Hockey you need more endurance more toughness more balance more hand eye coordination. Basket ball you only need to be taller. Out side of height there is nothing basketball players are better at than hockey players. Maybe you could say shooting the ball through the hoop but hockey players have to shoot a puck into a net with someone infront trying to stop it. And don’t get me started on the flops. You bump a guy gently in basketball he goes flying meanwhile hockey players get thrown into plexiglass so hard it shatters. I don’t get how basketball is more popular than hockey. I get it’s cheaper to play basketball but to watch hockey is way better.
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Much more. Hockey players are some of the best athletes on the planet. They’re far more skilled than basketball, baseball, football or soccer players.
I guarantee you just about every single basketball player can jump higher and farther than every single hockey player
being tall and big helps in hockey as well
Exactly as you said, basketball requires less equipment and is easier to get into.
But if you go somewhere with long winters and a culture of skating, like Canada or Finland, and suddenly hockey is much more popular than basketball.
Sports popularity has very little to do with how much skill it takes and more to do with how much people enjoy those sports. If you grew up playing basketball, you’ll probably prefer it over ice hockey if you’ve never worn a pair of skates.
Is this really an unpopular take?!? I mean, hockey requires a number of skills also required for other sports, but they’re doing it all on ice skates.
That’s an unpopular opinion? Outside of soccer, basketball players are the softest athletes on Earth.
deep……very deep.
Hockey is the most difficult sport by far
Why is it always hockey fans declaring their sport to be the toughest? My biggest issue with hockey is the fans telling me how much I don’t respect it. Like they have to prove it. I’m a life long basketball fan, and can confidently say, who cares?
I have more respect for skilled hockey players than for any other athletes
I don’t think this is an unpopular opinion, but if you put a hockey player on a basketball court and a basketball player on the ice they’d probably do terribly so… The sports and skills needed are just different
Really the main thing that makes it more “skillful” is that you’re doing it on skates. Everything else is just relative
The legend himself, Phil Kessel, is a better basketball player than half the NBA.
“I can ball”
It’s the access to hockey that holds it back. It’s not like there’s a free and always available ice ring like a basketball court is at the park. There are a lot of sports that are more difficult or technical than basketball and hockey but that’s not requirement for popularity. Also most schools provide access to basketball, basketball, football etc. hockey isn’t on that list in most states. There’s no homecoming event associated with hockey.
who cares? this just seems like a dick measuring contest
As a former athlete, this isn’t unpopular in any way lol
Skill sure, natural athletic talent basketball players have them beat. Basketball players might be up there as some of the best atheletes in the world
Watching a pro Hockey game live is exhilarating
Basketball’s fun to watch too though
Ain’t really an unpopular opinion…
I mean I assume most people would agree with your take here… because thats just the truth lol.
Hockey vs Rugby would be a more fair debate… and I’d be willing to argue for both.
I’m a big believer that most NBA players are the most athletic of any athletes out there besides maybe edge rushers in the NFL.
The whole “skill” thing is all a matter of opinion. Sure it’s on skates, I can’t skate, and I really admire hockey players and what they do. I will always believe that hitting a baseball is the single hardest thing to do in sports.
Comparing these sports is such a lame thing to do. They’re all highly skilled in their own right. You whining about basketball players attempting to draw fouls has literally zero to do with the skill. You see plenty of flopping in the NHL too so I’m not sure what you’re talkin about, although it may be more prevalent in the NBA.
I’ve noticed that people who are good at basketball are also really good at other sports. There is so much movement, agility, speed, jumping from an athletic side. Along with dribbling, shooting, passing from a skill side.
Skating is so niche, and while hockey players obviously are often able to play other sports, not running/jumping and holding a giant stick aren’t always transferable.
I guess OP might just be thinking of clunky, uncoordinated 7 footers or something, but everybody I’ve seen with actual basketball skills and movement is just awesome at everything else
Well basketball is a sport of the community. You can play it anywhere there’s a relatively flat surface, a hoop, and a ball.
