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the best athlete ever?
- Thread starter jwintosh
- Start date
BagfullofPings
IEHHC
Don't even want to hear about the haters. Just got done reading the article and all of the ignorant comments.
haters gonna hate... that's what i always say. Some of the comments on the article are just lame. You gotta respect what this guy has done. Only those who are hopelessly insecure would knock surfing.
Best athlete ever thou? I say no. The main argument is that he has ruled his sport for 20 years. However, longevity is only a fraction of what makes an athlete great. And he's done great things... but surfing is so hard to really quantify. I think it's a combination of art and sport. And no doubt this guy can make magic on a wave.
But if we are talking sheer physical athletic prowess, both mind and body, I would say Jordan or Rice.
Best athlete ever thou? I say no. The main argument is that he has ruled his sport for 20 years. However, longevity is only a fraction of what makes an athlete great. And he's done great things... but surfing is so hard to really quantify. I think it's a combination of art and sport. And no doubt this guy can make magic on a wave.
But if we are talking sheer physical athletic prowess, both mind and body, I would say Jordan or Rice.
BagfullofPings
IEHHC
I think all sports are a combination of art and athleticism. The greats knew/know how and where to create things. That is what makes them great.
BagfullofPings
IEHHC
Are you gonna get in the water and show us your artistic vision at the herf?
I want to do the video you mentioned at the last beach herf. I think botl would love to watch two fat guys (me and dprice) ride waves.
Very impressive! Not sure about best athlete ever but certainly best in his field. Only one other athlete immediately comes to mind - Edwin Moses. He went undefeated in the 400m hurdles for over 120 races and 10 years.
Jordan and Rice don't hold a candle to Woods. Woods has dominated as a pro for 14 years and as a amateur for 7+ years, which together spans 20+ years. Woods as a pro has won 27% of the tournaments he has entered, top 10 63% of the time and top 25 83% of the time! There are other sports we could bring in also that makes Woods look like a rookie, Richard Petty for example. The guy dominated NASCAR for over 30 years and has a win total that will never be surpassed.
Craig Mac
BoM 4/10 7/11 12/14
Seems like these articles come up several times a year where an "athlete" is considered the "greatest athlete ever". While the argument can be made for all of them they all are completely different sports and should be held in the context of just that. I am not sure if it is done to generate conversation or what, but had the article been titled "greatest surfer ever" there would have been about 5 comments after the article instead of the several pages of bickering.
Bo Jackson?
Maybe not at a domination standpoint, but as pure athlete. If his career hadn't been shortened by injury there might not be any question about it. Could've possibly went pro at basketball too... HE WAS A FREAK!
Maybe not at a domination standpoint, but as pure athlete. If his career hadn't been shortened by injury there might not be any question about it. Could've possibly went pro at basketball too... HE WAS A FREAK!
Top 50 Athletes of the 20th Century
Let's see...
By Sport:
Baseball (23)
Football (20)
Track/Field (12)
Basketball (11)
Tennis (8)
Boxing (7)
Hockey (6)
Golf (6)
Horse Racing (5)
Auto Racing (3)
Swimming/Diving (2)
Speed Skating (2)
Gymnastics(1)
By Gender:
91 Men
6 Women
((3 Horses))
Let's see...
By Sport:
Baseball (23)
Football (20)
Track/Field (12)
Basketball (11)
Tennis (8)
Boxing (7)
Hockey (6)
Golf (6)
Horse Racing (5)
Auto Racing (3)
Swimming/Diving (2)
Speed Skating (2)
Gymnastics(1)
By Gender:
91 Men
6 Women
((3 Horses))
As soon as I read the title on the home page, I thought Kelly Slater. Of course I am huge surfing fan. Does any other athlete hold 9 world titles in any other sport? Just asking I do not know. When he was young he beat the older guys and has been beating everyone old and young ever since.
I'm not sure the question posed is how you define the best athlete ever, but the qestion was: Are there any other athletes who have been the dominate force in thier sport for 2 decades?
Are there?
I'm not sure the question posed is how you define the best athlete ever, but the qestion was: Are there any other athletes who have been the dominate force in thier sport for 2 decades?
Are there?
openendstraight
Grand Corona
Jim Thorpe
I dont know who the greatest athlete of all time is, but I think of those we know about, Jim Thorpe was the greatest athlete of them all. He won the gold medal in the 1912 Olympics in both the decathalon and pentathalon. An All-American football player in college, he was one of the greatest football players ever in college as well as the pros. There was no pro football right after college so he couldnt play until he was 27 years old and played until his early 40s. In the acclaimed Thorpe biography by Robert W. Wheeler, a camera man and photographer were on hand to watch Thorpe punt before a football game. They had heard that he could punt further than anyone, so they measured the field, which checked out ok. Out comes Thorpe. He just loved to punt. Im going from memory, but I think they said he punted 5 times. He stood in the endzone and 2 times the ball landed in the other endzone, in the air! Two times the ball bounced for the first time at about 75-80 yards and once at about 90 yards
I would give Bo Jackson an honorable mention
I dont know who the greatest athlete of all time is, but I think of those we know about, Jim Thorpe was the greatest athlete of them all. He won the gold medal in the 1912 Olympics in both the decathalon and pentathalon. An All-American football player in college, he was one of the greatest football players ever in college as well as the pros. There was no pro football right after college so he couldnt play until he was 27 years old and played until his early 40s. In the acclaimed Thorpe biography by Robert W. Wheeler, a camera man and photographer were on hand to watch Thorpe punt before a football game. They had heard that he could punt further than anyone, so they measured the field, which checked out ok. Out comes Thorpe. He just loved to punt. Im going from memory, but I think they said he punted 5 times. He stood in the endzone and 2 times the ball landed in the other endzone, in the air! Two times the ball bounced for the first time at about 75-80 yards and once at about 90 yards
I would give Bo Jackson an honorable mention