The Greatest sport in the world!

Dec 9, 2008 at 12:03
by Mike Hermanovsky  
An outline explaining why Downhill Mountain Bike Racing is the greatest sport in the world, and why all others are inferior to it.

Many people, especially those studying Kinesiology, frequently participate in the debate that asks the question, “What is the greatest sport in the world?” As a somewhat opinionated person I believe that regardless of the activity/sport at hand, the question of the greatest sport is always relative and specific to the reasoning that the person who gives the answer can provide. As I sit here listening to some Disturbed, I know without a doubt in my mind what I believe to be the greatest sport in the world. Because of specific reasons I will outline why hockey, football, basketball, baseball, golf, rugby, lacrosse, volleyball, soccer, and cricket are ALL inferior to the majority of extreme sports and in particular Downhill Mountain Bike ‘Racing.’(DMBR)If your favorite sport is in the possibly never ending list that does not include DMBR let’s hope you’re a faithful participant, because I attempt to shed light on the futility of your chosen “hobby.” So, to start off I should probably answer the question regarding why I am not a fan of ANY team sports. Believe it or not I have more reasons that I could add to the list.

1-Not every player is directly influencing the outcome at every moment. A team can still be successful at their goal, “winning,” even if the players are not participating at the absolute limits of their abilities. Just think of a hockey team, it is true that hockey is a quite intense sport and needs all its team members, but in reality there is only one puck in the game. That means that at any point in time there are only 1 or possibly 2 people that have the direct ability to change the outcome of the game (by scoring). That is the same with other sports like soccer, volleyball, rugby, and lacrosse, don’t even get me started about baseball or football. So in reality in a hockey game, a team can only ever be working at 16 percent of their maximum ability to perform, because there are always 5 players that do not have a direct influence on the outcome. (This isn’t even taking into account the numerous useless bench warmers).

2-Team sports are also often “closed sports.” What I mean by the term closed sport is any event where the circumstances of the arena or setting remain constant. That means that where ever you go all hockey rinks will be flat ovals, all basketball courts will be flat rectangles with a basket 10 feet off of the ground, and that a soccer, lacrosse, or rugby field will always be relatively the same dimensions with little exterior influence. The disadvantage to a closed sport is that it is much like learning addition over and over again. You might get better and better at it as your life goes on but your still just adding numbers! Obviously sports like rugby, football, soccer, or baseball have the potential to throw you an environmental oddball. However, have you ever watched a football or soccer team trying to fumble with learning subtraction or sometimes even LONG division on the fly! It’s terrible and looks like children having fort wars at recess. It is for these reasons that groundskeepers cut the grass, seed the brown spots, or why we have zambonis in hockey or sweat mopers in basketball. It is simply because athletes these days feel that it is necessary to have “constants,” and attempt to maintain those constants in sport at all times. What do you think would happen if someone decided to put a boulder in the middle of a football field or bananas all over a basketball court (it would finally make those sports interesting!). Those are things that downhillers have to think about every time they look down a race course, except for the bananas.

3-All sports have a “time to relax” period. If you don’t know what I’m talking about just think about any hockey – soccer game you have ever played and you will find them. They are times that the clock is still running but is filled with NOTHING that could ever be called sport. They are the moments where you or the other team has just scored, you slipped and lost the ball/puck, in-between plays in football, the entire sport of baseball, or when a fight has just broken out between 30 players in hockey. My question is how top athletes in baseball can suffer from cancer of the mouth, Hockey players need to be good boxers, or linebackers can be good even though they eat all of Africa’s food. It seems that the amount of down time in these sports has allowed athletes to become truly lazy that they have to resort to chewing tobacco, fighting instead of scoring, or can actually be 320 pound sloths! I just think that any sport that you have the down time to “catch your breath” or formulate a plan just takes way too much away from the true essence and flow of sport.

4-CON tract. I don’t really have much to say about this other than the fact that the word “contract” is sickening. I realize that people need to make money, and it makes sense to play professionally, but making 13 million dollars as opposed to 5 million dollars a year doesn’t really enhance your quality of life. It also does not guarantee that once that contract is signed, you will participate and provide full effort through thick and thin despite your prearranged payment deal. I understand that there are also professional Downhill Mountain Bike Racers, but the majority of them have real jobs in the off season (that they need) where they can go home to live a “real” life. It is also a sport where you will be downgraded to amateur categories, or lose your sponsors if you do not perform well.

5-Fan support. Whether you like it or not it is impossible to say that fans do not have an influence in sport. It is because of fans that we have stupid things like half time shows, STILL have fighting in hockey, cheerleaders, jumbo-trons, TV timeouts, and tailgate parties. There have been so many changes created with the sole intent of promoting fan base. Though a lot of changes could be classified as independent of the fans, we can safely say that all changes in widely broadcasted sports inevitably have the fans in mind. What happened to the days when the fans actually played the sport? I just think there are way too many alcoholic fans that are out to participate and promote in an activity that is far from sport. I’m not saying that there aren’t any downhiller fans that booze, but at least we are still racing after we do it.

6-If you’re out, you can still “win.” All I can say is that this concept is a pile of crap. Picture a football player. He is at a party. He has a sprained ankle (aww muffin). His team just won the big game. This football player happens to see a good looking gal that he decides to court with the, “I’m an intelligent football player with important opinions regarding real issues,” pick up line… no I’m just kidding that would never happen, but he tries to impress the girl by saying that he just won the game. This situation definitely happens and unfortunately subtracts all the merit and honor from being an athlete. If you get injured and do not participate in a game, or do not participate in the whole game, YOU are not responsible for the ultimate success of your team. Even if you were on the field and scored three goals in the first half, but didn’t play the second half, you have no right to take credit for the 3-0 victory. Because if it were not for your team members in the second half, the game could have ended up 3-9 or 3-20, which would really overshadow your insignificant contribution to the game. For these reasons I feel that team sports are truly corrupt because they attempt to identify players that “carry” their team to victory. In reality there are always points in every game where even the best players are rendered useless (simply because they do not have the ball or puck) and therefore not directly responsible for the success of a play.

photo

What makes Downhill Mountain Bike Racing so different?

1-Seiko timers usually ensure timing accuracy within 1/1000 of a second. The entirety of your sporting event begins when the first knob of your front tire breaks through the laser beam at the start, and ends the instant your front tire passes through the laser at the finish. An accuracy of this caliber ensures that absolutely EVERYTHING you do from the moment you start to the moment you finish will have a direct impact on the amount of time it takes for you to get from laser to laser. Since it is also an entirely individual sport, all success and failure can be directly attributed to the rider, making it a true athletic competition. As the greatest sport in the world, DH requires the athlete to be performing at near perfection throughout the race run. Other sports, sorry, you just can’t come close.

2-We all know what “closed sports” are, but we now must meet the polar opposite, the “open sport.” The open sport involves an environment that is dynamic and changes from moment to moment. There is no constant in an open sport, and why would we want them, constants just make sports easier and more predictable. In racing there are rules, rules for racers and spectators which involve objects on the course. If a rider speeds through a section during a race run and dislodges a rock, that rock CANNOT be moved. It is considered a part of the natural change of the trail. Racers also have to deal with relatively large altitude changes in the taller mountains, that have significant physiological effects regarding the bloods ability to carry oxygen (makes the top sections fun to watch). We also have to race on rock, wood, roots, dirt, mud, sand, air, grass, metal, through water, in rain, in wind, in cold, in hot, but we can still get to the bottom of a hill sporting a huge grin and say “that was easy.” Racing DH would be a lot like making all hurdles random heights for sprinters, making the basket move in basketball, or getting hockey players to play on glaciers. A dynamic sport environment is the only way to truly test who can handle ALL variations of the sport.

3-“Time to relax.” We’ve already been through this time to relax thing… don’t have any… Seiko timers… lasers… they’re smart…you can’t cheat… unless you use rockets….no that’s silly. Sure you can probably find times when riders are relaxing, but that only comes when they are in the air and can’t physically speed up. Of course it is up to the rider to relax or not while racing, but the reality is that clocks keep turning and time keeps on. Every relaxing moment that you take in this sport drags you further and further from the podium. It is one of the few sports where EVERY moment counts.

4-The concept of the professional athlete is always present when talking about sports that people actually care about and want to watch. DMBR is no different. However there are pretty big differences between most professional DH racers and other athletes. When racers have free time, they go biking. With more money, they go buy more bikes and biking stuff, or beer. They also race because they absolutely enjoy it. Most professional DH racers don’t get paid enough to make a living so they often have jobs to help pay for racing. Combine all of these together and it’s a pretty crazy cycle no matter how high up in the mountain biking spectrum you get. Get good at biking, go pro, get money, buy bikes, get money, buy more bikes, get money, go see strippers in Gatineau, and race. There is a universal acceptance of commitment to the sport between racers. It’s only those who truly love the sport that could ever participate and for those reasons, athletes who live, spend, and breathe DH are the greatest athletes in the world.

5-Fan support. Let’s set things aside. Downhill mountain biking fans love their alcohol, and what’s better than watching some awesome racing/crashing sitting in a lawn chair with a cold beer in your hand? However there is one difference between DH fans that separates them from any other fans. People who watch DH racing are either close family and friends of racers, or racers and riders themselves. DH fans have a shared passion for racing, alcohol, and partying rather than just alcohol and partying like other sports fans. The unifying factor is that most of the fans participate in the activity itself, which makes it unnecessary to change the sport for the fans. DH fans realize that they need to scale up hundreds of feet of loose shale and rock, risking life and limb to see the “good stuff,” but they still do it and you know why? Because they are the greatest fans in the world, going to watch the greatest sport in the world. DH courses will never change just for the fans, it’s our own little way of fan natural selection.

