Pre-season thought: athleticism

[raleighpanther]

Since the board has so little to talk about at the moment (unless you count the 10,000 thread on the 'New Pitt Stadium'), I thought I'd make a comment on something real basic: what does the term "athleticism" mean?

"Athleticism" is used so widely, meaning so many different things to so many different people, that using it is pointless, and worse, usually leads to people arguing about a player when their not talking about the same thing.

Some use it to mean little more than 'speed'. I probably would've argued that that is extremely narrow, but according to the dictionary definition, its not even included -- speed is outside of the definition.

ath·let·i·cism: the physical qualities that are characteristic of athletes, such as strength, fitness, and agility.

1. "what he lacks in stature, he more than makes up for with speed and athleticism" (They're different things.)

On another thread, someone suggested that TBoyd isn't very athletic. Well, perhaps he meant that he doesn't have blazing speed. But Boyd is certainly strong, fit, and has amazing agility. His ability to jump, turn in mid-air, focus and pull down a pass in a crowd is extraordinary. He's very athletic. But, not overwhelmingly fast.

 

[DiehardPanther]

Aaron Donald is one of the most athletic big men to ever play the game.

 

[Revenge Of The Noise]

It seems players labeled as "athletes" is a double edged sword. It suggests, guys blessed with great physiques that include but are not limited to excellent speed, powerful strength, flexibility, etc. We've had a number of guys who seemed blessed with great athleticism ... but a stable consistent position could not often be found for them, or by the time we did, they were near their end of eligibility. Todd Thomas, Elijah Fields, DJ Dinkins come to mind.

 

[pittdan77]

I don't know how to describe athleticism but I sure know I wen I see it. Not the most athletic guy I've ever seen (I've been around some freaks) but I'll give you a Pitt name of a kid that was an amazing athlete: Yusef Washington. He was literally good at everything and physically gifted. I know it never amounted to stardom on the field but that's the kind of guy I think of when you say athleticism.