OT: top 10 athletes in recent history

[RobertWeathers]

View attachment 13776

The 1956 US Olympic team officials wanted him to compete in the high and long jump but the hoops coach said no as he wanted him rested and didn't want him to get hurt. He also didn't think it was fair to the other players.

Incredible athlete.

 

[RobertWeathers]

Finally. I can't believe it took 35 posts before the true number one was mentioned.

Not many people know what I posted above. Might be the reason.

 

[1960Pats]

Has Michael Jordan really not been mentioned?

He was mentioned early on but he shouldn't be. Bill Russell would have had him for breakfast. As it was, Larry Bird outplayed him.

 

[1960Pats]

In that case, it's Rafer Johnson and Bob Mathias

Decathletes have to be the best athletes

Jim Thorpe played college and pro football, pro baseball, pro basketball and won Olympic gold medals in pentathlon and decathlon.

 

[wolverinejoe80]

it's hard to define athleticism. also there is an accomplishment and there is a dominance. bill russell is the most accomplished basketball player by ring count, but MJ dominated his league far more than russell did his. and IMO whenever people mention 'best athlete' we often don't include QBs and none contact sports such as golf. Tiger woods dominated his field better than anybody in 10 year period. not even close actually. and winning a golf tourney is much harder than winning a swimming event just because the odds of winning is much low. also IMO brady's dominance of the league is up there with most team sport players if you look into winning %, how hard it is to play QB(hardest position in sports), ring count, and just purely subjective 'eye test'.

but from the general public point of view 'the greatest athlete' is more 'physical'(bolt, phelps, MJ, bo) then 'skills'(brady, tiger, gretzky, etc), so i would venture to say usain bolt is the greatest athlete in our generation, followed by phelps.

why i believe bolt is greatest athlete over phelps -

1. we are a land mammal. we live on the land. so running 100m IMO is the greatest test of our speed, not swimming.
2. phelps just has so much more opportunity to dominate. not fair for bolt.
3. usain bolt's 9.58 100m record and his 200m record of 19.19 is mind boggling. it's hard to comprehend actually. IMO it's the most impressive world record.
4. 100m sprint is more racially diverse. this is a cold hard fact. sadly there's many stereotypes saying 'african americans can't swim'. but simone manuel completely destroyed that argument.

i know phelps probably will have the longevity argument over bolt, but i think bolt's dominance over his field is more impressive. that's just me.

 

[bbobbo]

Has Michael Jordan really not been mentioned?

He was mentioned early on but he shouldn't be. Bill Russell would have had him for breakfast. As it was, Larry Bird outplayed him.

bird's celtics may have outplayed jordan's bulls (17 to 11), but head-to-head, bird didn't outplay jordan.

​

Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan | Basketball-Reference.com

 

[Tunescribe]

Edwin Moses didn't lose the 400M Hurdles for 122 consecutive races and it took a couple of guys on the gas to get the job done. Heather McKay, arguably Squash's greatest ever player didn't lose a match for nearly 20 years. Sachin Tendulkar was alright at that cricket thing as was Don Bradman.

No disrespect to you Americans, but your lists, almost always, are too US heavy. There's a great big world out there of accomplished sportsmen and sportswomen.

FWIW, Phelps is probably the greatest I've ever seen but for all round talent, you can throw a hat over Dan O'Brien, Roman Sebrle, and your current decathlon World Record Holder Ashton Eaton.

Glad you mentioned a decathlete. The decathlon is the world standard for elite overall athleticism.

 

[Tunescribe]

According to MY ex-wife, I, Joe Kerr the Indefatigable , am easily the greatest athlete in world history after jumping through more hoops that a pack of circus dogs at our divorce hearing....

I think you're confusing mental agility/audacity with athleticism. Nevertheless, I'm curious: did your performance earn a round of applause?

 

[1960Pats]

bird's celtics may have outplayed jordan's bulls (17 to 11), but head-to-head, bird didn't outplay jordan.

​

Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan | Basketball-Reference.com

That's not what I saw ...



But wait, there's more...

 

[bbobbo]

That's not what I saw ...



