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Sports that amateurs today could’ve be pro’s in when the sport started
Posted on 6/11/20 at 8:51 am
Posted on 6/11/20 at 8:51 am
To explain better. What sports have evolved so much over the years that if you took an average amateur player and put them in the pro league of that sport when it first began, they could be a good pro.
The two most obvious ones to me are Football and Baseball.
Football bc of sheer size of the people who play now. Red Grange was 5’11” 175, Jim Thorpe was one of the big guys back then bullying people and he was 6’1 200lbs. I feel like a lot of average high school football players could go be a pro in the 1920’s just because of their size.
Baseball, specifically as a pitcher, lots of amateur baseball pitchers can throw in the mid -upper 80’s. The average fastball even in Babe Ruth’s era is predicted to be in the mid 70’s... so way back when the MLB started in the 1800’s it had to be way slower. Not even mentioning off speed pitches and how much they’ve developed over the years.
Another one I thought of was golf because the way we swing a club has improved so vastly over the years, but the equipment gap would be really hard for an amateur to figure out so I dk about that one
The two most obvious ones to me are Football and Baseball.
Football bc of sheer size of the people who play now. Red Grange was 5’11” 175, Jim Thorpe was one of the big guys back then bullying people and he was 6’1 200lbs. I feel like a lot of average high school football players could go be a pro in the 1920’s just because of their size.
Baseball, specifically as a pitcher, lots of amateur baseball pitchers can throw in the mid -upper 80’s. The average fastball even in Babe Ruth’s era is predicted to be in the mid 70’s... so way back when the MLB started in the 1800’s it had to be way slower. Not even mentioning off speed pitches and how much they’ve developed over the years.
Another one I thought of was golf because the way we swing a club has improved so vastly over the years, but the equipment gap would be really hard for an amateur to figure out so I dk about that one
This post was edited on 6/11/20 at 9:14 am
25
Posted on 6/11/20 at 8:53 am to Tiger1242
Ultimate Frisbee
Posted on 6/11/20 at 8:56 am to Tiger1242
yup 100. this also why mj era nba is complete junk compared to washed era nba
Posted on 6/11/20 at 8:58 am to Tiger1242
quote:
Sports amateurs today could’ve been pro’s in when the sport started
Are you an ESL guy?
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:02 am to High C
quote:
Are you an ESL guy?
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:05 am to Tiger1242
Basketball
Drop any NBA player into the 60s and they are the GOAT.
Drop any NBA player into the 60s and they are the GOAT.
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:11 am to Dire Wolf
quote:
Drop any NBA player into the 60s and they are the GOAT
Drop any player from 2080 in today’s game, he is the GOAT.
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:12 am to Dire Wolf
I would love to see what Wilt Chamberlain and Pete Maravich could have done in the modern NBA if they were in their prime today.
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:12 am to Tiger1242
quote:Walter Johnson was throwing low to mid 90's.... Average velocity during that time is closer to 80-85 for starters. Now one issue is the amount of knuckleballs, spitballs, etc that relied more on different movements than straight speed. Probably pitches that today's hitters would struggle with since many can't even hit a good curve.
Baseball, specifically as a pitcher, lots of amateur baseball pitchers can throw in the mid -upper 80’s. The average fastball even in Babe Ruth’s era is predicted to be in the mid 70’s... so way back when the MLB started in the 1800’s it had to be way slower. Not even mentioning off speed pitches and how much they’ve developed over the years.
This post was edited on 6/11/20 at 9:13 am
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:15 am to Mr Perfect
quote:you are trying to troll, but the NBA is the worst example. Even way back when the league started if you put an amateur today in it they would get waxed
yup 100. this also why mj era nba is complete junk compared to washed era nba
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:16 am to Tiger1242
not trolling whatsoever dude.
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:18 am to Mr Perfect
you cant compare generations, only success
count the rings
count the rings
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:18 am to tduecen
quote:
Walter Johnson was throwing low to mid 90's.... Average velocity during that time is closer to 80-85 for starters. Now one issue is the amount of knuckleballs, spitballs, etc that relied more on different movements than straight speed. Probably pitches that today's hitters would struggle with since many can't even hit a good curve.
Yeah, no doubt they had some guys that could throw hard, but your average bullpen pitcher was clocking mid 70s low 80s for the most part. Of course they didn’t go to their bullpen nearly as often, and that’s another thing because pitchers would conserve their energy and not throw full out.
As far as different types of pictures they had back then, obviously the spitball is one thing, but all those other pitches that you don’t see as much anymore there is a reason for it. I have no doubt that a major league player today would absolutely destroy your knuckleballer or ephus thrower from back then just because of the slow speed of the pitch. There is a reason you hardly ever see a knuckleballer in the MLB any more, and I bet the knuckleballs that those guys throw are way better than the ones they threw in the 30s
This post was edited on 6/11/20 at 9:20 am
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:21 am to Mr Perfect
Well you are trying to compare eras of professional players but this thread is about amateurs today playing professionally back in the day
Please take your pro era comparisons to a different place thank you
Please take your pro era comparisons to a different place thank you
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:23 am to PeteRose
quote:Uhh, no. That’s not how it works. The rate of improvement is not the same as time advances.
Drop any player from 2080 in today’s game, he is the GOAT.
Early on in a sport’s history, huge leaps can be made over the years in the quality of players. But as the sport advances, then closer players become to a theoretical limit. There aren’t huge leaps in improvement to be made.
So the difference between 2080 and 2020 would be nowhere near the difference between 2020 and 1960.
This post was edited on 6/11/20 at 9:24 am
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:24 am to Tiger1242
quote:is because it is a hard pitch to control and takes a lot of practice... There is a reason most knuckleballers pitched into their mid to late 40's, they were still effective late. RA Dickey won a CY Young at 37 in 2012 as a knuckleballer and was still an effective pitcher at 42 throwing 190 innings.
. There is a reason you hardly ever see a knuckleballer in the MLB any more, and I bet the knuckleballs that those guys throw are way better than the ones they threw in the 30s
Not to mention they type of movement they got from all of the illegal stuff they did to the ball to make it dance in ways people today wouldn't know what to do with
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:26 am to tduecen
Sure I get your point, but I’m saying those guys threw those offspeed pitches at 50 or 60 miles an hour, guys today throw sliders in the 90s and a lot of the power curves are in the 80s and the movement is much sharper.
Yes Dickie was great, but he could also throw his knuckleball pretty darn fast
Yes Dickie was great, but he could also throw his knuckleball pretty darn fast
This post was edited on 6/11/20 at 9:28 am
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:50 am to Tiger1242
People ate better or less during those times.
People worked out less and virtually zero supplements.
People worked out less and virtually zero supplements.
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:55 am to Tiger1242
To be honest, pretty much any sport that’s over 50 years old.
Posted on 6/11/20 at 9:57 am to Tiger1242
quote:
. The average fastball even in Babe Ruth’s era is predicted to be in the mid 70’s... so way back when the MLB started in the 1800’s it had to be way slower.
You have to be kidding.
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