Sports question - Has speed taken over for finesse?

[TonyG]

It seems that more and more sports teams rely on speed these day over finesse.

Football teams want wideouts who can fly down the sidelines and get behind the defenders. This can make up for not knowing how to run a good pattern.

Basketball teams want their run and dunk offense clicking at top speed. Dribble fast, pass an ally-oop to the tall guy and 2 points.

Ice hockey has moved from big sturdy defenders who can play position hockey to those who can skate fast and get the puck up the ice to the forwards.

Soccer teams, male & female, seem to have blurred the game as more and more coaches use faster players to roam across positions.

What is your opinion, if any?

 

[Liontamr]

Well speaking about the one sport I know very well...

Hockey goes in cycles.. back in the 80's and the hay days of the Oilers and Isles, speed and skill were what brought you any sucess. All you have to do is look at the defensive core of players in Edmonton led by Paul Coffey (who I honestly think gets overlooked too much as one of the games greats) to see how moving the puck was such a vital job of the defence.

In the mid to late 90's, to put a grind to the high scoring teams and bring them back down to earth teams drafted big to try and physicaly slow down those teams.

Problem is those slow moving but big defence end up hurting a team with bad plays or inability to play a puck when needed.. Thus a trend for quick, mobile D-men who have solid stick handling and skating skills has come.. I think the NHL is now hitting a good balance of tough physical play (just watch the Isles / Leafs tonight) and speed and skill (just watch the Red Wings play next round)

 

[heterotic]

It's really narrow-minded, in my opinion. Just the other day I was trying to join a sprinting team, and all they cared about was how fast I could run the 40. Not a single question about skill, experience, or finesse... I just don't get it.

 

[sexy-girl]

for soccer *spits* (its FOOTBALL )

games are a lot faster but it means players have to be more skillful to show those skills off in a high paced game