Athlete? Who is and who isn't? (1815 hits)
Category: SportsRating: 0.36 on 66 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by kitchens_closed (View user info) at 2004-07-23 14:50:28 EDT
I was watching a sports program on ESPN not too long ago, when they began to count down the 25 greatest athletes since 1979. The list in my opinion was some what accurate, but there were some athletes I was not familiar with, I will mark them with an asterisk.
1. Michael Jordan
2. Wayne Gretzky
3. Lance Armstrong
4. Tiger Woods
5. Jerry Rice
6. Joe Montana
7. Magic Johnson
8. Larry Bird
9. Barry Bonds
10. Barry Sanders
11. Carl Lewis*
12. Cal Ripken Jr.
13. Pete Sampras
14. John Elway
15. Emmitt Smith
16. Dan Marino
17. Mario Lemieux
18. Roger Clemens
19. Shaquille O'Neal
20. Lawrence Taylor
21. Sugar Ray Leonard*
22. Martina Navratilova*
23. Patrick Roy
24. Jackie Joyner-Kersee*
25. Alex Rodriguez
I know Carl Lewis was an Olympian, but as far as Ray Leonard and the two chicks are concerned, well, I never followed boxing really and I definitely never cared much for women's athletics.
My biggest problem with the list is with the "athlete" ranked fourth, none other than Tiger Woods. I remember when I was watching and they named him fourth I wasn't upset or angry. I was confused. Golf is a sport, no doubt, but are its competitors really athletes? Let's look at the first two definitions of athlete (www.dictionary.com):
"1) A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive context
2) Any one trained to contend in exercises requiring great physical agility and strength; one who has great activity and strength; a champion."
I never played golf religiously, but I think it's safe for me to make the assumption that golfers are not athletes, period. Yeah, golf is a difficult sport, one that takes skill and hours of practice that I could only imagine, but just look at some of the golfers who have had success lately, namely John Daly. He appears to be very out of shape, which is inconsistent with the definition of athlete. Sure, him and Tiger woods are _great golfers_, but the bottom line is that a majority of golfers are not athletic.
I remember reading a quote in my Sports Illustrated, made by a hefty baseball player named John Kruk:
"I'm not an athlete, I'm a professional baseball player."
This statement really puts a golfer's status in perspective when it comes to athletics. They can hit that ball 250 yards, but one has to wonder if they could bench half their weight, run half a mile, or even carry their own fucking golf clubs across the fairway.
Those most consistent with the definition of athlete are probably football players, but the epitome in my mind has to be Lance Armstrong. This guy busts his ass up and down the mountains in a grueling race against the best bikers in existence in the most notorious race in the entire world, a race he has won five times in a row despite being diagnosed with cancer some years ago. It's a shame that no one gives a shit about bicycling (myself included), but you have to respect the way Armstrong punishes his body, yet continues to win year after year.
My main point of this post is that sometimes we confuse success and greatness with athletism. Though they seem alike in our minds, they are not synonommous, and that needs to be recognized.
To end this post I will make a short top ten list of the best athletes, all selections coming from the list above (with athletes I am familiar with only):
1. Lance Armstrong
2. Barry Sanders
3. Michael Jordan
4. Jerry Rice
5. John Elway
6. Wayne Gretzky
7. Cal Ripken Jr.
8. Magic Johnson
9. Lawrence Taylor
10. Pete Sampras
It was tough to choose those worthy of this list, but I made my selections based on what I know and consistency with the athlete definition. I know many of you may disagree with my list, and I encourage you to make a list if your own in your reply.
User Reviews
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-08-23 01:12:05 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Pooz (user info) at 2004-08-22 05:04:06 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
You've been pooed
Submitted by WiKi (user info) at 2004-08-07 10:32:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Who is: Allen Iverson
Who isn't: Me
Submitted by Spiral_Abraxis (user info) at 2004-07-28 20:10:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Complimentary +2 service of http://www.ubersite.com/m/39658
Submitted by SundanceKid (user info) at 2004-07-24 10:30:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
That's almost purely an American List, but I assure you there are hundreds of very incredible athletes that ESPN doesn't recognize because the American public doesn't know who they are. Lance is a perfect example. Have you ever been to Europe while the tour is going on? Every single channel, in every single language is covering it live.
