What is the toughest major team sport in the world in terms of physical punishment?

Originally posted by Jasta:

Played 10 years of Rugby Union, bit of a dabble with league and a few kick arounds of AFL. Only American football I've played is flag so no contact.

Even though I think I can say NFL is definitely the top IMO when it comes to physical punishment. You just have to look at what happens to some players after their careers, the kinds of career ending injuries some players get and the issues with concussions etc. The people who say padding and helmets make NFL players are soft are idiots. It's like the difference between MMA and boxing. Gloves actually end up causing more damage because you can swing harder and cause more internal injuries while breaking less bones/shedding less blood. Helmets and pads are there to protect the tackler... not the tacklee. All the better to pinball someone's brain around or hyperextend their knee. A league or union player making an NFL style hit is going to put them both in hospital.

League comes close but even then the really massive hits are kind of a thing of the past - and a good thing too. You can flatten a guy without nearly killing him and he'll still remember it the next day.

Union is maybe next... a Union scrum is pretty insane - my spine will vouch for that but we don't tackle like morons so really big clashes are rarer.

AFL is possibly the worst for breaks and muscle injuries as they're flailing around a lot but they're endurance players, not power hitters. (Incendentally, all three 'Australian' codes leave NFL for dead when it comes to endurance. That's the biggest difference.)

Haven't got a clue about hockey so I'll leave it off.

Originally posted by Niners99:

Originally posted by Jasta:

Played 10 years of Rugby Union, bit of a dabble with league and a few kick arounds of AFL. Only American football I've played is flag so no contact.

Even though I think I can say NFL is definitely the top IMO when it comes to physical punishment. You just have to look at what happens to some players after their careers, the kinds of career ending injuries some players get and the issues with concussions etc. The people who say padding and helmets make NFL players are soft are idiots. It's like the difference between MMA and boxing. Gloves actually end up causing more damage because you can swing harder and cause more internal injuries while breaking less bones/shedding less blood. Helmets and pads are there to protect the tackler... not the tacklee. All the better to pinball someone's brain around or hyperextend their knee. A league or union player making an NFL style hit is going to put them both in hospital.

League comes close but even then the really massive hits are kind of a thing of the past - and a good thing too. You can flatten a guy without nearly killing him and he'll still remember it the next day.

Union is maybe next... a Union scrum is pretty insane - my spine will vouch for that but we don't tackle like morons so really big clashes are rarer.

AFL is possibly the worst for breaks and muscle injuries as they're flailing around a lot but they're endurance players, not power hitters. (Incendentally, all three 'Australian' codes leave NFL for dead when it comes to endurance. That's the biggest difference.)

Haven't got a clue about hockey so I'll leave it off.

Intelligent post.

Hockey is brutal. Its almost like playing American football every other day for 7 months. They get crushed into the boards, take hard falls on ice, get nailed with sticks and pucks, take punches to the head, etc., all with very few days off between games.

From a pure toughness standpoint, hockey players take the cake IMO. They wear a crooked nose and missing front teeth as a badge of honor.

Originally posted by 12b6demurrer:

It's American football. Rugby can get rough too but only when there are illegal hits. Everyone is getting some sort of contact on any given play in American football. Plus the sport, at least in the professional level, has the most dangerously honed athletes in the game and the sport gives them weapons (helmets).