Greatest GOAT of all sports

[Dennis]

I thought about cricket and how huge it is in Asia. But you're right- I don't know the name of a single cricket team and definitely not any players.

But Shane Warne has 195 wickets in the Ashes!

[4T2]

[Kofax]

It's hard to evaluate people I haven't seen or sports I don't play/watch (Muhammad Ali, Pele). I do agree that quality of playing field (participant quality) does play a factor.

Here's a link that has evaluated sports skills. Does support your basketball > swimming , soccer opinion.
https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/sportSkills

That's a fun list, thanks for posting that.

Overall I don't think there's too much to argue with there. Maybe a little quibbling on a couple of sports, moving them 2-5 spots in either direction (Like gymnastics; I agree with the argument below in that it should probably be boosted a bit and slid in above wrestling (which should probably be knocked down a bit as well)). But overall, I go through it and look where things have been ranked and I'm thinking ya, ok. It gets high points for the area in which it most taxes an athlete but is really missing out in some of the other areas.

Boxing make sense up top. It's deceiving how much stamina and strength you actually need to compete at a high level.

[LawMan]

I really like this analysis it is the best attempt at an objective analysis of ranking of sports I have ever seen. I generally agree with both the categories included, and the rankings in those categories. The only category I think is weak to include is “nerve”. All sports at the time level require “nerve” to succeed when a title in on the line. I also think the definition is just wrong relative to what we typically think of as “nerve". The analysis says

“NERVE: The ability to overcome fear. Example: High-board divers, race-car drivers, ski jumpers.

To me “nerve” is the ability to be in complete control of your body and perform under pressure. I hear “nerve” I think sinking a putt on 18 in golf, or other muscle memory activities of extreme precision: curling, or even darts… Anyways I digress the rest of the list is excellent. Golf got a 2.5 in nerve, shooting a 2.38… curling a 1.75. Like I said I like the rest. It is not a surprise that complex sports, against an active opponent rank the highest. Outside of boxing (which I agree with at #1) the rest have complex rules that require a mix of all the attributes both “raw physical” “coordination” and “fast thinking”.

As far as GOAT of GOATS I agree that it has to start by a comparison against peers and then comparing relative greatness over other peers, and then sometimes even the era played in needs to be considered…
Of the “Big 4” North American team sports the only one with a clear-cut GOAT is, IMO, Gretzky in hockey. Everyone else (my sport GOATS are Brady, Jordan, Barry Bonds – come at me) has at least one rival for his GOAT claim.

On the individual sport side its: Ali, Bolt, Phelps, Serena Williams (although I think a whole other, other conversation needs to be had on male v. female athletes). Bolt, Phelps and Williams all have the hardware to be unequivocally the greatest of all-time. Strictly by the numbers Ali may not even be a boxing GOAT (Joe Louis had more title fight wins – 27 (Ali-22) and a 11.8-year consecutive reign) Also, Wladimir Klitschko, a guy I had to look-up, actually holds the record for longest total title reign. Given the fact that Ali was stripped and lost several years outside of his prime for reasons well beyond his control, and the opponents he beat, its fair to give him the edge.
All that being said my personal list is as follows:

GOAT of GOAT: Gretzky HM: Usain Bolt

There could be a multitude of other categories as well:
Most influential athlete: Ali [edit] Jackie Robinson, nuf said. HM: Jesse Owens
Best all-round athlete: Deion Sanders or Jim Thorpe
Athlete Revolutionized a Sport: Tiger Woods, Steph Curry, Barry Bonds

[Invictus]

That's a fun list, thanks for posting that.

Overall I don't think there's too much to argue with there. Maybe a little quibbling on a couple of sports, moving them 2-5 spots in either direction (Like gymnastics; I agree with the argument below in that it should probably be boosted a bit and slid in above wrestling (which should probably be knocked down a bit as well)). But overall, I go through it and look where things have been ranked and I'm thinking ya, ok. It gets high points for the area in which it most taxes an athlete but is really missing out in some of the other areas.

Boxing make sense up top. It's deceiving how much stamina and strength you actually need to compete at a high level.

I've done wrestling... it's insane. I would not knock it down anything.

[rataylor22]

I thought about cricket and how huge it is in Asia. But you're right- I don't know the name of a single cricket team and definitely not any players.

This is how most of the world feels about the NFL, much more of a niche sport than swimming or sprinting.

[Invictus]

There could be a multitude of other categories as well:
Most influential athlete: Ali HM: Jesse Owens
Best all-round athlete: Deion Sanders or Jim Thorpe
Athlete Revolutionized a Sport: Tiger Woods, Steph Curry, Barry Bonds

Kobayashi revolutionized eating competition way more than any of Tiger Woods, Steph Curry, Barry Bonds did in their sport. I think there are more even better names too.

Most influential athlete: This is where you would put Terry Fox.

[Daydream Nation]

As far as GOAT of GOATS I agree that it has to start by a comparison against peers and then comparing relative greatness over other peers, and then sometimes even the era played in needs to be considered…
Of the “Big 4” North American team sports the only one with a clear-cut GOAT is, IMO, Gretzky in hockey. Everyone else (my sport GOATS are Brady, Jordan, Barry Bonds – come at me) has at least one rival for his GOAT claim.

O

GOAT of GOAT: Gretzky HM: Usain Bolt

Great post. There's a lot of people that rate Mario over Gretzky. I've heard the argument and it is compelling.

[senryu]

Kobayashi revolutionized eating competition way more than any of Tiger Woods, Steph Curry, Barry Bonds did in their sport. I think there are more even better names too.

Most influential athlete: This is where you would put Terry Fox.

Most influential has to be Jackie Robinson. Not just because Woods, Curry, and Bonds might not appear in your post above without him. Because his impact on society, as laudable as Terry Fox's was, is substantially greater. Just like with representation in TV and movies, to see representation on the field changes perceptions of how our society can and should function.

[Invictus]

Most influential has to be Jackie Robinson. Not just because Woods, Curry, and Bonds might not appear in your post above without him. Because his impact on society, as laudable as Terry Fox's was, is substantially greater. Just like with representation in TV and movies, to see representation on the field changes perceptions of how our society can and should function.

Wasn't my post mentioning Woods, Curry, and Bonds, but that said post was updated to input Jackie Robinson for most influential.

I'm not about to dispute between Fox or Robinson. Both were huge influencers that I don't feel I could properly judge between the two.
All I can say is I've been much more impacted by Terry Fox then Robinson. And I would probably still pick Fox for that category if I had to choose.