I didn't see any soccer players on that list. But some would argue that "football" or soccer is the biggest sport in the world.
Michael Phelps broke 5, FIVE, world records last summer, and alrighty broke one this year in swimming. Swim one lap in a pool, then realize the pool he competes in is twice as long, and he does eight laps as fast as he can. Not even Spitz had that many world records. Phelps is easily one of the greatest athletes of all time, but no one cares about swimming.
I forget who said it, but there's a great quote that goes:
"There's nothing wrong with hitting a ball with a stick, and there's nothing wrong with walking. But there's no reason to combine the two and call it a sport."
Submitted by Awko (user info) at 2004-07-24 08:47:23 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by ScoutCJustice (user info) at 2004-07-23 23:30:04 (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Disektor (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:30:21 (#)
Ranking: 0
Wayne Gretzky wasn't all that great actually.
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I'd like to see the reasoning behing that. I'm not sure how the greatest player in the greatest (and toughest) sport isn't all the great.
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I'd like to see Gretzky in the middle of a rugby scrum.
Rugby is much tougher than hockey.
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 04:12:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
All right, he is deserving. But my list was made based on what I like and such. It's my opinion, and I don't think there's anything wrong with having him so highly ranked on yours.
I think that ESPN would have included him on their list. Shaq or Barry Bonds should have been booted off the list for him.
Submitted by bob (user info) at 2004-07-24 04:01:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
never losing a wrestling match IN YOUR ENTIRE LIFE is not deserving????
he won 4 straight championships in his weight class.
http://www.teamsanderson.cc/cael_collegerecord.htm
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:58:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Actually bob, I know who he is. went like 150-0 in his college career or some shit like that.
I don't know shit about wrestling, but any record like that is worthy of some recognition. Glad you brought him up. But I don't think I would have put him on my list anyway.
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:56:51 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I would have to say Willie Mays.
Submitted by bob (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:56:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
thats right Cael Sanderson...
do you even know who he is?
aw fuck it, you people will just google him.
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:55:43 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:35:44 (#)
Ranking: 0
Interesting comments.
Firstly, I must disagree with Pujols being the eventual "greatest of all time." I think the greatest player should be a good hitter as well as a good defender. While Pujols isn't a bad fielder, his defense isn't spectacular, and I think that's a necessity when being dubbed the greatest player ever.
Sully I was just starting to think you actually make sense when you came out of no where with that robot bullshit. Hypothetical situations are one thing, but you sound like you're creating a plot for a sci-fi thriller. Get that shit out of here.
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Fine then who would you call the best baseball player of all time?
Submitted by bob (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:52:03 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
1. Lance Armstrong
2. Carl Lewis
3. Cael Sanderson
4. Cal Ripkin Jr.
5. Micheal Jordan
6. Wayne Gretzky
7. Walter Payton
8. Barry Sanders
9. Jerry Rice
10. Ricky Henderson
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:37:41 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Hmmm...interesting you clicked on this post bickle, seeing that it was labeled with a sports icon, something you clearly despise.
Though I must agree, Bob Barker is a badass.
Submitted by bicklefragile (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:35:47 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
It never ceases to amze me how far people will go to prove that they are the all knowing Gods of the most inane topic of conversation: sports.The only sport I follow is VT football, and thats because I am a student there and have very little choice but to follow it. As for debating who is the greatest "athlete" of all time, I say Bob Barker, he could definitely beat everyone in all the top whatevers at whatever their chosen sport may be. Bob Barker is a badass.
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:35:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Interesting comments.
Firstly, I must disagree with Pujols being the eventual "greatest of all time." I think the greatest player should be a good hitter as well as a good defender. While Pujols isn't a bad fielder, his defense isn't spectacular, and I think that's a necessity when being dubbed the greatest player ever.
