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#1
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: jay behrens
Don't know how many of you say the retarded poll on ESPN about the greatest athlete of all-time. It is in the sports nation section. You have to vote for a minimum of 10 people, I think. I couldn't find 10 worthy of voting. The main reason for this is that they left off some of the greatest atheletes ever. The only people on list I found worthy of votes were Jim Thorpe, Wilt Chamberlain, Jackie Robinson and Jackie Joyner-Kerse. Everyone else was a one sport wonder, but didn't accel at more than one sport. Notably absent were Babe Diedrickson, Bob Mathiason, Bo Jackson, Dieon Sanders and Duke Kahanamoku. |
#2
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Mark
Here's a Collectors Universe article ranking the Top 100 athletes of the 20th Century: |
#3
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Darren J. Duet
Bo Jackson & Jim Thorpe are alone atop my list. |
#4
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: davidcycleback
These ESPN polls really are a form of entertainment-- a way to waste some time on a web page. |
#5
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: DJ
First off, why is everyone picking on poker of late on the VBC? How about Bass anglers or professional bowling? |
#6
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Tom Boblitt
on what your definition includes........... |
#7
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Howard W. Rosenberg
I'll bet few participants in the ESPN push poll were aware that in 1893, Al Spalding said this about Cap Anson (let alone know who either of them is): |
#8
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: DJ
What would Al Spalding say about: |
#9
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Scott Forrest
either was ESPN or anyone else living today, which is why a lot of the great athletes of prior generations are omitted from modern lists. I was reading some posts on another forum about the greatest black baseball players at each position - few of the posters were even alive at the time that these players played, but they were editing their posts, changing their minds, etc., about their lists. In actuality, only the people who saw these athletes perform really know how good they were, and then, only in comparison to others they have seen or based on what other eye-witnesses have said - the best we can do is read the accounts written about these players and make our decisions based on that. Stats alone aren't going to do it. |
#10
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Glenn
I'm not really qualified to comment on the greatest athletes of all-time, but I think Lygdamus, the pankration champion at the original Olympic games would have to be up there. In the past 100 years I'd say Thorpe was the best male athlete and Didrickson the best female athlete. After that it's tough, but in my lifetime I'd go with Bo Jackson, Lance Armstrong, Jackie Joyner-Kersey; maybe Dan O'Brien, Michael Vick, Magnus ver Magnusson, whoever holds the record in the Badlands ultra-marathon, and possibly this young man from the village of Petite Soufriere on the island of Dominica (that's me at the top of the photo): |
#11
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: leon
All around athlete- Jim Thorpe |
#12
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Adam J. Moraine
My opinion, with all due respect to Leon's opinion. Cobb WAS/IS baseball. also, in speaking of greatest athletes' what about Jesse Owens? |
#13
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: jay behrens
Adam, the problem with your choice of Cobb is that even though in basebal circles everyone knows him, outside of it, Ruth has much more name recognition Cobb. To America in general, Ruth is baseball. |
#14
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: David Vargha
Thorpe, Bo Jackson and Dave Winfield. Wasn't Winfield drafted by something like 4 professional leagues? |
#15
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: dennis
bo jackson & jim brown |
#16
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Jerry
I agree with Leon about Babe Ruth. NO ONE is even close to him in terms of what he accomplished as both a hitter and a pitcher, in combination. |
#17
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: DJ
Yeah, I was going to say Lygdamus as well! (what?) |
#18
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Scott Forrest
I was at many of the Olympic events in 1996 and Carl Lewis did a bit more than 100 meter sprints. Comparing his athleticism to a bowler is quite funny. In fact, comparing him to a pure baseball player might be almost as funny. But this is a baseball forum, so I understand. |
#19
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Charlie O'Neal
I would have to go with Bo Jackson and Lance Armstrong. Just my thoughts |
#20
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: davidcycleback
Amongst cyclists, the 1960s-70s Belgian Eddy Merckx is generally considered to be the greatest. |
#21
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Steve Dawson
I also thought of Winfield. You are correct about his being drafted by four different teams in four different leagues: |
#22
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: DJ
Glad I added humor to you Scott but I can't put Carl Lewis on my list. |
#23
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: eric p.
