In Any Sport - Who Is The Best Athlete?

[NaMeaHou]

not historically, but right now, this very minute?

I have a difficult time picking one.

Any ideas?

[FlashHarry]

1. Michael Schumacher

6-time Formula One world champion.

Strength. Endurance. And, above all, concentration.

[Zech Marquis]

47. I second that

To drive one of those F1 cars without killing yourself takes special skill few people have. Simply finsishing in the top 8 spots is considered a win by the smaller teams--small as in you don;t have 1000s of people like Ferrari working on the whole package day and night. 24/7--although now Renault, Toyota, and BAR Honda are starting to show some real potential. To win or evn get a top 3 spot usually requires a very, very strogn team and/or some kind of incident taking place, when the races go on in burning tropical heat, really big downpours, wet tracks, different tires, different track surfaces, mechanical advances and mishaps...the man has doen it 6 times!!! More than Senna, more than Prost, more than Fangio, and he's been doing in cars that are like the land equals of a fighter jet.

[It was not a pretzel]

60. and a cheating bastard

sorry but I won't forgive and forget '94 and his attack against Damon Hill. Nor that on Villeneuve.

[lcordero]

2. does porn count as a sport?

Jenna Jameson:evilgrin:

[joeybee12]

8. Speaking of porn stars, how many votes in the Calif recall did that porn

star get? Can't remember her name.

[NaMeaHou]

10. Gary Coleman got something like 12,000

she got something around 8,000 or maybe more.

[Dogmudgeon]

24. Mary Carey

http://www.marycareyforgovernor.com

And surf yourself silly.

--bkl

[7th_Sephiroth]

49. i saw her

flip off leno after a rather funny remark.

[HalfManHalfBiscuit]

9. Yes, but It has to be the man

No offense to the women, but sporting wood for hours on end is quite a feat.

[mitchum]

13. I nominate Tom Byron...

a man who has logged more screen time than John Carradine and Tommy Lee Jones combined. Hehe, I said "logged"

[JohnKleeb]

45. lol

:evilgrin:

[HEyHEY]

3. This will get ugly

I'd say................................... ROnaldo, Lemuiex, or De la hoya

[GreenGreenLimaBean]

4. Lance Armstrong.

He is currently the best at this time, like MJ was 6-10 years ago.

[joeybee12]

6. Yeah, gotta be Lance Armstrong

Can't think of anyone else who is as dominant at this point.

[oxycontinrush]

16. Yup

Tour De France is a month of endless agony.

I tried a hill with 2 miles of 7% grade once. I nearly died just walking the damn bike up it.

They go up much steeper, MUCH longer hills, often several in the same day.

[Dudley_DUright]

18. Another vote for Lance

[HuckleB]

30. Clearly, Armstrong, from a cardiovascular standpoint.

But I suspect it's a crowded field, if we begin to assess every type of physical ability that an athlete might possess. This is an endless conversation.

[Scairp]

44. It is ALL Lance, ALL the time

Even if he weren't the survivor of stage four-five cancer, he would still be the most exceptional athlete EVER. No question, the Tour is the most extreme event and no way any other athlete even comes close, past or present. Lance is truly the only professional athlete that can be admired.

[Awsi Dooger]

46. That's a little overboard

The Tour is much more of a team event than most realize, and lends itself to multiple wins. The other members literally sacrifice themselves to aid the top dog. I didn't fully grasp the team aspect until '90, when I attended the Tour and spoke to knowledgeable fans throughout, as Greg LeMond won.

Armstrong's feat is hardly unprecedented. Miguel Indurain of Spain likewise won 5 straight tours from '91-'95. Here is the winners list, demonstrating the tendency for multiple triumphs:

http://www.torelli.com/raceinfo/tdf/tdfindex.shtml

I couldn't believe the severity of the Tour the year I attended. This is anything but a knock on Lance Armstrong. My primary qualm with Lance as greatest athlete is he has basically been a one-trick pony, winning the Tour but little else. Tiger Woods' resume with nothing but his wins in the 4 majors would not be nearly as impressive.

Cycling fans and historians overwhelmingly list Eddy Merckx of Belgium as greatest ever. He won 5 Tours in the late '60s-early '70s, plus the other major races as well.

