Greatest Sportspersons/athletes of All Time

[nightprowler10]

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Was there an image here? I got nothing.

 

[Ali TT]

I think you could argue it's happened with team v team sports too. There is now so much analysis that teams/individuals play in such formulaic manners. This was seemingly highlighted by a patch of rugby doing the rounds on social media from the weekend with each team kicking it back to the other for about 2 mins, neither willing to hand over territorial advantage or risk running it from the back.....coz the percentages say you must play a certain way.

Tennis analysts will tell you which shot you should play from each corner of the court against certain players. Squash was probably about the first to this spot because of the nature of the game. I agree, you can marvel at the skill to keep on hitting it back down the walls, but it ain't a great watch.

I can see how that affects professional team sports but less so the competitiveness at amateur level, although I've not had any involvement in competitive team sports for a long time.

From what I've seen of analytics in rugby, I often wonder if Peter Moores has infiltrated the game with his ****ing spreadsheets.

 

[peterhrt]

Just did a random search on greatest sportsmen.

L'Equipe 1999. Bradman 77th. Pele first.
Associated Press 1999. Bradman not in Top 100. Babe Ruth first.
Independent 1999. Bradman 3rd. Ali first.
The Roar (Australia) 2013. Bradman included in Top 20 (no order).
Huff Sport 2016. Pele first. "Has to be from a global sport."
Sport Bible 2020. Bradman 22nd. Ali first.
The Athletic Build 2022. Bradman 47th. Bo Jackson first. "Most Americans know nothing about the sport of Cricket so I am sure you have never heard of him but Sir Don Bradman was an Australian cricketer who is widely regarded as the greatest batsman of all time. He played for Australia in Test matches from 1928 to 1948 and compiled a batting average of 99.94, which is still a world record."
World in Sport 2022. Bradman not included in Top 10. Jordan first.
Give Me Sport 2023. Bradman 29th. Jordan first.

 

[Skipper Pup]

MMA: Silva

Jon Jones > Silva

 

[capt_Luffy]

Just did a random search on greatest sportsmen.

L'Equipe 1999. Bradman 77th. Pele first.
Associated Press 1999. Bradman not in Top 100. Babe Ruth first.
Independent 1999. Bradman 3rd. Ali first.
The Roar (Australia) 2013. Bradman included in Top 20 (no order).
Huff Sport 2016. Pele first. "Has to be from a global sport."
Sport Bible 2020. Bradman 22nd. Ali first.
The Athletic Build 2022. Bradman 47th. Bo Jackson first. "Most Americans know nothing about the sport of Cricket so I am sure you have never heard of him but Sir Don Bradman was an Australian cricketer who is widely regarded as the greatest batsman of all time. He played for Australia in Test matches from 1928 to 1948 and compiled a batting average of 99.94, which is still a world record."
World in Sport 2022. Bradman not included in Top 10. Jordan first.
Give Me Sport 2023. Bradman 29th. Jordan first.

On terms of popularity, I have noticed that Virat Kohli is now comfortably the most popular cricketer in the world; especially in countries where cricket is not played. Him being good in ODIs and T20s (shorter formats), having a massive Social media following and being the only cricketer consistently in the Forbes 100 might be a big contributing factor to that. Have heard in several YT videos, Americans calling him the GOAT of cricket (as they literally don't know anyone else). It's particularly funny considering a genuine GOAT contender in Bradman's absence is literally an ex- Prime minister and main opposition leader of the world's 6th most populated country.....
Though I must say, with total respect to Babe Ruth, him ranking first on a sportsmen GOAT list, in which Bradman isn't even present, just goes to show how much ignorance some writers have. I am pretty curious, those any of the mentioned lists is made by some reputed sports historian; or they're just made by average sports journalists?
(Just took a look at the Independent 1999 article as it ranked Don the highest; and alongside him, Sobers also got a high ranking (13) and I also saw Jack Hobbs and Viv Richards in the list. Apparently, the editor, Richard Williams, was British which somehow totally explains how only Babe Ruth is present from Baseball and that too, at 40.)

