Who is the best sportsman or sportswoman of all time?

[Ken Gargett]

yes, i know that this will never be resolved but the local paper has posted for a vote. the list was compiled by someone called jeremy pierce - no idea who he is but not a regular writer for the paper. the first dispute will be over those chosen. then who gets the nod. and comparing sports etc etc.

and, of course, what exactly is a "sport"? if it extends to something like billiards/snooker etc, then walter lindrum has to be very high. and does it have to be high profile or international? heather mckay - female squash player - should be on any list. she was beaten twice, early in her career and was then undefeated for the next 20 years. won the british open (the key event in world squash at the time) 16 times in a row and in that time, dropped only two games (imagine a tennis player winning wimbledon 16 years straight and in that time, dropping only two sets). one year, she apparently didn't drop a point! also went to the states and took up raquetball and won the canadian and usa titles 8 or 9 times. who mataches that?

i guess we know where this bloke stands on pele/maradona/messi.

and for tennis, steffi graf???? seriously? a great player but i was very surprised by that. and tiger woods ahead of nicklaus???

feel free to post other candidates.

for me, don bradman first, daylight second.

[brazoseagle]

Somebody Else = Cal Ripken jr.

[CaptainQuintero]

Somebody else:

Gaius Appuleius Diocles

The Worlds richest ever sportsman and didn't even cheat with steroids or drugs

[Ken Gargett]

gretsky would be another but to most aussies, even less relevant than heather mckay. ripken for longevity or he was the best baseballer of all time?

[NMJoe]

I voted somebody else, which I would categorize as Jackie Robinson.

[brazoseagle]

gretsky would be another but to most aussies, even less relevant than heather mckay. ripken for longevity or he was the best baseballer of all time?

Ripken for longevity, discipline, knowledge of the game, character on and off the field, dedication, talent, skill and work ethic. I feel he was the last "true ballplayer" Few people have ever lived or live currently that know more about the game of baseball than he did, but he was able to apply it. He was not only the captain of the team for years, showed up and played hall of fame ball day in and day out, but he knew more about the opposing team and players than the coaches, the pitchers and the catchers. Cal called every pitch to the pitcher from Short Stop, instead of the catchers. He called every shift for each batter to the outfield.

2,632 straight games

19 time all-star out of 21 seasons

8 time Silver Slugger

2 time AL MVP

Most home runs by a short stop

Most games ever played

Most innings ever played

Most double plays by a short stop

All time MLB leader in All-Star fan Balloting

Most All Star appearances as a short stop

Most American League All Star selections

Member of 3000 hit club

Hall of Fame (RARE) first ballot inductee

3rd highest % of Hall of Fame votes of all time

Sold out every away game during his farewell tour

Best Selling Author

Nobody has given more back to the game and the city of Baltimore than Cal Ripken Jr. His charity and foundation work is unparalleled these days in sports

They don't make athletes like him anymore!

[cigarsnlife]

Jordan didn't even make the list???

i vote somebody else

[Ken Gargett]

Jordan didn't even make the list???

i vote somebody else

my apols. yes, jordan did make the list. i inadvertently left him off. bad error as i am a huge fan.

[Ken Gargett]

that has been rectified.

[Ken Gargett]

and yet again i've put something in the wrong section. if anyone knows how to transfer, most grateful.

[Munts]

It has been made pretty clear that Don Bradman is the best sportsman of all time.

Excuse my poor academic form by quoting from Wikipedia

The statistics show that "no other athlete dominates an international sport to the extent that Bradman does cricket". In order to post a similarly dominant career statistic as Bradman, a baseball batter would need a career batting average of .392, while a basketball player would need to score an average of 43.0 points per game. The respective records are .366 and 30.1.

[Wil]

Jack Nicklaus would be up there.

[Ken Gargett]

i'd have nicklaus ahead of woods, certainly at this stage.

but agreed, bradman is truly extraordinary. and for longevity, his career was also a couple of decades.

[Wil]

i'd have nicklaus ahead of woods, certainly at this stage.

Agreed. At his best, Woods was unbeatable. But now that his extraordinary mental toughness is gone, Nicklaus's record speaks for itself.

[Ken Gargett]

a further variable is it is purely on performance or something more.

if so, very much agree with jessie owens as a candidate.

