The Modern Day "Athlete"

[Jake Di Vita]

Watching the Cowboys game. Romo fumbled and a DT picked the ball up and ran it back to the endzone...about 75 yards.

He then kneeled down, and stayed there until he was taken to the sideline and given oxygen to recover and later was taken into the locker room for an IV.......after a 75 yard run. And the commentors are proclaiming how great of an athlete he is.

The modern day popular definition of fitness and athleticism has been so watered down it almost makes me sick. You have 250 pound professional athletes who literally can't sprint 100 yards without almost passing out and potentially needing an IV. Are you kidding me? I don't understand how that person can call himself an athlete and then actually look at himself in the mirror.

It's the same thing that I used to see when I worked out at the local powerhouse. There were maybe 2 people in there that took their fitness seriously, and they were proclaimed by all to be on steroids and growth hormones "You can't look like that just by working out." Yeah...well I see what actually passes for "work" by most in these gyms and I have a news flash. If you aren't even sweating, you aren't working out.

I especially love it when I see a person on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical machine and they are reading a magazine. And after their 20 minute stint "reading in motion" they go right to the front desk and swill the latest and greatest 600 calorie "recovery" drink. I wonder how this person treats his fitness in private?

I guess that the bottom line is that I absolute despise the mediocrity I see in society today. 90% of the people who actually do train hard do it for appearance rather than actual ability. Ego rules all.

So what do I hate? I hate all the bowflex commercials I see proclaiming fitness in 60 minutes of effort a week. I hate any advertisement that offers weight loss without exercise. I hate any commercial that has the words "eat what you want and still lose weight." And most of all, I hate the people that buy into every "ground breaking" piece of BS machinery and fad south beach like diets rather than just cowboy up and work their asses off.

[MichiganShootist]

Jake-- I'm with you. 100 %

Life offers no short cuts...... even if you have an American Express Black card.

Basic talent, the ability to learn, mental awareness, and work ethic are the only ingredients required to be a winner.

And work ethic and mental awareness....may be the most powerful of all.

What does BE think about that?

[Coach]

I agree mostly everything you said.

What quarter of the game was this 75 yard run? Early or late in the game.

If he is playing Defensive tackle in the NFL he is much more than 250 pounds I am willing to bet.

I agree he should have been able to run it back and be ready to go on the next play. He is a professional athlete for goodness sake.

Now for the but. It is a completely different world at 275 pounds and up, and it is hard for those of us in that range to understand the 170 pound and down people and it is just as impossible for them to understand us. Running is not a thing big people (fat or not) excell at.

I have not run or lifted since 1992, but I vaguely remeber being in good shape, and somewhat powerful. I can run 100 yards now and not need an IV or oxygen, and I would never claim to be an athlete. I would have been caught though from behind probably.

Put some well conditioned athlete of 180 pounds from any era on the D line in the NFL and see if they can walk when the game is over.

Toughness has indeed gone out of style.

[BigDave]

[AlamoShooter]

Yep I see the way you feel, But I all-so see that another possibility is pres-sent

humm I had / still have a friend that was a great Sporting shooter. we shot when he was in his early 30S , but by 4PM he had to crash and have a nap. his concentration level drained him dry =mentally unable to go out to dinner after an event.

Maybe just maybe that DT that picked up the ball ran at a pace he had never reached before. And that caused a short circuit in his "What I can do " brain pattern.

He may have ran that 75 yard 30% faster than he ever had before. ?

Like when I write a page and spell check says Every thing is OK = get the Oxygen out for me too.

Or when some of us finally brake out of the "What I can Do" & get a 0.85 first shot ...the next shot takes near a second long.

I didn't even know American Express had a "Black Card"

Edited October 22, 2007 by AlamoShooter

[Jake Di Vita]

That somewhat illustrates my point though.

Similar to shooting, you aren't magically going to be faster on game (or match) day.

If he ran 30% faster today than he ever had in his life....he had never practiced hard enough. Now I don't think that is the case I just think he is conditioned for a single activity rather than every other area of athleticism. That to me is not athleticism. A true athlete will rise to the top regardless of what the activity is barring any genetic disorders or injuries.

