Toughest, Most Physically Demanding Sport?

[rawnatural]

American football that is why each team can only play 18 regular season games and only played sunday and monday. Players need a week to recuperate. Physically demanding sport

 

Actually, it's 16 regular season games and 4 preseason games in the NFL, even less for college and high school teams. A week to recuperate's actually an understatement since practice after a Sunday or Monday game comes a day right after a game. Sometimes, teams can play a Sunday game and have a scheduled Thursday game, so that's barely even a week of preparation.

[bobbypork]

MMA

[ralphong]

Bataan death march!

[iggy112]

Between American football and Rugby, isn't Rugby tougher? No protective wear

[rawnatural]

Between American football and Rugby, isn't Rugby tougher? No protective wear

 

Haven't tried rugby but coming from a football background, the hits are harder in football and it's why we wear helmets. AFAIK, when it comes to rugby, they really have to wrap the opponent up. No lowering of the shoulders and really coming up to hit someone hard.

[Carl Jung]

If we are talking about endurance, most definitely a Full Ironman race or the 140.6 miles triathlon since these have standard time limit of 17 hours to complete.

 

Not to mention that you have to in tip-top shape in all 3 disciplines of the sport

[J.A.S.O.N]

Boxing

[philcute007]

RUGBY,UFC

[yrrah123456789]

1369960894[/url]' post='8704615']

Bataan death march!

+100 to this one. BDM takes one year of preparation.

[Headroom]

Haven't tried rugby but coming from a football background, the hits are harder in football and it's why we wear helmets. AFAIK, when it comes to rugby, they really have to wrap the opponent up. No lowering of the shoulders and really coming up to hit someone hard.

 

Not sure you've watched too much rugby if you say there is no lowering of the shoulders and coming up hard to hit someone.... That is the way you are taught to tackle, to drop your shoulder into someone's mid riff and drive through them with your legs.

 

Have a look at these World Cup highlights - a real World Cup with the 20 best international teams who've made it out of over 100 playing nations:

 

 

Some others:

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong I like American Football as well but you are comparing apples and oranges.

 

American football is a chess game consisting of coach controlled plays that last a few seconds that sometimes end in collisions.

 

Rugby is a contact sport where each half consists of 40 minutes with non-stop play with no coach involvement - if you take a hit you have to get up straight away to keep playing because unless you are unconscious or have broken something the play continues.

[Brownman]

Tough Mudder player

[Baraka]

Ultraman triathlon (10KM swim - 276KM bike - 84KM run)

[GrandGM]

Full Ironman

[pogi_cute]

Poker

[top secret]

This would qualify as the "toughest, most physically demanding sport.

 

Our subsidiary company is organizing a basketball marathon. The objective is to beat the current record; 112 hours of nonstop basketball.

 

We need 24 players who will play continuously... under FIBA rules. It's a 5-on-5 game non-stop for approximately 5 days. All players will literally live on the basketball court... sleeping on the bleachers (while the others are playing)... and should be ready to get in the game anytime. There will be sponsors for food, energy drinks, vitamin supplements, medicines, uniforms (including shoes), beddings and other logistics.

 

This would be the real deal... tougher than the Iron Man challenge.

 

If there are parties interested, I would post the try-out schedule.