Also, I disagree that basketball just needs height to be successful. Yes height is important, but its not the end all be all. You need to be able to shoot, dribble, pass, rebound, defend, and have good basketball IQ. Mugsey Bougues had a long career at 5’3, spudd Webb at 5’6, nate Robinson at 5’9, and Allen Iverson at 6’0 and Trae Young is killing it at 6’0 currently(those heights are probably exaggerated to be taller because the NBA is known for that).
You sound like someone who doesn’t quite understand basketball or have a history really playing or watching it, so that makes sense. I don’t know much about cricket so if I try to watch it I’ll also be bored and confused. Just appreciate that sports are different and require different skill sets. Hockey players can’t do what basketball players do and vice versa.
Yes, hockey is for sure an unpopular sport
Hockey is harder to follow because the puck is smaller and players and the edges of the rink can block your view of it. You have a fair point about the players but as to why it’s not as popular that is a big reason
Takes more suburban pocket books from Mom and Dad. Not really apples to apples
Totally easy to be 6’6” with a 30+ vertical and shoot from 30 feet.
It used to be that way, now scoring in hockey has a large element of luck. The goalie pads are too big and the goal is too small. In basketball the better team usually wins, in hockey the better team has a slightly higher chance of winning than the worse team. The athletes are great, I just wish the sport allowed them to showcase their talent.
… yes. Yes it does.
This just sounds like you’re insecure about the sport you like
Thats fucking hilarious. I’d pay to watch professional hockey players try and get a hit off the kids who pitch in the LLWS.
Advertising and hype is why it is more popular.
Ehh you could say it’s harder but more “talent” that’s a reach. Just because everyone thinks they can “play basketball doesn’t mean it isn’t just as unlikely a sport to actually be “talented” at than any other. The guys who play in the NBA are like 6’7-7’0 a lot of the time and move better than most people you will ever meet.
Kinda have to disagree. Basketball is hard to master. U talk about eye hand coordination. With hockey it is just a puck and a stick. But in basket you don’t look at the ball. Meanwhile you dribble, calculate distance to the goal, fend off defenders, insert tactical play, space yourself on the field, anticipate the movement of your teammates. Most of these things are the same in hockey. But i think in basketball you have more options so that makes it more complex.
Maybe, but the people who actually occupy both sports aren’t the same thing. Basketball players are 20 times more talented and athletic than the average hockey player. Supply and demand type s*** though
I mean, I agree with the premise, but there are lots of tall people that aren’t good at basketball. It actually isn’t easy to be an elite athlete in any sport.
Hockey is a very specialized skill. Basketball is much more transferable to other sports. That’s why we see lot’s of pro athletes with basketball background of some kind, while hockey players are just hockey.
But becoming Jordan requires as much skills as becoming Gretzky.
So I’m a hockey player, and while there’s a lot to agree with here, I think the endurance argument is wrong. Hockey players have the benefit of gliding on ice, making it easy to move with less effort than, say, running up and down a court. Hockey players can also change on the fly, which gives us more opportunities to catch our breath, while basketball players have to wait for a stoppage. You’ll see basketball players run the length of the court for several consecutive minutes, while a hockey shift shouldn’t last more than two minutes.
In terms of toughness, a friendly reminder that we are wearing a lot of pads out there. If I fall on my knees, I feel next to nothing because of how thick my pads are. Meanwhile, if a basketball player falls, their kneecap is hitting hardwood (or pavement outside). Having done so before, it is…not a fun feeling.
So, I don’t really think it’s fair to compare basically any two sports like this because the skills are different so it always ends up just being the speaker’s preference or skill set.
We also have to ask what “taking skill and talent” means. Like, how difficult is it to learn the fundamentals and reach a similar level of competence? Ok sure maybe we can compare that but why does it even really matter? At competitive levels the skill floor is irrelevant. Being very, very good at something that’s fairly easy to get ok at still requires a great deal of skill and talent.
