Athlete Of The Century

[Busyman]

I listen to ESPN Radio all day at work and they were batting around their top 5 athletes of the past 25 years.

I figured to put it as the century.

Mine is Michael Jordan.

Even if one didn't like basketball (I sure didn't), to watch what he did was just simply amazing. Watching him actually made me start playing b-ball when I previously and absolutely hated it.

He showed finesse, leadership, undeniable talent, and charisma.

The sport itself allows you to see such things.

There is no helmet, no large arena, nor a better showcase of team and indivdual skills that would have allowed us to really see an athlete of this stature.

He da man. ;)

[user123]

:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Yep, he gets my vote :D

The man quite simply defied gravity at times ;)

A true genius of the game :D

A just don't know enough superlatives to do him justice ;)

[guit_steel]

Chamberlain...Russell....Irving.....Johnson.....Bird???

Sorry, not quite convinced Jordon was the top basketball player, let alone the top athlete. ;)

My pick would probably be someone whose excellence wasn't confined to a single sport. I'd have to give it a bit of thought, but my early short list would include folks like Jim Thorpe, Babe Didrikson, and Jackie Robinson.

[BigBank_Hank]

I think that Bo Jackson has to be up there. He was an amazing two-sport athlete in baseball and football. He was one of the most athletic players that I’ve ever seen play the game. If it wouldn’t have been for his injury I think that he would have been breaking all sorts of records in both sports.

[Busyman]

Originally posted by guit_steel@11 June 2004 - 07:35
Chamberlain...Russell....Irving.....Johnson.....Bird???

Sorry, not quite convinced Jordon was the top basketball player, let alone the top athlete. ;)

My pick would probably be someone whose excellence wasn't confined to a single sport. I'd have to give it a bit of thought, but my early short list would include folks like Jim Thorpe, Babe Didrikson, and Jackie Robinson.
Chamberlain - horrible free throw shooter

Russell, Johnson, Bird - their respective teammates were too good. Jordan overshadows their individual performances.

Irving - Didn't bring his team to enough championships

I don't know what you mean about a single sport unless...

@Hank - very good pick.... Bo Jackson

[soopaman]

Don Bradman

Michael Jordan

Jack Nicklaus

Cassius Clay

Pele

Bjorn Borg

Michael Schumacher


The list could go on and on :lol: but if i was pressed I'd have to go with Michael Jordan. The finest player of his day, I watch a lot of sport and Jordan played Basketball better than Borg played Tennis, Pele played Football, etc. The ultimate exponent of his art.

[blitz]

Michael Jordon

Wayne Gretzky

Muhammad Ali

Walter Payton

Pete Sampras


...............I only like certain sports :rolleyes: :P

[3rd gen noob]

Michael Schumacher

[Busyman]

Originally posted by soopaman@11 June 2004 - 17:57
I watch a lot of sport and Jordan played Basketball better than Borg played Tennis, Pele played Football, etc. The ultimate exponent of his art.
I never thought of it that way.

[volskid2002]

Hank Aaron

[brenda]

Daley Thompson

plus Daley Thompson's Decathlon on the ZX Spectrum was the best :D

[Busyman]

Originally posted by brenda@12 June 2004 - 12:11
Daley Thompson

plus Daley Thompson's Decathlon on the ZX Spectrum was the best :D
:huh: of the century?

Who's Daley?

[brenda]

Originally posted by Busyman+12 June 2004 - 16:20--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Busyman @ 12 June 2004 - 16:20)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-brenda@12 June 2004 - 12:11
Daley Thompson

plus Daley Thompson&#39;s Decathlon on the ZX Spectrum was the best&nbsp; :D
:huh: of the century?

Who&#39;s Daley? [/b][/quote]
http://img47.photobucket.com/albums/v143/brendastarr/daleythompsonsdecathlon1.jpg

[Busyman]

Originally posted by brenda+12 June 2004 - 12:30--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (brenda @ 12 June 2004 - 12:30)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by Busyman@12 June 2004 - 16:20
<!--QuoteBegin-brenda@12 June 2004 - 12:11
Daley Thompson

plus Daley Thompson&#39;s Decathlon on the ZX Spectrum was the best :D
:huh: of the century?