6-If you’re out you can still win. In a fairytale world this would totally work. But in reality the idea of “not finishing” is somewhat taboo in Downhill Mountain Bike Racing. All racers fear the posting of a DNF (did not finish) or worse a DNS (did not start) on the results list. Individual sports are unique because they put the entire responsibility of success or failure on one single athlete. This would be like playing 1 on 1 football in a hallway. Sure a DH athlete can choose not to start, or not finish, or take their time riding the course, but that would pretty much guarantee that they would be finding their name, hometown, race plate number, team name, and amount of time between them and first rider, at the very bottom of the results list. It is pretty understandable why riders, especially professional riders work so hard to put fractions of seconds between themselves and other competitors. It is a sport where one less pedal stroke, slightly over braking a corner, or landing a little off balance coming off a drop, can take you from 1st to 5th place. For these reasons “I” believe that DH racing is the greatest sport in the world

A closing statement for downhill mountain bike racing-

1. It has speeds seen in a lot of downhill ski racing
2. It requires balance close to that of a gymnast
3. It requires the quick thinking of a football quarterback
4. Requires good cardiovascular endurance, and good muscular strength
5. Requires an applied understanding of physics (intertia, momentum, gravity, friction, acceleration, etc.)
6. Requires the ingenuity of a point guard in basketball, to find the fastest lines through the course
7. Is simply the greatest sport in the world

I’d like to hear what everybody thinks. But if you are just going to bash my views without providing sufficient support for your own, then I will have every reason to ignore your point. If you feel this passionate about your “hobby” then I’d like you to try to convince me…

-hermo44.pinkbike.com/

Author Info:
hermo44 avatar

Member since Feb 20, 2004
3 articles

249 Comments
  • 41 3
 makes me want to go race! i hate off season...
  • 27 2
 Makes me want to go race too! And I live in Socal, so there is no off-season!
  • 23 3
 I was just gonna say Candy mufin -you are in South Africa, where it is now high summer time. It's not your off season surely - go out and ride! Smile
  • 11 5
 i can ride, but there is no races Frown
  • 11 4
 very good article, i enjoy your writting, keep it up tup
  • 7 3
 Best thing i have ever read, thanks!
  • 4 1
 yeah me too, but look on the bright side, you've got quite some time to prepare yourself physically, mentally and in the terms of skills that can always be improved, no matter how good you are Smile
  • 3 0
 Great read
  • 19 1
 very good writing - but to make a point running is much different than riding a bike so you have to look at the different physical demands each sport plays - though i do believe extreme sports are the true essence of what REAL sport is all about - you cant take away the cultural aspect of our past time sports festivals - some people revolve their whole lives around one specific event - and i do believe DMBR should also be in that event "Olympics" - i will wholly agree with point #4 cause the amount of money some of these sports players recieve is beyond reasoning - and the biggest point for MTB in general - freeride - xc - dh - everything is all so demanding on the body and mind - such a hard sport to stay on top - you are either the best or your one many verry good riders - and thats what makes MTB special - we are humble with he fact we can ride all day and even if we dont get paid for it - dont get a photo taken - but just bask in the love of the ride - MTB harmony
  • 35 6
 I'm sorry, but comparing an individual sport and a team sport just doesnt work, theyre too different to compare. You made some good points, but if I wanted to, I could make some points back to counter yours. For example, everyone on the ice or court is affecting the game, maybe not directly enough for someone to see, but lets say your on one team and im on another. you have the puck, and want to pass it to your team mate who im guarding. you wont pass to him, you'll pass to the other guy thats wide open so that my team doesnt steal the puck (I'd have a chance to steal it if you passed it near me). look, i just directly affected your play. no one knows that you wanted to pass to him, but you couldn't. Now, I'm not saying DH racing isn't a great sport, and that it cant be one of the greatest, but you can make an argument for any sport. Great writing, but I just want to see if you understand that depending on how you look at something, different conclusions can arise. Of course you wrote this to show why DH racing is the best sport, so the whole time you wrote, you thought of ways other sports weren't as great, making this very biased. I bet if you wanted, you could pick any other sport and make and argument that its the best. Great work!
  • 5 16
flag mooseman414 (Dec 23, 2008 at 8:46) (Below Threshold)
 1000% TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • 5 9
flag nouser (Dec 23, 2008 at 8:51) (Below Threshold)
 i think that the points made comparing team sports and individually sports are very valid. And although i do agree that mountain biking is far superior to other individual sports, in general individual > team sports and there point could be used to support any individual sport; running, shooting, many swimming and track and field events they are all better then team sports. would you rather be on a team that won and have done little or nothing to help that, and even if you did score the winning point you might have not gotten any other points, or would you rather be the only winner and done it all on your own with no one else taking credit for what they didn't do
  • 8 2
 This article completely misses the point. Comparing various aspects of other sports, especially team sports to DHMB is ridiculous. It's the old comparing apples to oranges argument. As far as I can tell the main reason a particular sport is enjoyable is that it allows us to be completely absorbed in the moment. Whatever the sport may be, if we're focusing all our thoughts and energy on the next second or two at the longest, it clears the mind of all clutter. Participation in a variety of sports may give one a different perspective than the narrow minded slant of this article. Being a skier, soccer player, hockey player, mountain biker, squash player or whatever else piques my interest at the time, I could argue that any one of those is the best depending on my preference that day. It still wouldn't make any sense to someone that preferres a different sport though.

I wonder if the author of this article rides his/her bike up the hill to ride down.
  • 11 1
 So you call hockey and other team sports "closed sports" due to a constant court layout and size and mountain biking an "open sport" since the terrain changes on the course. But when you think about it, all of these team sports like hockey, lacrosse, football, etc. rely on the environment changing based on the position of teammates and opposing players, making them just as dynamic as the individual sport where the terrain is changing. The reactions of the players are not due to the position of the goal but rather to the teammate who could be in any place at any time.
  • 5 0
 hmmm, so i think the terms "closed" and "open" sports can be interpreted quite differently by the way i explained them. So i will use this example instead. in a "closed" sport the people who create the stadium, field, rink, court etc. create that venue with a standard in mind. Meaning that wherever you go the dimensions for a hockey rink, soccer field will be the same. So whether you are playing in Toronto, Calgary, or Montreal the intent of the arena creators is to make a rink that as close to the standard dimensions as possible. Just because a rink, soccer field, or tennis court is affected by environment doesnt necessarily make it a universal "open sport." An "open" sport would be like comparing a World Cup run at Mont Saint Anne to a run at Fort William. the scenarios are completely different and the course designers do not attempt to make them similar at all. So basically im saying that track biking, hockey, soccer, rugby, football, and basketball are all "closed sports" and sports like DH, CC MTB, White water kayaking, snowboarding, triathalon, and rock climbing are "open sports". Obviously there is no exact line that defines a sport as closed or open, but you can usually tell the closed sports when there is an "attempt" to keep the environment as constant as possible
  • 4 0
 also timmers, to add on a bit, the terrain does change physically. ice gets beat up, grassy feilds become muddy, you have to account for these as the game goes on and rememeber that if you dont, it may cost you
  • 5 0
 hermo44, you have to realize that because your dealing with individual and team sports, different variables change. in a team sport, the variable that changes is the team you play (and occasionally who's on your team, because of injury, and even line changes). the playing surface is supposed to be a constant. it DH racing, the variable that is supposed to change is the course. yes, your opponents change too, but all you do is race against the clock, trying to beat the fastest person so far. the fact that in team sports you have to adjust how you play to each team is very similar to how you adjust your riding to get down the track faster. I understand your closed and open perspectives, but every sport has different variables that must change.
  • 7 0
 its not the matter of taking credit for what you did or did not do, when participating in a team sport an individual doesnt say I won the game and if they did they are extremly full of themselves, they rather say we won the game or my team won the game. The best player on the team may be an individual that has 0 points, but it doesnt make them insignificant just as a rider in a race has to read the trail ahead of them and make tough split second choices that can accumulate to winning or losing. players in a team sport have the same task but instead of having to read a stationary object that you have trained on for several runs, a team player has to be able to judge the thoughts and actions of an aposing team before they do it. As a lover of both DH and Rugby, yes one you get all the glory and the other its shared but the mental skills and physical skills required in both are completly different and are just as difficult to be good at as eachother. there is no such thing as the best sport in the world no matter how valid your argument, becuase there will always be another person that does not agree. Athletics is a personal choice and to decide which really is the best sport is impossible without being subjective in some way. just ride your bike enjoy it and let everyone else enjoy what they like without trying to prove your better at loving the sport you love.
  • 0 4
flag konad (Dec 24, 2008 at 11:02) (Below Threshold)
 extreme sports are the best sprots,because they demand gravity masters,and gravity is something evryone on the world faces.
  • 0 1
 i think this isnt just related to racing downhill, but really all forms of extreme mountain biking, DH, FR, SS, STR, DJ, 4X all have similar traits that the author talks about, and i agree that MTB is the greatest
  • 1 0
 sorry DH is great.. but you can't beak other sports too. i love team sports i play rugby. those points really suck. you could've just said DH is the best because it makes your adrenaline pump, dh runs are sweet, great raw-individual talent, good connections with man and machine. you don't have to compare and put down other sports to make it good you know..
  • 0 0
 but okay. enough criticism.. sorry! i believe my point was pretty much summed up ages ago. world peace.
  • 0 0
 exactly because at an elite levle you can throw out most of the stuff he said about other sports,but mtb i think is the funnest for me so if people think its the greatest sport i tootaly agree,but ill go ahead and say mtb is the greatest sport out there that doesnt get near the payoff some sports get and some extreme sports get,you know what i mean(like the millions of dollars people make that arent near the athlete of a pro mtb rider in some cases) but ofcourse thats all offtopic.
  • 1 2
 i wouldnt say dh is the best, mtb/bmx are the best
  • 25 3
 im gunna get flamed for this but here goes.

1. In most team sports such as soccer u may not be directly influencing but ur always moving so that if the need arises u r there to influence the outcome which makes all the players active and also a part of the outcome because without them the outcome wud probably be in favor of the other team.

2. The environment doesn't change but the other players are the changing obsticals. different players use different tactics to win so u have to change ur tactics to counter theirs creating a change in dynamic.

3. This one I will give you but in some sports like soccer there are very few.

4. Just because professional athletes make huge sums of money does not make it a lesser sport or the athletes who participate in it less talented or the sport worse. (it bugs the piss outa me but it doesn't make a sport any lesser than the next.

5. Half-time games and cheerleeders aren't the sport theyre extra entertainment so enjoy them. At bike demos and some races u have the super hot chicks in the Monster outfits. Also fans aren't the sport theyre there to watch the sport once again i dont think fans should be held against a sport.

6. This one is true. I know however that most players wudnt take credit for something they didnt participate. Not to mention that if you score three goals in the first half then get injured or taken out then u still contributed to the team winning and therefore your team did win.

7. The last thing u completely jumped over is the benefit of a team sport. being able to work as a team and move as an individual as well as a team on the field or rink is a skill downhill mountainbikers dont necessarily possess.

P.S. Sorry to say but downhill requires a completely different kind of balance than gymnastics. Kind of a stupid comparison. And before you say it is "simply the greatest sport in the world" you might wanna argue against the rest of the sports because many other sports possess traits the downhill doesnt.