Sully I was just starting to think you actually make sense when you came out of no where with that robot bullshit. Hypothetical situations are one thing, but you sound like you're creating a plot for a sci-fi thriller. Get that shit out of here.
Submitted by j00 (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:31:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I think Cal Ripken should be higher, 2,000 plus consecutive games means he was out there game, which should count for something
Submitted by Death_Metal_Dude (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:26:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Barry Bonds isn't an athlete, he's a steroid popping pretentious arrogant pussy.
Submitted by wardy (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:15:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
yeah, and payton was after 79... oh and your lance armstrong beliefs are completely off. i'd love to see you pedal a bike for hundreds of miles through mountains for thirty straight days, sometimes exceeding speeds of 70 miles an hour in packs of hundreds of other bikers.
how is that not athletic?... i mean, this is a list of the greatest "athletes"... right?
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-24 03:08:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Wait a minute Sully you claim to have included Jim Brown over Walter Payton due to not wanting to include too many pre-79 players. When the fuck did Brown play you fucking retard, that's right way before 79 you fucking jackoff.
Submitted by atz (user info) at 2004-07-24 02:58:19 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
SullyThePirate: So are you now saying that Lance Armstrong is a pussy because nobody can beat him at a sport which you consider stupid (although I think baseball, football, soccer, tennis, basketball, volleyball, dodgeball, table tennis, hockey, and severaly other sports all have a pretty stupid concept: move an object (which is usually a ball), and when necessary, move your own body), or are you saying that he's a pussy because he's a robot?
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-24 02:29:48 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 23:46:04 (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Lost_Gator_Fan (user info) at 2004-07-23 19:39:44 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:16:22 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:07:29 (#)
Ranking: 0
Your personal list of top 10 athletes is lacking. This is my personal top 10:
1. Jim Brown (Before '79 but he's the best ever) <-----Top 10 maybe, number 1 NO!
2. Michael Jordan <------ Ok
3. Mike Vick <--------- NO FUCKING WAY, He has played 3 years you idiot.
4. Ray Lewis <----------- Ever heard of Butkus your nerd.
5. Lawrence Taylor <--------- Ok
6. Joe Montana <------------ NO!
7. Jerry Rice <------------ Should be higher.
8. Wayne Gretzky <------------- Same as Rice.
9. Barry Sanders <-------------- No!
10. Albert Pujols <------------- So he is the best baseball player ever. Ever heard of Mays, Mantle, Ruth, Bonds ect......
Lance Armstrong is a pussy. <-------- You need your jaw broken you fucking pussy faggot.
Smooth Mr. Know It All. I hope you can go to sleep peacefully, jacking off at how specifically you slammed my list. (LostGatorFan's Mind: He he! Maybe if I put my two cents into each and every player that the stupid pirate put, then maybe I'll make a difference in the world!). If you look at my post you may notice that I didn't say what my top ten list was about. Maybe I was just putting my top ten favorite athletes of all time, smartass. All I said was that the guy's personal list was lacking. Would YOUR list have Pete Sampras AND Cal Ripken Jr.? I should hope not, otherwise you're as unintelligent as he is.
While I'm at it I might as well defend my whole list just so I can piss you off.
1. First of all Jim Brown is definately deserving of being No. 1 on any list. My own opinion is that he, Walter Payton and O.J. Simpson are the greatest NFL players ever but Brown is the greatest and most athletic and that is why I had him on my list. I would've put Walter Payton on there but again Jim Brown is better than him and I didn't want to put too many pre-1979ers.
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No he isn't dipshit when he played he was a giant among boys.
2. Michael Jordan is my favorite basketball player of all time in front of Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabar. I'm glad you kept your mouth shut about him otherwise your lacking basketball knowledge would surely cause the ghost of Dr. J to smite you.
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This one is ok.
3. YES FUCKING WAY Mike Vick. So what, he's played 3 years. The left-handed gunslinger is currently the most athletic man in the National Football League and if you disagree you're a dolt.