bo jackson, jim thorpe and mildred "babe" didrikson! |
#24
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: GTS
bo jackson michael jordan walter payton |
#25
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: JimCrandell
Since I played basketball against him in high school, I will say 3-sport All-America at Buffalo State(basketball,soccer and high jump)Randy Smith who went on to have a good pro basketball career. |
#26
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: scott brockelman
Prabably the greatest athlete of all time based on athletic achievements would be Jim Thorpe. he was deemed the athlete of the 1st half century of the 1900's. |
#27
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Scott Elkins
afterall, Cobb could do about anything he wanted! Saw Rocky Marciano's name a few posts above - DEFINITELY the greatest boxer ever. I would love for everybody who says Joe Louis was to watch the fight where Marciano knocked Louis through the ring ropes several rows in the stands! |
#28
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: DJ
Rocky was number one! |
#29
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Scott Elkins
I love to hear my father's stories about seeing Marciano fight (My father boxed from the time he was a kid until his Korean War days and beyond - also taught me how to box)! Definitely the greatest ever. I hate to say it, but it seems that reverse discrimination has held Marciano back from the glory he deserves (afterall, he still is the only Heavyweight to ever go undefeated - nobody can argue with that). |
#30
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Peter_Spaeth
I love off topic posts. Greatest pure athlete: Jim Brown and Bo Jackson. Bert Sugar in his book ranked Brown first as I recall. Greatest endurance athlete: Lance Armstrong and Lasse Viren. To win the 5K and 10K in successive Olympics (I think I have my facts right), and then to go on to finish 5th in the marathon two days later in 1976 -- there are no words. |
#31
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: jay behrens
geez, how could I forget local homeboy, Winfield. Definately belongs on the short list. |
#32
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: DavidMcDonald
Any of you geniuses ever heard of Lionel Conacher? |
#33
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: warshawlaw
I agree that Marciano is underrated, but...Marciano is underrated for a very good reason, which is that he retired before his time because of financial irregularities with his management team (a pack of thieves, they stole so much that he quit rather than give them more money). Marciano also was a rather unpleasant person, a cheapskate and moocher. There was no one on the horizon to beat him for at least another 3-4 years, so he could readily have defended his title another 4-6 times, which would have put him way up there in my view. Notably absent from the discussion is Joe Louis, who defended the title a record 25 times. How about Gene Tunney, who had only 1 defeat early in his career as a light-heavyweight and retired with the title? He is way underrated. |
#34
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Adam J. Moraine
Bo Who?..... Bo Jackson? His football career flopped, he became "cool" during the hobby boom of the 1980's, with his "Bo knows" slogan. Then his baseball career flopped. Whatever happend to him?(retirement home, somewhere) Can't you get his 1987 Topps rookie card for like 25 cents or LESS? |
#35
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Max Weder
David |
#36
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Bryan
Over half the people on the board mention Bo as one of the greatest athletes and you spout off Bo who. Seriously get a clue. Do some research. Bo was a three sport star at Auburn; football (won the heisman trophy), baseball, and track. He would have been drafted number one by the Tampa Bay Bucs but was annoyed at them when they caused him to lose his eligability to play his senior year of baseball. He decided to play pro baseball after that. |
#37
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Scott Forrest
Generally there are bean fields near the corn fields, and also cows nearby. For fruit he could eat wild blackberries. |
#38
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Bryan
Come on, that guy was a self-promoter. If it wasn't for his mouth you would have never known he was on the field in the first place. And let's face it, cornerback isn't exactly the hardest position. |
#39
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Scott Elkins
In a post above - the fight where Marciano knocked Louis out of the ring through the ring ropes! Watching that fight from the old films certainly showed who the better boxer was between Marciano and Louis. Plus, Louis was given a few decisions b/c of his popularity (not my word, the word of someone who actually saw the fights). |
#40
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Peter_Spaeth
There is a reason they made those commercials. It was because Bo Jackson was, in fact, prior to his devastating injury, a truly remarkable athlete. Remember Buck O'Neal's hypnotic story in Ken Burns' baseball about hearing "that sound" (the magical sound of a bat striking a ball in a particularly compelling way) only three times in his life? Babe Ruth and Josh Gibson were two of the men who made "that sound." The third? Bo Jackson. Does anyone recall hearing Tony Kubek comment that Jackson because of his speed might well cause a reexamination of much of the "received wisdom" about baserunning? Can you imagine being a catcher and having Bo Jackson bearing down on you? Has anyone ever seen a running back who could get to the outside and turn the corner faster than Bo Jackson or anyone who, once he did, had as much pure open field speed? Who else has EVER played both baseball and football at such a high level. Thorpe was a minor league baseball player (so was Michael Jordan), and Deion Sanders (who does, in fairness, deserve mention) had potential but was not the force Jackson was. |
#41
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Scott Forrest
My choice of Sanders over Jackson is based on watching each play football and baseball, not their personalities. Sanders could play offense and defense, Jackson was a running back. Jackson certainly had more power as a hitter, but had a lower average and was a crummier fielder. I think if Sanders had put more energy into baseball and less into self-promotion (as previous poster noted), he could have been a much better player. But neither of these guys would make my top five "greatest athletes" list. |
#42
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Peter_Spaeth
Saying "Jackson was a running back" in a discussion of great athletes is like saying "Eisenhower was a general" in a discussion of great military figures. EDITED TO ADD: Somehow deleted my prior comment that Louis was way past his prime when he lost to Marciano, judging the two men by that fight is no more valid than saying Holmes beat Ali so must have been better. |
#43
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Richard
or even whether or not Bo belongs in the top atheletes list, but I do want to recount one simply ubelievable thing I saw Bo do on a highlight film: |
#44
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: DJ
Rocky ended his career undefeated and beating Ezzard Charles twice, while Louis had three losses under his belt including Charles and 'The Rock' of course. Louis should have had four but Billy Conn had to get a little too cute in my favorite fight. Louis was great but I would put a couple fighters ahead of him and he did in fact get some fights his way for who he was. |
#45
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Scott Forrest
Eisenhower WAS a general. |
#46
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Peter_Spaeth
Including a mix of categories. Bo Jackson (all around), Jim Thorpe (all around), Lance Armstrong (endurance athlete), Babe Ruth (baseball), Willie Mays (baseball -- deserves at least two places), Jim Brown (football, Michael Jordan (basketball), Jackie Joyner-Kersee (female; track and field), Carl Lewis (track and field), Pele (soccer -- world's most popular sport). |
#47
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: davidcycleback
Notable minor sport star is Eric Heiden (speed skating). He won and set Olymic records for all of the races in the 1980 Olympics. Not just all of the races he entered, but all of the races. In the sport, which particularly popular in Northern Europe and other places where it's really cold, this is considered a feat that may never be duplicated. This is because races are for both sprinters and long distance racers. After the Olympics Heiden switched to cycling, and was the US National Champion and raced in the Tour de France. |
#48
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Bryan
Certain comments made in the "looks whose coming to nationals" thread show no class. |
#49
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: Adam J. Moraine
Bryan, |
#50
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Greatest athlete of all-time
Posted By: DJ
Yeah, no one should be told 'to get a clue' based on an opinion on a topic. |
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