Most important athlete of all-time?
- Thread starter jedione12
- Start date
It's got to be Bradman.
Test batting average of 99.94 runs !
(that's including his having to deal with Nottingham and England fast bowlers
Bill Voce and Harold Larwood employing Douglas Jardines bodyline tactics in 1932/33!)
The man was a colossus.
His form in the 1930 series against England alone makes the man the greatest
batsman ever.
First class average of 95.14.
Only Eric Holles delivery at the Oval in 1948 deprived DB of having a 100.00
test batting average.
Brilliant captain too. Look at the 1948 series against England.
Got to be Bradman.
Test batting average of 99.94 runs !
(that's including his having to deal with Nottingham and England fast bowlers
Bill Voce and Harold Larwood employing Douglas Jardines bodyline tactics in 1932/33!)
The man was a colossus.
His form in the 1930 series against England alone makes the man the greatest
batsman ever.
First class average of 95.14.
Only Eric Holles delivery at the Oval in 1948 deprived DB of having a 100.00
test batting average.
Brilliant captain too. Look at the 1948 series against England.
Got to be Bradman.
No one has even mentioned Jackie Robinson (or maybe I missed it)? I know baseball isn't as big in Europe and other places as it is here in the USA. But having the balls to be the first African American to play Major League Baseball (not to mention being a fantastic player) warrants a mention IMO. For anyone who doesn't know, it was mandated by the MLB commisioner that all MLB teams retire his number. So no MLB player will ever wear the number 42 again and you can see his jeresey hanging in every MLB park in the country. Pretty cool!
Anyway, I'd say Jackie Robinson is a pretty important athlete.
Edit: My apologies Long Rider. I went back and looked more carefully and saw that you did mention Jackie Robinson.
Anyway, I'd say Jackie Robinson is a pretty important athlete.
Edit: My apologies Long Rider. I went back and looked more carefully and saw that you did mention Jackie Robinson.
meehs said:
He was the first professional black baseball player ?
Have I got the right guy there, Meehs ?
Babe Ruth/Joe DiMaggio/Lou Gehrig/Pete Rose/Nolan Ryan would be known over here.
But maybe not by the wider public over here.
i dont know much about sports outside footie and cycling...
but i'll throw in Mohammed Ali, Diego Maradonna, Pele, Michael Schumacher and Miguel Indurain.
but i'll throw in Mohammed Ali, Diego Maradonna, Pele, Michael Schumacher and Miguel Indurain.
limerickman said:
Yes, correct Limerickman. That's the guy. He wasn't technically the first "professional" black baseball player. But the the first black player to play "Major League Baseball". Prior to that there were professional black players but they played in the Negro League. Robinson was the first to break the color barrier when he came to play with the Brooklyn Dodgers. FWIW it has been said that back in the day, the best of the Negro League teams could've easily beat the best "Major League" teams. Don't know if it's true but I wouldn't doubt it.
The problem with this thread is, by looking at responses, people are using different definitions of "important" Important as in great in his sport, like Gretzky, Pele and Said Aouita or Important as in great for the things he did outside the sport as well, like Armstrong, Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens.
If we are talking just athletic results I would say Gretzky and Aouita. They both dominated their sports and changed them.
Using outside things, Armstrong is hard to beat with the money and awareness he has raised for the fight against cancer. Robinson is up there as well, but what he did was going to happen in the next couple of years anyway. (not saying what he did wasn't great, just wasn't something that probably wouldn't have happened, like what Lance has done)
If we are talking just athletic results I would say Gretzky and Aouita. They both dominated their sports and changed them.
Using outside things, Armstrong is hard to beat with the money and awareness he has raised for the fight against cancer. Robinson is up there as well, but what he did was going to happen in the next couple of years anyway. (not saying what he did wasn't great, just wasn't something that probably wouldn't have happened, like what Lance has done)
House said:
I guess to me the question "Most important athlete of all-time?" rather than "best" athlete or "greatest" athlete implies that their contributions outside of the sport as well as their performance as an athlete have to be considered. If the question were "Best athlete of all-time" I wouldn't have picked Robinson, even though he was an incredible player.
House said:
That's a very good point.
there are great sportsmen and there are sportsmen who transend their sports.
Maradonna wasn't just a football player he was a talisman for a country held hostage by a military junta.
