June 30, 2018 1:57 pm

Neil deGrasse Tyson and Playing with Science Featured on FOX Soccer Comparing Ronaldo vs. Messi

Nobody has ever looked at the entire spectrum of sports through the framework of science quite the way we do it at Playing with Science. From big wave surfing to Formula 1 racing, from gymnastics to martial arts, and from baseball to soccer, we surface the science and physics inherent in sports. Or, as hosts Gary O’Reilly and Chuck Nice like to say, “You got science in my sports.” “No, you got sports in my science.”

Now, with World Cup fever raging around the world, FOX Soccer turned to Playing with Science, where geeks and jocks collide, to help them use science to compare fútbol superstars Cristiano Ronaldo, who plays forward for Portugal in the FIFA World Cup, and Lionel Messi, who plays forward for Argentina. Chuck and Gary brought out the our big guns to help analyze each player’s strengths and weaknesses: everyone’s own personal astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and our own All-Stars host astrophysicist Charles Liu. They looked at height and center of gravity, stride length vs. speed, power and more, and how they add up in the categories of dribbling, speed, acceleration, torque, precision and the bicycle kick.

Here’s the Playing with Science segment that appeared on @FoxSoccer on Twitter, courtesy of FOX Sports, for you to enjoy:

Messi vs. Ronaldo?@neiltyson and @chuckliu dive into the debate over who is the best using…science! (Video courtesy of @FOXSoccer) https://t.co/BDbURlC4KI … Feat. @chucknicecomic and @mythreeleftfeet. @Cristiano @WeAreMessi @TeamMessi pic.twitter.com/bzYEGqDPxt

— Playing with Science (@PlayingwScience) June 30, 2018

And remember: “Playing with fire gets you burned, but Playing with Science, gets you learned!”

That’s it for now. Keep Looking Up!
– Jeffrey Simons