But wait, there's more...

don't forget this one:


or this one:


or this one:

 

[bbobbo]

in playoff head-to-head, the difference between bird and jordan is even more stark:

jordan scored 50+ points in the playoffs 8 times, including the most ever--63 vs celtics (above).

 

[Ring 6]

bird's celtics may have outplayed jordan's bulls (17 to 11), but head-to-head, bird didn't outplay jordan.

​

Larry Bird vs. Michael Jordan | Basketball-Reference.com

in playoff head-to-head, the difference between bird and jordan is even more stark:

0-6 because you scored a lot of points because you gunned it up all day is not a positive.
I think you are too hung up on stars and not recognizing their value is only what they contribute to winning.

 

[bbobbo]

0-6 because you scored a lot of points because you gunned it up all day is not a positive.
I think you are too hung up on stars and not recognizing their value is only what they contribute to winning.

i already acknowledged that bird's celtics outplayed jordan's bulls. i was merely refuting 1960pats statement that bird outplayed jordan. it's not really jordan's fault that he didn't have much of a supporting cast vs. the bird-era celtics.

compare the 86-87 season rosters of the celtics and the bulls. bird played alongside 3 HOFers plus ainge. jordan had charles oakley and john paxson:

 

[Ring 6]

i already acknowledged that bird's celtics outplayed jordan's bulls. i was merely refuting 1960pats statement that bird outplayed jordan. it's not really jordan's fault that he didn't have much of a supporting cast vs. the bird-era celtics.

compare the 86-87 season rosters of the celtics and the bulls. bird played alongside 3 HOFers plus ainge. jordan had charles oakley and john paxson:

I'm saying you didn't refute it.
Taking tons of shots scoring a lot of points and losing is not outplaying someone.

 

[wolverinejoe80]

bird was in his peak, MJ was entering his prime. also almost always they didn't play each other directly. bird is too tall for MJ and MJ is too fast for bird.

larry bird is my hero and i believe bird had 3rd greatest peak value of all time. but MJ beats him in every meaning category. MJ was bird in an insane athletic body. both are ruthless competitor who were ready to kill you.

 

[wolverinejoe80]

in playoff head-to-head, the difference between bird and jordan is even more stark:

jordan scored 50+ points in the playoffs 8 times, including the most ever--63 vs celtics (above).

can't beat MJ if you go by numbers. i think number comparison doesnt tell the whole story though. MJ had to score so much and put the team on his shoulder because he had nobody else. bird didn't have to do that because we were stacked.

i just go by the eye test when comparing these 2 greats. MJ could get to the rim at will, but at this point of his career his jumper wasn't consistent. bird could knock down those midrange shots better than anybody i've seen. MJ's midrange game has gotten better every year and became master at it after 89 ish season, but he wasn't known for his shooting ability first 3-4 years of his career. which is insane because he was dropping 35pts+ every night.

big difference though is the defensive ability. MJ could take the came over defensively. he was a maniac when it comes to defense especially when he felt he was disrepected or challenged. bird was just a genius in terms of playmaking ability.

MJ is a clear GOAT to me. Bird is top 5 all time. and IMO bird is the greatest celtics over bill russell even though russell accomplished more than MJ and bird combined.

 

[Satchboogie3]

I'm going to knock off Bruce Lee and Bolt.

A lot of talk about Bolt, and mention of the fact that he's a specialist, it docks him a point. The two most dominant runners in history, IMO, are Scott Jurek and Kilian Jornet.

Jurek is a legend. You like continued dominance? Here's a breakdown of his ultra races:
-7 straight Western States 100 (mile trail run) - set course record, twice sprained his ankle, once during the race, and once a few days before... still won. (only ran these 7 times: winning all)

-Won the Badwater Ultra (135 miles from the Death Valley to Mt Whitney), setting a course record, and just weeks after having run a 100 miler...

-Set the US Record (2nd overall World) for all-surface distance in 24 hours (165.7 miles)

-Won 3 straight Spartathlon Ultras (153 miles), grabbing the two fastest times Yiannis Kouros (honorable mention, as he holds many distance records).