Who&#39;s Daley?
http://img47.photobucket.com/albums/v143/brendastarr/daleythompsonsdecathlon1.jpg [/b][/quote]
<_<

[yonki]

Originally posted by Busyman+12 June 2004 - 09:21--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Busyman &#064; 12 June 2004 - 09:21)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteBegin-soopaman@11 June 2004 - 17:57
I watch a lot of sport and Jordan played Basketball better than Borg played Tennis, Pele played Football, etc. The ultimate exponent of his art.
I never thought of it that way.[/b][/quote]
If you think of it that way then Sir Don Bradman is the best.

In the world of sport, there occasionally comes a being of superlative skill, whose exploits in the game define him or her as even greater than the great players. Michael Jordan in basketball and boxer Muhammad Ali were two of that mould, breaking through the supposed boundaries of their sport. In the world of cricket, Don Bradman was such a man. At the end of the twentieth century, just over a year before the great mans death, nobody playing the game had got within spitting distance of his unparalleled batting record. He averaged 99.94 in all Test Matches the five-day form of the game that is regarded as the most demanding. Compare his average to the best of the rest, who hover around the 50-60 mark. There can be little doubt that these others were, and according to those still playing, are, truly great players. Realising that Bradmans Test average is nearly twice their average gives you some idea of the phenomenon that was The Don.

[BILLY-THE-FISH]

Originally posted by brenda@12 June 2004 - 15:11
Daley Thompson

plus Daley Thompson&#39;s Decathlon on the ZX Spectrum was the best :D
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Yeah was a Cracking game&#33;&#33;

[-Archwolf-]

Johan Cruijff

[Busyman]

Originally posted by &#045;Archwolf&#045;@13 June 2004 - 18:02
Johan Cruijff
Once again.

Who is...........Johan Cruijff?

....of the century? :blink:

[BILLY-THE-FISH]

Steven Redgrave&#33;&#33;
How can you beat 5 Olympic Medals at the same event at 5 consecutive Olympics&#33; :o

[jetje]

Mark Spitz, Eric Heyden.. 5 golds in one olympics ;)

Although the best athlete already was chosen. She died not so long ago.

best female athlete of 20th century dies
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands -- Fanny Blankers-Koen, who won a record four gold medals in track and field for the Netherlands at the 1948 Olympics, died at the age of 85.

The International Association of Athletics Federations, which in 1999 honored her as the best female athlete of the 20th century, announced her death on its Web site.

source ESPN (http://espn.go.com/classic/obit/s/2004/0125/1718154.html)

[chalice]

Ali boom ba ya.

[-Archwolf-]

Originally posted by Busyman+13 June 2004 - 22:21--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Busyman @ 13 June 2004 - 22:21)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-&#045;Archwolf&#045;@13 June 2004 - 18:02
Johan Cruijff
Once again.

Who is...........Johan Cruijff?

....of the century? :blink: [/b][/quote]
You don&#39;t know who Johan Cruijff is :blink: :blink: :blink:

[Busyman]

Originally posted by &#045;Archwolf&#045;+14 June 2004 - 08:38--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (-Archwolf- @ 14 June 2004 - 08:38)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by Busyman@13 June 2004 - 22:21
<!--QuoteBegin-&#045;Archwolf&#045;@13 June 2004 - 18:02
Johan Cruijff
Once again.

Who is...........Johan Cruijff?

....of the century? :blink:
You don&#39;t know who Johan Cruijff is :blink: :blink: :blink: [/b][/quote]
Obviously not. :blink:

The "Who is...........Johan Cruijff?" didn&#39;t give it away? <_<

The first 2 two pages of a Google search aren&#39;t even in English.

I take it from his website Cruijff.com that he is a soccer player.

[-Archwolf-]

Johan Cruijff is compared with Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and that sort of football players

[BILLY-THE-FISH]

Originally posted by jetje@14 June 2004 - 07:09
Mark Spitz, Eric Heyden.. 5 golds in one olympics ;)


Are you telling me that its easier to win 5 golds at one Olympics than it is to win 5 in 5 Olympics (i.e.over 20 years at the top&#33;&#33;&#33;)?

