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Greatest Athlete of all time.

Home ▸ Archive ▸ Pro Sports ▸ Greatest Athlete of all time.
Fly4Fun's avatar

Fly4Fun

Senior Member

7,730 posts
Nov 2, 2010 5:50 PM
Obviously there are a couple of different ways to rate the Greatest Athlete of All Time.

First you can talk about their versatility and how many different sports they excelled at on a professional or international level. (Thorpe, Bo, Jim Brown)

The second way to judge an athlete is by their dominance in their chosen sport. (Phelps, Karelin, MJ - even though he's not unanimously the GOAT in basketball although many consider him as such)

As for which category makes someone a better athlete, versatility or complete dominance in one sport. I think that dominance in one sport is more impressive. But that's just my opinion.
Nov 2, 2010 5:50pm
karen lotz's avatar

karen lotz

TuTu Train

22,284 posts
Nov 2, 2010 6:02 PM
like_that;542578 wrote:Now, I kind of just skipped through the thread, so if we are just talking athletes based on pure athleticism, then I would say Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson, and even Jim Brown.


What would make you think this thread titled "Greatest Athlete of all time" would be a discussion of athletes based on pure athleticism? That doesn't make sense at all does it?
Nov 2, 2010 6:02pm
like_that's avatar

like_that

1st Team All-PWN

26,625 posts
Nov 2, 2010 6:10 PM
karen lotz;542602 wrote:What would make you think this thread titled "Greatest Athlete of all time" would be a discussion of athletes based on pure athleticism? That doesn't make sense at all does it?

If you are too dumb to understand why, then you would be too dumb to understand my explanation.
Nov 2, 2010 6:10pm
karen lotz's avatar

karen lotz

TuTu Train

22,284 posts
Nov 2, 2010 6:14 PM
like_that;542615 wrote:If you are too dumb to understand why, then you would be too dumb to understand my explanation.

My post obviously went right over your head.
Nov 2, 2010 6:14pm
like_that's avatar

like_that

1st Team All-PWN

26,625 posts
Nov 2, 2010 6:16 PM
karen lotz;542620 wrote:My post obviously went right over your head.

Nope. You forgot /sarcasm.
Nov 2, 2010 6:16pm
SportsAndLady's avatar

SportsAndLady

Senior Member

35,632 posts
Nov 2, 2010 7:04 PM
Commander of Awesome;542575 wrote:Keep cussing, its making your arguement stronger. Perhaps if you had used all caps I would agree with you.
like_that;542578 wrote:Yeah dude cuss and be an internet hardass! It makes your argument more compelling! There are not many other athletes out there that were as dominating as him.

Now, I kind of just skipped through the thread, so if we are just talking athletes based on pure athleticism, then I would say Deion Sanders, Bo Jackson, and even Jim Brown.

I'm not trying to have an argument. A greco roman wrestler isn't the best athlete of all time. There is no argument. My cussing is moot, irrelevant.

And did you really need to respond on both your usernames to get the same point across?
Nov 2, 2010 7:04pm
V

vball10set

paying it forward

24,795 posts
Nov 2, 2010 7:10 PM
Nov 2, 2010 7:10pm
like_that's avatar

like_that

1st Team All-PWN

26,625 posts
Nov 2, 2010 7:28 PM
SportsAndLady;542673 wrote:I'm not trying to have an argument. A greco roman wrestler isn't the best athlete of all time. There is no argument. My cussing is moot, irrelevant.

And did you really need to respond on both your usernames to get the same point across?

Even a more compelling argument! It's true because you said so!


Not the same username either. Just another guy calling you out for your style of handling discussions.
Nov 2, 2010 7:28pm
S

Sonofanump

Nov 2, 2010 8:54 PM
Fly4Fun;542584 wrote:The second way to judge an athlete is by their dominance in their chosen sport.

I was thinking about that after seeing the Martina Navratilova ESPN 30/30.
Nov 2, 2010 8:54pm
wes_mantooth's avatar

wes_mantooth

Tomfoolery & shenanigans

17,977 posts
Nov 2, 2010 8:57 PM
It is tough for me to think that any of the old timers can be considered "the greatest of all time". I am of the belief that the athletes of today are bigger, stronger, faster...
Nov 2, 2010 8:57pm
Fly4Fun's avatar

Fly4Fun

Senior Member

7,730 posts
Nov 2, 2010 9:14 PM
wes_mantooth;542791 wrote:It is tough for me to think that any of the old timers can be considered "the greatest of all time". I am of the belief that the athletes of today are bigger, stronger, faster...

That's probably true that athletes today are bigger, stronger, faster and probably more efficient. But I think when you have a topic like this you always have to judge people against the competition they play against... otherwise a person could make the argument that some mediocre running back today is better than Jim Brown just because he is bigger, stronger, and faster and playing against people who are also bigger, stronger, and faster so he doesn't stand out like Jim Brown did playing against scrubs back then.
Nov 2, 2010 9:14pm
wes_mantooth's avatar

wes_mantooth

Tomfoolery & shenanigans

17,977 posts
Nov 2, 2010 9:16 PM
Fly4Fun;542809 wrote:That's probably true that athletes today are bigger, stronger, faster and probably more efficient. But I think when you have a topic like this you always have to judge people against the competition they play again... otherwise a person could make the argument that some mediocre running back today is better than Jim Brown just because he is bigger, stronger, and faster and playing against people who are also bigger, stronger, and faster so he doesn't stand out like Jim Brown did playing against scrubs back then.

