Which Sports Allows for "Longest Prime"

[Killadelphia]

In which major sport, do you notice players experiencing their most "prime" years/biggest success?

Obviously you have the 5 majors sports: football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer. Trying not to include individual sports.

[Killadelphia]

I hit attached poll and nothing showed up.

[livethesounds]

i can't decide between baseball and hockey, although i might have to say baseball has the longest true "prime". in the NHL there are a lot of old players that are still putting up good numbers. i guess it's not their prime, but the drop off is no where near as much as in other sports for some of the best.

in baseball it seems you hit a wall at some point.

[sleepyseanzzz]

baseball. there are more cal ripken jr type players in baseball than brett favre type players in football and (insert a great hockey player name here) type player in the nhl

[Mibabalou]

depends to much about position in each sport

but its a soccer goalie

[StuGrimson]

I dont think "primes" exist in a general sense. If you are a good athlete and good at your sport you will have a consistent career most likely.

In the NHL guys may regress slower but at the some time point production is no indication of how good they actually are. Bill Guerin scored 46 points in 2000 as a 29 year old and will put up more points this year as a 39 year old but he is far worse of a player today then he was 10 years ago.

[we are cured]

even though i dont think its a clear winner i'm going to say basketball. most baseball players don't crack major league lineups until they're getting into their mid 20's so their prime is often delayed. hockey players tend to be around for awhile but i think the physical nature of the sport doesn't lend itself to dominant longevity for most guys (see olli jokinen, markus naslund). football is too physical. i know nothing about soccer.

basketball seems to take a greater percentage of raw athletes at an earlier age into the highest level than baseball.

[DryEarth]

It absolutely has to be baseball.
Players these days can sign up to three major contracts over their career.
The kid up in Seattle right now, Hernandez?
5 years, 78 mil st 23. Signs another huge deal at 28, and another at 33. Entirely possible.
It's baseball.

[Scott Weber]

It's hard to say without positions, but I agree that it's baseball.

[zachff]

Overall I would say baseball. Marty Brodeur is a great example in hockey, but at the same time he might be the best goaltender of all time so it's hard to say.

Football is definitely the smallest, IMO, especially at the skill positions. Think of all the "it" running backs from 2000-2009: Marshall Faulk, Larry Johnson, LT... these guys all had about 2 monster years, then that was it.

[Rynaldo]

since i only follow soccer, i will confidently say it is not the one.some players even peak at 21-22!. i wud say the average age is 25-27

[Alex DiVincenzo]

I went with baseball.

[crypticv24]

Tough choice between baseball and basketball. Baseball's a bit more obvious - least stress on your body. But I think if you take care of your body and don't put unneeded wear and tear on your knees you can have a really long prime in basketball. Kobe's a good example of this, with Wade or KG being on the opposite end of the spectrum.

[sleepyseanzzz]

Overall I would say baseball. Marty Brodeur is a great example in hockey, but at the same time he might be the best goaltender of all time so it's hard to say.

Football is definitely the smallest, IMO, especially at the skill positions. Think of all the "it" running backs from 2000-2009: Marshall Faulk, Larry Johnson, LT... these guys all had about 2 monster years, then that was it.

i think average career for football player is something like 4 years

[WakingTheMisery]

Baseball. Look at Randy Johnson's career. Haha.

[SlappedActor]

Went with baseball.

[zachff]

i think average career for football player is something like 4 years

Right, but that's more a product of the sheer number of players getting drafted and the size of the rosters. The average starter's career is longer, but the "prime" is still the shortest.

Either way you're right.

[Smeee]

I don't know much about it but watching American football makes me think they can't have the longest careers in the world!

[cory-182]

I dont think "primes" exist in a general sense. If you are a good athlete and good at your sport you will have a consistent career most likely.

In the NHL guys may regress slower but at the some time point production is no indication of how good they actually are. Bill Guerin scored 46 points in 2000 as a 29 year old and will put up more points this year as a 39 year old but he is far worse of a player today then he was 10 years ago.

You listen to Matt & Kim, don't you?

[guccimaneburrrr]

lol at whoever voted football

[Moth To A Flame]

Baseball with basketball being a close second.

[StuGrimson]

You listen to Matt & Kim, don't you?

I dont know who they are but based on the fact somebody is named kim then I definately dont listen to them

[Two Headed Girl]

Other-golf

Arnold Palmer was in his prime for like 60 years!

[Killadelphia]

Other-golf

Arnold Palmer was in his prime for like 60 years!

I said don't include golf.

[Two Headed Girl]

I said don't include golf.
I tried and I just couldn't!

[THE_SICKEST]

I wish football players had more "prime" years in them. Unless you're Favre or a kicker, some guys lose it at age 30 or so.

[OnSale182]

It all depends on positions. I mean look at kickers and punters. They can play into their early 40's. And in baseball, knuckle ball pitchers can throw forever.

[tD77]

Generally, baseball allows for the longest prime with obvious pick football having the typical shortest.

[preppyak]

I voted baseball...but I think Soccer actually allows a "prime" much in the same way baseball does. David Beckham can change his style of play and be relevant for a decade as a soccer player...likewise, Christiano Ronaldo is young now and he plays a crazy, run everywhere style...but as he gets older, he'll change to distributing and free kicks more, and you could still say he has the same net effect on the game.

Soccer goalies can last forever

[gabrielthespic]

i think overall baseball with an asterisk. it will be interesting to see if this changes with hopefully better drug testing. those home run hitters were chasing records every year.

football is really sad to see how short primes are. LT, marion barber, and brandon jacobs are not the same men from a few years ago.

[RX XR]

I went with the underdog and chose basketball... for example LeBron is going to be in his prime from when he was 20 until his mid 30's. Same with Kobe. Granted they are the two best players in the league, still have 15+ years of their "prime."

[newfoundmichael]

Oh, it is definitely baseball.

[newfoundmichael]

I went with the underdog and chose basketball... for example LeBron is going to be in his prime from when he was 20 until his mid 30's. Same with Kobe. Granted they are the two best players in the league, still have 15+ years of their "prime."


Hmm, that is a very interesting point. Those two examples are freaks of nature, but you are right that some players enter their prime at 20, where in baseball you usually come up from the minors around 23 or 24.

[drawndead]

i hit basketball ball on accident ha. but i think its either baseball or hockey

[Moth To A Flame]

Remember, baseball has steroids. ;-)