No Way&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33; :o

[jetje]

Steven Redgrave didn&#39;t do it on his own strength he did compete in boats where other rowers were in... so basicly yes i think 5 individual medals is a bigger achievement. Although i agree if you can stay 2 decades competing on toplevel you achieve something great. I guess it&#39;s very hard to compare ;)

:)

[BILLY-THE-FISH]

Originally posted by jetje@14 June 2004 - 20:06
Steven Redgrave didn&#39;t do it on his own strength he did compete in boats where other rowers were in... so basicly yes i think 5 individual medals is a bigger achievement. Although i agree if you can stay 2 decades competing on toplevel you achieve something great. I guess it&#39;s very hard to compare ;)

:)
True.... he wasn&#39;t on his own&#33; like you say hard to compare&#33;

Anyway most athletes are on Drugs&#33;&#33; :lol: :lol: Or we will find out that they were in a few years time that they were... :lol: :lol:

[GepperRankins]

athlete..... i dunno

but no-one in any sport dominates as much as micheal schumacher <_<

[Busyman]

Originally posted by GepperRankins@16 June 2004 - 07:36
athlete..... i dunno

but no-one in any sport dominates as much as micheal schumacher <_<
Car Racing?

That&#39;s like saying a video game player is athlete of the century. :lol: :lol:

[GepperRankins]

Originally posted by Busyman+16 June 2004 - 11:41--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Busyman @ 16 June 2004 - 11:41)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-GepperRankins@16 June 2004 - 07:36
athlete..... i dunno

but no-one in any sport dominates as much as micheal schumacher <_<
Car Racing?

That&#39;s like saying a video game player is athlete of the century. :lol: :lol: [/b][/quote]
outside america the tracks are challenging. you need to be pretty tough to race round those tracks for over an hour

[manker]

Originally posted by GepperRankins+16 June 2004 - 11:49--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (GepperRankins @ 16 June 2004 - 11:49)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by Busyman@16 June 2004 - 11:41
<!--QuoteBegin-GepperRankins@16 June 2004 - 07:36
athlete..... i dunno

but no-one in any sport dominates as much as micheal schumacher <_<
Car Racing?

That&#39;s like saying a video game player is athlete of the century. :lol: :lol:
outside america the tracks are challenging. you need to be pretty tough to race round those tracks for over an hour [/b][/quote]
Oh be quiet, the amount of physical training a F1 driver does compared with an athlete such as a swimmer, rugby player or a boxer is miniscule.

Besides, it&#39;s all about the car. If you put Schumacher in a Minardi and Zsolt Baumgartner in a Ferrari then Mr Baumgartner would quickly develop a taste for podium champagne and schumey wouldn&#39;t be getting quite so many accolades from people who like watching cars go fast :rolleyes:

[GepperRankins]

he&#39;d still come close. you knows it. i dont think the ferarri is the reasons why he always has a huge lead over everyone.

and believe me the drivers have to be fit

[-Archwolf-]

Originally posted by manker+16 June 2004 - 12:05--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (manker @ 16 June 2004 - 12:05)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by GepperRankins@16 June 2004 - 11:49

Originally posted by Busyman@16 June 2004 - 11:41
<!--QuoteBegin-GepperRankins@16 June 2004 - 07:36
athlete..... i dunno

but no-one in any sport dominates as much as micheal schumacher <_<
Car Racing?

That&#39;s like saying a video game player is athlete of the century. :lol: :lol:
outside america the tracks are challenging. you need to be pretty tough to race round those tracks for over an hour
Oh be quiet, the amount of physical training a F1 driver does compared with an athlete such as a swimmer, rugby player or a boxer is miniscule.

Besides, it&#39;s all about the car. If you put Schumacher in a Minardi and Zsolt Baumgartner in a Ferrari then Mr Baumgartner would quickly develop a taste for podium champagne and schumey wouldn&#39;t be getting quite so many accolades from people who like watching cars go fast :rolleyes: [/b][/quote]
You could be wrong there

A resemblance to F1

Valentino "The Doctor" Rossi drove the superior Honda RC211V last year in Motogp and seemed untouchable in 2003 and there for winning the 2003 world title. But then he decided to leave Honda and join the slower Yamaha team and this season he showed he can win even in a slower bike. By winning 3 of the 5 races.