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I'm gonna go with no on this one. IF HE MAINTAINS HIS LEVEL OF PLAY MAYBE.
4. Yes I've heard of Dick Butkus, but Ray Lewis is, and always will be, better than him. Nerd.
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No he won't. nerd.
5. L.T. I'm glad you agree.
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ok
6. Joe Montana, the greatest quarterback of all time shouldn't be the top and only quarterback on my list? Interesting.
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Nope retard.
7. Jerry Rice. Yeah I guess he could have switched him with L.T. but maybe I didn't feel like it, jackass.
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ok
8. Same as Rice? No. All the men above him are greater than he, so I don't see any reason why he should be listed higher.
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Wrong again fucko.
9. Barry Sanders is the best running back in the past decade and a half. He's very deserving of being on my top 10.
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THE PAST DECADE AND A HALF. Are you fucking serious this is like a NFL top ten list.
10. Right you are. He is the best baseball player ever. Yep I've heard of the players you lazily mentioned. You forgot about Aaron, Ryan, Maris and Williams you tool. In time, Pujols will in fact be the greatest ballplayer of em all. Time will tell.
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Time will tell you fucking reknob. How can you play 3 years and be the best ever. That's right you can't.
And Finally, yes Lance Armstrong is a pussy. Look at him. Just look at him! Yeah he's a great athlete but he's a pussy. I don't need my jaw broken Mr. Lame Insults. You do for questioning me, Sully The Pirate. Now shut up.
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You are a disgrace to sports fan everywhere.
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-24 01:44:26 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I guess you never caught it but the only reason why I put at the bottom of my original list, "Lance Armstrong is a pussy" is maybe because I don't like him. I don't think he deserves to be dubbed the greatest athlete in the world when the sport he is in has apparently no competition.
It's kind of like this: What if there was a sport that was about mountain climbing racing. Whoever got to the top first won. What if someone built a robot named Jasper and this robot always climbed to the top the fastest no matter what. The robot even got cancer and shit and still wins. It was written about by sports journalists because it was a sport and they had to write about it by law. It was always televised and on Sportcenter they had updates 24/7 about this robot, Jasper, who I, and I know alot of people, would care little about knowing that he got to a certain checkmarker on the mountain if he ALWAYS won it. I don't care about a dominator of a sport that rules his field so greatly that they might as well rename 'cycling' to 'The bike related sport where Lance Armstrong beats everyone else like they stole his woman competition.' I don't wanna watch ESPN to hear about Lance. I want to hear about real sports that have competitiveness like baseball, football, and basketball. I guess it really isn't that fair to call Lance Armstrong a pussy but I hate him.
Lastly, I was just making a point that Lance wears tight clothing. I don't hate ALL who wear it. Mainly Lance. I like Spiderman and he wears tight clothing. And by the way basketball is an Olympic sport.
PS: HAHAHAHA Lance fell off his bike like twelve times. Whatta pussy!
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 01:15:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Well you make your points in a less asshole-ish way now, so I will respect them to a certain extent. I still don't think Lance Armstrong deserves to be called a pussy, perhaps overrated or something along those lines. He did fall off his bike before and get fucked up quite a bit, yet was able to continue his ass busting.
On a side note, I don't really watch the Olympics, but I can't name an event where the guys aren't wearing tight clothing.
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-24 01:08:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 00:32:28 (#)
Ranking: 0
It depends on what your definition of a pussy is I guess.
My definitions of pussy include:
A) One who chooses cycling as their athletic career
B) One (male) who wears skintight clothing
C) One who thinks they are the greatest athlete in the world who trains day in and day out for something that no one cares about.
D) One who thinks they're smarter than Sully The Pirate
E) Vagina
All right, so using the logic of your homophobic and idiotic defintion of pussy, the following people are pussies:
A) Lance Armstrong
B) A majority of the Olympic competitors
C) Lance again (and last time I checked, people did give a shit, like sports journalists and such. Just because you don't care doesn't mean others do not)
D) 99.9 percent of the population
Way to go dumbass.