[mdvet]

5. Henrik Larsson

[wyldwolf]

7. Roy Jones Jr. ..... Michael Vick

[bahrbearian]

11. Arnold . if groping were a sport!

[obietiger]

12. Ryan Newman

in NASCAR - 9 wins, 8 poles this year

[FlashHarry]

14. What, no poker players or bowlers?

;-)

[NaMeaHou]

15. Who remembers

Johnny Petraglia?

I used to watch him bowl on tv as a little kid.

[Awsi Dooger]

39. He was my favorite bowler when I was a kid

Lefty, like me, with a mustache and a big hook that shattered the pocket. In '71 he was winning all the biggies on TV.

[kodi]

17. kobe

.

[Fight_n_back]

21. Kobe isn't even

the best player on his team. how can he be the nest in the world?

[kodi]

22. did you read the question? it asked about athletic prowess

you think o'neal is a better athlete than bryant?

i dont.

[Fight_n_back]

26. Define your terms

Shaq could lift a horse, that is athletic.

Shaq is more effective at his sport than Bryant iss.

Besides McGrady is better at everything Kobe does anyway.

[kodi]

35. oh that's pretty easy ......................................

speed, strength, stamina, flexibility, agility, balance, footwork, body coordination, hand/foot-eye coordination, mental performance.

with these criteria, kobe wins hands down and by the aforementioned criteria, pro basketball players in general, are the world's best athletes.

years and years ago an author from SI wrote an article on the toughest sports for athletes to master, ice/figure skating and basketball required the most overall athletic skills, on par with ballet dancers, he seemed to value the physical grace necessary in each of these sports more than many do.



BTW i am sure Vasily Alexeyev in his prime could lift a bigger house than Shak, but its pretty obvious Shak is a better athlete

[Fight_n_back]

40. By those criteria

Kobe isn't close.

McGrady beats him on all those counts.

Unfortunatley you left out the most important thing in sports which is vision. The ability to see the game at a different pace than the other guy. It is seperated Bird, Magic, Gretzky and Lemiuex. By that measure, Lebron James is a better athlete than Kobe.

[kodi]

43. "Lebron James is a better athlete than Kobe"???? bahahaha

until that last remark i had at least some semblence of respect for your opinion in this matter, if merely out of courtesy, but now i have none.

and what you called that "vision" thing is just an understanding of the game and how its played efficiently. it has nothng to do with the eyeballs.

[qwertyMike]

19. da bestest

Golf - Woods
Soccer -Zidane
Baseball - I. Rodriguez

[DarkPhenyx]

20. Who cares?

They are grown adults getting paid entirely too much to play childrens games.

[Fight_n_back]

23. Please clarify your question

What do you mena by "best athlete". Fastest? Best endurance? Most dominating?

The most dominant player in the world is Annika Sorenstram of the LPGA. But thats barely a sport.

The fastest is impossible to tell becuase you have to spend a lot of time defining things.


Best endurance? Some triathlete.

Best Baseball player:
ARod

Best basketball player:
Shaquille Oneal

Best football player:
Impossible to determine

Best golfer:
Tiger and Anikka

Best hockey player:
Manon Rheaume

[NaMeaHou]

27. Some good choices

The question cannot be clarified without becoming another question!

What one thinks is the best athlete - no matter the sport or what is tested by that sport.

[LTR]

25. He will be soon...

The one...the only...RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRANDY MOSS!!!

[midnight armadillo]

28. How about Pyrros Dimas?

Pyrros Dimas, a Greek weightlifter. Elite Olympic weightlifters are second in flexbility only to gymnasts, and have the highest vertical leap and 10 m sprint of any athlete. Plus the highest bone density in the world. And one lift, the snatch (shown below), is the fastest movement in any sport, so they're also the fastest on the planet and are necessarily possessed of exquisite timing.

In the 70's USA super heavy weight lifter Ken Patera was capable of dunking a basketball from a standing jump under the basket. Not bad for a guy 5 foot 10 inches or so and 330 lbs.

[VelmaD]

29. Michelle Kwan...

and before you laugh her off consider this...she has not finished outside the medals at ANY competition she has competed in since she came in 4th at the World Figure Skating Championships back in 1995. That's right - she's medaled at EVERY competition she has been in since 1995.