P.P.S. I liked the article but it is extremely biased and honestly I dont know why the pinkbike staff put it up. its this attitude that ruins sports and creates elitist douches. *Ahem golf* So although it was a good read i think ur just breading the golfers of biking.
  • 8 0
 Thanks for writing this so I didn't have to!...an additional point to Number 1....16%, that's a joke right? Take hockey for example, yes only 2 people may be 'engaging' the puck at any given moment, but to say that the other people on the ice are just standing around is silly. They are all out there trying to get at the puck or to defend the other team from getting at the puck. Basically everybody is constantly working with the exception of the goalies and potentially defenseman if the puck is on the other end of the ice. All but at the most 4 people are not working at any given moment. I like the article because I love the sport, but it's just too biased and gives reasons for others from outside sports to flame us for this type of attitude. Love your sport and be proud of it, not bash others' - they could probably write the same article about their sport just as easily and proclaim that THEY have a defense for every rebuttal.
  • 1 2
 hockey comments confused the *** oust of me, im very british dontcha know, and we play field hockey, like ice hockey but several countries play it, and we dont have as many fights or need to hide in body armour. lol
  • 6 0
 The body armour is for those collisions where you're moving twice as fast as you could run, but with your feet no longer moving. The flow of a live NHL hockey game from up close will bring a tear to your eye.
  • 2 0
 good points guys
  • 0 3
 nfiorito- where does that leave america football? And there are a hundred other sports out there that dont require armour where you traveling at the same or higher speeds as you may experience in hockey. So why does hockey need it?
  • 2 0
 first of all, no, you are not travelling at the same or higher speeds. secondly, you can glide in hockey, meaning that you can be skating faster than someone running, and then stop skating, but continue moving at almost the same speed for a fairly long distance, meaning that your ability to hit, get hit, or accidentally hit someone or something is much higher.

Also, after some quick google-research, it appears that NFL players are on average larger than rugby players (for example). Basically I think that it was a necessity to begin wearing bigger and more advanced equipment in American football because of the introduction of helmets. As helmets added hard plastic and cages, the rest of the equipment had to match that, otherwise a player could just spear another in the ribs with a helmet on and crush their lungs (if the one being hit had no shoulder pads).

Perhaps the biggest piece of the puzzle you're missing, however, is that in hockey, there's this little, frozen, 6 oz piece of vulcanized rubber that is routinely sent towards players at speeds of 95 mph+ (153 kmh+), and it is the job of these players to either try to stop it with their bodies (defenders and goalies), or stand in front of it and try to tip it in with the small blade on the end of their sticks.

Not a good enough argument? Then consider that hockey is played on a very hard surface (ice); is enclosed with walls made of steel, super-hard plastic and tempered glass that players attempt to run each other into; and involves long, hard sticks made of wood and carbon fibre that are used to continuously wack and check other players with in order to cause a turnover.

The question, "so why does hockey need it?" is very easily answered. And NFL players? well, they're bigger, (some of them are) faster, and I honestly think Americans like viewing their football players as a type of modern day gladiator heading into battle. That's why these two sports use such extensive equipment.

(BTW, if you don't believe me about the puck, just ask anyone who's ever taken a light pass off the shins on an outdoor rink. An NHL shot against bare skin routinely breaks bones and opens wounds)
  • 2 1
 Ice hockey; Yes the armor and padding is 100% necessary, due to the conditions, the puck and the way the game is played.

NFL; no. Rugby sevens, a sport you may have to google, is one of the fastest paced games in the world and the guys who play it are HAAAAUGE!
Anyone who has played rugby, especially at a good level will know how much a hit can hurt, but we needn't wear armor, we just developed a set of rules to make it less stupid.
You talk about the pads being needed to stop your lungs being crushed by some super nutter smashing you in the chest with a helmet. Well if you got some technique, you wouldn't need the helmet, thus not the pads.
Modern day gladiators? Gladiators = loin cloths...
  • 2 1
 haha, leave football out of this, burn meh but football players are the biggest pussies out there, football should be reserved for screwing around with friends in muddy fields on rainy days or with family christmas day.
thats why i play waterpolo when im not on my bike, having a guy single handedly break three of your ribs, under water, with one punch, is somewhat of a spectacle to me but you have to be incredibly strong and have the endurance of a cheetah
and as to this article, i like it but i dont want this stigma on dh that we think we are better than everyone else, everyone has the choice of what sports they wanna play, lets not thrash them for not choosing an awesome one. and team sports are rewarding but like some of my comrades said above me, its not like your standing around (or floating around) when you dont have the ball (or whatever), you are countering and attacking and such, because if you werent, your man would be open, and thus he or she would end up getting the ball (or whatever).
just my thoughts...
  • 0 0
 Just thought i'd put it out there. Cheetahs have shit stamina. theyre very fast but only over short distances. And ya waterpolos fun but i got tired of having other men grab my balls n try n rip my suit.
  • 1 0
 watch one episode of sports science and you will understand why hockey and football players rock suck knarly pads.

gladiators? hell no over payed shit talkers with drug problems is more like it. f*ck thoes guys
  • 0 1
 Football players dont need it. period. Rugby, sevens rugby, aussie rules football and others get away without armour, footballers could do it too if they weren't pussies.

And as for a hocky puck flying around at 150kph being enough reason to wear armour? The rest of the world gets along playing sports like hockey(the astro turf based equivalent of ice hockey) with balls that weigh more than a puck travelling at speeds just as high as a puck ever will and they dont need armour. Not to mention sports like polo and polo-cross, both with balls travelling at high speed and horses, which reach speeds up to 70kph, all without armour, yes the collisions between riders arent direct but because of the momentum involved, you take a massive hammering. Take a look at a polo or polo-cross players legs after a game but they still dont wear armour. It confuses me as to why only North American sports need so much armour(ie. ice hockey and american football, although I do realise other countries do play ice hockey) The thing is, the only reason footballers or ice hockey players need armour is because they think they need armour. If the armour didnt exist in the first place, they wouldnt need it.

mini-yanni- sevens rugby players are midget relative to rugby or american football players, go research it. Although I must agree that rugby players dont need armour so footballers dont either.
  • 0 0
 Just as a note to why you need equipment, for hockey (which I've played my entire life). Its easy for you to say you don't need equipment when you ovbiously haven't played the game. Go stand in front of some massive guy hammering a chunk of rubber at your face, ribs, balls, shins what ever. Without equipment to protect you, you would be out of the game after the first shot spit open your face and shattered your cheek bones. Or maybe its the fact that we are flying around on a small rink with 5 other guys trying to kick your ass every second? Or the fact that we have sharpened blades on our feet that could kill a person very easily without the proper protection. Saying equipment is not needed in this sport is, for a lack of a better word, absolutely retarded. Do you need a helmet in DH biking (and body armour for some)? Yes, and its a fullface to boot, but hey your just a pussy and you only wear it because it exists right? Wrong, it is absolutely necessary to keep you alive(just like hockey)! But hey think what you want, every sport has it's place, hockey is one bad ass sport I can tell you that much, don't discredit it. I'll stop ranting about this because it has nothing to do with the article, which I also don't agree with, people have made some good points, your article is extremely biased and ignorant, you come off as a douche really. I mean I love biking, more then anything else, but you can't ever argue its the "best" sport, because really "best" is relative to the individual.
  • 0 0
 yeah, i really can't believe this guy is arguing that ice hockey players don't need equipment. it is absolute death getting hit with anything harder than a saucer pass on unprotected skin on a rink with a puck. i just can't even begin to get over it. oh well, merry christmas!
  • 0 0
 clearly, not many of you have played ice hockey before. i'm pretty sure you would be wearing equipment if you played a sport with sharp blades, frozen pucks, and large people out to hurt you flying around on an enlosed surface of solid ice.
  • 18 6
 ill probly get neg props for this but oh well... so after reading this, this is what i got out of it you think that dh racing is the best sport in the world and no other sport even comes close to keeping up with it...now i have no idea if you have EVER played another sport because it does not sound like it. im pretty damn sure that football, hockey, soccer, volleyball, rugby, or lacrosse or any other hard sport is hella hard and your making the sound like you just sit there and do nothing the whole game...just my input tho
  • 6 4
 Never once did he say those sports were easy. He just gave a hell of a lot of reasons to why DH Racing is a lot harder. You have made my night sir.
  • 4 0
 blakelundy my friend, you raise a very good point. Though i have never played any of those sports near the level that i race DH i have at least tried most of them. However in the past 4 or 5 years ive been geared mainly to DH racing so i guess you could say that some of my points could be a little biased, actually a lot biased! haha
  • 0 1
 ya but that might serve as a good defense toward your article too, i used to play basketball and played it for a long time through high school but i ended up stopping because i picked up biking and it was simply a lot more fun and basketball took away from time i could be riding, some of my friends thought i was crazy for not playing basketball anymore until i took them riding one by one with me on one of my spare bikes. they all came out saying it was the most fun thing they had ever done and wished they got into it earlier so that they could be better at it. some of them still ride DH, some stopped saying it was too crazy and they were always eating shit but they still do other types of riding to stay in shape
  • 10 2
 "An outline explaining why Downhill Mountain Bike Racing is the greatest sport in the world, and why all others are inferior to it."

Well done for at least attempting to write an interesting essay on why you think the sport of downhill racing is so good, however I strongly doubt you're going to get much constructive criticism on mountainbiking website.

It’s good to see someone championing DH, and your well within your rights to do so – it’s your opinion and your entitled to it but I think you’ve overlooked some things and you have been quite narrow in your definitions.

Firstly, What’s wrong with just riding your bike? Is there something inherently better about downhill racing as opposed to downhill riding, or freeriding or simply trail riding? I am willing to bet that your answer would be yes, and that is purely because of the element of competition right?. Unless of course you feel that just riding bikes recreationally is a waste of time in comparison with racing? Surely then it's the element of competition in DH which fuels your passion as opposed to the bike riding element, otherwise why would you even right this article?

You have chosen to directly compare DH with team sports. There are a myriad of individual sports out there and the same general arguments could be made for any sport where an individual competes against a clock as opposed to two teams competing.

I realize it’s impossible to write a comprehensive list of sports to compare against DH (part of the reason why this is an exercise in futility) but you have left out sooo many other sports and types of sports it renders your argument totally impotent.

Take combat sports as example, virtually any will do, the same basic criteria apply to them all but for the purposes of familiarity and hyperbole we’ll choose mixed martial arts. Cage fighting. Ultimate fighting. Vale Tudo. Call it what you want. MMA requires a much higher level of fitness than DH. MMA requires a much higher level of strength, muscular endurance , flexibility and balance than DH. In DH you race against the clock, all there is is you, your bike, gravity and the clock. In MMA you compete against a living breathing opponent who is determined to beat you. As you try to assert your game plan your opponent will adapt, improvise and change to counter you. With the exception of weather and trail degradation, a DH course does not change, it’s static. You choose the level you wish to compete at, you have the choice as to how fast or slow you go. In combat sports a living breathing opponent does this for you. When someone is trying to beat you, choke or break your bones you push harder than you ever imagined possible.