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No, using the logic of my hobophobic and idiotic definition of pussy, the folling people are pussies:
A) Lance Armstrong
B) A minority of the Olympic competitors
C) Definately Lance again. The reason why sports journalists write about Lance Armstrong is because, unfortunately, cycling is a sport, and he's a one man show. I think that if you asked an everyday person if they kept track of cycling or gave a crap if Lance Armstrong won or didn't, you know the response you would receive. I think that it is same to say that the majority of America doesn't care about cycling especially when Armstrong is always the victor. No one can name a different cycler on the spot if you asked them. I understand that there are many people out there who follow the sport religiously, but they are a miniscule population compared to the rest of the world.
D) No it's not 99.9% of the population. I've never met the whole world so they can't think they're smarter than me. I should have probably been more specific and stated that anyone in this post who thinks they are smarter than me is a pussy. How can you think I am unintelligent based on reading a few paragraphs I've written in this post. I know what I'm talking about.
It's obvious you're very offended and the point of this post I guess is that you are saying Lance Armstrong is the greatest athlete in the world. Everyone has their opinions and I happen to disagree.
Submitted by notwelcomehurr (user info) at 2004-07-24 00:44:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
good but you fcuked up on the list a little
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 00:32:28 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
It depends on what your definition of a pussy is I guess.
My definitions of pussy include:
A) One who chooses cycling as their athletic career
B) One (male) who wears skintight clothing
C) One who thinks they are the greatest athlete in the world who trains day in and day out for something that no one cares about.
D) One who thinks they're smarter than Sully The Pirate
E) Vagina
All right, so using the logic of your homophobic and idiotic defintion of pussy, the following people are pussies:
A) Lance Armstrong
B) A majority of the Olympic competitors
C) Lance again (and last time I checked, people did give a shit, like sports journalists and such. Just because you don't care doesn't mean others do not)
D) 99.9 percent of the population
Way to go dumbass.
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 00:26:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I guess I should make this clear for any one else who sees this post.
Sure, golf is a sport, a damn hard one, but is it really fair to compare the athleticism of Tiger Woods to that of Jim Brown, Ray Lewis, or the two track runners and tennis player I left off my list? I'm sure training for golf takes hours of pratice, but do you really have to push yourself? When you're out there in the hot sun, are you running laps or serving forehands?
My opinion of most golfers is based on the training and abilities required for golf relative to track and field, tennis, football, soccer, or biking. They swing that fucking club, but do they lose their breath? Get a fucking stain on those Dockers?
Before you know it, people will be flaming me for not have Tony Stewart on my list.
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-24 00:22:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Is it ignorant? I think NOT calling him a pussy would be ignorant. Like I said he's athletic and one of the most athletic people in the world but he's a pussy.
It depends on what your definition of a pussy is I guess.
My definitions of pussy include:
A) One who chooses cycling as their athletic career
B) One (male) who wears skintight clothing
C) One who thinks they are the greatest athlete in the world who trains day in and day out for something that no one cares about.
D) One who thinks they're smarter than Sully The Pirate
E) Vagina
As I said I'll post something when i feel like it. Also If you didn't want people to debate your topic then you shouldn't have posted it.
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-24 00:02:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
It's a shame people were too busy bashing my list instead of making one of their own. Yeah, I knew people wouldn't like my list, but I guess they were too scared to make a list of their own for the same reason.
"And as for you "Kitchens_closed" I can see posting my info makes you giddy"
Yeah, it makes me giddy, oh so giddy. Can't you just see I'm giddy? Fuck off, post something yourself and we'll see what you bring to the table. I didn't have a problem with your list, but calling Lance Armstrong a pussy is just plain ignorant.
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 23:58:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Actually I meant to make fun of BillsSBCHamps but that other guy can suck it too. And so can all that think they know more than me.
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 23:53:53 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
And as for you "Kitchens_closed" I can see posting my info makes you giddy. I don't see how being a member on Ubersite for one day and not posting anything yet is funny. How about I post something when it needs to be said. Is that alright with you? A fool who's first two posts were about horses and American Idol?
