CaliNorth Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 43 minutes ago, ohio said: ol This person. Lol Good one ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddyr2 Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 1 hour ago, BigDrop said: Muhammad Ali Not the best of all time...Jack Johnson was and Ali stole his gimmick from gorgeous george Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliNorth Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 1 hour ago, BigDrop said: My response is a little different: greatest presence/lifetime performance/elevation of the sport/charisma Babe Ruth Muhammad Ali Jim Brown Wilt Chamberlain/Michael Jordan Pele Secretariat Niatross Barry Bonds has to be in conversation also 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsefly Posted January 23, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 Lots of greats could also include Simone Biles in gymnastics. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texasball Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 4 hours ago, AztecPadre said: Bo and it's not even close. Ran a 4.2 and was built like he was chiseled out of marble. Only athlete to play in the pro bowl and MLB All star game and he did it in the same year 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Colonel Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 Jesse Ownens should be on a short list of greatest athletes. He set three world records and tied a fourth in a single day in college. He won four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics and humiliated Hitler on the world stage by beating his “master race”. 1 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDrop Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 3 hours ago, Eddyr2 said: Not the best of all time...Jack Johnson was and Ali stole his gimmick from gorgeous george Forgive my opinion but I’m 72 and the attention Ali brought to boxing (for both his ability and his politics) is unparalleled at least in my lifetime. I actually remember Gorgeous George and wrestling in the ‘50’s and early ‘60’s (I also once sat next to Ric Flair on an airplane for two hours in the late ‘80’s) and he was totally different. Wrestling had a fraction of the popularity and exposure of boxing then. Antonio Rocco was probably the most well known athlete/performer while George was a flamboyant villain. In the 50’s the WWF was in 2 to 5,000 seat arenas while Ali’s bouts a decade plus later were broadcast live around the world-and were expensive. Bruno Sammartino led the WWF in the ‘70’s but it was Hulk Hogan and the promotional genius of Vince McMahon that filled 50-75,000+ seat stadiums and introduced pay per view to the renamed WWE. Still, Ali was in a league by himself. He was superb at self promotion (perhaps even better than Trump) but he backed it up with incredible talent and the willingness to endure almost anything. Ali probably received more press than anyone on my list above. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDrop Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 I believe these are the two greatest center fielders of all time. This is an absolute classic. 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belly Bob Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 9 hours ago, Horsefly said: I saw this question on another site. who is the greatest of all time? the discussion was on Brady being better than Jordan. thoughts? others I thought of were Jim Thorpe, Carl lewis, Wayne Gretzsky…... These lists are usually murky because the criteria are seldom made explicit. But if you take "greatest" in a wide sense, then my money is on Ali. He was a force of nature both in and out of the ring. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belly Bob Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 13 hours ago, whiteshoes said: Muhammad Ali. Once lost a 15 round split decision fighting with a broken jaw for fourteen rounds. If you don't think boxing is tough, pound a body bag for three minutes. Your arms will fell like they are ready to fall off and then think about someone punching your during that three minute workout. My pick for second on this list is Secretariat. Wow, I was thinking Ali and Secretariat. For those who don't follow the ponies, not only was Secretariat a Triple Crown winner in 1973, but despite advances in veterinarian medicine and almost all other aspects of the sport (even the way the horses are transported from one race to the next has improved), he still holds the record in each of three races. And not only that, but no horse in recorded history has come within 2 full seconds of his 1.5 mile run in the Belmont, a record which many people believe will never be broken. He was the Achilles of racehorses: huge, fast, and ferociously competitive. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old_e Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 9 hours ago, Drummer61 said: The best I ever saw live was Jim Brown...Never saw Gretzky or Thorpe.. It would be a shocker if anyone alive saw Thorpe live. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old_e Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 27 minutes ago, Belly Bob said: Wow, I was thinking Ali and Secretariat. For those who don't follow the ponies, not only was Secretariat a Triple Crown winner in 1973, but despite advances in veterinarian medicine and almost all other aspects of the sport (even the way the horses are transported from one race to the next has improved), he still holds the record in each of three races. And not only that, but no horse in recorded history has come within 2 full seconds of his 1.5 mile run in the Belmont, a record which many people believe will never be broken. He was the Achilles of racehorses: huge, fast, and ferociously competitive. 