Toughest trophy to win?

[CryWolf]

Had that argument with some friends. Which trophy is the toughest to win in these professional sports:

NHL
NBA
NFL
MLB
World cup of soccer

IMHO, the toughest to win would be the Stanley cup, the constant grinding and banging of the playoff games + the OT periods (20 mins) that are only decided by sudden death goals can push a Stanley cup champion to a possible 27 games (not including OT's).

Any thoughts on that argument?

 

[Cosmo]

Definetely the Stanley cup.
16 grueling games to win,two months long,many sudden death o.t. games.

 

[joelcairo]

The Stanley Cup for all the reasons above - and it could take 28 games not 27. I could imagine Joe Thornton hitting a baseball but I couldn't imagine Barry Bonds on skates.

 

[General Gonad]

Soccer by far...

There is a reason why soccer is the world's most popular sport. If you have ever seen the World Cup, you cannot but admire these athletes and what it takes to win the most illustrious sport trophy in the world. Billions of people around the world tune in to see World Cup soccer matches because inside all of us, we know this is the most amazing sport in the world.

GG

P.S. What I wouldn't give to be David Beckham for a year!

 

[Techman]

As much as I love hockey, I would also pick the World Cup. The main reason is due to the ridiculous number of teams in the NHL that make the playoffs. While the playoffs can be grueling it is possible for one of the lowest rated teams in the regular season to win the Stanley Cup. The only reason for the high number of teams in the playoffs is financial. To my way of thinking more teams should miss the playoffs than make them.

 

[voyageur11]

Soccer even if i am not a big fan look at what they need to do in order to win the mundial

 

[StripperLover]

Techman,

You're right that more teams is done so for purely financial reasons but the other side of the coin also exists, in that more teams, means that the eventual champion need to get by or win more rounds and/or more games.

In hockey more games, even if it's lesser quality teams to get by in the earlier rounds, may in most cases because of the shear physical nature of the sport cause serious injuries that need to be played through.

 

[General Gonad]

In hockey more games, even if it's lesser quality teams to get by in the earlier rounds, may in most cases because of the shear physical nature of the sport cause serious injuries that need to be played through.

If we are talking purely about sheer physical nature of the sport, then football is definetely the hardest sport. If you have ever played football, you know that it takes its toll on the body like no other professional team sport. Most of these guys are plagued with physical problems long after they retire.

But the thread asks the question which is the "toughest" trophy to win. For me it boils down to competition. Billions of people around the world want to be the next Pele and that is why the World Cup will always be the toughest sport trophy to win. Too much competition and the popularity of the sport is growing.

GG

 

[Cosmo]

The original question was ''the thoughest trophy to win''.
Now with all due respect,I still think it's the Stanley cup.
Other big tournaments like super bowl,world cup,olympics ect...last but a few weeks.
I played college football,soccer and hockey.
All of these sports require lots of srenght,stamina,skills ect...and are very hard for the body,i agree,escpecially pro football,where you have mastodonts running into each other for hours.
But none of these sports require an athlete to perform 2 months of high intensity athletic performance like NHL does.
They play under huge pression and are subject of injuries too,just like football.
Yet many of them play with ''minor'' injury till the end.(remeber Gainey,s 2 fractured shoulders?).
Hockey is the fastes sport in the world,players stop and start on a dime wich can be taxing on the knees and ankles,plus they get all sorts of body contacts just like football.
And they have to go thu this for two months if they reach the finals.

 

[picasso]

Stanley Cup hands down. The physical toll on the body is similar to football but whereas the number of games played by the eventual Super Bowl champion is 20 (16 regular + 4 playoffs), in hockey the Stanley Cup winner will have played at least 100 games.

 

[General Gonad]

Both the NFL and World Cup offer no second chances making every game a do or die situation. That what makes these games the most exciting in the world and why the Super Bowl is the biggest sport in North America and the World Cup the biggest in the world.

BDC,

I cannot argue wth that logic.....nothing is harder or more pressure than knowing you have one shot to make the trophy. In football, you can at least come back next year to try again. In soccer, you have to wait four years to try winning the World Cup!!!

GG

 

[JustBob]

I pick the World Cup as well. "Toughest to win" requires looking at the entire process and not only on "playoffs". And the toughest journey is by far that of the World Cup. However, one might ask "thoughest for whom?" Realistically, only 5-6 teams have a legitimate chance of winning the World Cup so you could argue that it's easier for those teams to win it but darn near impossible for the rest of the teams. In that sense, if you consider the quality of the competition, you could argue for the NFL.