Shove it.
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 23:46:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Lost_Gator_Fan (user info) at 2004-07-23 19:39:44 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:16:22 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:07:29 (#)
Ranking: 0
Your personal list of top 10 athletes is lacking. This is my personal top 10:
1. Jim Brown (Before '79 but he's the best ever) <-----Top 10 maybe, number 1 NO!
2. Michael Jordan <------ Ok
3. Mike Vick <--------- NO FUCKING WAY, He has played 3 years you idiot.
4. Ray Lewis <----------- Ever heard of Butkus your nerd.
5. Lawrence Taylor <--------- Ok
6. Joe Montana <------------ NO!
7. Jerry Rice <------------ Should be higher.
8. Wayne Gretzky <------------- Same as Rice.
9. Barry Sanders <-------------- No!
10. Albert Pujols <------------- So he is the best baseball player ever. Ever heard of Mays, Mantle, Ruth, Bonds ect......
Lance Armstrong is a pussy. <-------- You need your jaw broken you fucking pussy faggot.
Smooth Mr. Know It All. I hope you can go to sleep peacefully, jacking off at how specifically you slammed my list. (LostGatorFan's Mind: He he! Maybe if I put my two cents into each and every player that the stupid pirate put, then maybe I'll make a difference in the world!). If you look at my post you may notice that I didn't say what my top ten list was about. Maybe I was just putting my top ten favorite athletes of all time, smartass. All I said was that the guy's personal list was lacking. Would YOUR list have Pete Sampras AND Cal Ripken Jr.? I should hope not, otherwise you're as unintelligent as he is.
While I'm at it I might as well defend my whole list just so I can piss you off.
1. First of all Jim Brown is definately deserving of being No. 1 on any list. My own opinion is that he, Walter Payton and O.J. Simpson are the greatest NFL players ever but Brown is the greatest and most athletic and that is why I had him on my list. I would've put Walter Payton on there but again Jim Brown is better than him and I didn't want to put too many pre-1979ers.
2. Michael Jordan is my favorite basketball player of all time in front of Larry Bird, Wilt Chamberlain and Kareem Abdul-Jabar. I'm glad you kept your mouth shut about him otherwise your lacking basketball knowledge would surely cause the ghost of Dr. J to smite you.
3. YES FUCKING WAY Mike Vick. So what, he's played 3 years. The left-handed gunslinger is currently the most athletic man in the National Football League and if you disagree you're a dolt.
4. Yes I've heard of Dick Butkus, but Ray Lewis is, and always will be, better than him. Nerd.
5. L.T. I'm glad you agree.
6. Joe Montana, the greatest quarterback of all time shouldn't be the top and only quarterback on my list? Interesting.
7. Jerry Rice. Yeah I guess he could have switched him with L.T. but maybe I didn't feel like it, jackass.
8. Same as Rice? No. All the men above him are greater than he, so I don't see any reason why he should be listed higher.
9. Barry Sanders is the best running back in the past decade and a half. He's very deserving of being on my top 10.
10. Right you are. He is the best baseball player ever. Yep I've heard of the players you lazily mentioned. You forgot about Aaron, Ryan, Maris and Williams you tool. In time, Pujols will in fact be the greatest ballplayer of em all. Time will tell.
And Finally, yes Lance Armstrong is a pussy. Look at him. Just look at him! Yeah he's a great athlete but he's a pussy. I don't need my jaw broken Mr. Lame Insults. You do for questioning me, Sully The Pirate. Now shut up.
Submitted by CDizzle (user info) at 2004-07-23 23:40:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
barry bonds: stupid whore
Why is sampras on there but not agasi?
And why the hell do you not know who jackie joyner-kersee is? were you raised in a bubble?
Actually, the ONLY thing it looks like I agree with is the fact that you have Lance Armstrong as number one, because that guy does train like every day of the year
Submitted by Dave3811 (user info) at 2004-07-23 23:36:20 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
Wow, ignorant and closed minded... what a combo.
If you didn't know who those athletes were, look them up. You may realize why they are on the list.
