OT Where do you rate Brady against other great athletes of other sports?

[Steve102]

From where I sit, Brady has set the bar so high that no one in the NFL will ever duplicate or exceed what he's accomplished. Where do you rank him in the pantheon of other great athletes? Team sport: Bill Russell is the gold standard. 11 rings in 13 seasons. Jordan, Jabbar, Magic, Kobe, he's exceeded them all, in a sport that is set up for parity. You can talk about individuals like Michael Phelps, Nicklaus, Woods, and Rocky Marciano, but from my point of view, it's not a fair comparison. How many championships would Brady win if he was only reliant on himself? It's mind blowing if you think about that. My ranking, sticking with team sports is Russell at a distant #1, Brady closing in at #2, with Jordan, Jabbar, Magic, and Kobe fighting it out. I'll round out the top 10 with Berra, Gretzky, Ruth and Rocket Richard.

I'm not talking about effect on pop culture. That's a totally different discussion.

 

[RobertWeathers]

I'm glad someone mentioned Henri Richard. 11 Stanley Cups.

Not sure where he ranks but just to be in the conversation with a handful of GOATs speaks for itself.

 

[Chevy]

It is so tough to make comparisons across generations, let alone different sports.

That said, I agree with Russel being first. Not only was he part of 11 in 13, he was a cornerstone on those teams. 11 of 13, in any team sport, is insane.

Brady at 7 in 10, in a sport that is so violent and makes it much tougher to hide a weak link, is probably on par - maybe a hair below. After that is an incredible group - all looking up.

 

[stephens44]

Tough to say, football has 3 phases and is the ultimate team sport. Brady is the GOAT at the most important position on the field, but he doesn't play defense or special teams. Michael Jordan was as good a defender as he was on the offensive end, not to mention leadership, etc.
In football, you have to be solid in all 3 phases of the game and no one player can take over like in basketball or Hockey.

 

[Steve102]

It is so tough to make comparisons across generations, let alone different sports.

That said, I agree with Russel being first. Not only was he part of 11 in 13, he was a cornerstone on those teams. 11 of 13, in any team sport, is insane.

Brady at 7 in 10, in a sport that is so violent and makes it much tougher to hide a weak link, is probably on par - maybe a hair below. After that is an incredible group - all looking up.

Tough to say, football has 3 phases and is the ultimate team sport. Brady is the GOAT at the most important position on the field, but he doesn't play defense or special teams. Michael Jordan was as good a defender as he was on the offensive end, not to mention leadership, etc.
In football, you have to be solid in all 3 phases of the game and no one player can take over like in basketball or Hockey.

Great points. I have him ranked above the Yankee greats like Mantle, Ruth and Berra, but you can make arguments they are in the same boat.

 

[amfootball]

Football is the hardest sport to win at because of the physical nature and the short career span. When you take into account what Brady has done in his sport being 18 playoff games ahead of Montana (his closest rival), 3 rings ahead of him and 2 SB MVPs ahead and his record for regular season wins and post-season stats where he has basically doubled up anyone who is second behind him, there is no comparison. He has so many "first and only's" in his career - 10-0 to start his playoff career, youngest to win a SB/oldest to win a SB, 16-0 season, only player to win a SB in both conferences, 10 SB appearances, 14 conf. champ appearances, etc. I suppose maybe Russell can make the same case on some things but the era is just not comparable at all. If we are talking modern era, there is no team athlete that can compare in their respective sport to what Brady has done in the NFL.

 

[The Brandon Five]

Brady's is more impressive because he is playing in a league with 32 teams.

Russell had to deal with 7 other teams for most of his 13 seasons.

The NHL had 6 teams until 1967-1968, which is when Richard won 7 of his Stanley Cups. He is like Brady in that he played for over 20 years.

 

[Palm Beach Pats Fan]

My USA Sports Mount Rushmore has been, for quite a while, Brady, Ruth, Ali, and Jordan.

I can see replacing MJ with Russell, based on rings and defensive dominance, but the game of basketball evolved so much since I started watching in about 1970 that I have to go with someone who was also an unstoppable force offensively, in a larger, salary-capped league.

Others to consider would be Jim Brown, Lawrence Taylor, Ted Williams, Jim Thorpe, Jessie Owens, Michael Phelps, Willie Mays, Bobby Orr, Kareem, Magic, Bird, Wilt, Oscar, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger... I am probably forgetting some. Oh yeah, Cam.