You dont know basketball well enough to make this post.
I like both it’s close. A jump shot is much harder to perfect then you give it credit for. A slap shot/wrist although takes skill is not the same as developing a quality jump shot. The idea that because you have a goalie makes it harder is incorrect, most people can’t make jump shots on a consistent basis with no one guarding them and no pressure , I genuinely feel you can teach people to have a decent wrist shot easier. Then you mention flopping which is related to professional ball, and if you mean is it harder to make the nhl or the nba , then it’s obviously basketball by far. For starters you have to be a genetic wonder to have a chance at the nba , while developing handles, shot making, defense, touch .
I play hockey. I coach hockey. I’m also a strength and conditioning coach for many types of athletes. Here’s how this shakes down, hockey does require more skill. The most basic, core component of hockey, takes years to master. Literally years, and you can never be “good enough” at it. And that skill, skating. Everything else, dribbling to stick handling and shooting to shooting – amongst other aspects that are similar, between the sports you can wash out. But the requisite skill for skating versus running, pushes hockey to a whole new level. And then, there is the edge and hip and balance work combined with shooting and passing, which literally is an entire skill set with coaches devoted to just that. There is a reason you don’t see any other athletes “play” or dabble with hockey at even a joking league level, that shit is hard. Pickup basketball? Sure, anyone. Pickup hockey? Good fucking luck. Go to a local rink and local gym and watch newbs do either, then tell me which takes more skill literally just to be functional in.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with saying it. Doesn’t mean one is “better” than the other. It’s just an acknowledgement of reality and fact.
The stupidest of all arguments in sports. No NHL player could even sniff the NBA G League. No NBA player has a prayer playing in NHL. They are more skilled at their own sports! An NHL player could be “more skilled” until you asked them to do what an NBA player does and then they wouldn’t look so skilled. That’s for all sports.
I mean…no shit? Doing literally anything with ice-skates on is immediately harder. But each sport has its own challenges for you to overcome and every single person has their strengths and weaknesses that help them do better in their respective sport.
I think you’re undermining the talent it takes to play basketball because you like hockey more. The culture for hockey is definitely far superior though I agree with that. But to say you just need to be tall is short sighted. Most nba players are genetic freaks.
Both have spent their lives getting to those levels.
Look at your average NHL athlete vs. average NBA athlete and tell me this with a straight face
And polo needs a horse. Polo > all other sports
Takes more money for sure I guess that’s a skill (of kids parents)
Harder competition in Basketball for certain
This is a hot take and I don’t agree at all. Basketball is way more technical and intricate of a sport
It’s a stupid niche sport that’s a pain in the ass to play for almost everyone on earth. I’m sure the biathlon takes a lot of skill too but ain’t no one got time to cross-country ski and then do target shooting.
I mean, I watch hockey and you can go to the hockey subs right now and there will be lost after post of players flopping so not sure what you mean by hockey players don’t flop.
The fact anyone can play basketball is the main reason it’s more popular. Just because all you care about is watching sports doesn’t mean that’s all everyone else cares about.
And, most of all this isn’t an unpopular opinion in the slightest besides maybe the talent part. It def takes more skill to play hockey but talent is arguable.
Isn’t the NHL way more random than the NBA historically?
This take is basically just “I like hockey more than basketball” from you
And hitting a baseball is the toughest thing in all of sports…
Props to this dude for an actual unpopular opinion
Being freakishly tall is like … the definition of talent.
“All you need is height” is wildly misguided and or disingenuous. Hockey might be more of a pure skill sport than basketball, but it’s not as lopsided as you’re saying. It’s pretty apparently you understand hockey way better than basketball and that’s where your bias comes from.
The equivalent success of scoring a goal vs talent in basketball is wildly different. Yes it’s easier to score, but only scoring 3 points in basketball every game isn’t very good.