I love gravity fuelled mountain biking, it’s what I do, but even by your own criteria there are better sports out there. If you doubt my words go down to your local boxing, jiujitsu, wrestling, muay thai or mma club and get on the matt.

At the end of the day though it’s all largely irrelevant. Why we do or don’t love a sport is not based on any perceived superiority in comparison with other sports, its about intangibles. It’s about the thrills you receive from participating or watching that sport and those are totally subjective things. It shows an inferiority complex to even write this, not to mention a degree of immaturity within the sport.

Who cares if we are the best sport or the worst? Why even feel the need to objectify something like riding bikes? That’s not why I do it, I didn’t think that’s why anyone did it. I ride my bike because at the end of the day it’s more fun than anything else. Isnt that enough?
  • 8 2
 Nice read...well thought out - like it Big Grin
Just a word in defence of cricket (not that you foreigners play it much)...sometimes nothing beats standing on the outfield for an afternoon in the blazing sun, just waiting for that one ball to come your way. Or fielding at slip (technical term- look it up) knowing that any ball could come your way, and yuo have to be ready to catch it. Or when batting the joy of hitting a crisp cover drive (damn techie terms!) or spanking a leggy over square leg. What game can go on for 5 days (international only) and still end in a draw? What game do you get to have drink and tea (like a proper meal) breaks in the middle. Games can be lost due to a single poor performance, which you failed to mention, although I conceed not always. Therefore even in team sports everyone has to try. Cricket still comes second to any form of bike riding though Big Grin
  • 1 2
 hear hear. i love my test cricket. remember the days before the 5 day limit and 70 over days. An ashes game could last up to 8 days .
  • 4 2
 Quidditch goes on for days too
  • 1 1
 Yes, in fiction land.

I mean if we look at fiction in general, one best seller even claimed the world appeared in SEVEN WHOLE DAYS!

But sadly, this and "quidditch" aren't real.

Back to the cricket.... HELL YEAH! Nothing like a session in slip, really gets the ol' reactions going.
  • 0 0
 The feel of clinging onto a stinger (at slip) is awsome!
NaToED - There has always a 5 day limit on test matches...unless you can prove otherwise!
  • 0 0
 if you look back at games in the 1920's and 30's it was an unlimited day
  • 5 0
 In a few words I think I'm capable to resume all that has been written in the above comments: YOU NEED TO TRY IT TO UNDERSTAND THE FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS INVOLVED!

That's one of the things that makes DH MTB Racing one of the greatest sports in the world - when you're into it sport you feel like you never want to leave it. You forget about everything else (family, wife/girlfriend/boyfriend), job... you marry with this sport!

Nuno
  • 5 0
 I love DH. Love it. But the arguments in this article are rediculous.

DH is superior to hockey/soccer because participants are not permitted to rest is just one issue. While this may be true for the 2-3 minutes it requires to complete a run it sounds pretty funny coming from a crowd (myself included) that takes a 5-10 minute chair lift between runs. And that's on top of the fact that you wait in line for another 10-15 minutes preceeding your race run. The time for an average hockey shift is 45-60 seconds of intensity and sometimes more (powerplays, penalty killing etc...). They do this for 60 minutes of stop time. Claiming that because downhillers exert themselves for 2-3 minutes when hockey players only play for 1 minute at a time (or 20 minutes but then get a rest between periods) makes DH superior to Hockey is crazy.

Not to mention it is unsupported. Why is rest in a competition a negative. Why is DH superior because Hockey players get a rest between periods? Just because they do rest (as DH racers do) doesn't demonstrate any sort of superiority.

It's like saying Downhillers use bikes where Hockey players use sticks. That makes DH superior.

The fans argument is nuts. You don't think that a significant faction of hockey fans are or at some point were participants? I guess the thousands of Minor hockey players across Canada must not be hockey fans. How exactly does the fact that DH fans are family, friends, and/or racers support your argument that DH is superior? If anything it lends itself to the argument that DH is not an enjoyable sport to watch for anyone that is not directly involved in it.

I have not real idea how you quantify superiority. You identify FACTS associated with the sports and make huge jumps in logic to arrive at the conclusion that DH is a superior sport. My bike is red while yours is yellow therefore my bike is superior. Give me a break.

This type of article is poorly written and offensive. It does nothing but create the feeling that Mountain Bikers are a jellous group of whiners. Mountain Bikers generally are not that type of group(although I suspect the same cannot be said for the article's author)and this article casts them that way. I cannot believe Pinkbike would post this garbage.

I love DH. I have no desire to tell everyone why it's a better sport than everything else. I really enjoy reading Pinkbike, but this article is rediculous and substandard for the quality of this site.
  • 1 2
 its an opinion based article no one is making you believe that it is true
  • 0 3
 you may have a point here... but one thing's true, DH racers rock even with a broken ankle, diarrhea, one eye blinded, shitty bike, you name it. Most hockey, football and soccer players call it quits on the first scratch..
  • 2 0
 Well said R-P-S, I agree with your points.
  • 1 0
 Yeah R-P-S you pretty much hit the nail on the head bud, well written and excellent points.

allenrotstein... haha thats funny you would say that about hockey players, I love my sports (all 2 of them, hockey and biking) and I can tell you hockey players are no pussies. A scracth? HA your joking right? It comes down to the person but I never EVER quit, no matter how injured I was, and most other hockey players I played with were the same. Not sure who your speaking for, but it's not the majority of us who give 100% all the time.
  • 0 1
 clearly meant soccer players...
  • 6 0
 This is bullshit its exactly like the skiier vs snowboarder stereoype. Downhill has to be better than xc and team sports. Team sports are fun and obviously these guys have never tried one.
  • 6 2
 exactly it. i hate the kids at school that take the piss out fo me for riding DH, they say its not a real sport its just rolling down a hill and that football "is so much better". what does that consist of kicking a ball for 90 min, not even that most of the time your stood still!
damn i get so annoyed by them jocks.

nice articale anyway
  • 3 0
 oh and btw i wasnt slaggin of other sports entirely, just saying why can people accept DH racing as a real sport. and it needs way more recognition
  • 3 0
 damn you have a good point. ive had so many friends put down mtn biking. Most people also cant even ride a bike off a curb, yet they still bash it. Mtn Biking does need a lot more recognition, the sport deserves it.
  • 3 1
 Man boat yes sir are 1000% correct. It seems like the biggest authority and mouth piece on a sport is a person who doesn't know anything about it. Again the guy who belittles D.H. that never has even tried it.
  • 5 1
 that is the worst thing i have ever read i love downhill but that is the most biased bullshit other sports require amazing amounts of skill just in different ways a soccer player could write the same shit about how soccer is better than any other sport in the world it makes me sad that you would post something like this
  • 4 0
 I totally agree. That was a very conceited, one sided and arrogant argument. It sounded like trying to argue with a committed theist that religion is rubbish.
  • 0 1
 of course its biased, it was my opinion
  • 4 0
 i think a lot of the reasoning you listed, while legit, applies to most other racing sports, even NASCAR (which i'm not advocating). in general, i think all sports have there ups and downs and i dont think anybody should try to influence anyone else as to why one is superior to the rest.
  • 5 1
 gotta love your passion but if that article was a DH run you yard saled up top by hitting and dismissing obvious differences. You got back on track with a few good points but then cased it on a huge double built on a mound of a potentially elitist approach. You definitely sent it pinned but do a pre-ride next time!
  • 4 1
 Ignorant.
It is very obvious you have not played a lot of team sports in your life (and soccer in grade 3 doesn't count). You claim team sports are "closed" while dhmb is "open", however the variables in a mountain bike race remain constant throughout, while team a team sports playing field is constantly changing through interaction with other players.

The argument that only 1 or 2 players can affect the game by scoring is also ridiculous. A hockey player usually scores because of positioning, and in football, good luck scoring with only only 1 or 2 players doing their jobs. And while we're on the topic of football players, I encourage you to re-evaluate your statement about "280 lb sloths" after going through 2-a-day practices in a summer training camp.