I am not including Canadians, hence no Gretsky or Richard. They can make their own Mt. Rushmore, out of ice.

 

[LightSkinSmurf]

You might be able to talk me into someone being as impressive as brady, maybe, but you will never talk me into someone being more impressive.

 

[Sam Bam Cunningham]

Brady is the greatest football player and one of the most accomplished pro athletes ever but how do you compare him to Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Michael Jordan who have superiority in terms of pure athleticism.

 

[Chevy]

Brady is the greatest football player and one of the most accomplished pro athletes ever but how do you compare him to Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Michael Jordan who have superiority in terms of pure athleticism.

Brady's perceived lack of innate physical skills makes him even more impressive.

 

[Steve102]

Brady is the greatest football player and one of the most accomplished pro athletes ever but how do you compare him to Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Michael Jordan who have superiority in terms of pure athleticism.

Brady isn't even in that discussion. Pure athleticism? He's not even close.

 

[pazrul72]

Brady is the greatest football player and one of the most accomplished pro athletes ever but how do you compare him to Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt and Michael Jordan who have superiority in terms of pure athleticism.

Pure athleticism isn’t what’s being discussed because if it was Mahomes would be it. There were at least two throws he made last night that made me go wow holy **** how did he do that? They both got dropped but his ability to hit a target 30 yards away while being twisted to the ground is unreal. That isn’t what being a QB is about. Can Brady make that throw? Absolutely not but he doesn’t need to because he sees the pressure, adjusts the protection, and completes a routine 4 yard out. One makes you the BOAT for the uninformed who only see ooooo pretty and the other makes you the GOAT for winning. Give me the winner 11/10 times and Brady is the greatest winner the NFL will ever see. Russell is his only comparison and I give Brady the nod seeing as he is doing it against 32 teams not 8.

 

[amfootball]

Qb is also the hardest position to play in all of sports.

 

[Ice_Ice_Brady]

I know this sounds like Boston homerism, but Bobby Orr is the biggest outlier athlete in team sports when it comes to statistical measured dominance, while Tom Brady, Babe Ruth, and Bill Russell might be the three biggest when it comes to accomplishments.

 

[sean10mm]

Bill Russell's last 2 seasons he was an all-star player AND the head coach, and won back to back titles.

Just wanted to throw that out there because it's so absurd.

 

[yukon cornelius]

It is so tough to make comparisons across generations, let alone different sports.

That said, I agree with Russel being first. Not only was he part of 11 in 13, he was a cornerstone on those teams. 11 of 13, in any team sport, is insane.

Brady at 7 in 10, in a sport that is so violent and makes it much tougher to hide a weak link, is probably on par - maybe a hair below. After that is an incredible group - all looking up.

not only that, but russell changed/revolutionized the game.......not to mention civil rights work

i'd add ted williams to this list.......he was arguably the games greatest all-time hitter, he was a war hero and someone john glenn greatly respected as a pilot.....hell, he was a world renowned fly fisherman who held a bunch of records, too

Orr also went a long ways towards changing the face of the game he played, too......



i'd have russell and williams at the very least on par with brady......i'd easily make the case that russell heads that class

 

[Steve102]

not only that, but russell changed/revolutionized the game.......not to mention civil rights work

i'd add ted williams to this list.......he was arguably the games greatest all-time hitter, he was a war hero and someone john glenn greatly respected as a pilot.....hell, he was a world renowned fly fisherman who held a bunch of records, too

Orr also went a long ways towards changing the face of the game he played, too......



i'd have russell and williams at the very least on par with brady......i'd easily make the case that russell heads that class

While I would love to say 100% agreement, Ted Williams did not win here. His accomplishments as a war hero and world class fly fisherman don't change the fact that he has the same amount of rings as Dan Marino. And... he revolutionized the game with his analysis of pitching. But I would say the parallel is Dan Marino.

 

[Midship]

Greatest athlete in North American sports history. And Bill pushed him out

 

[Boomer B]

It’s hard to argue championships for basketball or hockey players who played in 6 team or 8 team leagues without salary caps. You put together a great team it can stay together for a decade and there’s only a handful of other teams.

To me what Brady did last night puts him at number 1 ahead of Michael Jordan.