And therefore it doesn&#39;t all come down to the bike/car


Put Schumacher in a BAR/Renault/Mclaren/Williams

Then he would still dominate F1



B) Archwolf (Big Bike/Car sports fan)

[manker]

Originally posted by GepperRankins@16 June 2004 - 12:17
he&#39;d still come close. you knows it. i dont think the ferarri is the reasons why he always has a huge lead over everyone.

and believe me the drivers have to be fit
Yes, I know they have to be fit. considerably fitter than my dad but definitely not as fit as a mediocre 1500 metre runner, therefore schumacher cannot be a candidate for athlete of the century ;)

Wrt a Ferrari drive. I do believe it&#39;s boosted Barrichello&#39;s career - how was he getting on before Ferrari took him on? also Eddie Irvine&#39;s points tally took a tumble when driving for Jordan after leaving Ferrari. My point is that throughout his career at Ferrari, Schumacher has an advantage of a varying degree over every other driver. He is very good but the statistics flatter him.

[-Archwolf-]

Originally posted by manker+16 June 2004 - 12:37--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (manker @ 16 June 2004 - 12:37)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-GepperRankins@16 June 2004 - 12:17
he&#39;d still come close. you knows it. i dont think the ferarri is the reasons why he always has a huge lead over everyone.

and believe me the drivers have to be fit
Yes, I know they have to be fit. considerably fitter than my dad but definitely not as fit as a mediocre 1500 metre runner, therefore schumacher cannot be a candidate for athlete of the century ;)

Wrt a Ferrari drive. I do believe it&#39;s boosted Barrichello&#39;s career - how was he getting on before Ferrari took him on? also Eddie Irvine&#39;s points tally took a tumble when driving for Jordan after leaving Ferrari. My point is that throughout his career at Ferrari, Schumacher has an advantage of a varying degree over every other driver. He is very good but the statistics flatter him. [/b][/quote]
Irvine went to Jaguar after his career at Ferrari ;)

[manker]

Originally posted by &#045;Archwolf&#045;@16 June 2004 - 12:28
You could be wrong there

A resemblance to F1

Valentino "The Doctor" Rossi drove the superior Honda RC211V last year in Motogp and seemed untouchable in 2003 and there for winning the 2003 world title. But then he decided to leave Honda and join the slower Yamaha team and this season he showed he can win even in a slower bike. By winning 3 of the 5 races.

And therefore it doesn&#39;t all come down to the bike/car


Put Schumacher in a BAR/Renault/Mclaren/Williams

Then he would still dominate F1



B) Archwolf (Big Bike/Car sports fan)
I&#39;m not wrong.

I deliberately said Minardi. not even Michael the Great can make up the difference when a car goes 2 seconds a lap slower :P

Schumacher is the best driver and it would have been open to debate if I&#39;d said he wouldn&#39;t win the F1 championship in a Williams. but I didnt. lol

[manker]

Originally posted by &#045;Archwolf&#045;@16 June 2004 - 12:40
Irvine went to Jaguar after his career at Ferrari ;)
haha you&#39;re right but thats just nitpicking.

my point still stands. Irvine got considerably less points at jaguar the season after he left ferrari.

[-Archwolf-]

that&#39;s true but eddie was never top driver with only four wins. and Jaguar was never a top team/sub-top team

[manker]

Originally posted by &#045;Archwolf&#045;@16 June 2004 - 12:44
Jaguar was never a top team/sub-top team

You&#39;ve just agreed with my assertion that it&#39;s more to do with the car rather than the driver&#39;s skills :D

[-Archwolf-]

No I didn&#39;t mean it like that

off course schumacher won&#39;t win in a minardi, but if you give him a bit help by giving him BAR/Renault/Mclaren/Williams he would dominate

[manker]

Originally posted by &#045;Archwolf&#045;@16 June 2004 - 13:00
but if you give him a bit help by giving him BAR/Renault/Mclaren/Williams

a bit of help??

You&#39;ve just agreed with my assertion that it&#39;s more to do with the car rather than the driver&#39;s skills :D

[soopaman]

Originally posted by yonki+13 June 2004 - 21:04--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (yonki &#064; 13 June 2004 - 21:04)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Originally posted by Busyman@12 June 2004 - 09:21
<!--QuoteBegin-soopaman@11 June 2004 - 17:57
I watch a lot of sport and Jordan played Basketball better than Borg played Tennis, Pele played Football, etc. The ultimate exponent of his art.
I never thought of it that way.
If you think of it that way then Sir Don Bradman is the best.

