The hardest sports to play according to experts

Have you ever wondered what the hardest sport to play is? Well, we have an answer for you based on science! A panel of experts, assembled by ESPN, have crunched the numbers and come up with what they believe is a definitive ranking.

The team of experts, which included a number of sports academics, retired athletes and journalists, conducted a comprehensive study evaluating various factors such as endurance, strength, power, speed, agility, flexibility, hand-eye coordination, and analytic aptitude and ranked each factor out of 10 to come up with a total score and ranking. So without further ado, here are the hardest sports to play, based on the ESPN panel findings.

Bull riding is as much about mental toughness as it is physical ability. Riders must stay atop a bucking bull for eight seconds, a feat that requires exceptional balance, grip strength, and fearlessness. The danger factor also contributes to its ranking as one of the hardest sports.

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Lacrosse involves a unique combination of speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, and endurance. The fast-paced nature of the game, along with the need to control the ball in a netted stick while fending off opponents, requires a high level of athleticism.

Perhaps a surprising one for many, as rugby combines the physicality of American football with the stamina and speed needed in football or soccer. It’s a full-contact sport without the pads that American football players wear, making it even more physically punishing. Players need to be tough, both mentally and physically, while staying agile and alert throughout the game. Despite this, rugby did not even make the top 10 according to the experts.

Water polo is played in water, adding a layer of complexity to the sport. Players must tread water for extended periods while also swimming, defending, and attacking. It requires immense stamina, strength, and coordination, and the constant battle for the ball makes it an extremely challenging sport.

Skiing, especially in its alpine form, requires a unique blend of strength, balance, and precision. Athletes race down steep, icy slopes at high speeds while navigating tight turns, which requires intense lower-body strength and mental focus to avoid falls or serious injury. This makes sense as, elsewhere, skiing has been listed as statistically the most dangerous sport by the National Institute for Health.

Football, or soccer, is one of the most physically demanding sports due to its continuous nature. Players run for an average of 11km-16km (7-10 miles) per game, while also performing rapid changes of direction, dribbling, passing, and defending. This sport requires a combination of stamina, speed, and technical skill.

While baseball may seem slower-paced compared to some other sports, its difficulty lies in the extreme hand-eye coordination required to hit a fastball travelling at 90 mph or more (145km). The sport also demands sharp reflexes and split-second decision-making from fielders.

Gymnastics requires a rare combination of flexibility, balance, strength, and precision. The physical skills needed to execute routines are incredibly demanding, and the margin for error is minimal. Gymnasts must perform under immense pressure and often need to push their bodies to extreme limits.

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While it's not one that would immediately come to our minds for the top 10, the ESPN panel felt that tennis deserved this spot due to its demands on fitness, quick reflexes, and mental toughness. Long rallies require agility and speed, while each shot demands accuracy and precision. The game also involves intense mental strategy, with players constantly anticipating their opponent’s next move.

Martial arts demand not only physical strength and endurance but also incredible mental discipline and tactical thinking. Whether it's judo, karate, or taekwondo, athletes must maintain peak performance while balancing agility, precision, and power.

Wrestling is an intense one-on-one competition that requires immense physical strength, endurance, and mental discipline. It’s both physically gruelling and highly tactical, making it one of the hardest sports in the world, especially given its reliance on brute force and technique.

Basketball is fast-paced and demands quick reflexes, excellent hand-eye coordination, and endurance. Players need to sprint up and down the court while maintaining the precision needed for shooting, passing, and defending, all while outmanoeuvring opponents.

With its blend of strength, speed, agility, and toughness, American football is incredibly demanding. While players have to endure high-impact collisions, the game is incredibly strategic and players must memorize complex plays. As a result, American football scored pretty high in most of the criteria from the panel.

Ice hockey is one of the most physically demanding sports due to the high-speed skating, constant movement, and frequent body contact. Players need strong endurance, hand-eye coordination, and the ability to perform quick decision-making under pressure while on ice. You basically have to be a master of two entirely different sports at once.

As far as the panel was concerned, though, boxing is the toughest sport to play due to its unique combination of physical demands. It requires not just brute strength, but also incredible endurance, agility, and mental fortitude. Athletes must maintain peak performance while enduring the physical toll of repeated punches, all while being highly strategic with their actions and moves.

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Elsewhere on the list, which was made up of 60 sports in total, surfing was deemed to be a bit a little tough in all areas, scoring around a 5 for each of the areas of criteria, proving to be as balanced on paper as it is in action.

Auto racing was listed at number 32, scoring low in flexibility, agility, speed, power and strength – which is bound to upset auto racing aficionados who have long vouched for the physical demands of the sport. It did score near top marks for 'nerve', though.

With a focus on coordination, analytics and power, golf managed to make it to 51 on the table, despite it's low marks in every other area.

Cricket, the second most popular sport in the world, watched by over 2.5 billion people each year, according to AP, didn't get a look in by the frankly American-centric ESPN panel. For our money, it should probably go just above baseball, thanks to the endurance and analytical aspects of test matches.

What do you think? What did they get wrong, what did they get right? We can't get on board with their ranking of rugby, but maybe that's just us.

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