WHo is the greatest sportsman ever. I'm talking a sportsman who's results are that far better then the next that they are the undisputed greatest no matter in which era they achieved. I'm going to name one, I would be interested to here other peoples thoughts.
Sir Donald Bradman, Australian Cricketer, 6996 test runs at a Test Average of 99.94 runs per inings, the next best of any era is R.G.Pollock at an average of 60.97. By far and above the greatest batsmen of all time. And the greatest cricketer of all time. Posibly the greatest sportsmen or women of all time.
Of course you have to compare these figures within their own boundaries. (eg. apples-to-apples)
Maybe Valentino Rossi ?? 🙂
I agree they are all amazing athletes and probably the best ever in there sport, but how much better than the next are they, Valentino probably yet there are other riders no that far behind....ie Doohan, Agostini, Jordans records are being broken or cloes to ( Kobe Bryant....think thats his name ), Ali may actually be the closest all though there are other champion boxers., All worthy athletes but are they 30% better then the next best in there sport.
That is true, and records are meant to be broken. As the future progresses and the way of preparation and performance for every sport, I don't think that ANY former, present or future athelete is safe to be on top. The people I mentioned are/were the best in my eyes, but surely won't be the last. 🙂
I'll add Babe Ruth to that list. Even though he wasn't really physically fit. 🙂
I too am a fan of Jim Thorpe and I have watched the Jim Thorpe story with Burt Lancaster portraying Jim Thorpe many times. However, Edwin Moses should be named for not only what he did on the track, but also for his efforts off the track. For nine years, nine months, and nine days he was undefeated in the 400 meter hurdles. He won 122 consecutive races. Please read about this man, he is as great a man as he is a sportsman.
Bradman for me. Freakish (and I mean that in the best possible way) ability, his record is simply out there in the ether. Merckx-like domination of cricket : if the war had not intervened God only knows how many more runs he would have scored.
jim brown (american football) and/or pele. after having top flight careers (brown retiring at the height of his) they went on to give back to their communities. also tip of the hat to roberto clemente whose life ended far too soon, so then difficult to say what his sports career would have amounted to.
Interesting question, this one. Boxing, definitely not Ali. He was a great fighter and thinker, but his record doesn't hold up under scrutiny. If I had to pick a boxer it might be Sugar Ray Leonard (3 world titles in 3 different weight classes), but more likely Rocky Marciano. Marciano is the only heavyweight who never lost a professional bout. His record of 49 straight wins, no draws and 43 of those wins by knock out is peerless.
My pick would be Abebe Bikila. From Ethiopia. Won the Marathon at the Rome Olympics in barefeet, becoming the first black African to win a gold medal at the olympics. 40 days prior to the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 he collapsed during training. Was diagnosed with appendicitus, operated on, recovered and went on to win the Marathon in Tokyo in a new world record time.
My pick would be Abebe Bikila. From Ethiopia. Won the Marathon at the Rome Olympics in barefeet, becoming the first black African to win a gold medal at the olympics.
Adidas, the shoe sponsor at the 1960 Summer Olympics, had few shoes left when Bikila went to try out shoes and he ended up with a pair that didn’t fit comfortably, so he couldn't use them. A couple of hours before the race the decision was taken by Abebe to run barefoot, the way he'd trained for the race.
WHo is the greatest sportsman ever. I'm talking a sportsman who's results are that far better then the next that they are the undisputed greatest no matter in which era they achieved. I'm going to name one, I would be interested to here other peoples thoughts.
Sir Donald Bradman, Australian Cricketer, 6996 test runs at a Test Average of 99.94 runs per inings, the next best of any era is R.G.Pollock at an average of 60.97. By far and above the greatest batsmen of all time. And the greatest cricketer of all time. Posibly the greatest sportsmen or women of all time.
Any advances???
The racing driver Tazio Nuvolari and Fausto Coppi.
1960 - 1973 Winner of the Australian Amateur Championships 1961 - 1973 Winner of New South Wales Championships 1961 - 1973 Winner of Victorian Championships 1962 - 1977 Winner of the British Open Championships ( unofficial world campionship ) 1976 Winner of the World Squash Championship ( Inaugural world campionship ) 1977 Winner of the American Championship 1979 Winner of the American Amateur Racquetball Championship 1979 Winner of the World Squash Championship 1980 Winner of the Canadian Racquetball Championship 1980 - 1981 Winner of the American Professional Racquetball Championships 1982 - 1985 Winner of the Canadian Racquetball Championships 1984 Winner of the American Professional Racquetball Championship 1985 - 1998 Squash Coach with the Australian Institute of Sport
She lost two matches in that time; one in 1960, the other in 1962.
"Sportsman" is at once a pretty general and exclusive category; it excludes women and includes competitors that I'd rather call game players.
If we're talking athletes, then, Merckx takes the award for me. He was not a specialist, like Armstrong -- He had it all.
all the what? performance enhancing drugs? he can have 'em. now with that said and i'll say it again, now with that said, there is not a doubt in my mind why precisley it is that oh so many attribute him as the greatest of the greatest, near and far but one thing stops me from truely accepting his accademic paperwork for being nothing more than that... drugs. Big Lance, not one positive test and until the day proves any indifferent and he is suspended from cycling and i guess this is all merely relative to cycling so in the world of cycling and that alone, by far he is the only specialist we have yet to encounter.
overall greatest athlete of our time? Chrissie Wellington.