[Flexmoney]

A DT went 75y and scored? How out of shape were the 11 guys on the other side of the ball??

[Jake Di Vita]

There were some really good blocks made. (The play was eventually called back for holding though).

[ap38]

Right about that one. But, did you see Umenyura of the Giants run that fumble back? That was some speed for a big man. He didn't need a stretcher....................

[AlamoShooter]

A DT went 75y and scored? How out of shape were the 11 guys on the other side of the ball??

NOW Thats! why he is the Top MOD = strait to the facts

Yep Jake and Flex I see it. No doubt at all that you are rite

[Merlin Orr]

Hey Jake - Go look him up and slap the *hit out of him and call him an out of shape Wussy.....

[BigDave]

If he ran 30% faster today than he ever had in his life....he had never practiced hard enough. Now I don't think that is the case I just think he is conditioned for a single activity rather than every other area of athleticism. That to me is not athleticism. A true athlete will rise to the top regardless of what the activity is barring any genetic disorders or injuries.

Jake, if you can look that lineman and his coaches (specifically his strength and conditioning coach) in the eye and tell them that he isn't an athlete and that he hasn't practiced enough without (1) them passing out from laughter and (2) you not walking out of the room with a limp and stutter because you were thrown across the room, I'll load your open gun ammo for a year.

[Jake Di Vita]

Like I said in the post you quoted (although I'm unsure if you read the entire thing), I'm sure it isn't a lack of hard practice. But I would love to look them in the eye and tell them it's pathetic that one of their star "athletes" can't run 100 yards without being taken out of the game for almost an entire half. If I ever get the opportunity you can be sure I will. I'll make sure that it's recorded so you can load my ammo for a year.

Or do you think that he is a phenomenal athlete?

[Merlin Orr]

Or do you think that he is a phenomenal athlete?

He's good enough to make 800K a yr.....

[3quartertime]

Remember this is a hate rant kidz... Jake has just as much right to hate us cause we are old and fat as we do to hate him for being a young in terrific shape lady killer!!!

But this is his rant and,,,well you know the rest...

[BigDave]

Like I said in the post you quoted (although I'm unsure if you read the entire thing), I'm sure it isn't a lack of hard practice. But I would love to look them in the eye and tell them it's pathetic that one of their star "athletes" can't run 100 yards without being taken out of the game for almost an entire half. If I ever get the opportunity you can be sure I will. I'll make sure that it's recorded so you can load my ammo for a year.

Or do you think that he is a phenomenal athlete?

Since I'm being asked a question, I'll answer.

Phenomenal? I don't know. What I do know is that (1) I don't know and (2) it doesn't matter what I think about what kind of athlete someone is or isn't. I'm also pretty damn sure that Jerry Jones doesn't care if whoever it was can't run 75 yds without being a bit winded. Jerry is paying that man to get from his set position to the quarterback faster than the offensive lineman can block him on the other side - period.

It sounds like he did his job and then some. It sounds like he left it all on the field. You're pissed because, afterwards, the guy can't change clothes and then set a speed record ascending El Capitan or some other such thing?

[Coach]

A true athlete will rise to the top regardless of what the activity is barring any genetic disorders or injuries.

I don't think this is true. Here is some food for thought to support my dissent. Michael Jordan would have to qualifiy as a great athlete in anyone's eye, but his baseball career was not much to write home about was it.

[Micah]

I gotta agree with Jake.

Consider the following:

STI,Glock,CZ,S&W,Springfield, whoever, gives you $1,000,000/year to shoot and win. Your suit and tie/12 a day UAW job is now replaced with being the best shooter that you can be.

Do ya think you'd be in the top 5 everywhere in the world?

It's a bold statement, but I know what my answer would be.

[j1b]

I think it's all what you make of it.

Is the guy an athlete? Yeah. A great athlete? Hard to say.

