If you could be a sporting World Champion….

Football for sure. Being the best in the world, enjoying a glittering career, in the biggest sport in the world by a huge distance (basketball is in second place but a long way behind) would the most special of all IMO.

The Champions League final is the biggest annual sporting event, while the World Cup final is the biggest sporting event full stop - you could argue that overall the Olympics are bigger than the World Cup, but the World Cup final is clearly bigger than any individual Olympic event including the men's 100m final in Athletics.

Also team sports just seem like so much more fun to play professionally / at a serious level than individual sports. I'd wage that a higher % of professional athletes in team sports around their mid 20s so when they're definitely established actually enjoy their careers more.

I think that individual sports are increasingly struggling to compete with team sports nowadays, as there is so much money to be earned in the major team sports as you go further down the rankings / food chain. For professional standards 'mediocre' football, basketball, baseball etc. players earn so much more money than those in individual sports. Many tennis players fail to break even during a season by season basis / overall, and only could dream about earning what football players in the Championship are earning gross, never mind net (they have significantly higher professional expenses to pay themselves).
 
Football obviously.

Imagine being the best at the world's biggest and best sport.
 
Rado_N said:
F1 drivers are extremely athletic. It’s a common misconception that drivers don’t need to be fit, they actually need to be massively so.
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I’m not saying they’re not fit. Triathlon runners are also fit. I have zero interest in running a triathlon either. I maybe worded that badly. By “athletic” sport I mean a sport defined by feats of athleticism, skill, strength, balance and coordination. You know, “proper” sports? Which is not how any neutral would think about driving a car (or, say, playing e-sports). Even though their fans might insist they do.

Side note. There’s also a buzz from being part of a team that I don’t think individual sports can match. Pulling on that shirt, alongside a band of brothers, to represent your club or country. I don’t see how that can be matched by representing <insert name of massive corporation here>
 
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Footballers, Golfers and Tennis players have a great life and they are fun sports to play so any of them please.
 
I am surprised by the relatively few people picking football on a football forum. I would have though that people are most passionate about footy here. Is it just a little thing a lot of people enjoy on the side of F1 or whatever or is it because it's the boring answer so those who would have said football aren't bothering to post?
 
Football

would easily be a billionaire with my sex appeal and charm
 
Disc golf.
Not much money in it yet, but by far the most fun sport i've ever tried.
 
LInkash said:
I am surprised by the relatively few people picking football on a football forum. I would have though that people are most passionate about footy here. Is it just a little thing a lot of people enjoy on the side of F1 or whatever or is it because it's the boring answer so those who would have said football aren't bothering to post?
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I’m a bit surprised at this too.
 
F1 is a shit 'sport' as well.

To be the best in the world, you'd want it to be at something you have to push yourself physically through. So all the shouts that aren't golf, darts, F1 etc are valid.

For me I think it'd either be football, or boxing.
 
LInkash said:
I am surprised by the relatively few people picking football on a football forum. I would have though that people are most passionate about footy here. Is it just a little thing a lot of people enjoy on the side of F1 or whatever or is it because it's the boring answer so those who would have said football aren't bothering to post?
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I think it's mostly because F1 is a one of the biggest individual sports and the World Championship is also a big deal itself. It's huge money, and you're the undisputed star of the show.

Whereas being a football WC winner, you might just be Ron-Robert Zieler.
 
V.O. said:
I think it's mostly because F1 is a one of the biggest individual sports and the World Championship is also a big deal itself. It's huge money, and you're the undisputed star of the show.

Whereas being a football WC winner, you might just be Ron-Robert Zieler.
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Ron-Robert Zieler still gets to play football for a living, though. Instead of driving a car. Playing football > driving cars.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Ron-Robert Zieler still gets to play football for a living, though. Instead of driving a car. Playing football > driving cars.
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Driving a car is way more fun than kicking a ball around.

Unless it's NASCAR because that means you're just making left turns and are probably an American: both huge negatives.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Ron-Robert Zieler still gets to play football for a living, though. Instead of driving a car. Playing football > driving cars.
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I think a lot of people would quite fancy driving an F1 car every weekend over standing in nets in a damp field in Braunschweig or Heidenheim.
 
V.O. said:
I think a lot of people would quite fancy driving an F1 car every weekend over standing in nets in a damp field in Braunschweig or Heidenheim.
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A lot of weird people, sure.

I’m getting more and more bemused by this thread. I naively assumed that a love of football (including playing football) was a prerequisite for anyone who gets obsessive enough about a football team to post about them on an internet forum.

If you love playing football then there surely can’t be anything you’d enjoy more than playing it professionally, at a level high enough to become world champion?
 
Probably swimming - short to medium distances. Great physique and great longevity (because you haven't destroyed your joints).

F1 - you have to be small and underweight to succeed, and risk injury and death everytime you're on the track.

Football would be amazing - but you're probably too famous, to have any degree of normalcy in your life at that point. Too big of a risk of long term injuries etc too that might effect your life after the game.
 
