Bryce Harper Blasts NFL Stars For Claiming They Could Hit Elite MLB Pitching

It's an age-old debate: what's the hardest sport to play? 

Athletes from every sport like to think that theirs is harder, requires more athleticism, more skill, or more training than the other. And there's no easy answer. Each sport has its own individual challenges, different types of athletic requirements, skill levels, and wildly different training regimens. 

For the most part, it's an individual choice. What you define as difficult or impressive may vary depending on what your experiences are, what types of physical activity you think is hardest, or any number of other considerations. 

One individual who's very certain of what he values? Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper. Harper joined the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast recently, and was adamant that playing in Major League Baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports. And when you listen to his reasoning, it's hard to argue. 

Bryce Harper of the Philadelphia Phillies. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

Is Baseball Harder To Play Than Football?

"Who do you think holds the best athletes?" Harper was asked. "Oh, man, we're going to have this conversation right now? Baseball," he answered. "Can a football guy come onto a baseball field and do it?"

Host Will Compton shot back, "100%, I just decided that."

Harper was incredulous, "You think that a football guy can come on a baseball field and hit a baseball? Really?" When Compton said he thought he could, Harper asked again, "You want to face Paul Skenes or [Tarik] Skubal?"

Compton and Taylor Lewan refused to back down, saying they thought they could get hits off current star pitchers. 

"There's always these conversations about like, what's the hardest sport? And I think baseball is the hardest sport to play and it's not even close," Harper explained in response. "Deion Sanders played both, right? And he always says there's nothing harder than hitting a baseball." 

He continued, asking, "How many times you think you can get a hit in like 100 at-bats against like Jacob deGrom?" When they said "one," Harper started laughing. And therein lies the issue with trying to figure out the "hardest" sport. Because Harper's right, there's nothing in sports harder than hitting a baseball. 

The easy way to tell that it's the hardest thing to do? Many baseball players who have spent their entire lives training, competing, and even dominating at lower levels can't do it consistently. And while football is obviously much more physical, in that it's a full-contact sport that requires different types of athleticism for different positions, you could put some baseball players on a football field against NFL talent and they'd be able to hold their own. 

For example, Phillies shortstop Trea Turner would be one of the fastest players in the NFL, claiming a 40-yard dash time around 4.20. Put him at wide receiver and he could almost certainly beat a defensive back and catch a pass. Throwing a baseball and a football are different motions, obviously, but there are plenty of elite arm talents in baseball, like say, Fernando Tatis Jr. or Ronald Acuna Jr., who was clocked at over 105mph on a throw in 2025. They may not know the ins and outs of playing quarterback at an elite level, but they could complete NFL-style throws. 

But put an NFL player in the box against someone like deGrom or Skubal, they aren't getting a hit. Not just because of the velocity, as Harper mentions, but because the movement on breaking or offspeed pitches at that level is so difficult that even those trained to do it, can't. Right-handed hitters hit .196 against Tarik Skubal last year. Major League Baseball players got a hit less than 20% of the time, and they're paid to do it. 

Maybe that's the way to think about it — the NFL is more physical, but Major League Baseball is harder. Maybe we should put some NFL players on a baseball field and find out.