She does all the hard tricks and she makes them look easy and graceful and musical and artistic at the same time. Quite a feat as far as I'm concerned.

[nini]

32. I love her.. what a class act she is

originally from my home town :-)

[ScreamingMeemie]

31. Brett Favre

In my opinion. Here is a man who still enjoys playing the game. Who plays with pain. Who buoys his team even when all looks impossible. A true sportsman, and incredible ability.

[nolabels]

33. JERRY RICE

That man was robbed today in that Browns game, I wish things could have worked out better for him with the Raiders. The Raiders are so bad this year, it's just pathetic.

I was joking with some other people that the Raiders might go three and thirteen this year, the way they are going it might become true.

[LSdemocrat]

42. second

Incredibly amazing work ethic

[PittPoliSci]

34. Mario Lemieux

No question, hands down, the greatest athlete to ever walk earth. The things he can do with his body, which has been broken, cancer-riddled, chemo'd, etc. is simply amazing. And he still OWNS hockey.

[SOteric]

36. Funnycide

You said any sport.

[George_Bonanza]

37. Armstrong or Vick

Tour de France is one of the most challenging sporting events in the world. And Michael Vick is just superman out there, with the arms and legs to beat any team singlehandedly when he's a 100% on his game.

[opihimoimoi]

38. Wha? no Tiger Woods?

Dominates golf for past 5 years and no mention??

:shrug:

[mrbill]

48. according to the majority opinion here, golf is not a sport

it's a sissy game only played by rich, white republicans (and freepers) who discriminate against women and all minorities.

golf courses are a waste of space and pollute the environment.

tiger's good at the game, but so were bobby jones, ben hogan, byron nelson, jack nicklaus, lee trevino........

if golf were declared to be a sport, it would be hard to pick the player to represent golf in the best athlete of all times contest.

[Awsi Dooger]

50. So many incomparable mistakes, so little space...

Majority here? Played "only by"? Waste of space and pollute the environment? I guess we're suddenly embracing Ronald Reagan's brilliant assessment of trees and pollution.

Even if any of the ignorant above were even remotely true:

1) DUers who quit the sport after never managing better than a triple bogey do not get to decide what qualifies as a sport. The networks and sports pages have done so quite astutely, to the tune of 45+ weeks per year. The physical aspects of golf -- physically maneuvering a ball around a designated area by means of strength, finesse and smarts -- more than qualify it as a sport, by any competent measure.

2) You have obviously not been to a golf course recenty, if ever. Tiger's emergence has paved the way for youth and minority programs all over the world. For four weeks this summer in Miami I helped a weekly clinic of young golfers, mostly 8-12, learn how to chip and putt. More than half were hispanic or black.

3) This thread specifically asked for "best athlete now," not ever. Your downplaying of Tiger and mentioning so many ancients in his place as best golfer was masterfully irrelevant, and perhaps demonstrative of much more...

[mrbill]

52. just pointing out what seems to be the majority opinion here.

The above are just a few of the slams against the game that i have read here in recent months. It's greatly distressing.

Have i been to a golf course recently? Does the practice tee at the local muni count? Got 60 shiney nxt titleists in my shag bag and hit them every evening on days when i don't play the course. Last night was no exception, had a nice tail wind and the five iron was carrying the ball about 195-yards with a little fade at the end. Then another 30 minutes in the emerging darkness on the putting green with the tommy armour ironmaster img5 putter that just came from ebay. It's all part of a 40-year on and off again relationship with the golf gods.

If someone can make eagles and birdies and get it under par every once in a while, are they allowed to comment on the game/sport? Less than 1% of the players can do that.

"Best athlete now". Oops, i got sidetracked, the first time in the history of du that someone when off topic. Where did i "downplay" tiger? Those "ancients" could play the game too. Hogan, in his prime, could kick tiger's ass on the colonial course in fort worth.

[Awsi Dooger]

54. Yeah, looks like I hit one OB

Sorry, mrbill. I didn't recognize your previous post as subtle and dismayed commentary on what the "majority" of DUers feel about golf. I have been miffed by those game-and-not-sport critiques also, although no one has ever done it at length with any specific criteria that claims to exclude golf as a sport. Normally it's a one-sentence dismissal without backbone, and from the same posters over and over.

