Topic: Who is the greatest Sportsman of all time?

[Pradan]

Let's keep this going and expand it further

If there is anyone missing in the poll, or you don't agree with anyone included in the poll, feel free to cry about it in the thread.

Though if anyone mentions Cristiano Ronaldo, i will report the post to the moderators.

[Barneylfc∗]

Don't we have a thread for this that's years old?

[Barneylfc∗]

Assume this is non brit only?

I see you've got Schumacher in there but not Hamilton. The Hamilton cult won't like that 

[Pradan]

Don't we have a thread for this that's years old?

No idea. No harm in doing it again considering a few have gone on to achieve even more.

[Barneylfc∗]

Brian O'Driscoll and Barry McGuigan should be on the list representing the Irish

[Pradan]

Brian O'Driscoll and Barry McGuigan should be on the list representing the Irish

Considered adding Jonah Lomu as he is the one Rugby star who transcended their sport.

[tonysleft]

I think the best anyone has been relative to anyone else in their sport was peak Tiger Woods, an unstoppable force of nature who changed golf forever. Everyone who has earned a mint since 2000 in golf owes half of it to him.

[dirkster]

I see the vaccine dodger Novak is on there. How about Borg?

[Andy82lfc]

Hard to argue with Tony, Woods is most definitely and at the very least a top 3 shout for sure, if nothing else of how gifted he was he also dominated in what is for many the most difficult sport on the planet and the reason why so few get many runs of Majors back to back.

[The North Bank]

Ali
Pele
Jordan
Federer
Woods


In that order

[jillcwhomever]

Assume this is non brit only?

I see you've got Schumacher in there but not Hamilton. The Hamilton cult won't like that 

Never mind Lewis, where is Ayrton?

[Coolie High]

I think the best anyone has been relative to anyone else in their sport was peak Tiger Woods, an unstoppable force of nature who changed golf forever. Everyone who has earned a mint since 2000 in golf owes half of it to him.

I can’t knock this really but then again I would counter with who plays Golf? It’s a very limited pool, one of the most exclusive sports there is, it doesn’t have the same following or number of participants of all walks of life that the likes of Football Basketball and Boxing do. It’s partly why a multiracial Tiger Woods apart from his generational talent was so special, but at the same time when I was growing up no one wanted to play golf, I didn’t know a single person who participated or even watched the sport, as great as Tiger Woods the fact it’s a sport played by such a limited amount of people has to count for something, America’s best athletes do not play the sport, neither does Europe’s Africa or Asia.

[FlashGordon]

I can’t knock this really but then again I would counter with who plays Golf? It’s a very limited pool, one of the most exclusive sports there is, it doesn’t have the same following or number of participants of all walks of life that the likes of Football Basketball and Boxing do. It’s partly why a multiracial Tiger Woods apart from his generational talent was so special, but at the same time when I was growing up no one wanted to play golf, I didn’t know a single person who participated or even watched the sport, as great as Tiger Woods the fact it’s a sport played by such a limited amount of people has to count for something, America’s best athletes do not play the sport, neither does Europe’s Africa or Asia.

This is subjective. You have to be a pretty good athlete to swing a club 130/140 mph.

[tonysleft]

I can’t knock this really but then again I would counter with who plays Golf? It’s a very limited pool, one of the most exclusive sports there is, it doesn’t have the same following or number of participants of all walks of life that the likes of Football Basketball and Boxing do. It’s partly why a multiracial Tiger Woods apart from his generational talent was so special, but at the same time when I was growing up no one wanted to play golf, I didn’t know a single person who participated or even watched the sport, as great as Tiger Woods the fact it’s a sport played by such a limited amount of people has to count for something, America’s best athletes do not play the sport, neither does Europe’s Africa or Asia.

I see your point especially regarding the great athletes who end up playing NFL/NBA, but I think you wouldn't recognise those athletes had they chosen golf, they'd look so much different. Golf definitely has more barriers to entry though absolutely true

[Coolie High]

This is subjective. You have to be a pretty good athlete to swing a club 130/140 mph.