As far as golf not being a sport...you go play 18 holes in the Florida heat and tell me it's not a workout.
Dumbass.
Submitted by bob (user info) at 2004-07-23 23:33:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: -1
funny how you include Pete Sampras but not Martina Navratilova
oh yea...how could the fastest man in the history of the world not be an athlete?
hell, Carl Lewis should be 2nd to Armstrong.
Submitted by ScoutCJustice (user info) at 2004-07-23 23:30:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by Disektor (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:30:21 (#)
Ranking: 0
Wayne Gretzky wasn't all that great actually.
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I'd like to see the reasoning behing that. I'm not sure how the greatest player in the greatest (and toughest) sport isn't all the great.
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-23 20:52:34 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Like I said before, this is the list that ESPN had on its broadcast, and my list takes athletes from THAT top 25 list(based on my knowledge of the athletes I chose).
I also said that the list contains athletes from that past 25 years, and I saw some one say something about Jesse Ownes and Jim Thorpe which was...well, stupid.
If I had to make a list that included athletes from before '79, it would need to be longer than ten slots, and would include the likes of Dick Butkus, Willie Mays, Wilt Chamberlain, Johnny Unitas, etc.
I'm glad to see most people agree with my opinion on Lance Armstrong, and as for that schmuck SullyThePirate:
Everything you ever wanted to know about SullyThePirate
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Registered on or around: 2004-07-22 03:50:36
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'nuff said.
Submitted by wardy (user info) at 2004-07-23 19:52:02 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
this must be american popular sports athletes. i don't see a single soccer player on the list.
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-23 19:48:49 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Gator I might be a fucking idiot but I know my fucking sports and that asshole doesn't have a fucking clue.
Submitted by Lost_Gator_Fan (user info) at 2004-07-23 19:39:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:16:22 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:07:29 (#)
Ranking: 0
Your personal list of top 10 athletes is lacking. This is my personal top 10:
1. Jim Brown (Before '79 but he's the best ever) <-----Top 10 maybe, number 1 NO!
2. Michael Jordan <------ Ok
3. Mike Vick <--------- NO FUCKING WAY, He has played 3 years you idiot.
4. Ray Lewis <----------- Ever heard of Butkus your nerd.
5. Lawrence Taylor <--------- Ok
6. Joe Montana <------------ NO!
7. Jerry Rice <------------ Should be higher.
8. Wayne Gretzky <------------- Same as Rice.
9. Barry Sanders <-------------- No!
10. Albert Pujols <------------- So he is the best baseball player ever. Ever heard of Mays, Mantle, Ruth, Bonds ect......
Lance Armstrong is a pussy. <-------- You need your jaw broken you fucking pussy faggot.
---------------------------------
Are you fucking with me?
-----------------------------------------
Heh, What do you know, BS and I have something that we can agree on. Although I'm not a fan of soccer whatsoever, I am surprised that Pele' isn't in the top 25.
Submitted by Yenegi (user info) at 2004-07-23 19:28:04 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
With football you just have to be big and fat. But with tennis you have to be quick and nimble, the epitomy of what an athlete should be.
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-23 19:24:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Here is the offical top ten.
1)Me when I play soccer.
2)Me when I play basketball.
3)Me when I play football.
4)Me when I play baseball
5)Me when I play hockey.
6)Me when I swim.
7)Me when I sprint.
8)Me when I run.
9)Lance Armstrong.
10)Me when I jerk off. Fuck off it's a sport.