One key point I don't like about modern sports is the specialization. Designated hitters in baseball? Seems strange to me. Wasn't there a day when you had to be good at both? Or, remember when football players had to play both sides of the field? Which probably presented images of what we'd traditionally refer to as an athlete.

Then you look at soccer players - not terribly muscular and yet they can work a field down and back a hundred times.

Is Tiger an athlete? His sport would tend to say he's not, but I think we'd both agree he's in incredible shape.

But I've given up judging these things. I was on a hunt once with a guy who'd completed a triathlon - something I doubt I could do ever. Yet in the mountains he was barely able to keep up. And put a little weight in the pack . . . put it this way, some of us ended up getting more weight in the pack.

I agree with you 100%, I think the subjectivity is madening. But for me personally, I know two things. 1) I need to get in better shape and 2) I can't judge jack by what I see.

J

[AikiDale]

Seems to me even a great athlete can put out 100% in 75 yards and and need a recovery period. Now if he only put out 80% its a different story. The key to endurance is pacing. All out is very fast pace. Just a thought.

[Skywalker]

If you aren't even sweating, you aren't working out.

Been listening to an old Scorpions song this morning while driving ... "No pain, no gain!

[spook]

A DT went 75y and scored? How out of shape were the 11 guys on the other side of the ball??

I agree with Jake 100% and Flex's comment is the first thing that came to mind.

I could probably write a 4 page post about why these so called "athletes" suck, but I'll just stick to: "I agree"

[AlamoShooter]

I gotta agree with Jake.

Consider the following:

STI,Glock,CZ,S&W,Springfield, whoever, gives you $1,000,000/year to shoot and win. Your suit and tie/12 a day UAW job is now replaced with being the best shooter that you can be.

Do ya think you'd be in the top 5 everywhere in the world?

It's a bold statement, but I know what my answer would be.

Ask Brian

[Brian Payne]

The DT in question is Minnesota Vikings Pro Bowl DT Kevin Williams. 300+ pounds of raw power. Not built for stamina. If I recall correctly he had just sacked Romo a few plays before. When he did so he blew past two 300+pound offensive linemen that get paid millions to keep people from doing that.

This situation needs to be kept in perspective. Who is the better athlete. One who can run a 4 minute mile, or bike a Tour De'France, or sprint a world record 100 meter dash, or go 12 rounds with Mike Tyson, or go head to head with with a UFC Champion. Or maybe we should include someone who can bench press 550 lbs.

To say he is not a good athlete is possibly a little close minded. If you were to put Kevin Williams in a competition that included Bench Press, Squad, Deadlift, 30 yrd. dash, verticle leap, cone drill, and 200 meter dash, I would guess he would be at the top of the list for at least five of the seven events. Good enough to be called a great athlete?

If you changed the competition to have you shooting rifle at 600 meters, 2.5 mile run, running mountain trails, bicycling 50 miles, or swimming 400 meters, my guess is he would place close to last on all counts. Could he then be considered a great athlete?

Different sports or even postitions within that sport, require different athletic abilities. But you may be right about the modern sports athlete being too specialized. They are still great athletes, just not great all around athletes.

As an added note. When I played football, the thing I remember hating the most was trying to catch my breath after a long run, or long play. It seemed that when you were wearing your helmet it was almost impossible to catch your breath. The face mask seemed to block all air from getting in. It is a lot like running a long course of fire at the Rocky Mountain 3-gun after coming from the flat lands. Lots of air to breath, just nothing in it.

[Bob Hostetter]

He is not paid to be a great athlete, he's paid to blow thru 300 pound plus linemen, tackle fast RB's, and chase down QB's and then smash them into the ground. He trains to excert a huge amount of energy for a short period of time, and then recover quickly so he can do it again in under a minute. The fact that he can even run 75 plus yards fast enough to not get chased down by people who are supposed to be a lot faster then him is pretty cool. Is he a prime example of perfect athletism? Nope, but is a prime example of the type of athlete who ends the carrear of prime examples of perfect athletism.

Speaking only for myself, I wouldn't want to be holding a football in front of him inside of a 75 yard fenced in square while wearing a different colored t-shirt...........