G.O.A.T.: pick your greatest athlete of all time

[Prison Bitch]

With Tiger’s Masters win today, Twatter is asking if he’s the greatest athlete ever. This poll asks: name you greatest athlete you’ve seen. (So Jim Brown, Babe Ruth, Jesse Owens etc all off the table)

Use whatever criteria you wish. Can only pick one.

[BlackHelicopters]

Bill Russell

[WhiteWhale]

"The reason people don't believe that is because Wilt's numbers were so big, they seemed so impossible that they almost don't seem real. So they try to diminish the era and those he played against. People can't comprehend numbers like that, things that he did every night in just about every game. So they try to find a way to dismiss them or devalue them and try to make them not real."

This is what is happening right now. Bill Russell would laugh at you guys talking down Wilt. Just embarrassing.

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by WhiteWhale

"The reason people don't believe that is because Wilt's numbers were so big, they seemed so impossible that they almost don't seem real. So they try to diminish the era and those he played against. People can't comprehend numbers like that, things that he did every night in just about every game. So they try to find a way to dismiss them or devalue them and try to make them not real."

This is what is happening right now. Bill Russell would laugh at you guys talking down Wilt. Just embarrassing.

This!

If wilt was so bad, then Russell was too. I mean, Wilt got the best of Bill when the played. So what does this say about the guy they are propping up?

[PAChiefsGuy]

Originally Posted by ROYC75

This!

If wilt was so bad, then Russell was too. I mean, Wilt got the best of Bill when the played. So what does this say about the guy they are propping up?

Wilts a tough guy to coach and play with though. Russ isn't. You gotta take that into consideration when comparing the two. By all accounts Will was a selfish stat guy who constantly bickered with his teammates and coaches. Wilt was traded twice. If he was a better player than the guy that 11 Championships were built around, why would anyone trade him?

Bill he was easy to get along with and focused more on winning than stats. His teammates loved him and it showed. End of the day you play to win not have the best stats. Basketball isn't an individual sport.

Not taking anything away from Wilt he's an amazing player but for all his great stats he should have more than 2-championships.

Celtics: 0 titles before Russell

The year after he retires ('70) they miss the playoffs.

The next year they miss the playoffs.

'72 Wilt and the Lakers who Russell owned, win their first title and set an NBA record for wins. Coincidence? I think not..

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by PAChiefsGuy

Basketball isn't an individual sport.



'72 Wilt and the Lakers who Russell owned, win their first title and set an NBA record for wins. Coincidence? I think not..

So if Basketball is a team sport, you win as a team, lose as a team.
So Chamberlain owned Russell and Chamberlain team players played poorly to lose to the Celtics. Because, Wilt outplayed Russell. Wilt did his part, the rest of the team did not do theirs.

What, I forgot, you said Russell owned Wilt, as in outplaying him, yet you want to scream team sport!

Well, which is it ?
*******************

Define, owned?
**************
Did you know that Wilt owned so bad by Russell that Russell allowed Wilt to grab 55 rebounds in one game?
BTW, did you know that Russell owned Wilt so bad that Chamberlain led the league in rebounding 11 times, eight while Russell was still active.

BTW, Did you know your Bill Russell was a stand up guy? Who does this to a friend ?

In Game 7 of the 1969 Finals, Chamberlain's last game against Bill Russell, Wilt twisted his right knee with 5½ minutes left and was soon replaced. Chamberlain said he wanted to return, but that Lakers coach Butch van Breda Kolff wouldn't put him back in. The Celtics won the title, but Chamberlain's injury left a sour taste with Russell, who criticized Wilt for removing himself. For years, this put a wedge in their friendship before they patched things up.

Later it was reviled during the 72 season Chamberlain had a broken hand ...

“He was trying to protect me,” Chamberlain said. “Three years ago, Bill Russell rapped me for not coming back into the final game of the playoffs when I was hurt. I had a torn ligament in my knee, but Russell said that nothing less than a broken back would've kept him from going back into a big game.”

They had a Great friendship prior to this.

[gblowfish]

I think you'd have to say modern era would be Bo Jackson. Historically for longevity maybe Ali. Long time history Jim Thorpe or Jessie Owens. Golf is a pastime, not really a sport imho.

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

I think you'd have to say modern era would be Bo Jackson. Historically for longevity maybe Ali. Long time history Jim Thorpe or Jessie Owens. Golf is a pastime, not really a sport imho.

Which one of these men you selected would be good in basketball ?

I love Bo, but not.

Thorpe and Owens were agile enough to play.

Chamberlain could do track, he was a monster so playing football was OK. Imagine Wilt boxing?

I forgot the (ex-team mate) player who got mad at Wilt after Wilt had blocked several of his shots in the lane one game. He actually challenged Wilt, as he got ready to swing at Wilt,Wilt stuck out his arm and cupped his head as the guy swung 4 times,all missing because of wingspan. Wilt looked at him and said,OK,That's enough, the player acknowledged and said OK, walked away!

[Great Expectations]

Mickey Mantle was offered to be a RB at the best college football program in the history of CFB. He also dominated HS basketball.

[007]

So Tiger wins his first title in what seems like forever and now we are talking GOAT again. JFC

Last I checked he is in second place all time in golf. He doesn't belong on this list as it is currently written.

Also, while I do believe that Mahomes will be deserving of the honor someday, he can't be on the list yet.

[Garcia Bronco]

Originally Posted by Amnorix

Of course, you can be hella athletic and not be playing a sport. In my book, Olympic gymnastics is also a competition, but not a sport. But that doesn't mean the gymnasts aren't ridiculously athletic. They obviously are. They just aren't playing a sport.

So Tiger is eligible, despite playing something I don't call a sport.

But all that said, no golfer is ever going to win the prize in my book either. Golf demands ultra-precision at a specific and narrow ability -- aiming a ball with a stick. Yay?


To me, "athletic" means good at a wide range of athletic activities and, more specifically -- if I were to come up with 10 or 100 different "athletic" activities and put them out there, someone who is more athletic would do better at them than someone who was less athletic.

For that reason, no golfer is going to be on the list. If I ran prime-Tiger against prime-Wilt in, say, the Olympic decathalon events, Wilt will wipe the floor with him. Wilt had legendary strength.

Someone above mentioned Wilt vs. Russell. Unfortunately, in my book, "leadership" isn't factored into "athletic". Nor is teamwork (except to the extent vision is involved, I suppose).

So Tom Brady and Larry Bird -- both of whom were utterly elite at the team sports that they played in -- are out. Neither was terribly "athletic" as I understand that term.

A sport is anything that is competitive, so yes, gymnastics at the Olympics is a sport. They are also athletes.