You do but it’s a sport that kinda alienates a whole working and lower class, which is the majority of the world. I would never say so and so is the Greatest sportsman of all time in a sport that’s not even widely accessible to the majority of the population of any given country. This is why my number two would always be Pele(Messi) and Muhammad Ali, insert the greatest from any two of these sports, third would be the greatest basketball player but even that has limitations in terms of physical makeup and genetics that football and Boxing doesn’t have.

Also I would say the best athletes in America undoubtedly play Basketball NFL and even Baseball first, Golf would be along down the line after Boxing and maybe Athletics too, same thing with Europe and England it’s Football first and foremost then maybe Boxing Rugby, Athletics and even Tennis and Cricket.

Not to say Golf is any easier than any of these sports in difficulty it would rank alongside Baseball has the most difficult sport I’ve played casually but that’s another discussion.

[Max_powers]

Gretzky and Bradman were just so dominant in their own sports. Hard to see their records beaten ever.

Whereas likes of Jordan and Ali are just in the same league as other greats just a step above.

[mikey_LFC]

Assume this is non brit only?

I see you've got Schumacher in there but not Hamilton. The Hamilton cult won't like that 

Hamilton and Farah are probably the only two Brits who could be in this conversation, though they wouldn’t come out on top.

[Coolie High]

Gretzky and Bradman were just so dominant in their own sports. Hard to see their records beaten ever.

Whereas likes of Jordan and Ali are just in the same league as other greats just a step above.

Ali participated in a Global sport, Gretzky played in a sport that has little following outside North America particularly Canada.

[mikey_LFC]

Ali participated in a Global sport, Gretzky played in a sport that has little following outside North America particularly Canada.

Ali is my answer, but Gretzky is the most dominant person in any sport ever, I believe. He holds almost every individual record. Also Hockey is a very big sport in many countries outside of North America. Scandinavian countries, Russia, Eastern Europe etc. all have big hockey followings. Most of the Winter Olympics countries tend to.

[Coolie High]

Ali is my answer, but Gretzky is the most dominant person in any sport ever, I believe. He holds almost every individual record. Also Hockey is a very big sport in many countries outside of North America. Scandinavian countries, Russia, Eastern Europe etc. all have big hockey followings. Most of the Winter Olympics countries tend to.

I have no reason to put Gretzky above Messi or Pele, football is a bigger sport the competition and talent you have to compete with  just to make it professional is far far greater.

Hockey is not even a top 3 sport in United States, there’s a huge demographic that don’t even participate in the sport.

[TepidT2O]

Bradman for me

So far above the nearest competitor it’s untrue…

Bolt shouldn’t be there. Absolutely zero chance he did what he did clean imo.  And that matters.

[Coolie High]

Bradman for me

So far above the nearest competitor it’s untrue…

Bolt shouldn’t be there. Absolutely zero chance he did what he did clean imo.  And that matters.

Has he tested positive before that’s a big claim to make?

[mikey_LFC]

I have no reason to put Gretzky above Messi or Pele, football is a bigger sport the competition and talent you have to compete with  just to make it professional is far far greater.

Hockey is not even a top 3 sport in United States, there’s a huge demographic that don’t even participate in the sport.

I wouldn’t either but he’s definitely worthy of the conversation.

[TepidT2O]

Has he tested positive before that’s a big claim to make?

You look at his youth times compared to his peers… then see the stunning improvement when he turns pro …

Absolutely no doubt at all in my mind

[mikey_LFC]

You look at his youth times compared to his peers… then see the stunning improvement when he turns pro …

Absolutely no doubt at all in my mind

That’s ridiculous when all those around him failed tests and he didn’t. You can’t just decide someone doped.

[tonysleft]

That’s ridiculous when all those around him failed tests and he didn’t. You can’t just decide someone doped.

