# How insanely good pro athletes are... **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [May 1, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254 "2013-05-01T20:56:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/1 "2013-05-01T20:56:31Z")
Isn’t it kind of depressing? I think about how the best athlete in my high school was basically a god for two years, but he couldn’t ever hope to come close to the talents of an athlete at the state college I went to, who himself got a free education but couldn’t touch the skills of an accomplished pro. I know most people tend to stress to naive kids how long the odds are of going pro, and it’s not much of a problem, but that great genetic divide is so depressing. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/2 "2013-05-01T23:29:31Z")
I had a friend (not really close) in high school who played in MLB\*, and don’t recall him being especially gifted as athlete at the time I knew him, although he was a multi-sport athlete in high school. Of course Jon Kruk once famously said “I’m not an athlete; I’m a baseball player”. His older brothers were all very good high school athletes. I have another friend who was a very good college football player, almost made the Jets, and is the most gifted, overall athlete I’ve ever known personally. He was a JuCo all American, set records at his position, etc. He is seriously good at everything, and probably missed the pros mostly from his size. He swims like a fish, we taught him soccer and he was immediately the best player on the field, and is still ridiculously fast. We had a gathering recently and he raced one of my friends in a 100 yard dash. He ran the last part of the race backwards and laughing. He probably could have made it as a journeyman type player, but instead was smart enough to put his degree in computer engineering to work for him. So on one hand, yes, on the other hand, maybe not so much with baseball players. 🙂 \*He’s relatively famous for someone who didn’t make the HoF, and had a 16 year career in the bigs. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/3 "2013-05-01T23:37:16Z")
Brings to mind [this video](http://www.wimp.com/barehand/) - a rather minor action that probably not one person in 100,000 could do. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/4 "2013-05-01T23:54:23Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Brings to mind [this video](http://www.wimp.com/barehand/) - a rather minor action that probably not one person in 100,000 could do. I disagree, that much CGI is not a minor action, though I do agree few could do it. ---
**Author:** ![goldmund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a4c791/32.png) [@goldmund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/goldmund)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/5 "2013-05-02T00:10:13Z")
> [@Darth\_Sensitive](#): > > I disagree, that much CGI is not a minor action, though I do agree few could do it. Yeah, this was part of a viral marketing campaign for Gillette, hence the advertising by home plate. [Snopes link](http://www.snopes.com/photos/advertisements/longoria.asp). ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/6 "2013-05-02T00:51:18Z")
I’ve heard this [commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAf0kVFNqrI) is real. Nike supposedly approached Woods with the idea and said they would do it with CGI. And Woods supposedly said to give him a few minutes to work on it and within half an hour was able to do the shot without any special effects. Of course, even Woods isn’t [perfect](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL5zLG50m5Y). ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/7 "2013-05-02T02:48:36Z")
> [@goldmund](#): > > … this was part of a viral marketing campaign for Gillette. Thanks - ignorance fought. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/8 "2013-05-02T12:51:26Z")
[Here is the story that I had heard about the Tiger Woods commercial.](http://www.totalprosports.com/2010/08/23/9-sports-commercial-stunts-so-cool-no-one-cares-if-theyre-fake/) > [@](#): > > While filming a scripted Nike commercial, there was some downtime between takes. Tiger was having some fun with the crew by showing them a few parlor tricks he could pull off with a golf club and ball. > > With the “bouncing ball trick”, Tiger amazed the crew so much that they decided to film it, add a peppy soundtrack, remove any dialogue, and create an icon commercial. ---
**Author:** ![dataguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/eada6e/32.png) [@dataguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dataguy)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/9 "2013-05-02T13:43:50Z")
An editor for one of the ski magazines commented on this once. He got to ski with some of the guys who make the extreme skiing videos. He prefaced the article by saying that he lives in Colorado, has been a skier all his life, and considered himself an expert skier. He expected the pros to be better but not a lot better. After skiing with them he said, now matter how good a skier you think you are, these guys are not just a little better than you, they are WAY better than you. ---
**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/10 "2013-05-02T21:44:22Z")
[This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0WMd0Y6hIw), and similar videos of quarterback trick throws, are pretty damn impressive, even though we assume they had to do multiple takes for some or all of them. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2013, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/11 "2013-05-02T22:00:40Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > [This](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0WMd0Y6hIw), and similar videos of quarterback trick throws, are pretty damn impressive, even though we assume they had to do multiple takes for some or all of them. Thanks for that, that was sweet! I had never heard of the kid, and I looked up his stats from last season…not quite as impressive! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/12 "2013-05-03T01:47:22Z")
I don’t think it’s depressing. I’d have tried to play tennis for a living if I could’ve and on a certain level it’s a bummer that it wasn’t in the cards, but I think it’s uplifting to watch people who are the best at what they do and who’ve worked to perfect their abilities. On course watching those people fuck up and embarrass themselves when they’re on your team is kind of depressing. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Blkshp](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blkshp/32/7135_2.png) [@Blkshp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blkshp)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/13 "2013-05-03T02:45:36Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > So on one hand, yes, on the other hand, maybe not so much with baseball players.[/size] I contend that most above above average athletes (and probably more than a few non-baseball playing pros) would not have the courage to face a major league curve ball, let alone the ability to hit it. Unless one has seen a professional caliber pitcher up close, one simply does not appreciate how terrifying a thrown ball can be. ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/14 "2013-05-03T03:30:51Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I don’t think it’s depressing. I’d have tried to play tennis for a living if I could’ve and on a certain level it’s a bummer that it wasn’t in the cards, but I think it’s uplifting to watch people who are the best at what they do and who’ve worked to perfect their abilities. On course watching those people fuck up and embarrass themselves when they’re on your team is kind of depressing. 😛 In high school, I worked at a country club and one of my duties was to groom the clay courts first thing in the morning and again around noon. I saw a lot of tennis players, some quite good, but one day our club’s tennis pro was playing against another club’s pro. Our pro had played at Stanford on the same team as John McEnroe, and the other guy had also been a high level college player. The game I saw them play was so unlike anything I had ever seen it was like it was a different sport. The speed of the game and the amount of range these guys could cover was mind-blowing. I played baseball against a number of future major-leaguers in college, including someone now in the Hall of Fame plus a future ROY, and they were just on a different planet. It is quite humbling when you think you are pretty good, but then realize that you aren’t half as good as the best. The HOF’er was Barry Larkin, and my one best memory of him was when he first stepped in to the batters box (I was a catcher) my only thought was “His ankles are skinnier than my girlfriends.” ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/15 "2013-05-04T06:23:17Z")
**Lamar** -Your gf had “cankles”? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/16 "2013-05-04T12:28:05Z")
> [@Lamar\_Mundane](#): > > The HOF’er was Barry Larkin, and my one best memory of him was when he first stepped in to the batters box (I was a catcher) my only thought was “His ankles are skinnier than my girlfriends.” Cool! As a huge Reds fan, I find that to be quite interesting. The only career move he ever made that was a huge mistake was playing college ball at “that school”. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/17 "2013-05-07T00:21:50Z")
Back when I was in high school, I was a GREAT wide receiver. I could run circles around defensive backs. My QB was great…when I got open, he would hit me in the chest with the ball. I was a god in high school. I get into college…and, frankly, I sucked. DB would OWN me. The coach kept telling me “DUCK! Try but don’t worry about it! They are putting their best player on you and it is opening up other avenues of attack!” That sounded good but it was DEPRESSING. I couldn’t do shit in college. IN my sophmore year I just lost interest and dropped out of football. Those guys that guarded me as defensive backs? They probably had ZERO chance of making pro. So, I have to agree with the OP ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/18 "2013-05-07T01:19:12Z")
I think it is kind of uplifting to know that there are people with exceptional talents out there whether it is someone like [Kim Peek](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2T45r5G3kA) who was a functional savant with incredible mental skills or just this [old man who is killer with improvised slingshots and rocks.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ieWrWLjii0) He can cut selected weeds with them or shoot thrown coins out of the air. I could never do any of those things but I like the fact that near superhuman feats really are possible. Professional athletes aren’t the entire universe of these types of these exceptional skills by any means but they are lucky they can make great money showing it off. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/19 "2013-05-07T01:22:31Z")
> [@BlinkingDuck](#): > > Back when I was in high school, I was a GREAT wide receiver. I could run circles around defensive backs. My QB was great…when I got open, he would hit me in the chest with the ball. > > I was a god in high school. > > I get into college…and, frankly, I sucked. DB would OWN me. The coach kept telling me “DUCK! Try but don’t worry about it! They are putting their best player on you and it is opening up other avenues of attack!” > > That sounded good but it was DEPRESSING. I couldn’t do shit in college. IN my sophmore year I just lost interest and dropped out of football. > > Those guys that guarded me as defensive backs? They probably had ZERO chance of making pro. > > So, I have to agree with the OP ☹ An old friend of mine had a similar experience, but one level up. He was a man among boys in high school. He played linebacker, but it didn’t matter - if he moved to DB or WR or RB or guard, he would have the best player at those positions as well. He spent four years blowing away every opponent he faced, and it was never even close. You know how, whenever you get a bunch of teenage boys together, any physical task becomes a competition? It was always a competition for second place - he would watch us work as hard as we can at whatever it was we were doing, and then effortlessly one-up everyone without breaking a sweat. He was never a jerk about it, and we all seen him work his ass off to get to where he was. If he hadn’t been such a nice guy we’d have hated him. When he got to college, he was a star linebacker at a DI-AA school. The difference between him and his teammates was smaller, and he wasn’t obviously the best player on the field anymore, but he was still one of the top guys. He played in a couple of bowl games and attracted the attention of a few scouts over four years. After he graduated, he was invited to a couple of NFL camps as an undrafted free agent, and he headed off excited to continue playing. He bounced through a couple of teams, but ultimately didn’t make a practice squad. A few weeks later, the strongest man and best athlete I ever knew came home and said, “man, those guys are _good_.” ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254/20 "2013-05-07T01:23:50Z")
David Foster Wallace wrote a great essay on this about [tennis players](http://www.esquire.com/features/sports/the-string-theory-0796). > [@](#): > > The idea that there can be wholly distinct levels to competitive tennis – levels so distinct that what’s being played is in essence a whole different game – might seem to you weird and hyperbolic. I have played probably just enough tennis to understand that it’s true. I have played against men who were on a whole different, higher plateau than I, and I have understood on the deepest and most humbling level the impossibility of beating them, of “solving their game.” Knowle is technically entitled to be called a professional, but he is playing a fundamentally different grade of tennis from Michael Joyce’s, one constrained by limitations Joyce does not have. I feel like I could get on a tennis court with Julian Knowle. He would beat me, perhaps handily, but I don’t feel like it would be absurd for me to occupy the same seventy-eight-by-twenty-seventy-foot rectangle as he. The idea of me playing Joyce – or even hitting around with him, which was one of the ideas I was entertaining on the flight to Montreal – is now revealed to me to be in a certain way obscene, and I resolve not even to let Joyce know that I used to play competitive tennis, and (I’d presumed) rather well. This makes me sad. Michael Joyce, the player Wallace focussed on peaked at #64 in the ATP rankings. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-insanely-good-pro-athletes-are/657254.md?page=2)