Best Sportsman in the world?

[Pothas]

I suppose shucmacher has too be included im just very glad too see his dominance is over and i dont think he is clearly the greatest im sure people like senna and jim clarke were just as fast if not faster. He also fails too capture the imgination outsdie the car which too be the greatest i think you might have too do that but of course as proving a sportsman that doesnt have any real basis.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Andreas Thorkildsen

*smooch*

My - very Northern-Europe-centric - opinion, in order:

1) Eric Heiden - for sheer all-round ability. He won five Olympic golds in speed skating - from 500 m to 10,000 m. If he had bothered, and speed skating was a bigger sport in America, he might have won 13-15 golds and 10 World Championships. He was so far ahead.
2) Eddy Merckx - same reason as Heiden. He won everything he turned up in, almost.
3) Lance Armstrong - Merckx edges him on amount of wins.
4) Don Bradman - legend
5) Gary Sobers - legend
6) Mark Spitz - seven golds in the same Olympics...only reason that doesn't get ranked as highly as Heiden is because Spitz competed on distances with less variety
7) Aleksandr Karelin - wrestler (of the Olympic sort), and IIRC won everything from 1988 to 2000 as heavyweight wrestler.
8) Pelé - footballing legend. Maradona might rank higher for talent, but Pelé almost never disappointed
9) Paavo Nurmi - the first great runner. Only one to come up to his gold-haul is Haile Gebrselassie, and he never won 1500.
10)Bjørn Dæhlie - cross country skier, who won nine Olympic golds - he will probably be the last "all-rounder" in skiing. Ten years of winning everything. Plus, I need a Norwegian.

 

[Langeveldt]

Disagree.
Lance Amstrong is definately up there but on what basis do you rate Bradman so highly, given that Sobers was the best CRICKETER ever to play the game ?
And Pele, muhammad Ali were far higher than Lomu or Warney or Schumi.

And i used to follow motor sports avidly and by almost unequivocal agreement in the F1 community, Ayerton Senna was the best F1 driver in the history of the sport.
Schumi battles with Jim Clarke for second best.

I would say overall, the best sportsman ever is between Pele, Mohammad Ali, Sobers, Lance Armstrong, Senna, Larissa Latyusina ( sp?) and Carl Lewis.

Bradman averaged about 30 more than the next best batsman in the history of the game (Barry Richards).. Thats like having an extra batsman more than the best batsman in the world, his dominance will never be seen again in cricket.. And although he didnt bowl, and is probably on a par with Sobers, its a tough call to say Sobers was better

 

[David]

That's where I stopped reading ^^

I skimmed through the next page to have a look at how many posts there were.

Anyway, you come into OT into a thread where people list their own personal views about great sportsmen and then try and argue with them that they're wrong?

Then when I tell you my views I get told that I'm being biased towards Australia, basing it soleley on one post which almost every other member of this forum would agree with. Hate to say it mate, but it's quite clear you're the one who's being prejudiced and it's against Australians. You have absolutely no right to stereotype people like that, your comment was not necessary at all.

This is the reason I stay out of Cricket Chat...

The beautiful part of it all was that the post he replied to originally saying Bradman was great wasn't even by an Aussie. In complete agreement with you there Andrew. It was the mug above me

 

[Langeveldt]

Allan Donald

Yes! Piper delivers again.. I actually think AAD would get in on merit (even though I am obsessed with him).. I've never seen a more destructive and consistantly fast pace bowler.. I think if he stopped when he should have done in 2002/3 he would have been considered one of the greatest fast bowlers ever to have lived rather than someone who went on a bit too long.. Although there are guys such as Marshall and Thomson with better records

 

[David]

Some forum members will regard this with glee but I'm a bit of a tunnel vision supporter of Australia, not really following the players from other teams, with a few exceptions. Would have liked to have seen more of Donald though.

 

[PommieMacGill]

Kenta Kobashi.

 

[Magrat Garlick]

Kenta Kobashi.

That's almost as obscure as my speed skaters. What on earth does he do?

 

[Langeveldt]

Some forum members will regard this with glee but I'm a bit of a tunnel vision supporter of Australia, not really following the players from other teams, with a few exceptions. Would have liked to have seen more of Donald though.

I don't think Donald would have made a bad Aussie...

 

[Sanz]

DhyanChand - Greatest Hockey player ever.
Bradman - Greates cricketer ever
Carl Lewis - Greatest Athlete ever

 

[Jamee999]

That's almost as obscure as my speed skaters. What on earth does he do?

He's an actor.

 

[Langeveldt]

playing devils advocate here, but how about The Rock? I know most of WWE is staged, but as far as all round athletes go he must be hard to beat..

 

[Langeveldt]

THE WOLF MAN must be hard to beat

 

[Pothas]

i remember him I seem too remember he got beaten on a regular basis. who was the one that got banned for steroids?

 

[Langeveldt]

i remember him I seem too remember he got beaten on a regular basis. who was the one that got banned for steroids?

Gentlemen, are you readddyy...
Ladies, are you readdy...

Absolutely brilliant, I expect the nutter was on more than steroids.. He was probably skittling out of every ear..

 

[David]

DhyanChand - Greatest Hockey player ever

Ric Charlesworth?

 

[Scaly piscine]

i remember him I seem too remember he got beaten on a regular basis. who was the one that got banned for steroids?

Shadow I think, the one that was virtually unbeatable on 'duel'.

 

[David]

Actually I'd have to say Ric was one of the best sportsmen in the world.

Captained Australia in Hockey, Captained WA in cricket, coached the Hockeyroo's in their golden years ('93-2000), federal member for parliament, and a doctor in medicine to boot. All in all a rather impressive character.

 

[C_C]

Bradman averaged about 30 more than the next best batsman in the history of the game (Barry Richards).. Thats like having an extra batsman more than the best batsman in the world, his dominance will never be seen again in cricket.. And although he didnt bowl, and is probably on a par with Sobers, its a tough call to say Sobers was better

Its pretty easy to say Sobers was a better cricketer, simply because he impacted and mastered far more aspects of cricket than Braddles did.
Sobers easily over Bradman when it comes to being a cricketer, just as Imran Khan easily over Viv when it comes to being a cricketer.

 

[Sanz]

Ric Charlesworth?

Dhyanchand is the Bradman of Field Hockey.