Your arguments hold absolutely no water, and I would imagine stem from some sort of "jocks-vs-skaters" type insecurity. While I agree dhing is a fantastic sport, it is ridiculous to try to compare it to other sports.
It's not what you do. It's how you do it.
  • 3 0
 the article is really rough on other sports, especially from someone who has personally said he has never experienced them. You can't say that a movies bad without even seeing it, do you honestly believe people will take you seriously? I think you are really selling yourself short here as you have become close-minded enough to not even give the sports a try and i almost guarantee of all the sports listed, you would probably enjoy at least one of them. Like a million people have already said before myself, comparing apples and oarnges is whats going on, but your making the Apples sound all mushy and gross, so their obviously gonna chose the bike, i mean orange. Im not going to try and change your mind hermo 44, because its your opinion and you deserve it, i respect you took the time to write this, but i strongly advise EVERYONE from reading this article until it is rewritten AFTER he has gone out and given other sports a try and done alot more homework. as a forum opinion, EXTREMELY well written, as an article headlining pinkbike or anywhere for that matter, HORRIBLY written. I Guarantee, hermo 44 if you get a basketball, a buncha your buds, and a play a game with everyone, a smile will find its way onto your face. Also, other things have been touched on by the other commentors, such as everyone is involved in sports like hockey, basketball, football, soccer etc.. (contrary to what the article may say...) is extremely true. football is a perfect example, people think that its only ever the two people hookin up that make a great play, say the QB and the wide reciever, this is a sad as those 2 players wouldnt have gotten anywhere if it werent for the rest of their team blocking for their asses, and as soon as they decide to not do that, game over (believe me on that one). Also, i cannot help but wonder certain things, such as how different things would be if say, micheal jordan, tiger words, wayne gretzky, tom brady, or any other athlete who is at the top of their respective sport, would have picked up a bike and loved it from a young age. OR what if sam hill decided to pick up soccer or some other sport? would we even know who sam hill was? ( sure we would, but you get it.) Point is, an athletes an athlete. One last thing, I am a starting Pointguard for my high school SR basketball team, starting QB for my towns football team, starting Power for my volleyball team, and you can ask anyone on any of those teams, or anyone that has ever met me for that matter,(especially family) they couldnt be more sick of me talkin about biking 24/7 and how i love it over every other sport to the point of having an entire team telling me in syncronization to shut up bout biking because their tired of it and its winter. didnt work Smile anyways, thats my 2 cents. ...(kinda makes me wanna write an article bragging bout biking, but a lil less biased. hmm.........nah, id rather go ride my bike Smile
  • 4 1
 this is an interesting article to say the least. however, the author could have definitely made a stronger case if he had 1)represented opposing sports the best he could and 2)eliminated (or at least minimized use of fallacies). If the author would have represented other sports in the best way possible and then arguing against them, the argument would be far stronger; insulting other sports just turns away other readers and labels the author as completely biased. Also, elimination of fallacies (weak analogy, hypothesis contrary to fact, strawman, etc.) would really make this a way stonger argument. Sorry, but i dont want to take the time to analyze the writing to point out the fallacies (there are too many for that).
The authors does list quite a few good points, but there are so many counter arguments to be made that would make his conclusion invalid based upon the given information (many of the posts listed above state these in a great fashion).
I love mountain biking, among many other sports, but this article is demeaning to all of those who enjoy multiple sports.
  • 5 3
 I personally think the same about all the bike-sports(that´s why I ride), but I also think you must show more respect to other sports and no one has the right to compare which is better or worse, when everyone is happy doing whatever, it´s just great!
  • 2 0
 Yeah that was a good read. I liked the fact that you outlined all the positive aspects DHMBR brings to athleticism. However I'm going to have to agree with elundy10 that it was a biased article. Nevertheless, you made some very good points. In my point of view, there is no ''best sport in the world'' because no sport can be compared and there is no definite way to find out the greatest sport.
  • 2 0
 Elundy said it all. Your article was fun to read, but it has nothing to do with reality. I love DH, but I think that you compared things you simply can't compare. Also, DH racing is not the only "race against the clock" sport in the world, right? What about WRC, or downhill skiing, or numerous automobile sports where one turn, one touch of the brake can mean the difference between death or glory? Nontheless, I still think that DH racing is one of the most intense sports in the world.
  • 0 0
 can we just say 'racing' is the best kind of sport in the world (except athletics, swimming, nascar and track cycling when it's always the same.)
  • 1 0
 Dont diss 1) nascar - they make all those funny crash videos, 2) track cycling - those guys train soo hard and the power they put out in a sprint is crazy. And you cant beat the madison for insanity!
  • 0 0
 yea but its the most boring thing to watch in the world! after maybe athletics and swimming.
  • 6 0
 Good job comparing apples and oranges.
  • 3 1
 As a passionate downhill racer and a collegiate track and field coach I feel offended that pinkbike would post such an ignorant and poorly written article on its main page. Please keep rants such as these in the depths of the forums where they belong. I was going to go into further detail however there are far too many things completely wrong about this article, I just ask that you remove this article from the main page so that our great sport is tarnished no longer.
  • 1 1
 "wrong?" How can you classify as something as right or wrong when they are simply opinions? Theres no such thing as a wrong opinion, but i do understand your own opinion and i will not say that you are wrong, rather i will simply say that mine is quite different
  • 1 0
 Well, I know our relativistic feel-good society says that there is no such thing as a wrong opinion, but believe me, there is.

That being said, I do think all-heart's comment is a bit over-the-top, but hey, I guess that's his opinion, right?
  • 0 0
 although its wrong... jk
  • 2 0
 I don't know about the other team sports, but in hockey, every skater on the ice is constantly working their @$$ off to get into position to affect the outcome of the game. You should really understand something before you speak ill of it....
  • 1 0
 i think you might have misunderstood what i meant
  • 2 0
 Good read, thanks for taking the time. Take on board what people have said about team sports. I'm very british and like one guy above play and love 'Field Hockey'. Its very skillfull, fitness and strength intensive, quick and requires good intelligence. The fan base is small but devoted and the satisfaction of performing with a 'team' is different but still great. Personally I respect all sports, (except baseball) but agree with the escence of what you were saying, that DH is (as my American friends would say) AWWWSOME!!! Bring it to the Olympics!!
  • 1 1
 yeah baseball sucks.. watching those millionaires fat asses playing ball is just stupid.. i have to say i've scored some nice MILFs at some MLB games. they love the bat grabbing thing!
  • 0 1
 NOT ONLY IS THAT FUNNY, I GREW UP AT YANKEE STADIUM AS A LITTLE KID AND IT HASN'T BEEN WORTH IT TO PAY THE PRICE OF A TICKET TO SEE OVERPAYED ATHLETES IN A STADIUM FULL OF BLIND CONSUMERS...BUT...SCORING ON ENTIRELY CARNAL LEVEL....PRICELESS!
  • 3 1
 I'm glad you're excited about downhill racing but for a persuasive essay it is poorly constructed and isn't very effective. The comparisons to team sports are absurd and it doesn't help your argument. You don't address any other points of view and that doesn't help establish credibility. Sorry, but I don't think this should have been posted on the main page.
  • 2 0
 Has hermo44 ever tried skating? Or better yet a 100mph slap shot, while skating. Hermo might not think so little of the the "time to relax" in football if he were on the field with 320lb defensive lineman that can run A LOT faster that he can.

Props to DHers and riders everywhere but seriously.
  • 2 0
 any fud can play team sports hiding behind their team mates spending most of there time watching rather than doing. takes a brave man or woman to go headfirst down a dangerous ever changing DH course flat out against the clock a take my hat of to all downhillers fast and not so fast they are the dogs. gr8 article...
  • 6 2
 Why can't MTB just be the best sport FOR YOU, why must you try and argue that it's inherently better than every other sport? I don't get the point of this article.
  • 6 3
 it is the best sport for me. thats why i wrote the article. I guess you could say that i wrote this article for myself to lay out the reasons why i dont like other sports. you can take it however which way you want. I understand it comes off as a little agressive and ignorant to the good aspects of other sports. Most importantly i hope it makes DH racers realize how much they really love the sport, and for other athletes just show them the credibility we deserve.
  • 3 1
 I play basketball & hockey and have been DHing for nearly a decade. I love all of them for different reasons. To say that the team sports are crap, yadd, yadda, is just silly. Your arguments aren't bad, but team sports are just very different, and difficult in their own ways.

I do have to say that I was put off from this article from the get go with the As I sit here listening to some Disturbed comment!
  • 1 0
 I do have to say that I was put off from this article from the get go with the As I sit here listening to some Disturbed comment!

Srsly. Such crappy music.
  • 3 0
 Riding a bike is a "sport"? I had no idea...

This is a silly article, though: it's not like the users who frequent this page need convincing...it's merely asking for validation of an opinion...right, guys? right?
  • 5 2
 I like dh racing cuz your not relying on some other usless bastard on your team that doesnt take the game serius or doesnt care its all for 1 and 1 for all.
  • 1 0
 in defence of cricket fans, it's a beautiful place to be when you are sat watching a cricket match on a sunny day in England. It has one major advantage over many other team game in that it's just a bit too boring for the genuine meatheads that riddle football stadia. Therefore the cricket ground becomes a huge pub where the atmosphere is really nice and peaceful. You americans should try it, it's like baseball with manners.
  • 1 0
 There's sunny days in England? jj.
  • 1 0
 The last one was back in 2005
  • 0 0
 the gentle thwack of willow on leather. ahhhh happy days.
  • 0 0
 I like the pub analogy Big Grin
  • 2 1
 I disagree with this article. I agree that downhill mountain biking is an amazing sport, and I agree that contracts in lager pro sports are bogus, but I disagree with many of the other criticisms of team sports. The fact that not every player is influencing the outcome of the game at every moment just makes the sport more challenging. And in a sport like hockey, The other players on the ice that do not have the puck still have a huge effect on the game. One of the great things about downhilling is the fact that it is a constantly changing open sport. But that doesn't mean that other sports are worse just because they are closed. A closed sport allows athletes to really perfect their game without having to deal with constantly changing surfaces. It is not better, or worse, These sports are just different, and that's OK.
  • 1 0
 Um... What about U.S. Outdoor National Motocross? Try pushing yourself as hard as you do on a DH course except for 3 minutes, do it for 30 minutes plus 2 laps. Not to play down DH. Both are sweet, I just thought I would make a point.
  • 2 1
 i love motocross, i would put it in if i could but i dont know if that would be well accepted on pinkbike. I have raced and understand exactly what you mean, tough sport, tough racing but great fun.
  • 0 0
 I also like enduro motocrossing most, as it's the most 'open' motocross event.
  • 2 1
 Hermo44: This is truely what i have thought all of my 17 years of living.
I have always thought that football was the slowest sport ever, and that "DMBR" was the most exciting thing ever. XC races are grueling and long, dj events are cool but not the same adrenaline and everything else is just dwarfed in the wake of Downhilling! Thank you for a truely enjoyable article.
  • 1 0
 As someone that has raced dh bikes and played professional hockey, this is particularly interesting, I agree with the open, closed part about playing surfaces and team sport concepts, however, some studies ( which I can not prove but can be looked up on google) will say that hockey is considered to be the most difficult sports due to all the factors of sport it requires. Examples include hand eye coordination, anaerobic fitness, timing, communication, physicallity, etc. That being said dhmb exhibits many of the same traits which is why I always found it effective cross training because many off the elements of each sport complimented each other.

In hockeys defense i will say though that while on a bike you can hit a tree, they don't jump out at you while you are not looking. Also any hockey player worth his salt knows no two rinks are the same from the boards to the ice or the lighting and it makes the game different everytime, also I don't think athletes should compete like this since we are all far superior to the couch potatoes that watch us!
  • 1 0
 i played lacrosse at an elite level for 25 plus years. won many championships as a team. started riding dh and fr and and have not won crap. so i think the read was dead on. easier to win with help then by yourself. lso winning as a team is rewarding but buy yourself is a whole lot better. also look at wrestling. same as dh racing in a way. there is nobody out there but you.
  • 0 1
 No, its easier to win at something you're actually good at. You may just not be as good at biking as you were at lacrosse.
  • 2 1
 closed sports are sports that require the same actions to be repeated without any enviromental factors effecting the movements. so soccer is one of the most open sports there is, not closed

somebody didnt study physical education Wink
  • 1 0
 but i agree, downhill is up there with the best of them nice articleBig Grin
  • 1 0
 though i agree that mtbing is my favorite thing to do its not for the same reasons as you, or because other sports are inferior. Its because basically anyone with good fitness , hand eye co-ordination and strength can be good at many sports. but biking takes just a little more than that and i find that challenging.
  • 1 0
 haha fights are the only fun part of hockey...or to watch in hockey. but i agree dh is the best sport but i also play football and snowboard and play lacrosse to get cardio and balance cross training for dh and they r all fun sports.
  • 1 0
 That's a great reason why mountain biking in general is a great sport - the individual accomplishment or failure can be very motivational.
On another hand, you never mentioned competitve rowing. You can substitute "Rowing" in every instance of "DMBR" and it would be 100% accurate (except the part of it being the greatest sport in the world).
You have 1, 2, 4, or 8 competitors who must synchronize in flawless form with the strength and endurance to get the job done in varying conditions of heat, cold, wind, and rain, albeit without the changing altitude during the race, but venues range from Fla. to Denver, CO so you never know.
I'm not a rower but my wife is - anyone who has learned the skills to be competitive in a solo sport can appreciate what it takes to row well.
Of course it's nowhere near as fun as MTBing!
-B