 

[Burgey]

Looking at a top sportsperson’s impact while they’ve been competing, it’s pretty hard to go past Ali isn’t it? Completely transcended sport and was simultaneously a significant player in the US civil rights movement, even if he may not have meant to be to the extent he was.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Looking at a top sportsperson’s impact while they’ve been competing, it’s pretty hard to go past Ali isn’t it? Completely transcended sport and was simultaneously a significant player in the US civil rights movement, even if he may not have meant to be to the extent he was.

Yeah, on outside sports impact I could think of only Pelè competing with Ali; due to his immense popularity and impact on the 3rd World countries, as giving them a hope and idol. Heck, when he visited Nigeria, the Nigerian Civil War declared a truce for 2 days.... So yeah, it's either Ali or Pelè.

 

[Silver Silva]

Novak Djokovic has to get a mention.

 

[peterhrt]

It's particularly funny considering a genuine GOAT contender in Bradman's absence is literally an ex- Prime minister and main opposition leader of the world's 6th most populated country.....

Bradman actually played 50 matches in North America with an Australian touring side in 1932, scoring 3765 runs at an average of 101. So they should have known something about him there.

Had the lists been compiled in China or Russia or Brazil, he probably would not have been mentioned at all.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Bradman actually played 50 matches in North America with an Australian touring side in 1932, scoring 3765 runs at an average of 101. So they should have known something about him there.

Had the lists been compiled in China or Russia or Brazil, he probably would not have been mentioned at all.

Yeah, I have read about that trip in an American article titled "When Ruth met the Ruth of cricket" or something. Apparently, Arthur Mailey arranged that tour. One thing to definitely keep in mind is that the tour happened in the 30s, reasonably well beyond public conscious, especially considering neither Don nor Cricket ever really got that popular there. Now on the age of Social media, it sounds fair they would hear about VK due to his big fan following and somewhat to be expected of them to be repulsed by a 5 days long sport in favour of LO.
And on similar grounds, had the list being compiled in India or Pakistan, MJ might had the recognition only because how on the face US culture is in here; and I for myself lacks knowledge in American/Australian football and Rugby.

 

[Daemon]

Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok
Magnus Carlson
Scaly_piscine

 

[Molehill]

Looking at a top sportsperson’s impact while they’ve been competing, it’s pretty hard to go past Ali isn’t it? Completely transcended sport and was simultaneously a significant player in the US civil rights movement, even if he may not have meant to be to the extent he was.

I'm sure he generally tops all polls as top sportsman of all time, for as you suggest, a number of reasons.

 

[capt_Luffy]

I'm sure he generally tops all polls as top sportsman of all time, for as you suggest, a number of reasons.

Though a very good case can be made for Ali not really being the greatest boxer, ignoring things out of the sport's field. Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and even Floyd Mayweather; all have a strong case for that title, especially the first two. I think Ali outside of the rink is what really separates him.

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Scaly_piscine

Nigel Richards legitimately has a shout if we're including Scrabble.

 

[social]

Cycling: Merckx

Got done for drugs 3 times

Armstrong is arguably a better cyclist and definitely a better doper

 

[Molehill]

Got done for drugs 3 times

Armstrong is arguably a better cyclist and definitely a better doper

Maybe we should have a thread about the best dopers in history?

Ben Johnson, all East German women in the 1980's, half (being kind) of the Tour de France winners of the last 50 years etc etc.

 

[social]

Maybe we should have a thread about the best dopers in history?

Ben Johnson, all East German women in the 1980's, half (being kind) of the Tour de France winners of the last 50 years etc etc.

Ex gf was with the Australian Institute of Sport some time ago

Told me that virtually every WC athlete was on the gear back in the day

The Johnson 100m is a case in point with almost every runner being done at some point

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Maybe we should have a thread about the best dopers in history?

Fed and Djoko already been mentioned

 

[Ali TT]

Though a very good case can be made for Ali not really being the greatest boxer, ignoring things out of the sport's field. Rocky Marciano, Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson and even Floyd Mayweather; all have a strong case for that title, especially the first two. I think Ali outside of the rink is what really separates him.

I think Ali is the best heavyweight, certainly pre-prison. Certainly Marciano's record has a few questions over it

 

[capt_Luffy]

I think Ali is the best heavyweight, certainly pre-prison. Certainly Marciano's record has a few questions over it

And Joe Louis? I always thought Joe Louis could actually be superior Ali. For once, no one allegedly has ever punched as hard as him.