- More than 30 wins in major Ultra events

-Appalachian Trail speed record, going the harder direction (no other speed record has ever even been attempted North bound) while dealing with a knee injury and the worst rain month in record through VT.

Kilian Jornet is another ultra runner who also is an accomplished, record setting ski-mountaineer. Kilian is arguably the most dominant runner today. His most recent accomplishments include:

- 3 straight Hard Rock 100 wins (arguably the hardest of all ultra races), setting the course record in each direction the first two years, then posting the 3rd best time this past year, deciding to stick with another runner to finish together instead of attempting to set a 3rd straight course record.

- Over 14 wins, 3 championships, and 2 champion of the year titles at the Skyrunner World Series and Championship, including the Ultra Trail Mont-Blanc, Marathon Mont-Blanc, and Vertical K.
- Western States win
- NorthFace 100 win (course record)
- Mount Marathon Race win (course record)
- Ultra Pirineu win (course record)
- Many other wins in various trail race. A non-first place finish is extremely rare, and I don't think he has ever finished worse than 4th at any major race. Just about every random run he's done in the US has set records, highlighted by the Hard Rock races, but also including things like:
- 165 mile record time running around Lake Tahoe
- record ascent of the Mt. Sanitas Trail in CO

One thing that makes Kilian unique is the different running/mountaineering projects he is always active in. In addition to the normal races, he also has set records running/ski-mountaineering many of the worlds prominent and or difficult mountains. This includes:
- Mont-Blanc Traverse
and the combined Ascent/Descent for the following:
- Mt. McKinley
- Mont-Blanc
- Matterhorn
- Denali
- Aconcagua
- Kilimanjaro

An example of how crazy the guy is: He did a 23 hour run/climb up Grandes Jorasses (13,800 ft) then ran the Mont Blanc Vertical Kilometer the next day, finishing 7th.

If that isn't enough, he's also won a whole lot of ski mountaineering races, including 1st place finishes in Spanish, European, and World Championship events.

No one in the world moves faster over the most gnarly of terrain. Watching him run down super steep rock faces is unreal. My legs cramp just watching him run up super steep scrambles.

Usain Bolt may be the fastest sprinter on the planet, but Kilian is just as dominant, but a far more diverse athlete. Dominating in a very specialized field is one thing. Dominating in a wide variety of races in multiple sports is a whole different ballgame. I look it like this: the only race that Bolt could probably win against Kilian would be short and on the track. Any other distance, venue, or involving anything other than shoes and it's not a contest.

And as for mind-boggling quality, sure, running as fast as Bolt does is crazy, but trying to break records at different sports where the duration sometimes lasts 40+ hours ( or 46 days for Scott Jurek's AT record) is again, a whole different level of mind-boggling "how do that do that". The mental challenge of these crazy ultras is insane.

I do think it would be cool to see some of the Kenyan sprinters and marathoners compete in ultras and mountain runs, but I'm sure those eyeing the Olympics probably wouldn't ever risk going off trail. But that's just another credit to the mindset of ultra-runners. They'll run anything, anytime. They don't worry about potential injuries.

 

[TinhWoodhead]

#11 J. Manziel - Pokémon GO!

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Yes, from me when I read it five minutes ago

I think you're confusing mental agility/audacity with athleticism. Nevertheless, I'm curious: did your performance earn a round of applause?

 

[wolverinejoe80]

I'm going to knock off Bruce Lee and Bolt.

A lot of talk about Bolt, and mention of the fact that he's a specialist, it docks him a point. The two most dominant runners in history, IMO, are Scott Jurek and Kilian Jornet.

Jurek is a legend. You like continued dominance? Here's a breakdown of his ultra races:
-7 straight Western States 100 (mile trail run) - set course record, twice sprained his ankle, once during the race, and once a few days before... still won. (only ran these 7 times: winning all)

-Won the Badwater Ultra (135 miles from the Death Valley to Mt Whitney), setting a course record, and just weeks after having run a 100 miler...

-Set the US Record (2nd overall World) for all-surface distance in 24 hours (165.7 miles)

-Won 3 straight Spartathlon Ultras (153 miles), grabbing the two fastest times Yiannis Kouros (honorable mention, as he holds many distance records).

