Thread: Greatest Athlete of All time...

I do not think it's necessary that an athlete played more than one sport to be considered "greatest athlete of all time".

I think playing multiple sports shows multiple skill sets. I can think of no single sport that shows a complete set of skills.

Not having godly hand/eye coordination (which you need to be a sucessful hitter in MLB)doesn't make or brake you as an athlete. That was Jordan's problem when he switched to baseball, not lack of athleticism.

Hand Eye coordination is one of the many parts of being an athlete.

Greatest Athlete ever, I would say Bo Jackson before he got hurt. Also, although I don't like him, Deion Sanders was pretty good.

Going with Dale's definition of athleticism being ALL AROUND I'd be stuck with a toss up: Jim Thorpe, Bo Jackson or Babe Zaharius. On the other hand, if you look at pure athleticism without the need for "cross training" I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone better than Muhammad Ali.

Babe Ruth

Butterbean.

With the upcoming TDF, I will say Lance Armstrong! Man is fucking amazing~

Originally Posted by ALBOB

Babe Zaharius

I just watched a SportCentury on her the other day, I love that show.

Lionel Conacher

http://www.garywill.com/wrestling/canada/conacher.htm

Originally Posted by dg806

With the upcoming TDF, I will say Lance Armstrong! Man is fucking amazing~

Lance is a god. However, he wouldn't be my choice for the greatest athlete. I'm undecided on this one.

Originally Posted by aggies1ut

I'm undecided on this one.

A woman who can't make up her mind? I'm shocked.

I choose Mariusz Pudzianowski. He is a true inspiration.

Originally Posted by ALBOB

A woman who can't make up her mind? I'm shocked.

Actually, I am quite decisive on certain other things...

Any of the great ice hocky players such as Wayne Gretzky and lance armstrong..., Lance for more than defeating cancer and escaping death but also to rule the most physically demanding tournament in the world for the next half-decade. Even a triathalon is only one day of sheer physical brutality ( he used to win alot of triathalons in his eary days) , the Tour is day after day for weeks on end of grueling inhuman speed on a bicycle. Some don't realize it but it is very much a team sport and involves incredible strategy and smart utilization of the different skills of each rider.. Much the same way tennis is more than lobbying the ball back and forth , golf is more than hitting a ball as far as it will go, and basketball is more than bouncing a ball into a basket. Lance , off season, wins cyclocross races (mountain biking with skinny tires.....try it, it is hard as shit) so his coordination and balance are amazing.



As for Wayne, in Ice hockey.... after playing ice hockey for four years. I realized It demands the ice skating skills of a figure skater, incredible reaction to speed, the stamina and strength comprable to alot of sports and strategy and team work.

The decathalon athletes are probably up there in my book too.

I honestly would say Babe Didrikson Zaharias. An incredible story. Check it out...

Mildred 'Babe' Didrikson Zaharias though she gained her greatest professional fame as a golfer, rivalled Jim Thorpe in her remarkable ability to excel at nearly any sport. She began as a basketball All-American, then won two track and field gold medals at the 1932 Olympics. Next she turned professional and began touring the country, exhibiting her prowess in track, swimming, tennis, billiards, and baseball. Zaharias earned the nickname 'Babe' after hitting five home runs in one baseball game. In 1935 Zaharias took up golf and excelled at that, too, winning 82 tournaments in a 20-year career. In 2003 golfer Annika Sorenstam played in a men's PGA tournament amidst intense media coverage and hoopla. What many people didn't realize is that 58 years earlier Babe Zaharias became the first women to play in a men's PGA event, the 1945 Los Angeles Open, and unlike Sorenstam, made the cut. She was only 42 when she died of cancer in 1956.

My vote is for MJ seeing as how basketball is the most athletic sport, at least IMO.. Bo jackson is a good pick thou also

I say The Arizona D-Backs pitcher Randy Johnson. He is doing big things. He once pitched a perfect game, I was at the game when he pitched strikeout 4000. I say he is fuckin awsome!

Originally Posted by gr81

basketball is the most athletic sport

Lance Armstrong.

My 2nd place vote goes to Bo Jackson. It's really too bad he suffered the hip injury. He not only played in the NFL and MLB, he was a friggin ALL STAR in both leagues! It just blows my mind how talented he was.

Originally Posted by bandaidwoman

(mountain biking with skinny tires.....try it, it is hard as shit)

Holy shizzle, bandaidwoman cussed, I am going to take that as you taking this pick seriously.

Oh, and I would like to add a laugh to the notion that basketball is the most athletic sport. It is athletic, yes, but not the most athletic.

Originally Posted by bandaidwoman

Any of the great ice hocky players such as Wayne Gretzky and lance armstrong.

Damn, I didn't know that Armstrong was a hockey player, too.

Originally Posted by CaptainDeadlift

Damn, I didn't know that Armstrong was a hockey player, too.

i should have put a comma or something I guess

Originally Posted by I Are Baboon

Lance Armstrong.

My 2nd place vote goes to Bo Jackson. It's really too bad he suffered the hip injury. He not only played in the NFL and MLB, he was a friggin ALL STAR in both leagues! It just blows my mind how talented he was.

Ditto

Bo knows how to be the greatest athlete ever.

Originally Posted by aggies1ut

Lance is a god. However, he wouldn't be my choice for the greatest athlete. I'm undecided on this one.

I dont think most pro cyclists would even pick Lance as the greatest cyclist of all time. My guess would be Eddy Mercx.

This guy!

http://www.gopivit.com/media/badmanhi.wmv