OT: TV debate on greatest athlete

So the women's final at Wimbledon starting and discussion whether Serena was the greatest athlete currently. The panel gave their top athletes. LeBron, Phelps, Usain Bolt, Some woman kick boxer, UConn basketball team. Of course no one mentioned Brady. Useless ESPN analysts. I was surprised because these weren't the typical ESPN hateful analysts. Oh well.

they have to clarify whether they mean best or most dominant at one sport

or the athlete that could have been the best at a diverse variety of sports

could deion have played bball? etc

They didnt clarify the discussion point very well. In terms of sheer excellence and dominance its tough to argue vs Serena. She's transcendent.

Brady>LeBron, Phelps, Bolt.

Brady v. Serena....different sports but there is nothing wrong with being equal in excellence and representing the sport the way it should be.

robertweathers said:

Brady>LeBron, Phelps, Bolt.

Brady v. Serena....different sports but there is nothing wrong with being equal in excellence and representing the sport the way it should be.

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I love Brady, but taking the field vs the world (Phelps) is something else entirely. While he does have advantages (as swimming is more of a team sport than you think), he just crushes every single swimmer with aspirations of being the best.

The scary thing is Brady is better than most football fans think (outside of NE nd probably many within).

RelocatedPatFan said:

I love Brady, but taking the field vs the world (Phelps) is something else entirely. While he does have advantages (as swimming is more of a team sport than you think), he just crushes every single swimmer with aspirations of being the best.

The scary thing is Brady is better than most football fans think (outside of NE nd probably many within).

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Y'know....at the time of my original post, I categorized Phelps as a dominant Olympian and really nothing more. After digging into his career, he also holds 39 (10 in relays) World Records and 61 first-place finishes in international competition. Clearly I haven't followed his career closely enough to have an educated opinion regarding how dominant and transcendent he really is/was.

Along with Serena, Phelps should be considered one of the most dominant athletes ever and being considered "greater" than Brady isn't anything for the Brady crowd to feel slighted about.

robertweathers said:

They didnt clarify the discussion point very well. In terms of sheer excellence and dominance its tough to argue vs Serena. She's transcendent.

Brady>LeBron, Phelps, Bolt.

Brady v. Serena....different sports but there is nothing wrong with being equal in excellence and representing the sport the way it should be.

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Brady is > Phelps? Interesting.

KontradictioN said:

Brady is > Phelps? Interesting.

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See my post above. I have a better perspective on what Phelps has accomplished and how truly dominant and transcendent he is.

Swimming is the only sport where you do virtually the same thing several different ways and get a medal for each. Four races of the same distance awarded Phelps four medals for using different strokes. If Carl Lewis got to run the 100m, then the 100m with his left arm behind his back, then the 100m with his right arm behind his back he would probably stack up many times more medals. There is a reason why those multiple gold records typically get earned by swimmers, before Phelps it was held by Mark Spitz for doing virtually the same thing. Being the most dominant swimmer of the Olympics and having a dozen medal earning events to do that thing over and over.

robertweathers said:

See my post above. I have a better perspective on what Phelps has accomplished and how truly dominant and transcendent he is.

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Ah, I gotcha. Didn't see that one.

Are you judging on performance or athletic ability? Although Brady is tall, he wins with preparation, mechanics, intelligence and sheer will. The zip and velocity Brady gets on his throws are not the result of a naturally strong arm. Brady certainly isn't a great athlete, but he's the best QB to ever play the game and does more with less athletic ability than anyone I can think of. He is in a class by himself.

Bobsyouruncle said:

Swimming is the only sport where you do virtually the same thing several different ways and get a medal for each. Four races of the same distance awarded Phelps four medals for using different strokes. If Carl Lewis got to run the 100m, then the 100m with his left arm behind his back, then the 100m with his right arm behind his back he would probably stack up many times more medals. There is a reason why those multiple gold records typically get earned by swimmers, before Phelps it was held by Mark Spitz for doing virtually the same thing. Being the most dominant swimmer of the Olympics and having a dozen medal earning events to do that thing over and over.

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Yes but you still need to execute and have the drive and talent to collect 39 World Records.

one of the soccer players probably.

Waiting for the National Cornhole Championship to finish on ESPN2 ...

Whomever wins will be the greatest athlete in the world ....

Seriously ... my vote goes to Serena Williams .... truly dominates her sport.

I think Felix Hernandez of the Mariners should at least have his name in the discussion.

Lionel Messi well the Barcelona Messi not the Argentina one

ArchAngel007 said:

Lionel Messi well the Barcelona Messi not the Argentina one

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I see what you did there ....
Love watching the Barcelona Messi ... the Argentina one is a nailbiter.

Brady is the greatest football player of all time, and Serena is not the greatest tennis player of all time. Brady> Serena

ArchAngel007 said:

Lionel Messi well the Barcelona Messi not the Argentina one

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Messi is unique.....best soccer player but not the best athlete in soccer.
If we are talking "most athletic", in the last decade I have it as a tossup between Lebron the Amish and Ronaldo. Both guys are so physically superior to their peers and both play in sports that incorporate all physical elements that I value when evaluating "greatest athlete"....speed, agility, strength, stamina, skill, mental ====>> dominance. These two tick all the boxes.......players like Brady, Woods, Phelps, as dominant as they are/were......are not complete athletes in my ranking system.
On the female side.....I've stood next to Serena before a US Open match....and I was scared. Because she could physically crush me and most of the male species, I give her Greatest Female Athlete designation and I quietly exit.

borg said:

Messi is unique.....best soccer player but not the best athlete in soccer.
If we are talking "most athletic", in the last decade I have it as a tossup between Lebron the Amish and Ronaldo. Both guys are so physically superior to their peers and both play in sports that incorporate all physical elements that I value when evaluating "greatest athlete"....speed, agility, strength, stamina, skill, mental ====>> dominance. These two tick all the boxes.......players like Brady, Woods, Phelps, as dominant as they are/were......are not complete athletes in my ranking system.
On the female side.....I've stood next to Serena before a US Open match....and I was scared. Because she could physically crush me and most of the male species, I give her Greatest Female Athlete designation and I quietly exit.

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Lebron has mental toughness? You must be speaking of a different lebron, the one that plays in Cleveland has mentally crumbled repeatedly in the face of adversity in the playoffs. Hell, he had to get a kiss from his mommy on the bench after getting a boooo on a rough play at the rim this past nba finals...

If we're talking sportsman/woman rather than athlete (as in athletic) then it's probably Aussie cricketer Don Bradman. I'd also suggest Jack Nicklaus and cyclist Eddie Merckx have good cases to be top 10 at least.

If they had included any football player there then Id think this was a slight but since they didn't I'm not concerned. And lets be honest, while Brady is the greatest at what he does his athleticism isn't exactly world class. He isn't, and has never been, a superb athlete.