Posted on 10/16/2009 11:22:30 PM PDT by WesternCulture
Actually, I'll refrain from watering down the spirit of my headline (like a Liberal writer would've) - and turbo-charge it instead:
I'm European and regardless of the fact that American football is an extremely physical game, it still isn't a true contact sport like Australian football or soccer is and compared to soccer, it is often pretty safe. Period.
Which part of the world houses the toughest sport on Earth?
The Far East?
Karate, Kung Fu and such hobbies are widely regarded as "true contact".
But, provided you really wish to injure an opponent, the runway is longer and the ref is more absent in soccer.
My position is this:
The two toughest people on Earth probably are the Japanese and the Scandinavians.
However, an average Japanese weighs something like 36% of an average Viking.
Therefore, no one ought to be impressed if a Japanese karate black belter knocks down another Japanese black smurf.
Instead, what we all should bow down to, IM(humble)O, is someone like this;
A young kid, having the words of "-Get off the field, you're too weak, you don't belong" ringing in his head while trying to fall asleep each evening, before surrendering to dreams of becoming a soccer legend, a kid who remains "tiny", but manages to beat the odds, yet somehow gets signed by a major club (thinking of Celtic F.C.) in one of the nastiest leagues of the game (that of brutish Scotland), gets assaulted from behind suffering an injury (clip below) that, literally, would cripple most men for good but still rises from the dead and among other things, manages to decide a CL final, score more league goals than any other presently active player of today and score THE most appraised goal of the most/second most prestigeous tournament of the sport.
Henrik Larsson isn't the toughest man I know of, but he's by far the toughest sportsman known to me.
Perhaps his accomplishments doesn't settle the initial question, but Larsson still drives a nicer car than those people who once counted him out of the game and the vast majority of people who refuses to acknowledge what a noble game soccer actually is.
Anyhow;
Some years ago, immediately after having explored the excavagations of Pomeji, I, rather deliberately, rested myself on the stairs of a primary school of Naples.
And yes, suddently, I was surrounded by young boys tearing me to pieces with questions of what I was was up to in their "quartiere", where I was from and what I knew about them and their home.
Upon telling them I was from Svezia, Thule, thirty young Napoletane throats began shouting something, in perfect chorus, I first could't make any sense of. But then, the leader of the pack began to, demonstratively, kick a ball that simply wasn't there in front of him and I understood they were all trying to speak Swedish to me in Nnapulitano;
"- LARSSON! LARSSON! LARSSON!"
Skål from Sweden to everyone who believes in self-reliance and dares to embrace challenges in life!
Sooner or later in your life, you’ll confront major obstacles on your planned route to happiness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Ry3L1Ou9GM
So, how to respond, in case you happen to love your destined path:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zk4rTWSUyxY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCxEkdACBrw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk2rV33VPCw
Mixed Martial Arts
Rodeo. Hands down. I’m not even a fan, but those guys are tough.
Water Polo. The object of the game is to keep the other guy’s head under water. If he gets it out of the water, bounce the ball off his head. Accidently.
It isn't always how tough you are. It is how tough you are coupled with ability to fake the enemy out.
Odd that you missed it given where you seem to be from. American football to my mind is the second toughest major sport in the world. The first is clearly ice hockey.
It has the hitting of American football compounded with the speed of being on ice. It has those sharp blades on players feet. If the ice did not keep them from getting traction, it would be so dangerous it could not be played.
As far as soccer or football goes, you dont have a hard shell helment on. Sure there can be freak accidents like the broken leg you showed. But there is not the physical play game in and game out, play after play like ice hockey and American football.
BTW, rodeo is an interesting choice as is mma.
Hockey is pretty good.
Lacrosse is soccer with weapons. Football has more pads. I can not argue with MMA or Rodeo though.
Tangling with a defensive lineman who weighs 265 cannot compare to a BULL who weighs half-a-ton and is TRYING to maim you...with no pads and holding on with only one arm.
Cheers!
Soccer? A contact sport....LMFAO.
http://www.break.com/usercontent/2007/5/soccer-is-for-fags-301892.html
Rugby
Wasn’t Kilgore from Texas too?
Martial arts is not a sport.
Charlie don’t surf!
He did have a sweet hat.
I wholeheartedly agree with the Skål part though.
One of my best mates is Sweden. I can’t wait to visit so I can go to Denmark. :)
(Sorry, but the death metal culture in Sweden just isn’t up to snuff these years.)
marriage
Pick a combat sport. No ball game or field game will come close.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.