Misc. Monday 05-23-2011 - Who is the greatest living athlete?
The following list is completely debatable. There are several sports fans that feel that if an athlete is going to be on this list, then they need to be great at more than one sport. Others feel that the best athlete at their sport and their position should be enough to put them on the list.
But here is my top 10:
1) Michael Jeffery Jordan - MJ qualifies at all the criteria. He was THE best at his sport, he was the best at his position in his sport, won multiple championships, won Olympic gold medals, played multiple sports and had the deepest passion to win at all costs. He's in everyone's top three.
2) Muhammad Ali - Again, greatest in his sport and at his weight class and won a Olympic gold medal. An underdog against Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson, Ali dismantled them both, becoming the best boxer in about six month's time. Ali defended his crown seven times and has an all-time record of 56-5. He now may be the most recognized athlete on the face of the earth.
3) Wayne Gretzky - Because of Mario Lemieux's battle with injuries and cancer, Wayne Gretzky is the best hockey player ever. And remember that hockey is more than one sport, meaning ice-skating is a sport in itself. Nicknamed "The Great One," Gretzky still owns 40 regular season records, 15 playoffs records and six All-Star records. Enough said.
4) Dave Winfield - Co-worker Dave Mast came up with this one. And Dave, like always when it comes to sports, is 100 percent right. What a freak Winfield is and was. He was drafted by four teams in three different sports, The San Diego Padres (MLB), Atlanta Hawks(NBA), Utah Stars (ABA) and the Minnesota Vikings (NFL), even though he never played college football. He stuck with baseball, and became a first ballot hall of famer (84.5% of vote).
5) Barry Sanders - Sanders holds the most 1,100 yard season with 10, five of those he had over 1,500. Sanders had 100 yards or more rushing in 14 games in one season. He never won because, well, the Detroit Lions were awful. That fact alone puts him and his ridiculous athleticism in the top five. He had to dodge the best defensive players in the league while they were in his backfield and he still managed to be the best running back in the history of the NFL.
6) Bo Jackson - Jackson's two-sport versatility completely makes up for the fact that his career was cut short by injury. But that only tells me that Bo Jackson wasn't juiced. Before being injured, Jackson was on pace to hit well over 500 home runs and would have put Barry Sanders to shame. NFL scouts always said Jackson had the best speed, power, balance and vision as a running back. So without the injuries, he could have been a hall of famer in both football and baseball.
7) Deion Sanders - "Primetime" was just that. A huge personality mixed with unworldly athleticism cranks Deion to the top of this list as the second athlete named Sanders to make my top 10. A monster in football, baseball and track, some say Sanders' best sport was actually basketball.
8) John Elway - John Elway is a lot like Jordan and Gretzky. He was the best ever at his position in his sport, and also won multiple championships. Elway was also drafted by the Kansas City Royals (MLB) in 1979 and then again in 1981 by the New York Yankees (MLB). In 42 games, before giving up baseball for pro football (good choice!), Elway hit .318 in 42 games. Elway was a first ballot hall of famer in 2004.
9) Pele (Edson Arantes do Nascimento). Pele is the top scorer of all-time in total career professional games. He scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 games. Pele won his first of three World Cup medals at age 17, and is still the all-time leading scorer for his powerhouse Brazilian national football team. Like Ali, Pele is one of the most recognized athletes still living worldwide.
10) Usain Bolt - The world's fastest man. Maybe he can't do anything but run fast, but I'm just saying he is the fastest man in the history of the world. You have got to have some freakish athletic talent and work ethic to carry that title.
Honorable Mentions:
- Roger Federer – Federer just misses my top 10. His combination of power, athleticism, grace, accuracy and creativity is obscene.
- Lance Armstrong - Seeing all the doping accusations, Armstrong cannot make the top 10.
- Tiger Woods - Golf really isn't a sport, but Tiger is close. Tiger is more of a robot than an athlete because he can do the same thing over and over again very successfully - at least prior to his marital issues. Also, how are we not sure Tiger wasn't using steroids?
- Michael Phelps - The events that Phelps has won are said to be the hardest Olympic events to consistently win.
- Willie Mays - Best five-tool player the Majors has ever seen.
- Lawrence Taylor - Most feared defensive player in football history.
- Ichiro Suzuki - Ichiro's combined Japanese and MLB stats speak for themselves. Look them up!
Sorry, no NASCAR drivers folks. They are just that - drivers.
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