Yeah, that is the fair way to judge the athletes, but I always wonder what a guy like Jim Brown would do in today's game.
Nov 2, 2010 9:16pm
Fly4Fun's avatar

Fly4Fun

Senior Member

7,730 posts
Nov 2, 2010 9:24 PM
wes_mantooth;542812 wrote:Yeah, that is the fair way to judge the athletes, but I always wonder what a guy like Jim Brown would do in today's game.

Time machine...

Ga back to when he was in middle school or so. Abduct him, bring him back here and get him started with football and lacrosse (to replicate what he played) and then see where it goes from there!
Nov 2, 2010 9:24pm
like_that's avatar

like_that

1st Team All-PWN

26,625 posts
Nov 2, 2010 9:24 PM
wes_mantooth;542812 wrote:Yeah, that is the fair way to judge the athletes, but I always wonder what a guy like Jim Brown would do in today's game.[/QUOTE]

He would still rape. Figuratively and literally.
Nov 2, 2010 9:24pm
like_that's avatar

like_that

1st Team All-PWN

26,625 posts
Nov 2, 2010 9:26 PM
wes_mantooth;542812 wrote:Yeah, that is the fair way to judge the athletes, but I always wonder what a guy like Jim Brown would do in today's game.

He would still rape. Figuratively and literally.
Nov 2, 2010 9:26pm
Ironman92's avatar

Ironman92

Administrator

49,363 posts
Nov 2, 2010 9:33 PM
The pic of BO is one of the best sports pics of all-time. No one that I have ever seen has given a higher % of "I don't believe what he just did moments" per play in their careers.


Bo just made you smile and shake your head in disbelief of what he just did. Damn Bengals cut him WAAAAAAYYYY short. Baseball alll-star.......1st AB, 1st pitch, 1st swing....CRACK 450 ft HR......Football Pro Bowl.....check.

If I had to continuously watch highlights over and over of any athlete.....Bo is EASILY my choice.
Nov 2, 2010 9:33pm
R

rock_knutne

Nov 3, 2010 5:05 AM
like_that;542537 wrote:Spitz is not on the same level as Phelps, Karelin, or Heiden. As for Heiden, did he never lose a competition until his final world competition? If not, he is not in the same group is Karelin. Phelps I will put in the same group as Karelin.
Phelps shattered his medal records but Spitz set the benchmark which stood for a very long time. As for Heiden, don't know his overall record in speed skating but what he did in 1980 was ridiculous.
Nov 3, 2010 5:05am
T

Tiernan

Senior Member

13,021 posts
Nov 3, 2010 8:36 AM
Once again...y'all ratarded...what Jesse Owens accomplished and overcame so far exceeds any BS Jackson, Brown (to even mention Deion Sanders proves my point beyond a doubt) did is laughable.

Jim Thorpe's consideration is at least in a very large ball-park.

But to include swimmers & ice skaters in the conversation is not only ridiculous, it strongly indicates your sexual preference which would not be hetero.
Nov 3, 2010 8:36am
sleeper's avatar

sleeper

Legend

27,879 posts
Nov 3, 2010 8:36 AM
Lebron James is probably the most physical specimen of all time.

$10 he's roided up though.
Nov 3, 2010 8:36am
Ironman92's avatar

Ironman92

Administrator

49,363 posts
Nov 3, 2010 9:42 PM
did Owens overcome an artificial hip?

What Owens had to go through was maybe untouchable in comparison.....but once the gun fires none of that makes you run faster or slower.

Deion not being mentioned would be laughable.
Nov 3, 2010 9:42pm
wes_mantooth's avatar

wes_mantooth

Tomfoolery & shenanigans

17,977 posts
Nov 3, 2010 10:54 PM
I think Deion was a good baseball player, but an overrated football player. He was an all or nothing guy and got burnt a lot...

Bo Jackson was much better than him in both sports IMO.
Nov 3, 2010 10:54pm
Ironman92's avatar

Ironman92

Administrator

49,363 posts
Nov 4, 2010 5:08 PM
Deion was the best cover corner ever.....crappy vs the run and didn't tackle well. IMO Rod Woodson was the best all-around corner ever.

Deion led the league in triples while just playing part time back in the early 90's.

Fortunately we got to see how good Deion could be/was in both sports.....Jackson was just hitting his prime in football and still just short of it in baseball.....Bo might have hit 60 HR during the mid 90's......50/50 guy potential....mixed in with 1800 yard potential rushing

Deion was mostly just insanely fast. We could thrown Darrell Green in there.
Nov 4, 2010 5:08pm