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Greatest Athlete We Will Ever See?

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Bump with the passing of Ali.

We had a thread some 7 or 8 years ago where a lot of people debated the greatest athlete, I couldn't find it. I've always had Ali in the top three.. it's important to note Boxing was the top international sport outside of soccer during his peak.

I'll probably go something like:

1. Jordan
2. Bo
3. Ali
4. Thorpe
5. Pele
6. Owens
7. Phelps
8. Jim Brown
9. Bebe Dirdrickson
10. Gretzky
 
Bump with the passing of Ali.

We had a thread some 7 or 8 years ago where a lot of people debated the greatest athlete, I couldn't find it. I've always had Ali in the top three.. it's important to note Boxing was the top international sport outside of soccer during his peak.

I'll probably go something like:

1. Jordan
2. Bo
3. Ali
4. Thorpe
5. Pele
6. Owens
7. Phelps
8. Jim Brown
9. Bebe Dirdrickson
10. Gretzky

I'm not sure how Bo Jackson isn't number 1 by a wide margin.

I agree Ali is probably in the top 5 if not top 3. At 6'7 265 lbs you have to add Lebron into the top 10. I don't need to explain him, he's in the top 10 for sure.
 
I'm not sure how Bo Jackson isn't number 1 by a wide margin.

I agree Ali is probably in the top 5 if not top 3. At 6'7 265 lbs you have to add Lebron into the top 10. I don't need to explain him, he's in the top 10 for sure.

It's a tough question with few easy answers. Do you value longevity as much as versatility? How about dominance in one sport compared to two? How does social impact factor in? The question needs a solid rubric.
 
Soccer has and has had some amazing athletes. Picking one great athlete in sports to me is a silly endeavour since so many of what we consider to be athletes are essentially specialists- they are amazing at a specialty but it doesn't make them the greatest athlete ever to dominate their sport. In that case then Wayne Gretzky makes all of them look like 5 year olds since he so utterly dominated his pro sport- especially at a time when his sport saw a huge talent infusion as European players began joining his league.

If I had to pick a greatest ever, I have to look back at a Jim Thorpe- he proved his athleticism by being a champion in numerous sports and disciplines. Outta terrifying to think how good he could have been had he had modern training techniques, drugs, and instruction. If I had to pick a modern athlete, I'm going with Rich Froning. He has shown the athletic ability and strength to transition to any number of specialities. I think LBJ would certainly be up their too.
 
Pretty disappointing to not see Ali in here until his passing, but instead we got pages and pages of bickering about soccer.

Personally I think that boxing is the pinnacle of athletic feats and Ali was the pinnacle of boxing so this is the answer for me. Anyone who has ever boxed knows how hard it is to even just be better than terrible at it. Even just hitting a heavy bag for three minute rounds for even a few rounds is one hell of a workout. Boxing has the added nuance of having a great deal to do with strategy, and having to execute your strategy while getting your head knocked around by some of the hardest hitters in the world.
 

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