Ooo - I see someone mentioned real wrestling - good call.
  • 1 0
 What a load of poo poo! If you love a sport,its irrelevant what someone else thinks, you do what you enjoy and love,you do what keeps your blood pumping hard and what keeps you awake at night with the memories of your day. I love bikes and numerous other sports and like many others, i couldn't care less what other people think,weather they feel they have an argument or not. You dont need to anilize it, just do it man!
  • 1 0
 ever heard of wrestling? way more challenging in terms of mental and physical stress. wrestlers are the troughest people in the world. dh racers are amazing and the racing itself an amazing experience but in no way shape or form it is the toughest sport. Best sport in the world is for each person to decide, but it dh racing is not the toughest by a longshot.
  • 0 0
 i would hafta agree with you 100% and everyone of my buddies who rides DH also wrestles and when it comes to being tough wrestling takes it... I've been wrestling for 7 years and thers no comparison
  • 1 0
 What I love about DH MTB is that it is not thought as the best sport in a lot of people's mind. People think of it as ALTERNATIVE (at least in Europe). Keep it this way, so there are not too much people on the tracks.
Keep low profile, enjoy the ride. If you say out too loud how good it is then more and more fashion victims will show up on the tracks and events, and DH MTB will loose a good part of why it is fun.
  • 1 0
 what a load of piffle. if it's bike sports that are impressive then the ezakimak racing from 10 years ago hits the bill. 25miles of pure off road climbing. YES climbing for 25 miles. it's the kamikaze run backwards. but your probably to young to remember it or to have heard of it. DH racing yeah is great but not THE best . In fact i think they should bring back the multi discipline weekend racing . You had to use the same bike for XC, DH and trials over a weekend. It's the old style racing that John Tomac , Shaun Palmer, Steve Peat and JMC (rip) used to do.
  • 1 0
 At first I didn't really know what to think of this article because I do love MTB and think it's the best sport out there...Then I thought about it a bit. WE ride because WE love it and that's great. But GOLFERS GOLF and BASKETBALL players play BASKETBALL because THEY love it. It's not a contest to see who can come up with the best sport, just who can find a sport that they love to do.
  • 0 0
 A well written article for sure. Not sure why booze has to be a component of any fan based sport... One would think that spectators would be there watching and cheering as a result of their passion for the sport and their admiration for the athletes skills... Do top athletes who are competitive on a national/world level really consider their alcohol consumption as a component of their training? Having lived and trained with top cross country guys they don't drink... It affects their ability to train and be at the top of their sport.
I like all the points about why the individual sport of DHMB is the greatest sport... However there are other individual sports that one could argue the same thing... Sport Climbing,whitewater kayaking/canoeing, downriver, slalom...), any skiing pursuit (downhill, freestyle, moguls, boarder cross etc). I think that this is what draws us to these sports including DHMB. The unknown that exists as a result of mother nature and her inherent ability to constantly challenge us. I think its amazing that all of you crazy DHMB dudes and dudettes have found the core of what your sport represents to you and are willing to argue about it! Looking forward to another summer of biking. I'm gonna go skiing now!
  • 1 1
 i dont see why people are saying there is an "off season" i mean i live in scotland and there is no seasons just rain and wind, and even in winter when the days are shorter and a few degrese colder i still try and go out everyday....sure summer may be a bit more comfortable, if you a fair weather rider but in scotland you have to make do with what we already got....which just happens to be shite weather, so dont go on about all this "off season" jargon because its all just in youre head
  • 2 0
 i wish it was all in my head, unfortunately we have snowbanks in Canada deep enough to lose cars in, kinda hard to ride in that stuff
  • 0 1
 yeah thats fair enough, but why dont you try and compact the snow and make jumps ? or is it that bad?
  • 0 0
 ive done that actually but to get speed to hit them you need to shovel a lottttt of snow haha
  • 0 0
 haha fair enough, must be great fun though, because there will be plenty of snow
  • 0 0
 Sounds like some people are taking this article a little personally! It's just one persons opinion, chill out. Besides, what are online forums and blogs for if not sharing opinions. This article is definitely biased towards the author's preferred sport, but what else would you wxpect from a Downhiller on a MTB site?

That said, I have to agree with jimjamm; combat sports are very taxing in a way that DH will never be. Not to mention that you do not usually take any shots to the head on your way down the slope.

I did enjoy reading the article, though. I also enjoy the discussions that ensue from such a strongly opinioned article Smile
  • 0 0
 I honestly have never raced in my life. I don't know if it's just because I don't want to, or what. Most of the dudes I ride with race. I've been throwing around the idea lately and this article has sealed the deal and I've decided I am going to enter at least one race this next season. Thanks for the inspiration!
  • 0 0
 Shredding pow is the greatest sport in the world! Oh, wait, surfing is pretty sweet.....
It's winter, but i guess biking is a much more accessible sport for most of the world as you don't need snow, mountains (you do need hills, roads, or just some shovels and dirt), or an ocean.

Pow is pretty sweet though!
  • 0 0
 yeah, but a DH race rig is quite expensive... in the other hand a surf board is quite cheap, sells for 800 dollars, kinda the same price of a 2009 DeeMax.. And you need overhauls on your bike like 2 or 3 times a month.. hehe

i love DH, but i dont see the point comparing a "against-the-clock-individual-sport" with some whatever other sport..
  • 1 1
 Wow Mike, you sturred up another sh*t storm with this article.

This article is just an opinion guys. He's not saying that if you don't agree with it that you will go to hell. It just is a good piece to start a healthy debate. I agree with alot of his points but not all of them.
  • 1 0
 world cup sailing? Wrestling? (not your wwf shit) dood there are many sports that are team and individual based that are great. fact is this agurment will always be based on opinion.
  • 1 1
 Ill agree downhill racing (and riding) is awesome. However I would say the best sport of any time would be wrestling. Not that fake drama shit on tv. Just a mat on the gym floor with a circle drawn on it. line up facing your opponent with your toe on the line and when the ref’s hand goes up you fight your ass off. There are different styles but basically anything goes except kicking punching and biting. And team score consists of all the individual scores added up, so you can be a winner even if your team looses (never the other way around). It takes technique as much as strength and endurance. Crossing the finish line on a bike is fun but the feeling is much more intense when the ref raises your hand showing you physically overpowered and outdid your opponent. No other sport will get you in as good of shape as wrestling either. With that said, today I enjoy riding much more than wrestling, but wrestling remains on the top of the list as far as “sport” is concerned.
  • 0 0
 you are so right. i just wish i had explained like you.
  • 2 0
 what a great point of view!!! love the time you put into writing such a persuasive opinion!!! there's nothing i love more than being on my bike
  • 0 0
 very good writing - but to make a point running is much different than riding a bike so you have to look at the different physical demands each sport plays - though i do believe extreme sports are the true essence of what REAL sport is all about - you cant take away the cultural aspect of our past time sports festivals - some people revolve their whole lives around one specific event - and i do believe DMBR should also be in that event "Olympics" - i will wholly agree with point #4 cause the amount of money some of these sports players recieve is beyond reasoning - and the biggest point for MTB in general - freeride - xc - dh - everything is all so demanding on the body and mind - such a hard sport to stay on top - you are either the best or your one many verry good riders - and thats what makes MTB special - we are humble with he fact we can ride all day and even if we dont get paid for it - dont get a photo taken - but just bask in the love of the ride - MTB harmony
  • 0 0
 Ill agree downhill racing (and riding) is awesome. However I would say the best sport of any time would be wrestling. Not that fake drama shit on tv. Just a mat on the gym floor with a circle drawn on it. line up facing your opponent with your toe on the line and when the ref’s hand goes up you fight your ass off. There are different styles but basically anything goes except kicking punching and biting. And team score consists of all the individual scores added up, so you can be a winner even if your team looses (never the other way around). It takes technique as much as strength and endurance. Crossing the finish line on a bike is fun but the feeling is much more intense when the ref raises your hand showing you physically overpowered and outdid your opponent. No other sport will get you in as good of shape as wrestling either. With that said, today I enjoy riding much more than wrestling, but wrestling remains on the top of the list as far as “sport” is concerned.
  • 0 0
 Well, all biking sports are the best sports in the world! Not only for the sport itself, but also because of the bike itself. It's an incredibly versatile product! A bike can make you have fun, get fit, go everywhere, and save the world from all the oil burning and stupid car culture! It's the perfect combo that only a few people understand. Of course you would need at least 2 different bikes to do it all, but I rather have 5 bikes than 1 car... for the same price!
  • 1 0
 great articale and DH racing is one of the best sports. Snowboarding is also one of the best because it is also an extreme sport and you will be in a different setting each time like DH MTB racing.
  • 0 0
 not once did you mention any forms of motorsport ? aswell as biking i do autograss racing, which involves the track surface changing pretty much every lap, and by no means is it a 'closed sport' and whatever i do from the start to finish, affects where i finish, granted it may not need the endurance of Downhill biking, but i could spend on a car wat most people would spend on a DH bike, and have a very competitive car

so i no naw people are gna be lyk, awwww thts nt a sport, thts drivin a car on sum mud

tbh, im nt bothered wat people think about it, jus adding my pennies worth Smile
  • 0 0
 Im with you. I've track raced sport compacts for a long time and its a very difficult sport. Take F1, WRC, JGTC, LeMans. ALL require very high levels of physical and mental endurance. Not to mention balls of steel.

I love downhilling with all my heart and believe its a great and amazing sport, but the points made and the arguments constructed are weak and full of fallacy. I hate whiny multimillionaire basketball and football players just as much as the next guy, but there is no way you can ever crown a "best sport" as nearly all require different kinds of skill and are so very different.

That being said - Downhill or DMBR as the author stated, is my favorite sport and unrivaled as the top CYCLING sport.
  • 1 0
 You also completely ignored the major issue of mechanical failure on the racecourse. DH'rs are as dependent upon their equipment as a hockey player is on his goalie or a football player is on his quarterback (maybe more so).
  • 0 0
 sorry, that was a bit harsh. I did enjoy the article and appreciate the fact that you took the time to write it.
  • 0 0
 I think Biking is the best sport because I think i could take my bike ANYWHERE i want and find a way to have fun on it, weather its flat ground or straight down a mountain. Theres so many different things to do i could never get board.
  • 1 1
 Excellently written article. Who was your college English teacher?

