<ol>
<li> Pick a team
a. The 100 Best Athletes from this summers World Cup.
b. The 100 Best Athletes from the NFL.</li>
<li> Train for the next two years in Track and Field.</li>
<li> Meet in 2012 in the London Olympics.</li>
<li> Complete in all track and Field events.
a. Sprints, Middle-distance, Long-distance, Hurdles, Relays, Jumps, Throws and Combined Events.</li>
<li> What team wins the most medals in 2012 Olympics?</li>
</ol>
<p>This is stupid.</p>
<p>the NFL … because the sport separates it’s athletes into specialists and a track & field meet is all about specialists … I’d also guess more of the world cup guys are individaully more well-rounded athletes (endurance, speed, strength, and coordination)</p>
<p>Given the scenario, I think the lkelyhood of either set of athletes medalling at the 2012 Games is very slim. They won’t be competing solely against each other…they will be competing against the very best T&F athletes that have been training for specific events for mush longer than two years. Neither team medals, so it’s a tie.</p>
<p>Now, if you want to train and have a track meet of 100 NFL athletes vs 100 World Cup athletes, I think the NFL team wins. Here’s why:</p>
<p>NFL team will win the sprints: Many college football running backs also ran track in HS and/or college. So some of my NFL picks are going to be very good sprinters who trained and competed in college. Sprints are won/lost by hundreths of a second. While soccer players may have speed, the edge will go to the NFL players who already know how to use starting blocks and run races.</p>
<p>World Cup team will win the distance races. They win on the endurance front, hands down.</p>
<p>NFL team will win the throws. Just like lots of running backs are sprinters, a lot of linemen have shot/discuss/jav experience. No 200 lb soccer player is going to out-throw a 320 lb NFL lineman with experience.</p>
<p>Jumps: Slight edge to the NFL, but it would be ugly. Good sprinters probably will get by in LJ, and some of my NFL picks probably did LJ / TJ at least in high school… but the other jumps have more technique involved. One thing for sure – I’m not putting my 320 lb lineman in the pole vault!</p>
<p>They only point where soccer players would win is endurance. I’d imagine the NFL players would be competitive up to 400 meters.</p>
<p>Hey! I pole vaulted at 270 lbs. (badly).</p>
<p>The NFL has simple diversity of body types in its favor.</p>
<p>How about the two groups competing in rugby?</p>
<p>Jeff Demps ran a 10.01 100m in high school… he could probably medal. He’s not pro yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised.</p>
<p>Soccer I would say could do somewhat well in Sprints as Soccer isn’t as much straight up running rather than sprint, jog, sprint, jog. Also two years is ALOT of time to bulk up, and remember any amount of experience will not really be advantageous over training 2 years in the sport by the absolute best coaches.</p>
<p>Soccer wins barely</p>
<p>The question as posed is ill defined. </p>
<p>It refers to “track and field”. </p>
<p>To have a bit more meaning, why not refer to the decathlon? In this case, it would not be close. The advantages a well conditioned football player would enjoy in the throwing events would be immense. The other events would likely be a wash, with soccer players likely doing better in the 1500 and the 400 but - unfortunately - not sufficient to overcome the stupendous advantage in the throws. One would assume that all would suffer in the pole vault - a technical event that typically takes years to master. </p>
<p>If one refers to merely “track” - meaning a variety of running events, it would be close, with the soccer players likely having a significant edge in any longer distance.</p>
<p>Nah. The soccer teams would win just by sheer volume of available athletes.</p>
<p>In the US the best athletes may be roped into American Football, but all of the rest of the world, the best athletes are funneled into soccer through a very young ID and club process. Unless you believe that the top 100 male athletes in the US are better than the top 100 male athletes in the entire rest of the world??? </p>
<p>Well, I guess I gotta admire the patriotism, if nothing else. U.S.A. U.S.A vs the rest of the world? That’s just nutty, but so us.</p>
<p>Yes. That is what I believe with all my heart. </p>
<p>The 100 best American anything are better than the hundred best “rest of the world” at anything other than soccer. But the generation of Latino’s growing up in the US right now will take the World Cup in 20 years or so.</p>
<p>Football players will probably win throws, jumps, and sprints up to the 400. I suspect hurdles would be a draw, and soccer players would absolutely dominate in the 800 and up.</p>
<p>Soccer players would sweep all the diving events.</p>
<p>If the best soccer players played the best NFL players in a game of soccer, the soccer players would win.</p>
<p>If the best soccer players played the best NFL players in a game of football, the soccer players would die.</p>
<p>That is the difference.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes… the soccer players would die from… running while wearing shoulder pads?</p>
<p>the football players would be chillin on the ground in a soccer game. Especially those nice linemen.</p>
<p>Rugby for all. The movement of soccer, the violence of football.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No, they would die from getting hit full on by a 350lb defender.</p>
<p>These are the Men’s Track and Field (Athletics) events held at the 2008 Olympics.
Sprints 100M, 200M and 400M
Middle 800M and 1,500M
Long 5,000M, 10,000M and Marathon
Hurdles 110M, 200M, 400M and 3,000M steeple chase
Relays 4 x 100M and 4 x 400M
Jumps Long, Triple, High and Pole Vault
Throws Shot, Discuss, Hammer and Javelin
Walk 20K and 50K
Combined Decathlon</p>
<p>Decathlon events are 100m, Long jump, Shot Put High Jump, 400M, 110M hurdles, Discus, Pole Vault Javelin and 1500M.</p>
<p>I SAID the soccer players would sweep the DIVING events. Get it?? DIVING?? Oh, never mind…</p>
<p>ABC has televised the Superstars Competition since the 1970’s. Athletes from various sports compete for points in several events and the winner is the Superstars Champion. If the name Kyle Rote Jr. sounds familiar then you’ll know where I’m going with this.</p>
<p>Kyle Rote Sr. was a star with the NY Giants in the NFL. His son, Kyle Rote Jr. switched from playing football in college to playing soccer. Kyle Rote Jr. became a professional soccer player earning only $1,400 in one season, and was unknown to US sports fans. I know I had never heard of him. But then Kyle Rote Jr. competed in the Superstars Competition and was a three-time US Champion defeating the likes of Bob Seagren, OJ Simpson, and Pete Rose. Some of the events they competed in were running, bicycling, weightlifting, swimming, and the obstacle course.</p>
<p>Eventually a World Superstars Competition came about that invited the Superstars champions from various parts of the globe to compete against each other. Canadian soccer player Brian Budd won the World competition three times in a row. One four-time winner of Superstars was a judo champion. NFL players have done well but have not dominated the Superstars competion. </p>
<p>I would think players like Ronaldo or Tim Howard could hold their own in any type of athletic competition.</p>