In the world of sport, there occasionally comes a being of superlative skill, whose exploits in the game define him or her as even greater than the great players. Michael Jordan in basketball and boxer Muhammad Ali were two of that mould, breaking through the supposed boundaries of their sport. In the world of cricket, Don Bradman was such a man. At the end of the twentieth century, just over a year before the great mans death, nobody playing the game had got within spitting distance of his unparalleled batting record. He averaged 99.94 in all Test Matches the five-day form of the game that is regarded as the most demanding. Compare his average to the best of the rest, who hover around the 50-60 mark. There can be little doubt that these others were, and according to those still playing, are, truly great players. Realising that Bradmans Test average is nearly twice their average gives you some idea of the phenomenon that was The Don.[/b][/quote]

I&#39;m positive that I mentioned Don Bradman in my list&#33;&#33;

You make a fairly good point about Bradman being the best Cricketer but as for best athlete (which is the original question) he in no way is as athletic as Jordan or Clay. Did Bradman change the way Cricket is played - No&#33;&#33; Jordan changed the face of Basketball with his transition style and aerial moves. Clay never changed the way people Box. Jordans influence will be felt in Basketball far longer than Bradmans at Cricket.

[Busyman]

To me athlete of the century has to be athletic not just the best a particular sport. My pick of Jordan is not merely because I like basketball.

Race care drivers..not very athletic

Baseball players....if they have dominated let&#39;s say more than one defensive position in addition to offense. Otherwise they are a one trick pony.

[chalice]

Originally posted by Busyman@18 June 2004 - 04:48
To me athlete of the century has to be athletic not just the best a particular sport. My pick of Jordan is not merely because I like basketball.

Race care drivers..not very athletic

Baseball players....if they have dominated let&#39;s say more than one defensive position in addition to offense. Otherwise they are a one trick pony.
This is why I chose Mohammed Ali.

Outside of being the most charismatic and clever boxer I&#39;ve ever seen, he was a poet, wit, social reactionary and generous to a fault. He transcended his sport.

[soopaman]

Originally posted by chalice+18 June 2004 - 09:32--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (chalice @ 18 June 2004 - 09:32)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Busyman@18 June 2004 - 04:48
To me athlete of the century has to be athletic not just the best a particular sport. My pick of Jordan is not merely because I like basketball.

Race care drivers..not very athletic

Baseball players....if they have dominated let&#39;s say more than one defensive position in addition to offense. Otherwise they are a one trick pony.
This is why I chose Mohammed Ali.

Outside of being the most charismatic and clever boxer I&#39;ve ever seen, he was a poet, wit, social reactionary and generous to a fault. He transcended his sport. [/b][/quote]

It wasn&#39;t very clever fighting Larry Holmes&#33;&#33;&#33; ;) :lol:

[Barbarossa]

Originally posted by soopaman@17 June 2004 - 20:52
You make a fairly good point about Bradman being the best Cricketer but as for best athlete (which is the original question) he in no way is as athletic as Jordan or Clay. Did Bradman change the way Cricket is played - No&#33;&#33; Jordan changed the face of Basketball with his transition style and aerial moves. Clay never changed the way people Box. Jordans influence will be felt in Basketball far longer than Bradmans at Cricket.
I wouldn&#39;t say Bradman was the best cricketer of all time, however I would say he was the best batsman of all time.

To get the best cricketer of all time presumably you&#39;d have to look for an all-rounder, i.e. someone who can bat, bowl and field well, names like Garfield Sobers, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, etc, spring to mind..

It&#39;s kind of a microcosm of the same argument as who is the best athlete of all time really&#33; :)

[Barbarossa]

Originally posted by chalice@18 June 2004 - 08:32

Outside of being the most charismatic and clever boxer I&#39;ve ever seen, he was a poet, wit, social reactionary and generous to a fault. He transcended his sport.
Frank Bruno has transcended his sport, however that does not make him a great athlete... :blink:

[BILLY-THE-FISH]

Originally posted by GepperRankins@16 June 2004 - 10:36
athlete..... i dunno

but no-one in any sport dominates as much as micheal schumacher <_<
I beg to differ...

Phil Taylor has Won the World Darts championship for 11 of the last 14 years&#33;&#33;&#33;&#33;
Shuey can&#39;t quite beat that.... yet :D

[wienerschnitzel]

Lance Armstrong is also a good athlete. Most athletes stop playing when they get sick. Lance Armstrong somehow got even better. He is a great athlete and an American hero.

Jeanette Lee - She is really good at pool (#1 in the wpba) and she is really hot.