Anyway, the argument is presented and supported excellently with all three types of support. Even though I do not think that any single sport is better than any other, I would certainly present this article to anyone dissing on mountain biking. Thanks a lot for a great article!
  • 4 1
 Sorry, but this article was far from well written. Yes it was clear and written with passion, but it was loaded with fallacies. Also, look below at xlr8rbmx post that talks about comparison and credibility.

What types of support are you talking about? I didnt see any expert opinion, citations to academic support/research studies, etc. It has nothing other than personal experience (which is minimal since he states in a comment that he has only raced mtb and has not played any other sport).

I love mountain biking as much as all of you, but this is a poorly written, bias article that does nothing in the way of persuasion.
  • 1 1
 I think you may have misread my comment klopp.

"Though i have never played any of those sports near the level that i race DH i have at least tried most of them. However in the past 4 or 5 years ive been geared mainly to DH racing so i guess you could say that some of my points could be a little biased"

I said i never played the sports NEAR the level of DH racing. Just because i said that doesnt mean i never participated in those sports. Ive played soccer for 14 years and through all 4 years of highschool, played rugby for 6 years and for my highschool team, played basketball for 1 year on my school team, and included in some of the sports i like to do is Windsurfing, snowboarding, motocross racing, running, road biking, used to race cross country, and the occasional shinny. Maybe next time you should ask some questions before you decide to throw in your two cents.

Oh ya and ofcourse its biased and poorly written! its biased because im a DH racer myself and poorly written because i'm obviously not a fan of formal essays. Any more witty comments?
  • 0 0
 my bad i misread that. i just tried to read everything too fast.
  • 0 0
 i completely agree with what you said up there good job nice writing. im not trying to say DH is not the greatest sport because it is but...you forgot paintball it is still a closed sport but you can't predict what everyone else is going to do and the court is constantly being altered if you run into a bunker and move it and such.
  • 0 0
 Biking is the best sport out there, you are physically challenged EVERY time you ride and near enough every time the track is slightly different (only slightly) but this means that every time you go down the track you have to adapt instead of going to a rectangle all the time (which gets very boring.) Also it can be used anywhere and is an actual form of transport unlike football where you kick something and then have to run after it, in biking you are always with your bike (unless you bail or come off it)Also there are several types of biking to suit anyone and in some sports you do it one way and one way only, which some people don't like an don't do it, my advise is to anyone who wants to start a sport do this as it is fun and you DO benefit from it.
  • 0 0
 I have played various sports in school (Hockey, Cricket, Rugby) and even some out of school sports - but NOTHING compares to DH!! I mean NOTHING!!

Nothing gives you the same rush before or after completing a super gnarly course. Specially after a few touch-and-go moments.

But personal preference will win this 'argument' at the end of the day.

I once had this argument with a Roadie and realised it was pointless - everyone has their own way.
  • 2 0
 haha i play football and ride my bike lots, its a good balance, i get to hit people and then ride on weekends lol
  • 4 1
 No offense to golfers of courseSmile
  • 0 0
 Well golf is not a sport, it is a game. We are not athletes we are men and women of skill. And I say we because I play the PGA tour and riding downhill is so much damn fun because it is like golf, I can only bitch at myself if I do do well.
  • 1 0
 Golf actually is a lot of fun. I suck, but its still fun. Next time u go try playing an entire round without getting out of the cart.
  • 0 0
 Also I think that tiger woods or another pro golfer might disagree with you if u said he wasn't an athlete. Woods is one of the most incredible Athletes any sport has ever seen.
  • 0 0
 I don't agree but I respect what your saying.
  • 0 0
 how can you not agree? Tiger could kill any of us with his strength alone...he dedicates his time to preparing and conditioning his body to do what he does..."Athlete- a person trained or gifted in exercises or contests involving physical agility, stamina, or strength; a participant in a sport, exercise, or game requiring physical skill."....Tiger falls in this description my friend...and if you tell me playing 72 holes of golf over 4 days isn't phyically demanding then i don't believe you've even played...
  • 1 0
 All I am saying is anybody can play 72 holes of golf in 4 days that can walk, (ANYBODY). NOBODY can do it as well as Tiger. My mother in law dedicated her life to eating. She is really good at it, She like Tiger trains at it everyday That doesn't mean she is a athlete, cuz everybody can eat, just not as good as her. Just because your good at something semi physical and you get paid does not mean your an athlete (John Daly) it means your a professional . Again that is my point above the biggest authority on something is a person who knows nothing about it. I do respect your opinion but I think were getting athleticism get mixed with professionalism. Yes I do still play in the tour and there are alot of guys I would never put in the class as athletes, I put them in the class as professionals. Tiger is athletic but he is no athlete he is the best, he is a perfectionist and a professional.

I respect you, love to you and Happy New Year
  • 1 0
 in your opinion, which sports consider elite participants to be athletes and which ones consider elite participants to be just professionals? give some examples, this is interesting
  • 1 0
 hermo44
All I am saying is for example if everybody was to race downhill on Pinkbike I would come in last place, but just because I can do it does that make me an athlete, no. I also can run 100 meter dash and swim the length of a swimming pool. So does that mean I am in the same class as Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps because I can do it, (hell no). It just mean I am athletic, not an athlete, and they are professionals. But they are athletes because of the activity they do which no way, shape, or form can be compared to my beloved golf. My example is if we class everybody as an athlete that society labels a sport then I guess Bowlers, Poker Players, Pool Players, and Curlers are athletes too.

I really respect Elundy10 and Gloryhole, they are bring up valid point that I am having a hard time to dispute because I also agree with them.

Happy new year hermo44 and keep on kepping on
  • 0 0
 All of these arguments for team sports are perfectly valid, if your good at it.

You must remember with an individual sport, you can go out into the back of beyond and learn on your own without the constant threat of being ridiculed for not being good. As a person who is generally awful at most other sports than mountain biking, this is very important to me. I've never been good at football or rugby or anything of that sort. So, typically, because other players are better than you, you would just be jeered at and made fun of. Although this sounds like a petty "Dey are bullyun me" argument, you can't all deny that mountain biking has a far more welcoming attitude to new riders than a team sport would, because there is no one to tell you, you can't...
  • 6 4
 well for downhill you need two balls but all the sports you mentioned you only need one
  • 5 2
 Uhh of course it's biased, we're on PINKBIKE!!!!
  • 0 0
 down hill is probaly one of the best things to watch and do in its self but i like what erik74 he makes it clear that you cant compare two sports together as there are so many diffrent ways to play and compete in them
  • 0 1
 I think that DH racing is a great sport, but there are other many great sports. Think about F1 racing, I'm sorry but this is probably one of the most intense sport, the heat from the machine, the speed, the G force, it's very similar to DH racing. Think about dirtbike racing, that's crazy shit, there jumps are huge !!! It's very physical, technical, fast, ... Don't just bring down another sports because you think your the best, then you're just thinking like G Bush..., I think the goal in life is to live your passion, no matter what. I says last week on secret millionaire, this guy in a wheel chair, that's living it's passion...
  • 1 3
 F1 racing:
1) eats money
2) bad for enviroment
3) very limited on who can engage
4) its a "closed sport"
  • 0 0
 its nt a closed sport tho, you make a mistake doing 180 mph and uve fuked the results and inturn changed the whole cheme of points, look at the F1 in Brazil, bad tyre decision by the toyota driver (cnt remember his name) lost over 20 seconds on the last lap providing lewis hamilton with the 1 extra pont he needed to win the title even though he didnt win the race, soi tht effectively changed evrything, but yeah granted it does take alot of money, hondas budget last year was over £200,000,000 jus fink of the DH bikes you could build wiv tht
  • 1 1
 dnt u thnk they wuld sometimes struggle to get a really descent track for olympics.for example:london sure there r some good DH tracks in tha uk but not actually in london.and a beijing DH track prob wuldv been a disaster
  • 0 0
 in my opinion, mountain biking and all its aspects makes it one of the best sports in the world. i love mountain biking and no one can saying a damn thing to change my mind otherwise
  • 1 1
 No paragraph or bullet points refuting your argument needed...Absolutely no merit in this entire article. The only thing clear was the fact that you have no understanding of team sports whatsoever.
  • 0 0
 biking is a team sport when you're off the racing track, practicing with your friends, or if you're professional, working things out with your mechanic. haha. how about comparing mtb racing with other individual sports?
  • 1 3
 I enjoyed the long read, and the added arguements, makes for a well rounded discussion. It was a good choice to post this on the main page, I am sure a number of PB users that do not usually venture to the forums took the time to read the story. There is not much more that needs be added, the criticisms and counterarguements are already there. However, going through the story and the comments I do not feel that the issue of cost has come up? DH racing is an expensive sport, much more expensive than some of the sports mentioned. Serious biking in general is an expense, but passion costs money these days. My passion for biking will always cost more than my passion for distance running - but no where near my passion for music.
To reiterate; great read, definitely a well written article, could be a good scholarly essay when biases and limitations are stated.
Cheers Lee
  • 1 1
 One more thing... if nothing else this article has brought about more intelligent comments than any other article i think I have seen yet.
  • 0 0
 i dunno man. I really like downhill but there are a whole lot of other sports that are just like it, ski racing, rally, sailing and I am sure a ton of others.
  • 1 0
 Meh, i guess i cant make everyone happy, well it works for me none the less
  • 1 0
 You cannot deny the fact that in this sport, if you have more money, you have an advantage.
  • 3 0
 you can say that about any sport. Unless you participate in athletics in the nude like the Greeks. And in that case money usually provides training advantages which can be seen in any sport
  • 1 3
 Well, after reading this article, i tried to read some of the comments, and relized oh my! theres more comments on this article than ive seen on many in the past. I believe this was one of my favorite articles, mainly because like most mountain bikers i am in love with the sport. I personally believe mountain is the best sport in the world. Or at least one of the top 5 kinda thing. I used to play soccer for 6 years, i know all about team sports, one point i would like to bringup about your article is...when i was in soccer, the enviroment did change, maybe not as much as mountainbiking, but it did non the less,i had to play in ice cold winds, snow, rain, more rain, mud, hot sun, uneven course, ruffed out couse. But pro sports do change the fields to make them imaculate, so i agree with your article in many ways. In defence to some of the comments that previous people have put down, i agree with there points to! Great points, loved the article, makes me want to go biking.
  • 1 0
 Nobody here seems to have a sense of humour. Send this into MBA and it will probably get published.
  • 0 0
 this makes me want to ride but my collar bone just got operated on damn!!! i want to ride
  • 1 1
 man, just reading that makes me wish the snow was gone and it was sunny and warm so i could ride my bike!
  • 0 0
 it makes me want to go out and race but its off season so i cant.also nice article.
  • 0 0
 cheerleaders aren't stupid...

