what sport has the smallest "pro" vs. "whoever" specialization gap.

Only if poker were a sport.

 

If I had to choose one I would say golf. Although I do not like golf, so it might be biased, but it does take good hand/eye coordination, but it is not as physically demanding as the others. If not golf than nascar, but I could see how driving in a car for quite awhile is pretty mentally demanding so it gets the nod above golf on my list.

 

I used this formula:

SPORT I DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT = me(average joe)

I came up with GOLF. C'mon, now... I can get into a golf cart, too.

 

If you really want a chance to rise to the top, make the Olympic team or at least your college team, etc., pick one of the lesser-known sports. You won't have nearly as much competition.

Back when I was in shape, I was on the crew team at Rice for about a month. Apparently I had the strength (at the time) but had trouble coordinating the oar in the water; that part would have probably gotten better. One teammate who started out with me loved it so much that she transferred to a school with a varsity crew team and even made the 2000 Olympic team. And she didn't start until she got to college either.

And then there was my little racquetball experiment in 2000-2001. Not too many women play, especially in college. Even though I was pretty bad (which is why I quit taking it seriously - I'll never have the coordination), I came close to making the competition team at UT, which ended up winning the national championship. Of course, they won the championship because of some good people (who were usually "above" playing with the rest of us) and not because of whoever the #6 was, but it's still kind of cool to say I "came this close to being on the national championship team". Try doing that in something like basketball...

(I think any of it is easier if you're female, because fewer of you do it to begin with. I had a huge problem finding other girls to play racquetball with... most of them just didn't care or were only there because their boyfriends made them try it. Sigh. On the other hand, things like gymnastics and ice skating need more males.)

 

bowling.

 

i'd think something like 'archery' or 'darts' might be easier than golf but golf can't be that much farther behind.

 

I actually agree with the olympics. I've known a bunch of "Nobodies" who made it to olympic tryouts in sports like the luge. sometimes they send out flyers trying to recruit people to come try the sport. You pick a small sport, or a new sport, you gotta shot.

Add to that something else. You live in a small country that's poor, you gotta shot to come out of there like the Jamaican bob sled team.

The olympics is the way to go.

 

I went other, and I'm going to say bowling, if you consider that a sport...

 

Given Moochie Norris' roster spot on a professional team, I will go ahead and say basketball.

 

Is fishing a sport?

 

have you seen the world championships darts on fox sports??? those things get INTENSE!! nothing like two big guys throwing things while all the people around him are drinking like crazy and making more noise than the TC

 

I picked football. If George Plimpton can last through training camp with those guys going after him extra hard, then I would say the average person has the best chance there. Especially if they were a field goal kicker or something.

 

agree...bowling...

at most houses and in most leagues...there are normallly at least 5 people that are good enough to compete on the pro circuit(210+ average)

on any given night...thoise people can bowl a 300 and thats the best a pro can get.

 

Well...it is on ESPN sooooo.....

As for NASCAR....I'd have to say no to that... I'd say you'd have to be racing all your life to even have a shot at jumping behind the wheel of one of those beasts. But, if you look at all the drivers, they pretty much all look like the average joe.

How bout....curling! But is that even pro?

 

I picked basketball because if you have the body of a true center or pf, there are tons of roster spots in the nba. Basketball seems to have the most role players - I mean look at the difference in skill level between John Amaechi or Greg Ostertag and Tracy MacGrady.

If all you are is a big body and a spot-up shooter, basketball is not that difficult of a game.

Golf seems like it's easy, but the difference in difficulty between the courses that we play and the ones pga pros play is unbelievable. If most pros are honest, they will tell you that the gap between their level of skills and the pga is a LOT harder to cross than the gap between your skills (ie 15 handicap) and theirs (0 handicap).

For your average-sized individual, I would pick darts - you only have to learn one motion with one part of your body.

 

The way I look at is, what's more physically demanding? Golf obviously is tougher at a pro level than just playing on your normal course, but that doesnt mean I cant go out there and play with them. I might do terrible, and take forever to finish my round of 18 but I could still do that. Not everyone could play 20+ minutes in a basketball game. If someone has some build and a good jumper, it will help, but getting picked by shaq will more than likely take them out.

 

It has to be golf b/c its the only sport where you don't compete against another person, but against an object (a golf course). Playing any other professional sport requires you to physically compete against genetically more superior atheletes.

 

yes but those lane conditions are easy as crap. just because someone averages over 210, which i used to, doesn't mean they can bowl under different lane conditions or that they are any good. you are just talking about a "house" bowler who isn't any good outside of that solitary environment and who can't adjust.

not trying to sound like a rabid bowling defender but i did bowl for ut in college and the lane conditions for those tournaments can be very difficult especially later in the tourney.

further i think bowling and golf are on the same level as a sport.