Gray Baseball

Which is the more difficult occupation, Astronaut, or Professional Baseball player?

This is a serious question, it came about through a discussion about the new tv show from the makers of Grey's Anatomy about the astronauts in the space station. My sister said something about one of the male leads having a father who is disappointed in him for being an astronaut instead of a baseball player. First of all... wtf? high standards much?

Secondly, what does the internet think about this? Which is harder? Serious answers only please, we need to settle this argument

In my opinion an Astronaut is the more difficult occupation. The education and training that an Astronaut has to go through in order to be considered to become an Astronaut is very difficult and only those with high intelligence and in top physical and mental fitness are chosen. Whereas, a professional baseball player doesn't need to have a lot of education, but does need to have an outstanding ability to play baseball, and also have some degree of intelligence. The training of a baseball player starts when he is young and possibly in Little League and continues through high school and possibly college. The physical and mental ability of a professional baseball player requires continuous workouts in the gym and practice on the field.
The main difference is the high quality and the extent of education that an Astronaut needs to have completed as contrasted with the lower quality of education that a professional baseball player may or may not need. The physical and mental abilities of both an astronaut and a professional baseball player are almost the same, although a professional baseball player may have had more time working out in the gym than an Astronaut, the difference is that an Astronaut has to have the physical ability to withstand G-forces in space that a professional baseball player doesn't need to have. Let's just say that an Astronaut needs more education than a professional baseball player and also needs to have the physical ability to withstand G-forces in space. The other physical requirements of both may be equal, and the mental ability and capability of an Astronaut is higher than that of a professional baseball player. An Astronaut also is placed in harms way and may loose his or her life on the job in space or on the launching pad, whereas a professional baseball player is not placed in harms way unless someone throws something at him or he gets hit on the head and either injured or killed by a wayward baseball. One also has to consider that the intelligence of an Astronaut is higher than that of most professional baseball players. The factor of there being a difference in intelligence between an Astronaut and a professional baseball player will help answer your sister's statement that one of the male leads has a father who is disappointed in him for being an Astronaut instead of a baseball player. It is the father who doesn't realize that intelligence plays the key role in a person choosing to attempt to become an Astronaut rather than a professional baseball player. It is also the intelligence and desire of the person who is making the choice to become either an Astronaut or a professional baseball player that determines what occupation to chose. The standards of both are high, but the intelligence required of an Astronaut is much higher than that required of a professional baseball player. The person who is intelligent enough and has the physical an mental abilities to be either an Astronaut or a professional baseball player will have to make a choice, and that choice may involve how much money will be made by what occupation is chosen. Professional baseball players make more money than Astronauts if they are good and can draw the crowds to the games. Whereas and Astronaut may or may not make a lot of money. The prestige of being an Astronaut is an occupation that very few achieve, and the status of an Astronaut may be higher in the minds of some people, especially in field of science and by others who have high esteem for and perceive an Astronaut to be almost super human. Once a person becomes an Astronaut and goes into space, there will be no question as to whether the correct choice was made, as having the experience of being on the space station and looking back at earth, there is nothing on earth that can match that unique experience. The intelligent Astronaut has made the right choice, and the pursuit of the idea to become an Astronaut will far outweigh the desire to make a lot of money by becoming a professional baseball player. When someone says to me that they want to become an Astronaut, I say go for it and do the best you can because if you are chosen, you will be one of the best the world has ever produced. Who wouldn't want to pursue such a dream?

Baseball's amazing Pete Gray - 1945 film