Robinson/Owens/Ali hepled inspire black people throughout the world.
Bradman/Ruth helped Australia/US through the great depression.
Finney/Lofthouse/Matthews helped the British war and post-war effort.
Sport is, and always has been, an important facet of national idendity and pride.
To talk of records alone, be it Gretzky, Mercyx, Bradman et al, while ignoring the socio-political impact that often comes about is folly.
As for Armstrong being the most important athlete of all time. I'd wager that he isn't even the most important cyclist of all time.
Maradonna wasn't just a football player he was a talisman for a country held hostage by a military junta.
Robinson/Owens/Ali hepled inspire black people throughout the world.
Bradman/Ruth helped Australia/US through the great depression.
Finney/Lofthouse/Matthews helped the British war and post-war effort.
Sport is, and always has been, an important facet of national idendity and pride.
To talk of records alone, be it Gretzky, Mercyx, Bradman et al, while ignoring the socio-political impact that often comes about is folly.
As for Armstrong being the most important athlete of all time. I'd wager that he isn't even the most important cyclist of all time.
Hey everyone - I'm still new at this Forum stuff, so thanks for letting me join the game. This has been a fun thread to read - as an American I was pitifully and admittedly ignorant of important athletes of the world - thanks to Limerick and the last post for mentioning other athletes and their contributions. For example, cricket. Is that a sport? I thought it was a backyard family game - no, wait, that's croquet. I remember now, cricket is a seemingly never-ending sport where only a bowler and batters are involved - sounds like American baseball, yes?
If we mention the fabulous F1 driver M. Schmacher, how about Juan Manual Fangio? I mean, Michael is awesome, but take away his dominant Ferrari and I wonder if he skates to 7 world titles. Furthermore, in spite of F1's world prominance, Michael is not known for anything else other than being a very, very well-paid race car driver. (I know he contributed some major cash to the tsunami relief fund as a tribute to the loss of a bodyguard, so that cannot be ignored.) Fangio in his day had to actually drive his car, not "launch" it or use the semi-automatic gear box like today's drivers do. As far as other F1 greats, what about Alain Prost - at least he never tried to push his teammate off the course like Senna once did to Prost, as a matter of fact. Senna was a great driver - but a real a-hole in terms of style (apologies to the Brazilians who are blinded to his faults, it's easy to overlook them like we do with Dale Earnhardt Sr.) - take him off the list - no class.
I had suggested Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson way back, but voted for Ali. Recall the world's response to his lighting of the Olympic flame and it's hard to dispute his deserving our annointing him "Most important..."
I'm gone on a bit too much, but in conclusion, isn't this somewhat of nationalistic popularity contest in essence? In a web Forum it's fun, too. And, since China would have the most votes, Yao Ming might win. Cheers!
If we mention the fabulous F1 driver M. Schmacher, how about Juan Manual Fangio? I mean, Michael is awesome, but take away his dominant Ferrari and I wonder if he skates to 7 world titles. Furthermore, in spite of F1's world prominance, Michael is not known for anything else other than being a very, very well-paid race car driver. (I know he contributed some major cash to the tsunami relief fund as a tribute to the loss of a bodyguard, so that cannot be ignored.) Fangio in his day had to actually drive his car, not "launch" it or use the semi-automatic gear box like today's drivers do. As far as other F1 greats, what about Alain Prost - at least he never tried to push his teammate off the course like Senna once did to Prost, as a matter of fact. Senna was a great driver - but a real a-hole in terms of style (apologies to the Brazilians who are blinded to his faults, it's easy to overlook them like we do with Dale Earnhardt Sr.) - take him off the list - no class.
I had suggested Jesse Owens and Jackie Robinson way back, but voted for Ali. Recall the world's response to his lighting of the Olympic flame and it's hard to dispute his deserving our annointing him "Most important..."
I'm gone on a bit too much, but in conclusion, isn't this somewhat of nationalistic popularity contest in essence? In a web Forum it's fun, too. And, since China would have the most votes, Yao Ming might win. Cheers!
Long Rider said:
You're very welcome to the forum, Long rider.
Cricket is an english game (men in white standing in a field) where a bloke hits a ball with a bat.
In origin, not dissimilar to what you guys call Baseball but cricket developed
along a different line.
Glad you mentioned Fangio, the great Argentinian driver.
I should have included him.
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