Top 5 Most Intriguing Professional Sports

I'd like to take a few moments to discuss the five most intriguing professional sports. These sports give us something to live for at times. The top 5 will be based off of the skill it takes to play these sports, how much guts are involved in these sports, and the excitement they bring to the table.

5. Boxing: How many of you would like to be placed in a ring with a giant who's ultimate goal is to beat the living snot out of you? That's what I thought. This sport made the top 5 because of the guts it takes to play. However, it is not ranked higher because of the lack of excitement it brings to the table. I'm sorry, but two guys beating the snot out of each other isn't exactly my cup of tea.

4. Baseball: It takes a bit of skill (and guts) to hit a ball traveling towards you at 100 miles per hour. It takes even more skill to catch a ball flying at you at roughly the same speed. But to do both in one night, and to do the latter nine times in a game, that requires guts/skill/a wee bit of insanity. This sport also didn't rank higher because of the excitement factor, seeing as there's only action in about 10% of the 3 hours it takes to watch a game. It's rewarding if you have the patience for it. Some people have it, some people don't.

3. NASCAR: I know what you're thinking. NASCAR isn't exactly a sport. Well, if ping-pong can be considered an Olympic sport, then there's no reason NASCAR doesn't simply qualify as a sport. It takes a lot of skill to maneuver a 3600-pound racecar through 4 turns 200 times every single week. It also takes a lot of, well something, to be on the road 38-40 weekends out of the year. And if you've seen some of the crashes in recent NASCAR memory, you know it takes a lot of guts to drive a racecar. The problem with this sport is, if there aren't a lot of wrecks, which usually there are not, it can be a long 4 and 1/2 hours.

2. Hockey: How many of you know how to ice-skate? How many of you know how to ice-skate, holding a stick, and swinging at a little black disk no bigger than 3 inches in diameter? Now imagine trying to knock that disk into a four-foot by three-foot goal, while simultaneously being nailed from the side by your opponent. Now imagine being on the other end of the puck while it's being shot, and you're not wearing any face protection. Call it guts. Call it insanity. Call it skill. Call it whatever you want. This sport's only problem is that they simply don't televise enough games to get a huge following.

1. Football: Sort of a no-brainer. It's physical. It's strategic. It can change on a dime. And on every play, somebody's gonna get hit. Only hockey requires more guts. And no other sport requires more skill, or excitement. It's publicity is great, meaning bigger stage, more pressure, and a great big fan base. In my opinion, it simply doesn't get any better than football.

So that's My top 5 most intriguing professional sports. What's your opinion?