Golf would be great. Tonnes of money, minimal exertion or risk, and get to visit amazing places.

I'd love to be the best at football but imagine being Ronaldo or Messi, you can't walk down the street. If you play golf and are not Tiger Woods nobody knows who the feck you are.
 
you can’t be a world champion of most of the sports you eejits are listing.
 
Football so I can sign for United.
During the manager's press conference I'd interrupt it by showing up in ManUnited spandex along with other big signings. The RedCafe myth is my dream.
 
Football of course. Failing that, imagine being Heavyweight Champion of the World would be pretty cool, for the title alone.
 
While it would be brilliant to be world champion in Football or boxing. A lot of the sports suggested require too much effort and training.

The money might not be comparable, but I'd go with Snooker. Not a taxing sport but one I'd enjoy. Travel the world. And if you're winning tournaments it's gonna come with some good bonuses.
 
Didn't we have a thread exactly like this not that long ago? Mind you I can barely remember what I had for dinner yesterday so I could be very wrong.

Anyway, if I was a professional athlete I'd want to be the best in the world, but having Hamilton/Messi/Woods/Bolt type fame is pretty much my worst nightmare so I'd go with hockey. That way I could spend my holidays and retirement in some of the best parts of the world and still not get recognized by everyone and their dog.
 
11101 said:
Golf would be great. Tonnes of money, minimal exertion or risk, and get to visit amazing places.

I'd love to be the best at football but imagine being Ronaldo or Messi, you can't walk down the street. If you play golf and are not Tiger Woods nobody knows who the feck you are.
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This. Fame fecks with people's minds and relationships too much. I couldn't give feck all about attending Paris Fashion Week or the Met Gala just because someone wants me there as some kind of trophy.
 
The Corinthian said:
F1 is a shit 'sport' as well.

To be the best in the world, you'd want it to be at something you have to push yourself physically through. So all the shouts that aren't golf, darts, F1 etc are valid.

For me I think it'd either be football, or boxing.
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You can’t possibly be suggesting that F1 doesn’t require the driver to push themselves physically?
 
Rado_N said:
You can’t possibly be suggesting that F1 doesn’t require the driver to push themselves physically?
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It’s high octane and they certainly have to keep fit but the best F1 driver isn’t the best because of how much time they spent in the gym or practicing any physicality. It comes down to the car and the team behind him.
 
Football, easily. I'll take celebrating a goal in front of a rabid football crowd over any other feeling another sport could offer. Standing on a podium in F1 wouldn't be the same, don't get me started on golf.

Winning a flagship sport for your country in the Olympics is probably second.
 
The Corinthian said:
It’s high octane and they certainly have to keep fit but the best F1 driver isn’t the best because of how much time they spent in the gym or practicing any physicality. It comes down to the car and the team behind him.
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The best footballer isn’t the best because of time in the gym either. That’s a really odd barometer.

The physicality of F1 is extreme, they’re under immense physical strain and have to perform highly precise and consistent inputs at ridiculous speeds for almost 2 hours, and the inputs themselves are also physical.

Have you ever been karting? 15-20 minutes of that is physically demanding and it’s not even in the same realm as professional motorsport, never mind F1.
 
Rado_N said:
The best footballer isn’t the best because of time in the gym either. That’s a really odd barometer.

The physicality of F1 is extreme, they’re under immense physical strain and have to perform highly precise and consistent inputs at ridiculous speeds for almost 2 hours, and the inputs themselves are also physical.

Have you ever been karting? 15-20 minutes of that is physically demanding and it’s not even in the same realm as professional motorsport, never mind F1.
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I don’t necessarily disagree with that but how much of what you describe factors into being the best F1 driver? And how much comes down to the best car or the best team behind you? It’s not the same as, say, a boxer who spends hours outside of his fights honing his technique, studying his opponent, killing himself in the gym etc. it’s the same with any physical sport. When Usain Bolt won his gold in 2012, he described how it took him 43 strides to win in 2008 and he was working out how to bring that down to 42 strides. You can’t apply that same level of meticulousness to F1. Because a lot of F1 comes down to the best car and team.
 
The Corinthian said:
I don’t necessarily disagree with that but how much of what you describe factors into being the best F1 driver? And how much comes down to the best car or the best team behind you? It’s not the same as, say, a boxer who spends hours outside of his fights honing his technique, studying his opponent, killing himself in the gym etc. it’s the same with any physical sport. When Usain Bolt won his gold in 2012, he described how it took him 43 strides to win in 2008 and he was working out how to bring that down to 42 strides. You can’t apply that same level of meticulousness to F1. Because a lot of F1 comes down to the best car and team.
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The car and team obviously plays a part, but training is definitely a big factor too.

Also that same logic basically rules out football, as well as probably every other team sport there is.

There’s not that many sports where busting your ass in the gym is the difference maker between the best of the best and the next tier.
 
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