The sissy, freeper and pollution gems I missed entirely. Hopefully the authors will feel compelled to reassert them sometime soon.

I really need to calm myself before posting here sometimes. I'm only on DU late at night and in the midst of 6 hours of blurry-eyed Excel monotony. This is hardly the first post I'd like to retrieve.

You obviously know the game, er sport. I never saw Hogan, but he's the top choice of so many who did that I'm sure he could whip Tiger as often as not. I play Mr. Hogan's classic blade Grind irons and absolutely love them, with a nice high draw that I finally got back this summer with the help of my first lessons in almost 30 years.

[mrbill]

67. no problem awsie, thanks for your defense of the sport/game

Can't believe that you missed the "is golf a freeper sport?" post. It was a classic of stupidity and total unawareness.

The usga does call it a game in their commercials, it sounds sorta classy.

Hogan memories: In the early sixties this high school golf team member would make the pilgrimage to the colonial to watch hogan play.

It was late in his career but he still had the magic. Depending on the situation, he could hit a nice high fade or a nice high draw.

Weird vibrations from this guy. He was in a state of total concentration.

Hear lots of good things about those hogan blade irons. Currently i'm happy with a set of tommy armour 855's with their classic head design. Still carry a persimmon 1956 macgregor dx tourney driver in the bag. Can't get used to that "clink" noise with the new metal woods.

Good luck with the lessons.

[Awsi Dooger]

69. Believe it or not, persimmon driver here also

Albeit a newbie, a Powerbilt Citation 240cc model I got from Golfworks about 5 years ago. Recently replaced the graphite shaft with an old school steel, True Temper Dynalite Gold and 43 1/2 inch length. Almost feels like my high school glory days in Miami.

My trusty Hogan persimmon woods were stolen from my car about 10 years ago. Can't get the feel of those hightech metals myself, although I've probably invested $1500 in a series of Taylors, Cobras and Berthas.

That "freeper sport" post indeed sounds like a classic. It might have been on DU between mid-July to mid-September, when I was on a (primarily golfing) vacation and off the internet.

[Awsi Dooger]

41. Roy Jones Jr., the most dominant boxer of all time

And yes, I know all about Ali and Robinson and Louis.

Jones is simply a freak, the best pound-for-pound fighter for over a decade. He turns matchups against terrific fighters like Bernard Hopkins or James Toney into glorified walkovers.

Get this, Jones has won nearly 90% of the scored rounds during his title fights, NEARLY 20% BETTER THAN SECOND ALL-TIME IN THE CATEGORY. He is always in phenomenal shape and almost never gets hit. ESPN boxing analyst Max Kellerman agrees that Jones is probably the best ever.

Others:

* Tiger Woods, who has dominated a sport that theoretically should not be possible to dominate, given it's nature and number of opponents

* Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco, 4-time world champion in the 1500 meters and perhaps the best middle distance runner ever. But El Guerrouj will have to add the Athens gold to fully stamp his greatness.

[VermontDem2004]

56. Jones Jr. wouldn't fight Ali and Robinson

too many times he fights creampuffs goes undefeated and says he is the best fighter of all time. I am surprised so many said Jones Jr, I do like him but I wish he would fight tougher oponents.

[Awsi Dooger]

61. Jones came around a decade too late

He would have butchered the likes of Hagler, Hearns and Leonard at supermiddleweight. No need to go up to light heavy or heavy to find some form of challenge.

Jones has fought everyone in his divisions of any consequence, other than the German lightheavy who insisted on fighting in Germany. Jones still has paranoia over fighting overseas, after the all-time ripoff in the gold medal match in Seoul.

Funny that they look like creampuffs against Jones, then go on to beat everyone else. Jones toyed with Hopkins, who later destroyed Felix Trinidad. Had Trinidad won that fight, Jones would have massacred him in a megafight.

Actually, the other heavyweights are ducking Jones now. His camp has approached Lewis, Tyson, Holyfield and others without anyone accepting, after Jones whipped John Ruiz.

Jones is moving back down in weight to fight Antonio Tarver very soon.

[VermontDem2004]

62. Proof?

His camp has approached Lewis, Tyson, Holyfield without anyone accepting

There is no doubt in my mind he could beat Holyfield but I doubt that happened.

