[mopper8]

I'm surprised no-one mention Randy Moss in here yet one of the most athletic athletes ever. People are mentioning C Johnson and Dez Bryant but Moss was on another level!

Overall NFL athletes are better then NBA... If you take top 100 from each sport and did a nba and nfl combine, I can guarantee NFL would be on top!!!

NBA selects for height to a degree the NFL doesn't, and height is not a component of athleticism, so the NFL is more athletic.

Think about it. Say for arguments sake that in the general population, one person in a thousand will be born with extreme athletic ability. Those people are the potential talent pool for the NFL. But most of these people could never play in the NBA, because they're way too short. So the talent pool for the NBA is limited by a non-athletic factor (height) to a degree that the NFL isn't.

This would make sense if both sports were equally selective, but in fact they are not. The NFL carries roughly 3 to 4 times more athletes than the NBA does. So your armchair analysis is a little lacking there.