Tbf its one of the most questionable sports with things like this.. and if you have a sudden leap in PB times..

[TepidT2O]

That’s ridiculous when all those around him failed tests and he didn’t. You can’t just decide someone doped.

https://tomnew.medium.com/usain-bolt-lance-armstrong-and-the-duck-test-303b7b891e7e

Read this ….

Not failing a test means nothing

Promising newcomer to world record in 12 months….  Hmmmm

[Elmo!]

Brian O'Driscoll and Barry McGuigan should be on the list representing the Irish

BOD was great but I doubt many rugby fans would have him near the best rugby players of all time never mind sportsman. Maybe top 5 rugby player at a push.

[Rosario]

Bolt falls into the if it looks too good to be true it probably is camp for me. If you’re beating known dopers  it at the very least has to raise some red flags a lot like Armstrong when he was dominating the Tour de France for so long.

Also I’ve gone with Bradman for how much better he was then all his peers and holds a record that might just last the test of time.

[Skeeve]

Ali is my answer, but Gretzky is the most dominant person in any sport ever, I believe. He holds almost every individual record. Also Hockey is a very big sport in many countries outside of North America. Scandinavian countries, Russia, Eastern Europe etc. all have big hockey followings. Most of the Winter Olympics countries tend to.

The distance by which he holds some of the records is mental too e.g. dropping his NHL record for goals from his record for total points (goals + assists) wouldn't knock him off first place as his assists alone are more than any other player's combined total.

[Crosby Nick]

No Bill Werbenik?

[tonysleft]

No Bill Werbenik?

Certainly the greatest sports stories of all time

[Barneylfc∗]

BOD was great but I doubt many rugby fans would have him near the best rugby players of all time never mind sportsman. Maybe top 5 rugby player at a push.

There aren't many Irishmen that could claim to be the best in the world at anything, but we need represented in the conversation   

[elsewhere]

I went woth Jordan. I think it has to be someone from a broad international sport, not NFL, Formula 1, baseball, cricket etc. It can not be a tennis player as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are all almost equal and these 3 dominated the sport last 15 years.

[Sangria]

Jesse Owens. Set a minimum of 3 world records in a variety of track and field events in 45 minutes (various sprints, long jump), and tied a 4th world record. Whilst working part time to pay his way through university.

[mikey_LFC]

https://tomnew.medium.com/usain-bolt-lance-armstrong-and-the-duck-test-303b7b891e7e

Read this ….

Not failing a test means nothing

Promising newcomer to world record in 12 months….  Hmmmm

That’s a terrible argument. Everyone else was scrutinised because they have patchy records, or at least a coach, or something that was worth scrutinising. Surely, the argument should be other way round, everyone else was caught doping so if he was dirty he would have been caught too.

Rapid rises in athletics, as with many sports, happen. Breakout years are a thing. Messi, for instance, went from promising youngster to best in the world within a year.

[misscowred]

Would love to see Serena Williams on this list. 39 major titles - anyone would kill for that record.

[Rosario]

I went woth Jordan. I think it has to be someone from a broad international sport, not NFL, Formula 1, baseball, cricket etc. It can not be a tennis player as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic are all almost equal and these 3 dominated the sport last 15 years.

You’ve kind of argued against your own pick, cricket and F1 at least would be considered widely more broad worldwide than the NBA? NBA and basketball feels like it is getting bigger worldwide and a lot more high profile players are from outside of America in recent years but not sure that was the case when Jordan was playing though.

[elsewhere]

You’ve kind of argued against your own pick, cricket and F1 at least would be considered widely more broad worldwide than the NBA? NBA and basketball feels like it is getting bigger worldwide and a lot more high profile players are from outside of America in recent years but not sure that was the case when Jordan was playing though.

Isn't cricket popular in only certain countries like UK, New Zealand, India etc? Same with baseball. USA, Canada, Japan and S. Korea comes to my mind.

[The North Bank]

Ali Is the greatest, he knew it.