Best Sport Rebuttle

Best is an ambiguous term so i think it would be hard to say which is best. However I thought I'd take a minute and answer each of Jeff's reasons and as to why it doesn't have to make basketball the best. Then I'll try my best to give a "most" category to each of our major sports. (Jeff's original in italics)

I know more about it than any other sport (not that I don't know a lot about other sports)
Totally subjective, it works for Jeff but cannot be projected out.
- I believe that there are more spectacular and amazing feats of athleticism than any other sport. I could have a top ten on espn everyday of all dunks and crazy plays.
Athleticism is tricky, OED.com defines Athleticism thus: The practice of, or devotion to, athletic exercises; training as an athlete. I think we'd agree that every major-sport athlete trains in a year-round series of strength and conditioning, and sport-specific activities. If, by athleticism, Jeff meant being bigger, faster, stronger or enduring than one's opponent then the argument could be difficult. Certainly it would be hard to find a sport that has bigger people than basketball, but they certainly aren't the fastest, strongest or most enduring athletes.
- It requires a greater balance of strength, agility, control, speed, and mental acuity from everyone on the court.
I will partially cede this point with two exceptions, soccer and hockey. Basketball athletes seem much more balanced than their football, and definitely their baseball counterparts. But the balance of skills and athletic ability is never more apparent than in soccer. Every player has to have fantastic touch and ability, and there are more players in soccer which make the effect amplified. In hockey, even a defenseman needs to be able to pass the puck into a tiny hole and take a shot on goal from the outside. Every player in hockey has to be able to skate with speed and precision. The balance of player skills is perhaps more apparent in soccer and hockey than in basketball. In basketball, there are players and positions that obviously have better ball-handling, shooting or rebounding ability than others. These discrepancies don't seem as large in soccer or hockey. As far as most Americans are concerned soccer and hockey aren't major sports. So from that perspective Jeff is right from a team-balance view. I will also cede that basketball players are generally the most well-rounded or balanced athletes. I see more players from basketball that could succeed at the highest levels of another sport in basketball than in any other sport. Most baseball players would struggle on the court or football field. Most football players would struggle on the diamond or the court, but basketball players seem to throw and catch and run instinctively. Further, my is that if LeBron James went to the NFL he'd be the best tight end/receiver within a year or so.
- There is typically more scoring than other sports Which leads to more exciting games and more exciting finishes.
Scoring doesn't necessarily translate into exciting games or finishes. I've seen hockey, baseball and soccer games as exciting as anything I've seen that were tied one to one or nil-nil going into the last minute/inning of the game. Of course fans of those sports would argue that low scoring means that anyone can win at anytime even on a last second shot or a walk-off home run.
- You can be down big and still have a chance of coming back in the fourth quarter.
One example: Colts vs. Texans this year.
- The arenas are smaller and the fans are practically right on the court leading to a greater influence on the players and the game.
Smaller arenas=less fans, less fans=equals less noise. While the generalization may be true, a big football game in a dome would be louder than even the loudest NBA or college basketball arena.
- March Madness is the best sporting event in the entire world!
That'd be hard to argue for me having never been to a single game in March Madness. I think world wide, you might have a hard time with the Summer Olympics when the best athletes in the world compete for their teams in a variety of sports including basketball and soccer. The World Cup comes to mind, also the Super Bowl. I'm not sure what I'd watch if the finals were on in all those events, i think it would depend which teams were playing in each.

As far as which bear is best: I think baseball or hockey is the most precise sport, soccer takes the most endurance, football is the most complicated, hockey is the most physically brutal and fastest, and basketball requires the most balanced athlete.

Best Football Conference

This has been a very interesting year in college football. We have had some really huge games and very fun games to watch too. This year has seen some flip-flopping of some of the leagues. Last year I would say that the SEC and Pac-10 were the best conferences last year. We had so much parity last year with the #2 team in the country losing in multiple consecutive weeks. But I think this year is even more compelling. So I decided it might be fun to debate the best conferences in the nation this year. With out further ado, here are my top 5 conferences this year...

1. Big XII
I don't know how you can't pick them. I have been down on this conference for the last few years, but this year they are so good. Oklahoma, Ok St., Texas, Texas Tech, and Missouri are all in the top 15. That's 1/3 of the top 15 teams. I'm impressed. And they have had some of the most amazing games.

2. SEC
This conference is so good every year. They just beat up on each other. But they still have 4 teams in the top 16. What else can I say.

3. MWC
This is a big surprise to me. The MWC is really strong this year. They have some bad teams like SDSU, but they have 3 teams in the top 15. I know it is hard to put them this high, but I really think they are that good.

4. Big 10
I always have a hard time ranking the Big 10 high because I feel like they are overrated. Whenever they come up against the other big conferences in big games they lose. Penn St. does look really good this year though. I don't know that they are better than many of the top Big XII or SEC teams.

5. ACC
I really can't believe I am putting this. The ACC doesn't really look that strong but they have 4 teams ranked between 16 and 25. I guess they end up here because the rest of the conferences just are not good. The Pac-10 has one really good team and a couple decent teams and a lot of bad teams. The Big East is just laughable. What other conferences could be here?

So what would you change? Let the battle begin.