[Awsi Dooger]

66. Here's a link:

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/0603/08holyfield.html

After Jones beat Ruiz, there was tons of talk in Las Vegas about future heavyweight megafights. The Hilton even put up odds on prospective a Jones vs. Tyson fight, with Jones a 2-1 favorite.

I think some of the heavyweights complained that Jones wanted too much of the Pay Per View purse, and that has hampered the negotiations.

[VermontDem2004]

68. I can understand Holyfield

but Lewis? There isn't a doubt in my mind Roy Jones Jr. can beat Holyfield.

[slaveplanet]

51. TONY HAWK

No other sportsman has had the mastery over his sport for so long and is still at the top of his game...heck he was on top in the eighties and still invents tricks none others have completed....simply amazing, still #1

[maveric]

53. NBA players are the best athletes in professional sports.

Always runing and jumping and pushing. With no padding either.

[VermontDem2004]

55. No padding?

Yes players get knocked down occasionally but it is hardly one of the most physical sports out there. I can run back and forth and not get tired while playing basketball or football, when I am having fun or enjoying myself I never get tired. I can jump and push, I must be the best athlete. :)

[VOX]

57. Not that big on golf, but Tiger Woods is probably among the best ever...

That would include Bobby Jones and Jack Nicklaus, et al. When you view Tiger the context of golf's history, he stands far and away from the entire pack.

One could easily argue that he's the best golfer ever.

edit: typos

[VermontDem2004]

58. The best athlete?

How many laps does Tiger have to run to prepare for a golfing event?

[Awsi Dooger]

63. Tiger is in awesome physical shape

He does specialized weight training designed specifically for the sport, and flexibility drills also. Check out the V shape next time he's on TV. And Tiger is wise enough to isolate the correct build for golf, and not overdo it al al genius WR David Boston.

I'm sure Tiger does some cardiovascular road work. I've seen pictures of him working out in private gyms. Much more fittingly, he relentlessly practices all the obscure shots that can come up during a round -- buried lies in sand, lefthanded from next to a tree, deep rough, sidehill from near the green, big hook from pine straw, etc.

Tiger only plays about 18-20 tournaments a year but spends phenomenal time refining his game. There is not a more dedicated athlete in the world.

[VermontDem2004]

65. David Boston does not overdue it

He is a tremodous athlete and the Cardinals were fucking morans for releasing him! 6-2 240 pounds, I watched interviews of CB's who were talking about they have to totally change their game when matched up against Boston because of his physical ability. I would want this guy on my team, a guy of this size who can catch the ball? Before last year(he missed much of the season due to a leg injury) he had 98 catches for 1,598 yards and 8 touchdowns. I seriously though Plummer and Boston was going to be a dynamic duo in the NFL. But Tiger Woods is not the best athlete by far, he is dedicated to the game, no argument here.

[Awsi Dooger]

70. I think 240 was many muscles ago

ESPN stated 255 recently, then showed several clips of Boston from Ohio St until today. Amazing transformation. I still think he was much more dangerous at 225 or so, although he had a very good game last outing coming off the suspension.

In general, I agree completely about big WRs. Andre Johnson of Houston (formerly 'Canes) is 6-3, 235 and creates severe matchup problems. He was one of the primary reasons Houston upset Miami on opening day. Neither Madison or Surtain could handle him.

[VermontDem2004]

59. Athlete?

Serena Williams is most definately one, alot of training has to happen to even be on the tennis circuit. The Tennis players such as Serena, Andre, etc were born with a Tennis Racket in their hands. Jerry Rice, no one works harder in the NFL then Jerry Rice and it shows in his career stats, argurably the best offensive NFL player ever. Baseball- Barry Bonds is just dominant but if KGJ didn't get hurt all the time he would get my vote, but I don't know enough about the sport to make a judgment. The NBA that is difficult to say, Kobe, McGrady, Iverson, and I could probaly list about 30 more. But the greatest athlete of all time is hands down Bo Jackson.

[trigz]

64. French footballer Zinedine Zidane

(should that read "freedom footballer"?)

Zizou is magnificent and the undisputedly best footballer in the world. Anything anyone else can do with a football, he can do with an orange. There are 1,5 billion footballers in the world, and Zizou is without a shade of a doubt the best of'em.