Ian ConstantineWho is the greatest athlete of all time?
October 6th 2007 03:58
Greatest? you decide!
Is it the new breed of Federer, Woods, Armstrong & Schumacher?
Or is it one of the past legends; Bradmen, Sobers, Ali, Nicklaus and Jordan to name a few?
Who else deserves a mention? I’m sure Dusk will throw in a certain S Larkham, or perhaps a Webb Ellis or George Greegan?
Does Andrew Johns make the list? Should off-field controversies blind us from their freakish talent? -You can add Shane Warne to this bracket as well!
Pele must surely enter any serious debate – along with maybe an Ian Thorpe, Dawn Fraser and Michael Phelps.
Does Pharlap and Makybe Diva qualify?
Maybe a Ty Cobb from Baseball Hall of Fame could be an outsider?
Let’s try to narrow it down to a top 10 – a readers choice.
Who is the greatest athlete of all time and why?
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Comment by DuskDevi
Rugby World Cup 2007
Yes. Yes I am!
Stephen Larkham.
...but then there's Gregan and Eales and Kearns and pain-in-the-ass Campese (also Lynagh, Horan, Little, notice they're all Australian...!), and I say these names because they don't just excel at Rugby.
Each one is talented at a variety of sports and if they didn't choose Rugby...they would have excelled at another.
eg. Larkham - tennis; Gregan and Eales - cricket and golf; Kearns - back throwing
What's the criteria by which to decide?
Do the greatest athletes become or are they born? AND do we take in to account their personality not just their talent?
I choose based on the 'sixth sense' my nominees exhibit. They all have a freakish ability to know what will happen 5 phases/laps/jabs/rolls away. Not just because they envision it but because they make it so.
...and I just cannot decide on ONE. Nor one sport.
So...will go with the Best per Sport that I follow/enjoy and have well known personalities:
500cc - Mick 'The Bike-onic Man' Doohan
Boxing - The Greatest
Gymnastics - Nadia Comaneci
Track - Florence Griffith-Joyner (Flo Jo...may she RIP). Her records still stand. The steroids use rumour was never proven. That's because it's not true.
F1 - Ayrton 'Magic' Senna (No one could drive like him in wet weather. I liked his unpredicatbility...even if eventually this is what did him in)...and...Sir Jack Brabham.
....AND John Bertrand. But then really...it should be Alan Bond.
I don't follow soccer but I will go with Pele. Better than Maradona because he wasn't self destructive.
Also don't follow basketball but Jordan's flair made me a fan.
Then there's Janet Evans...America's swimming star.
Great question Andy...and very very hard to answer. Well for me anyway...
Comment by sportsbar
Fret X
-“Do the greatest athletes become or are they born?”
The question of fate and destiny surrounding icons such as Ali, Armstrong and co is a great arguement. Is there something out-of-this-world about them? Are they more than mere mortals?
Doohan! What a legend, great contender…
Some other worthy contenders:
Wayne Gretzky (Ice Hockey’s version of Bradman)
Babe Ruth (Baseball royalty)
Jesse Owens (Possibly greatest sprinter in history – famously defying Hittler’s Aryan resume)
Roger Bannister (1st man to break the 4 minute mile – at the time thought impossible and considered fatal to anybody who attempted it)
Is your favourite up here yet? Let us know why they should be here..
Comment by Justin
Revitalizing basketball during the twilight years of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, earning 6 championship rings, numerous other acclaimations including slam dunk contest winner, leading the league in most seasons with points, sometimes in steals, one of the best clutch performers as well as being a really inspirational role model for basketballers and arm-chair players regardless of race/ethnicity/gender.
On the topic of basketball, our very own Lauren Jackson who was recently named MVP within last season not in our league but in the competitive and arguably best womens basketball league in the world - the WNBA. Another inspirational, determined athlete with loads and loads of potenial and drive.
Comment by sportsbar
Fret X
The best player in the world for the last few years - hard to top that. Leading us all the way to World Championship glory, who would ever have thought that possible? When I was young I used to love watching Michelle Timms play for the Opals, and I'm not a big basketball fan...
Perhaps a bolter, as far as most dominant and consistent in their chosen sport... Liz Ellis, the queen of netball - the best player in Australia's most participated sport.. hmm... a worthy contender!
Keep em coming
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
Pop Culturist
Pop Rock Factory
Let me throw a couple more into the mix.
Jesse Owens.
And the native American Olympic champion Jim Thorpe (who won Olympic gold medals in the pentathlon and decathlon, played professional football in the US and also played professional baseball and basketball.) He subsequently lost his Olympic titles when it was found he had played two seasons of minor league baseball before competing in the games (thus violating the amateur status rules). He was even given his own national holiday, which is still celebrated on May 28.
Ali would of course be the most readily recognised and Babe Ruth holds a special place in baseball and sporting folklore.
Then you have Mark Spitz - 7 Gold's at Munich Games thank you very much.
Woods will of course go down in history, Bjorn Borg was Federer's predecessor and only the rift between the professional and amateur sides of tennis prevented Laver from climbing the mantle to unprecendented heights.
Roger Bannister needs special mention also, having been the first to brake the 4min mile - while Herb Elliot was simply incredible. He never lost a race over 1500 metres or the mile and during his career he broke the four-minute mile on 17 occasions
Yep - quite a decision to be made here.
MNG
Comment by Norm
Consumption Malfunction
Equal and Opposite
Arses and Elbows
Footy Power
If I had to say one, ten times,
I'd say decathlete Daley Thompson.
Comment by Ashley
College of Cash
First, I like Norm's idea above; a decathlete has to be good at many different things. Along those same lines, I'd have to say Jackie Robinson, because baseball was supposedly his WORST sport (and he played 3 or 4 in college).
One last item of thought, would be any female athlete who has made herself a household name. Women still have to work twice as hard to get half the notariety. So like FloJo above, or a Mia Hamm, or a Billie Jean King, must be pretty darn good to be known.
Comment by Anonymous
Ayrton Senna was other worldly, nd Mchael Schumacher was intensly commited.
Dont forget Kelly Slater, the surfing equivalent of Moses...he controls the sea!