5 losses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steeler01 Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 There's a huge difference between the best athlete and the most dominant at their sport. Jordan isn't even the best athlete in his sport ever(Bron holds that distinction IMO) Deion Sanders should be on any list for best athlete ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bormio Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 When I think of greatest athlete, I usually think of athletes that excelled at more than one sport. So Brown, Thorpe, Bo, Sanders. But there is a legend around Bo - he is said to be outstanding at almost anything he tries. He has been described as a superb archer for example. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bormio Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 37 minutes ago, old_e said: It would be a shocker if anyone alive saw Thorpe live. Thorpe was voted the greatest athlete of the first half of the 20th century. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belly Bob Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 6 hours ago, old_e said: 5 losses. Same as Ali. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wooderson Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 14 hours ago, Rippers said: Beat me to the punch. Here is trivia (at least it might be true): How did Bo get the nickname Bo? It was a derivative of "boar" as his family compared him to a wild boar. There was a story that said that originated from Bo (as a kid) throwing rocks at hogs but may be more of a not-so-urban legend. I submit Herschel Walker for consideration. Heisman winner with a strong pro career, elite level sprinter in college, qualified for an Olympic bobsled team with minimal training in the event, and went undefeated in MMA when decided to take up that sport as a 50-year old. Also danced with Fort Worth ballet if you're into that sort of thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noonereal Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 13 hours ago, BigDrop said: My response is a little different: greatest presence/lifetime performance/elevation of the sport/charisma Babe Ruth Muhammad Ali Jim Brown Wilt Chamberlain/Michael Jordan Pele Secretariat Niatross Finally someone mentions Ruth. Ruth Chamberlain Gretzky 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarterBlue Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 17 hours ago, Horsefly said: I saw this question on another site. who is the greatest of all time? the discussion was on Brady being better than Jordan. thoughts? others I thought of were Jim Thorpe, Carl lewis, Wayne Gretzsky…... That is a very difficult question. It also does not give justice to the performances of athletes that came before the modern era. As one born on foreign soil, I remember Pele was literally worshiped when I was a boy growing up in Jamaica. But I would hesitate to name him the GOAT. Brady is a hell of a QB, no doubt. But much of what he does on the field is as much mental as athletic in the sense that he has a level of calm and poise seldom seen on any stage. Carl Lewis was a great sprinter and long jumper, but Bolt sliced through his records like a knife through hot butter. Jim Thorpe? Multi-sport athlete, but so, too, was Jackie Robinson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiteshoes Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 11 hours ago, Eddyr2 said: Not the best of all time...Jack Johnson was and Ali stole his gimmick from gorgeous george Funny you mentioned that, one of my favorite Ali stories was in the early 60's Ali and Dundee went to Madison Square Garden to watch Gorgeous George wrestle. During the match, Dundee remarked about how much people hated Gorgeous George. Ali looked around and replied, "Yea, but look how many there are in here to hate him". On his skill level, we have never seem a man of that size move like that. Vince Lombardi once said that if Ali had decided to play football, he would have been the greatest tight end ever. I recall his last fight before the ban, when we missed him at his best, he fought Zora Folly. Folly had destroyed his last several opponents and there was some hope that someone would finally shut this guy up. Ali toyed with him for four rounds, knocking him down several times before tiring of him and putting him down for good in the fourth round. Actually knocked him out with a punch that he threw while backing up. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
954gator Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 Best athlete I’ve ever seen when it comes to football was Percy Harvin. Too bad he had thise migranes and injury issues. When he was healthy he did things that just didn’t seem possible. Wish he’d have stayed in Minnesota. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old_e Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 2 hours ago, Belly Bob said: Same as Ali. He is who I was referring to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belly Bob Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 7 minutes ago, old_e said: He is who I was referring to. I see. If not losing counted for much, then Marciano would be greater than Ali. But he's not. So Ali's 5 losses mean fuck all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belly Bob Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 Big Red's run at the Preakness, Smelly's personal favorite. It makes me crazy every time I see it. "And Secretariat is last as they move into the first turn...But here comes Secretariat! He's moving fast! And he's going to the outside. He's going for the lead. And it's right now he's looking for it!" To make a move like that on the first turn and to still have enough left over to hold off the monster that was Sham, and all of it without the whip -- it's almost unbelievable. Thank God we've got the video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old_e Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 Just now, Belly Bob said: I see. If not losing counted for much, then Marciano would be greater than Ali. But he's not. So Ali's 5 losses mean fuck all. To me it means he did not dominate his sport. I would favor Joe Louis or Jack Johnson as best heavyweights of all time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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