It is important to lay out some criterea for my choice. Opposition and Occasion are two key parameters in my analysis. In the 1988 Olympics, now nine time gold medalist Carl Lewis ran the 100m in what turned out to be a world record 9.92 seconds after Ben Johnson was DQ'd (for 9.79 in that race and 9.83 for the previous WR). Does that make Lewis a bigger start than Jesse Owens for winning the 1936 Berlin Olympics 100m in 10.31 seconds? While the athletic achievment is clearly superior, the occasion clearly catapulted Owens into a bigger star. In fact, the 1988 race is now called the "dirtiest in history" as four of the top five (Ben Johnson, Carl Lewis, Linford Christie and Dennis Mitchell) tested positive for banned substances at some point of their careers (bronze medalist Calvin Smith being the exception). By the same token, Asafa Powell has now run a personal best of 9.72 secs but cannot be considered a bigger star than Carl Lewis because whenever there is a big ocassion, Powell fails to produce. That will be his legacy. Another Jamaican Usain Bolt has not only run the fastest (9.69 secs) but has produced on the big ocassions (2008 Beijing Olympics) and against top class opposition (Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell- the only two other than Bolt himself and Maurice Greene to have legally run faster than 9.80 secs- Justin Gatlin and Tim Montgomery don't count).
1. Muhammad A
li2. Tiger Woods
3. Michael Jord
an4. Michael Phelps
5. Pele
6. Usain Bolt
7. Valentino Rossi
8. Babe Ruth
9. Don Bradman
10. Lance Armstrong
8 comments:
Pele has got to be Number 1 or 2 in the context of Football being one of the few truly global sports.Everyone round the world knows of Pele.Both from a geographic and a socio-economic class level.I would not have two swimmers in a Top Ten List.Phelps has usurped Spitz (in the same way as Carl Lewis doesnt make your list).How about Maradona ?In terms of impact which other personality unified a whole country (the UK)in hating him and redefined the term a 'one man team' ?!
Sunir R
What about Gretzky?!
how can you put usain bolt ahead of lance armstrong? he doesnt even deserve to be in the top 10 until we see his performance in the 2012 olympics. Lance Armstrong won the worlds most grueling race not once, not 3 times, not five times, but 7 times IN A ROW! Hes totally clean so dont give me that bs. and he did all this after SURVIVING CANCER. Not only did he trancend the sport of cycling, he also changed the way that people approach cancer, not as a incurable disease anymore, but as an opportunity to do something great.
how can you put usain bolt ahead of lance armstrong? he doesnt even deserve to be in the top 10 until we see his performance in the 2012 olympics. Lance Armstrong won the worlds most grueling race not once, not 3 times, not five times, but 7 times IN A ROW! Hes totally clean so dont give me that bs. and he did all this after SURVIVING CANCER. Not only did he trancend the sport of cycling, he also changed the way that people approach cancer, not as a incurable disease anymore, but as an opportunity to do something great.
Bradman anywhere else than 1 is an insult to sports. Seriously check the statistics, there has never been a sporter that far above his peers. Statistically his record corresponds with a .392 career batting average in baseball and a 42 ppg average in basketball. Dont forget this in the largest arena possible in the second largest sport in the world.
You could have realised that 7 out of 10 being american you were giving a misrepresentation of the facts.
C'mon, everybody knows Lance Armstrong isn't clean. Because nobody in cycling is totally clean. I know some professional and sub-pro cyclers and they would confirm this (not with a camera around). If you can get an edge, and blood transfusion is undetectable, everyone will do it when so much is at stake.
Not to say Armstrong isn't a great cyclist; he definitely is. The sport is just flawed. And about the cancer thing: that just makes him more likeable, it likely didn't change his ability at all.
Bravo for recognizing Rossi. In the US MotoGP gets such little coverage and it's funny how one of the world's biggest sports stars and someone with so much dominance in his sport is almost completely overlooked here.
An interesting list, there will always be personal choices but some glaring omissions.
Also where are the women?
(Woods? Still isn't the best ever in his sport (4 majors behind Nicklaus) and seems to be fading fast)
(Babe Ruth? As big a lead over #2 as Bradman?)
1. Sergei Bubka. Greatest pole vaulter ever.
2. Michael Schumacher. As successful as Rossi and as far ahead of all others.
3. Jesse Owens.
4. Babe Didrickson. Greatest female athlete (possibly greatest of either gender) of all time.
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