Of course, I Agree with the rest Big Grin

Nice article, congratz
  • 0 0
 loved the article. Don't agree with everything said, but makes me want to go ride!
  • 2 5
 ok everyone posting comments about this article can be very clearly sorted into two groups. Those who like mountain biking and completely agree with the article and those who like mountain biking but hate the article.
So, it is clear that all commentors like mountain biking. a lot.

I can see one major difference that separates the groups of haters and supporters: the desire to disprove someone elses opinion. The supporters are able to say "I like mountain biking and this guy does too and he makes some good points. Props to him." The haters on the other hand say "I like mountain biking and this guy does too but he's an idiot and he is wrong." Does the hater comment out of the need to be correct? No, the hater comments because he sees one or two things in the article as wrong. The haters choose this one thing to nitpick because they do not get the point of the article. The haters nitpick one thing because it is easier to do this and they can quickly make themselves feel correct or superior. We are taught that disproving one part of an argument negates the entirety of the argument, and so people use this as a quick way of making themselves feel better by shutting someone else down.

with me so far? it's all about the haters not grasping the whole picture, while grasping one or two things they can argue against.

here's the moral as i see it: Mountain biking is superior to all other sports for all reasons. It is not for one reason that mountain biking is the best, because that would be an unsubstantiated argument based on narrow criteria. it is for any and all possible reasons or arguments or criteria (can't think of the right word) that mountain biking is superior.

It is summed up perfectly in a teaser for a popular mountain biking movie (first, seasons, or something) that mountain biking is the best sport in the world because of the combination of all the factors.
  • 2 2
 well said, well said
  • 0 0
 agreed totally!
  • 2 5
 To the writer of this article: You are the world's biggest douchebag. Fanboy f*ggots like yourself give their passion a bad name. You obviously have no knowledge or experience in hockey, football or any other sport out there as your observations and comparisons have no bearing whatsoever on the sport in question. All of us here love DH or some other riding discipline but to engage in a retarded dick waving contest like this is utterly pointless.

Loser.
  • 0 0
 uhh, thanks?
  • 0 0
 the article is really rough on other sports, especially from someone who has personally said he has never experienced them. You can't say that a movies bad without even seeing it, do you honestly believe people will take you seriously? I think you are really selling yourself short here as you have become close-minded enough to not even give the sports a try and i almost guarantee of all the sports listed, you would probably enjoy at least one of them. Like a million people have already said before myself, comparing apples and oarnges is whats going on, but your making the Apples sound all mushy and gross, so their obviously gonna chose the bike, i mean orange. Im not going to try and change your mind hermo 44, because its your opinion and you deserve it, i respect you took the time to write this, but i strongly advise EVERYONE from reading this article until it is rewritten AFTER he has gone out and given other sports a try and done alot more homework. as a forum opinion, EXTREMELY well written, as an article headlining pinkbike or anywhere for that matter, HORRIBLY written. I Guarantee, hermo 44 if you get a basketball, a buncha your buds, and a play a game with everyone, a smile will find its way onto your face. Also, other things have been touched on by the other commentors, such as everyone is involved in sports like hockey, basketball, football, soccer etc.. (contrary to what the article may say...) is extremely true. football is a perfect example, people think that its only ever the two people hookin up that make a great play, say the QB and the wide reciever, this is a sad as those 2 players wouldnt have gotten anywhere if it werent for the rest of their team blocking for their asses, and as soon as they decide to not do that, game over (believe me on that one). Also, i cannot help but wonder certain things, such as how different things would be if say, micheal jordan, tiger words, wayne gretzky, tom brady, or any other athlete who is at the top of their respective sport, would have picked up a bike and loved it from a young age. OR what if sam hill decided to pick up soccer or some other sport? would we even know who sam hill was? ( sure we would, but you get it.) Point is, an athletes an athlete. One last thing, I am a starting Pointguard for my high school SR basketball team, starting QB for my towns football team, starting Power for my volleyball team, and you can ask anyone on any of those teams, or anyone that has ever met me for that matter,(especially family) they couldnt be more sick of me talkin about biking 24/7 and how i love it over every other sport to the point of having an entire team telling me in syncronization to shut up bout biking because their tired of it and its winter. didnt work anyways, thats my 2 cents. ...(kinda makes me wanna write an article bragging bout biking, but a lil less biased. hmm.........nah, id rather go ride my bike
  • 0 0
 if you took a look 10 or so comments down, i wrote something that makes things a little clearer... seems like people want to throw in their two cents long before they ask the right questions. I am an athlete, i love physical activity in every form, i just happen to find that individual and timed athletic contests are the most accurate form of finding the greatest athlete
  • 0 1
 DH is a "FREE" sport and don't make from it F1 where everything is on money...

DH= Fun!

F1= Money!

Just don't compare things like this.
  • 1 0
 i don't know about you, but my dh rig definitely wasn't free
  • 0 3
 There is one thing I'd like to point out here:
"Sure you can probably find times when riders are relaxing, but that only comes when they are in the air and can't physically speed up."
There was this clip from Kranked 7 or NWD 9 in which Steve Peat is in the air during one of the DH rounds... and he's pedalling in the air also! Check it out...! Insane!
Rest apart, I'd give this article a 9/10. Sure it's biased, but we all love the damn sport, so cheers!
  • 1 0
 hermo44, thank you for this article
  • 1 0
 but just to let ya no, i do thoroughly enjoy biking Smile
  • 1 2
 I cant wait untill DH racing becomes an olympic sport, i mean its got the fan support its on the worldcup level, so why not olympic?
  • 0 3
 I completely agree with everything said. There are very few sports in the world where your fate in the competition is only in your hands. And the beauty of downhilling is that at the end of the race, win or not, after you've pinned the whole course and put your all into it, you are completely content and happy and surging with adrenaline, and that isn't a feeling that any other team sport athlete could say if they just lost their championship game.
Also just for a second, picture a linebacker in the gate of a World Cup Race, hahaha that would be the most entertaining site on earth seeing a professional football or basketball player try to SURVIVE a course (I'm sure they would be wondering where the water boy is halfway down).
  • 0 0
 i'd rather see a 145lb downhiller try to "SURVIVE" on the defensive line
  • 0 0
 haha you know what i completely agree with you, good thing I'm over 200 and may have a better chance than the 145lber. it was just a funny thought i had. actually id rather see the downhiller try to survive a hockey game, that would be entertaining haha.
  • 0 0
 by some of the things said in the comments it seems like we do have a lot of hockey/football playing mountain bikers
  • 0 3
 Mountain biking whether DH or AM or Single Track are real sports whether there is competition or not. It has a fun factor that IS inclusive to those who are sincere in their love for the sport. The POSEURS are easily seen as the weight weenies with the overly clean bikes who knock the local "not so hard" trails and only go to the "cool" ones. Us adequate riders in the forest are the biggest fans of MTB sports as well as being participants. We dont need the approval of a team or a bunch of GOOFY JOCKS who get pissed on 3 beers to know we are having a good time or being close {sometimes too close} to nature.
  • 0 1
 Everybody...sshhh...can you hear that? It's our bikes telling us to not waste anymore time on this thread. What? I think our bikes just said shut up and ride!
  • 0 0
 I hate winter!!!!!!! lol. but dont count out moto as close to dh as the best sport in the world.
  • 1 0
 Dude... this is the best thing i read.. DH rules. Cricket is gay!
  • 1 1
 That article should be sent to the Olympic committee so we can GET DOWNHILL IN THE OLYMPICS!!!
  • 0 0
 dh will never be in the olympics because not all the venues have the mountains for a good dh course
  • 0 0
 yah mike good article bud! keep it up
  • 0 0
 downhill racing + cheerleaders = greatest sport ever
  • 0 0
 Someone is a bit bitter! but i do agree! Shredding is the best sport!
  • 0 1
 Hell ya Mike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sweet pic
  • 0 0
 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
  • 0 0
 damn now I want to go ride . I hate snow
  • 1 2
 narrrrrrrr bikings friggen sweet good article haters on article are softy's id say. bikings greatest sport for sure
  • 2 2
 The writer of this article needs to get his head out of his ass.
  • 1 1
 so many mixed opinions, this is awesome
  • 2 0
 one of the coolest things i have read on pinkbike just because of all of the mixed opinions...finally an article that is interesting to read. its easy for me to get bored of industry news. this article is a good twist to a website that usually has dull news.
  • 0 0
 I have always argued something like this to people who dont understand...
  • 0 0
 OMG Those words make me cry! ;(
  • 0 0
 Too bad we have no hills in southern Ontario Frown
  • 0 0
 but we all knew downhill racing was the best sport in the world anyway ^_^
  • 0 0
 Do what you like.. like what you do!! thats all i have to say!
  • 4 4
 Seriously though, it is the best.
  • 0 0
 That thing about the bananas... i found one once.. xD
  • 0 0
 I only have 4 words: BEST DAMN SPORT PERIOD
  • 1 3
 nice article...just sent it to a friend who can't understand why i am so addicted to this sport...very helpful and effective Smile
  • 1 1
 sure bikings kool but it will never rule over hockey
  • 0 0
 great avaliation!!!!DH is amazing!!! long life for DH,and radical bikes!!!
  • 2 3
 that is a long article but definately worth it to read lol nice
  • 1 2
 that is really inspirational
  • 0 0
 Awsome!
  • 0 1
 Yeaaah! Ridin is the Best!
  • 0 1
 I agree with points above!
  • 1 2
 I totally agree! great article, get this shit in a newspaper haha
  • 0 1
 simple ...football requieres one ball ... BIKING TAKES 2 !!!!
  • 0 0
 what about girls ricky.
  • 0 0
 fo sho
  • 0 2
 This is a great article! Glad it made the pinkbike homepage. Great job! I agree with it 100%.
  • 0 2
 And to the comment above me about the olympics, yes, it should be a olympic sport! i totally agree with your comment.
  • 0 1
 Great write upSmile Downhill is awesome!
  • 1 3
 agreed 100%
well written and supported.
  • 0 1
 Love That Bro!
  • 0 1
 Amen to that brother!
  • 0 2
 I love this sport because you can do it alone or with a group.
  • 2 5
 biking is not a sport its for untuff pussy's brother
  • 0 1
 hmmm... then what about biking made you want to get a pinkbike account?
  • 0 1
 thats not from me thats from my brother. I must have left pinkbike open. anyways I like biking its really fun just look at my profile.
  • 0 0
 your brother is a douchebag
Below threshold threads are hidden







Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv42 0.046333
Mobile Version of Website