A goal in hockey to compare “talent” would be significantly more basketball points.
I say this as a hockey fan, but being tall is a skill. Basketball by nature requires more skill because star players control the game far more. In hockey, your best players are on the ice for 1/3 of the game so you need some luck to go your way.
This is precisely why underdogs do much better in hockey than they do in basketball. https://youtu.be/HNlgISa9Giw?si=BExZYMH2hgGuTaUp
I don’t follow hockey much (or at all really) compared to basketball and football, but I gotta say, those motherfuckers on the ice are TOUGH.
>Basketball you only need to be taller
I thought this was for unpopular opinions, not morons.
I agree that hockey players are more skilled just because height-wise they have a much bigger pool of people to pick from alone. Basketball is a much more accessible sport though since it’s easier to get a game going and it can be played anywhere.
Sounds like what you’re trying to say is hockey is a harder sport to learn and master than basketball not necessarily something that takes more skill and talent. Skating is already and Olympic sport and hockey uses it as a method of transport
Nah the skates do all the work tho
Reddit is just children with mild takes lmao
The only thing a professional hockey player has on a pro basketball player is durability. NHL players have played on punctured lungs and broken bones on several occasions in the playoffs.
Both sports have skills that are insane to the casual players.
This isn’t an unpopular opinion.
Most hockey players are playing when they’re 5-6 years old.
Basketball for many doesn’t start until much later.
That being said, I think you’re downplaying the skills of basketball players. The ones going on to play college basketball and pro basketball are incredibly talented— they have a LOT more people to outplay than hockey players do, and so it takes a lot more than being tall.
A hockey player with no formal basketball experience will be just as bad at basketball as a basketball player with no formal hockey experience will be at hockey.
Both sports have large athletes with good endurance. Shooting a basketball on an open net is harder than shooting on an open hockey net. Sure, hockey has a goalie, but a goalie can let the rare puck slip past them. It’s impossible to score points if you can’t hit the basket.
Both games are team sports. Either athlete would make a solid support role in a pick-up setting. They would both get cooked when surrounded by professionals of that discipline. Maybe if we ran 1000 tests, one would average better than the other, but it’s a moot point since none of them will make it past the draft.
I don’t think this is unpopular it’s just no one gives a shit. Hockey is an amazing sport. Almost everyone who watches a game loves it. But it comes with the detriment that you have to have a solid block of ice to play it properly. It’ll never surpass basketball in popularity because no one can play it year round without enough money to rent rink time. Zero people south of probably northern Maryland (where I grew up and occasionally got frozen ponds to play on) ever get to play for free. Basketball? Throw up a peach basket and youve got a game anywhere, anytime. That’s why basketball is more popular. If ice was everywhere hockey would be the main sport (imo). Most people arent 7 feet tall but millions still try to play. You don’t need that type of genetic advantage to succeed at hockey
If popularity was determined by skill level, we’d be watching professional water polo and gymnastics.
OP proved he knows nothing about basketball as soon as he said hockey requires more endurance. Hockey is all short bursts and no endurance. Average time on ice before a break is super short. Height helps in basketball but out of all major sports it is the most benefited by outlier athleticism even more so then height.
Then how do all these hockey guys play into their late 30s at such a high level? Basketball players are trending downhill at 30 unless you’re Lebron
“Basketball you only need to be taller” yeaa just ignore all the insane athleticism and skill stuff you need for Basketball while not doing the same for Hockey lmao
To make it in basketball, you need to be a physical anomaly like LeBron or Giannis. Some hockey superstars like Sydney Crosby look like he works in your accounting department.
hockey is far less competitive due to the financial barriers to entry.
When a basketball player “falls down” he requires 2 teammates to pick him up. Like an old person, oh no I’ve fallen and I can’t get up
Cringe post. Muh sport harder than your sport. Cool nobody cares.