Greatest Athlete Ever

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by RRxtar

Roger Federer has to be up there on the list of most dominant in their sport.


However, if we are talking about the greatest athlete, I would assume that means an athlete who is not one dimensional in their sport, but would be reasonably competent in other sports. A tennis player isnt going to be good at football, a sprinter isnt going to be good at triathlons, etc


My personal opinion would be an MMA fighter would be the most well rounded physically and mentally. Someone like GSP (no Im not saying GSP is the greatest athlete of all time), is clearly good at combat sports. Has the explosiveness of a sprinter and the endurance of a distance runner. He can probably play a physical game (football), a quick game (basketball) and maybe a finesse game.

The fact that GSP is probably an olympic level wrestler, with no wrestling experience, is a good indication that he is one of the best athletes in the world right now. At least a case can be made for it.

[RRxtar]

ya. i think GSP is the kind of athlete who could be good at whatever sport he picks. just so happens he picked MMA

[Fuhrër-Z]

Clara Hughes is very much worth mentioning, medals in both winter and summer olympics for a total of 6 over the course of 4 olympics. Her medals come from speed skating and cycling... So dominance in two different sports completely.

[SkinnyPupp]

Originally Posted by Fuhrër-Z

Clara Hughes is very much worth mentioning

[RayBot]

I just finished spectating at the Subaru Vancouver Triathlon.

When it comes to pure athleticism....I dunno if these professional team athletes even come close.

Sure they don't get paid 6mill a year plus endorsements....but the distances they gotta go through and the endurance they have to maintain in 3 disciplines is impressive.

Plus, they don't have those scronny kenyan bodies that you see in the marathons....these fuckers are FIT!!

And this isn't even the Headlining Ironman races!! Imagine doing 2x or 4x the distances done today in the blistering heat!

Screw dominance.....By all means when it comes to the nitty gritty of the term athlete....all of these fellas are totally underrated in the world of sports.

[XplicitLuder]

Diego Maradona

[minoru_tanaka]

Originally Posted by RayBot

But in hockey, if you take Gretzky vs. Ovechkin at the top of their careers....can't help to think that Gretzky had it easy way back when. Like, would Gretzky, if he started in 2005 would just have been utterly crushed while if Ovechkin started his career in '78 would have done much better than Gretzky.

Think about it this way. If Ovechkin was playing in the 80s he would have grown up in 70s had 70s training and he would not have the speed and the strength that he has today and the opposite would be true if Gretzky started playing this century. Also keep in mind even in his own era, Gretzky was undersized and slow.

Originally Posted by RayBot

In ways i think Gretzky had it easier. I want to refer back to a few rule changes my friend told me about, but i was too young to even remember the facts. But apparently there were some rule changes that pretty much slowed Gretzky down as a dominant player. The later players after Gretzky's time like Crosby and Ovechkin would be assumed didn't have the same 'freedoms' Gretzky had in his prime. Just like Jordan shaped the game of basketball, Gretzky did the same for hockey.

But as of right now, i cant back up what I just said, so its time for me to do a lil research.

On top of that, i don't think Gretzky was hockeys greatest player...just using him as example. Sure Gretzky had the career statistics, but imo, Bobby Orr was able to accomplish something that Gretzky could never touch...being the league's best defenseman AND be the league's top scorer.
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**Edited addition.

Here we go, here is one that I found:
Another rule that targeted a specific team, this time the Edmonton Oilers and Wayne Gretzky. From SI:

In the mid-'80s, the NHL stepped in and made it nearly impossible to see 3-on-3 situations by negating the additional loss of manpower when a second set of minor penalties is whistled.

Regarded as the "Edmonton Rule," the freewheeling Oiler teams of the 1980s used the tactic to great advantage. As soon as players went to the penalty box, the ensuing play invariably would involve an Oiler player jostling an opponent in hopes of goading him into a coincidental minor situation. The thought behind the theory was that with the Oilers' superior skating skill supplied by Paul Coffey, Wayne Gretzky, Jari Kurri, Mark Messier, Glen Anderson, et al, the more open space the better. They correctly calculated that extended stretches of 4-on-4 and 3-on-3 increased the likelihood of offensive annihilation.

So the NHL made a rule-change that made teams play 5-on-5 during offsetting/coincidental penalties -- known informally as "The Gretzky Rule." The rule was reversed in the early 1990s ... just in time for players like Mario and Jagr to exploit it.

Sounds like this "Gretzky Rule" made it harder for Gretzky which kinda contradicts your position, especially since Ovi is not held back by it. Also you can barely touch people without a holding penalty. The defense isn't allowed to slightly interfere with a forechecker. Imagine how Gretzky would have done with all those powerplays. Add to that the penalty shots they give out these days do you think the record would be only 92 goals?

But if you ask who is more athletic, I'm going to say Gretzky was not very athletic but I have to disagree that Ovechkin or Crosby are better than him at hockey.