- More than 30 wins in major Ultra events

-Appalachian Trail speed record, going the harder direction (no other speed record has ever even been attempted North bound) while dealing with a knee injury and the worst rain month in record through VT.

Kilian Jornet is another ultra runner who also is an accomplished, record setting ski-mountaineer. Kilian is arguably the most dominant runner today. His most recent accomplishments include:

- 3 straight Hard Rock 100 wins (arguably the hardest of all ultra races), setting the course record in each direction the first two years, then posting the 3rd best time this past year, deciding to stick with another runner to finish together instead of attempting to set a 3rd straight course record.

- Over 14 wins, 3 championships, and 2 champion of the year titles at the Skyrunner World Series and Championship, including the Ultra Trail Mont-Blanc, Marathon Mont-Blanc, and Vertical K.
- Western States win
- NorthFace 100 win (course record)
- Mount Marathon Race win (course record)
- Ultra Pirineu win (course record)
- Many other wins in various trail race. A non-first place finish is extremely rare, and I don't think he has ever finished worse than 4th at any major race. Just about every random run he's done in the US has set records, highlighted by the Hard Rock races, but also including things like:
- 165 mile record time running around Lake Tahoe
- record ascent of the Mt. Sanitas Trail in CO

One thing that makes Kilian unique is the different running/mountaineering projects he is always active in. In addition to the normal races, he also has set records running/ski-mountaineering many of the worlds prominent and or difficult mountains. This includes:
- Mont-Blanc Traverse
and the combined Ascent/Descent for the following:
- Mt. McKinley
- Mont-Blanc
- Matterhorn
- Denali
- Aconcagua
- Kilimanjaro

An example of how crazy the guy is: He did a 23 hour run/climb up Grandes Jorasses (13,800 ft) then ran the Mont Blanc Vertical Kilometer the next day, finishing 7th.

If that isn't enough, he's also won a whole lot of ski mountaineering races, including 1st place finishes in Spanish, European, and World Championship events.

No one in the world moves faster over the most gnarly of terrain. Watching him run down super steep rock faces is unreal. My legs cramp just watching him run up super steep scrambles.

Usain Bolt may be the fastest sprinter on the planet, but Kilian is just as dominant, but a far more diverse athlete. Dominating in a very specialized field is one thing. Dominating in a wide variety of races in multiple sports is a whole different ballgame. I look it like this: the only race that Bolt could probably win against Kilian would be short and on the track. Any other distance, venue, or involving anything other than shoes and it's not a contest.

And as for mind-boggling quality, sure, running as fast as Bolt does is crazy, but trying to break records at different sports where the duration sometimes lasts 40+ hours ( or 46 days for Scott Jurek's AT record) is again, a whole different level of mind-boggling "how do that do that". The mental challenge of these crazy ultras is insane.

I do think it would be cool to see some of the Kenyan sprinters and marathoners compete in ultras and mountain runs, but I'm sure those eyeing the Olympics probably wouldn't ever risk going off trail. But that's just another credit to the mindset of ultra-runners. They'll run anything, anytime. They don't worry about potential injuries.

interesting. never even heard of those guys. i guess if you put it that way, there are probably many athletes in the world who probably can match phelps/bolts like dominance. hell, how about arm wrestling? john brzenk's 30+ years of dominance is well documented.

i get what you are saying on bolt. all he has is an insane speed. but the big problem with your argument is that 100m record is considered the holy grail of records because we are so much more fascinated by the 100m then any other race. and it means it's probably much harder to achieve because competition is so fierce. IMO the best player in the NFL is more gifted than the best player in the water polo because NFL has so much bigger talent pool. who's more athletic? lebron james or some guy who dominated ping pong? you get the idea.

i always struggle with this because there is no right or wrong answer. you can interpret 'who is the best athlete in the world' in so many ways.

i guess if i look at the both dominance and athleticism then my answer would be MJ. in 10 year period, MJ was basically twice better than the 2nd best player. he was just so far better than the competition especially when bird and magic started to fade. and on top of that MJ had that sick athleticism.