Jakebrake said:Hmmm... the problem I have with this poll is that Jerry Rice is a little long in the tooth. Now, if you were talking about Jerry Rice when he was in his prime, I would agree that he would be worthy of being in this poll. And Shaq? I would say the same goes for him, he was a lot better athlete when he wasn't overweight and out of shape, still a good basketball player though, next year should be interesting in Miami.
And just what criteria are you going to use to determine if Lance is more dominant in cycling than any of those other athletes are in their given disciplines? You're still trying to compare apples to oranges.derKaiser said:Interpret it, then, as which currently competing athlete has been better over the course of his career.
And certainly there can be a best American athlete. If Lance is more dominant in his sport than any other American athlete in his, he qualifies as the best American athlete. Has Bonds dominated baseball more so than Lance? Has Shaq done the same for basketball? And Rice for football?
If it happens, let me know. But I don't know if ping-pong qualifies as a sport (it does by Olympic standards, but what doesn't by Olympic standards?). Now take somebody like Cael Sanderson, undefeated all four years of NCAA wrestling. Even in a relatively alternative sport like wrestling, it's hard not to acknowledge Sanderson's dominance. If he had achieved something similar at the professional level, then yes, I'd rank him up there with Lance Armstrong.KMKS said:well what if there's some american out there that you've never even heard of that completely dominates the world ping pong circuit. i mean, he has a trophy case crammed full of golden paddles or whatever and is regularly beating other national champions by 10-15 shots without breaking a sweat. Say he wins some month long grueling endurance test of table tennis with nobody even coming close to challenging him. Say he wins 20 world titles in a row. Are you then going to say he's the best american athlete? i highly doubt it...but some ping-pong fan might.
Yes, Lance races in a competitive European environment, but he really only dominates in the Tour de France. In other races and in other cycling disciplines he doesn't always fare so well.derKaiser said:If it happens, let me know. But I don't know if ping-pong qualifies as a sport (it does by Olympic standards, but what doesn't by Olympic standards?). Now take somebody like Cael Sanderson, undefeated all four years of NCAA wrestling. Even in a relatively alternative sport like wrestling, it's hard not to acknowledge Sanderson's dominance. If he had achieved something similar at the professional level, then yes, I'd rank him up there with Lance Armstrong.
But a major difference between the world ping pong circuit (if it even exists) and cycling is the level of competition. Cycling, in Europe at least, is a totally mainstream sport. The level of competition, therefore, is higher. In ping-pong, however, I can't imagine that very many people play cometitively (wrestling, too, and that's why Sanderson isn't as celebrated as collegiate athletes like Carmelo Anthony). To become an elite "ping-ponger," it probably doesn't take quite so much effort. So in a way, KMKS, you're right that dominance in a sport can't be the only method of evaluation. But dominance in a major sport (with the implication there is a high level of competition) can be the most important measure of an ahtlete's greatness. Bonds, Rice, and Shaq are listed for good reason: those are the three most competitive sports in the United States. Cycling counts, too, because Lance races in a competitive European environment.
Lance isn't very dominant in his sport. Lance is very dominant in one race in his sport. He's no Jordan. Eddy Mercx was the Jordan of cycling.derKaiser said:Interpret it, then, as which currently competing athlete has been better over the course of his career.
And certainly there can be a best American athlete. If Lance is more dominant in his sport than any other American athlete in his, he qualifies as the best American athlete. Has Bonds dominated baseball more so than Lance? Has Shaq done the same for basketball? And Rice for football?
You'd be surprised. In Asia 'table tennis' is a very huge sport. The 100th ranked chinese ping ponger could waste America's top ping ponger. It's that deep over there.derKaiser said:But a major difference between the world ping pong circuit (if it even exists) and cycling is the level of competition. .
What about Micheal Phelps? Shouldn't he be on this list?mattv2099 said:You'd be surprised. In Asia 'table tennis' is a very huge sport. The 100th ranked chinese ping ponger could waste America's top ping ponger. It's that deep over there.
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