[brazoseagle]

gretsky would be another but to most aussies, even less relevant than heather mckay. ripken for longevity or he was the best baseballer of all time?

I would also say there is a definite argument for Gretzky & Lemieux ! You factor in their skill multiply it by the sheer difficulty of hockey and add in their achievements - they are the best in the biz. I mean Lemieux won a Stanley Cup battling cancer!

In the most underrated athlete ever category, (by some), most who know, know he was probably the most naturally talented athlete ever, and never got to truly excel due to injury = Bo Jackson

I put Bo in the realm of some of the best athletes ever.

Also, I'm going to go ahead and put this out there....RG3!!!!!!! Sic'Em Bears

[NMJoe]

I would also say there is a definite argument for Gretzky & Lemieux ! You factor in their skill multiply it by the sheer difficulty of hockey and add in their achievements - they are the best in the biz. I mean Lemieux won a Stanley Cup battling cancer!

In the most underrated athlete ever category, (by some), most who know, know he was probably the most naturally talented athlete ever, and never got to truly excel due to injury = Bo Jackson

I put Bo in the realm of some of the best athletes ever.

Bo was a freak. Unbelievable ability, skill and determination. Probably the only thing Bo and I share is AVN. Who can forget a man who, upon striking out in his "second sport", would pull the bat down over his head and break it in half. Ultimate stud. Nice call, David.

[brazoseagle]

Bo was a freak. Unbelievable ability, skill and determination. Probably the only thing Bo and I share is AVN. Who can forget a man who, upon striking out in his "second sport", would pull the bat down over his head and break it in half. Ultimate stud. Nice call, David.

If you anyone is not familiar with Bo, watch this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bs-1hPkLKeQ

[assassin]

Mohamed Alli---to have achieved in the racist environment of the day his many feats is truly admirable.

[Ken Gargett]

Mohamed Alli---to have achieved in the racist environment of the day his many feats is truly admirable.

truly great boxer but interesting perspective - recently watched a very doco on the thrilla in manilla and it was just appalling how cruelly racist ali was towards smokin joe. today, he'd be close to being jailed i suspect.

and to hear ali talking about how he fronted a kkk rally because he agreed with their views - to the extent of whites for whites only, blacks for blacks only etc etc, was bizarre.

but of course, ali had his own problems with whites/authority and more (his wives, for example).

the amazing thing about that great great fight (surely the greatest ever) was that at the end of the 14th, when frazier could hardly see a thing, he begged his bench not to throw in the towel. on the other side, ali told his team to do just that. ali's bench ignored him while frazier's bench also ignored him and tossed it in.

[Ken Gargett]

i remember bo jackson well from my time in the states.

and as much as i hope that you are a prophet david, it may be a smidge early to include rg3. next year?

about the only comment i disagree with here so far is the concept of weighting ice hockey because it is more difficult? seriously? bradman facing larwood on a rain affected pitch - and a squillion other examples in many many sports. all have varying degrees of difficulty in different aspects. the skill of a top rugby prop, for example - the ultimate in dark arts.

another issue is not just comparing sports but comparing positions. in soccer, a striker as opposed to a goalie. a 1/4back as opposed to a running back or wide receiver or...

i can't think of anything more difficult in sport than keeping to a world class spinner.

for me, bradman wins out because he was not only so far ahead of all others of his generation in every aspect of his sport, but all those that came before and after. there are not many sports where 99.9% of fans of that sport would instantly pick the same bloke as the greatest in that sport, no debate. almost everyone else mentioned above or throughout this post could be included in arguments about whether or not they are even the best in their own sport, let alone all sports. the debate on this forum about pele/messi/maradona in recent weeks proves that.

[Colt45]

Sports(wo)man or athlete?

Hard to say regardless.

[joeypots]

Bill Russell

A few years ago I saw him at a scholarship ceremony. He was introduced as the most decorated professional athlete of all time.

2 NCAA championships. Olympic Gold Medal.

11 NBA World Championships, that's in the USA lol.

The guy is the walking definition of a class act.

[Squarehead]

You could also add Michael Schumacher to the list.

7 X F1 world champion and holding every other record there is in F1.

[canadianbeaver]

Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee... the smell of Brut and the punch of Ali!