Submitted by Brianthetruthspeaker (user info) at 2004-07-23 19:18:16 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
my top ten
1Muhammad Ali
2Jim Brown
3Jim Thorpe
4Jesse Owens
5Michael Jordan
6Wayne Gretzky
7Lance Armstrong
8Larry Bird
9Mark Spitz
10. Walter Payton
nice post
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:57:09 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by ruthless (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:34:15 (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by Slapshot99 (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:02:27 (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:16:22 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:07:29 (#)
Ranking: 0
Your personal list of top 10 athletes is lacking. This is my personal top 10:
1. Jim Brown (Before '79 but he's the best ever) <-----Top 10 maybe, number 1 NO!
2. Michael Jordan <------ Ok
3. Mike Vick <--------- NO FUCKING WAY, He has played 3 years you idiot.
4. Ray Lewis <----------- Ever heard of Butkus your nerd.
5. Lawrence Taylor <--------- Ok
6. Joe Montana <------------ NO!
7. Jerry Rice <------------ Should be higher.
8. Wayne Gretzky <------------- Same as Rice.
9. Barry Sanders <-------------- No!
10. Albert Pujols <------------- So he is the best baseball player ever. Ever heard of Mays, Mantle, Ruth, Bonds ect......
Lance Armstrong is a pussy. <-------- You need your jaw broken you fucking pussy faggot.
---------------------------------
Are you fucking with me?
================================================================================================
Well put BS...I finally agree with you except for the Jim Brown thing.....How hard was it for a guy his size to run through 190 lbs Def. Tackles?...Jim wouldn't last three years with todays Defensive 300lbs- 40yds/4.5 sec monsters. Lance should be on top...so lets BOTH break his jaw.
-----------------------------------------------------------
will you guys hold him down so I can hit him as well? Thanks.
------------------------------
Ok SlapShot we're taking this faggot down and Ruthless you can hit him too, as long as you are naked and covered in whipped cream, and I can fuck you after.
Submitted by Random Joe at 2004-07-23 18:37:01 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I agree with the RC motocross comment. Motocross might be the most physically demanding activity ever. If a typicall race was longer than 2 45 min. motos I'd say it was the most demanding. The top MX racers are just amazing they have superb athletic ability from their eyes all the way to their toes. If I were to make a list of the top atheletes of all time most of them would be motocross racers. After that I could make a list of the top atheletes in football, soccer, swimming ect.
Submitted by ruthless (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:34:15 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Submitted by Slapshot99 (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:02:27 (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:16:22 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:07:29 (#)
Ranking: 0
Your personal list of top 10 athletes is lacking. This is my personal top 10:
1. Jim Brown (Before '79 but he's the best ever) <-----Top 10 maybe, number 1 NO!
2. Michael Jordan <------ Ok
3. Mike Vick <--------- NO FUCKING WAY, He has played 3 years you idiot.
4. Ray Lewis <----------- Ever heard of Butkus your nerd.
5. Lawrence Taylor <--------- Ok
6. Joe Montana <------------ NO!
7. Jerry Rice <------------ Should be higher.
8. Wayne Gretzky <------------- Same as Rice.
9. Barry Sanders <-------------- No!
10. Albert Pujols <------------- So he is the best baseball player ever. Ever heard of Mays, Mantle, Ruth, Bonds ect......
Lance Armstrong is a pussy. <-------- You need your jaw broken you fucking pussy faggot.
---------------------------------
Are you fucking with me?
================================================================================================
Well put BS...I finally agree with you except for the Jim Brown thing.....How hard was it for a guy his size to run through 190 lbs Def. Tackles?...Jim wouldn't last three years with todays Defensive 300lbs- 40yds/4.5 sec monsters. Lance should be on top...so lets BOTH break his jaw.
-----------------------------------------------------------
will you guys hold him down so I can hit him as well? Thanks.
Submitted by Disektor (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:30:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Wayne Gretzky wasn't all that great actually.
Submitted by TheToddfather (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:29:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I agree with a few people here. Some sports professionals are not athletes, and fewer still are GREAT athletes. Games of skill are distinctly different than athleticism. Some games of skill require some athleticism, no doubt about it. Some don't, like videogames or chess.
A triathlete is about as good as it gets in the popular world of athletics folks. And no, I'm not one. Try a 1mile swim, a 50k bike ride and a 10k run; then we'll see how you're feeling. Those people are athletes.
I hate my ex-wife's guts, but she was one. I didn't know fitness until I saw what those people do.
Submitted by calbearspolo (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:18:17 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Not a bad list really. Perhaps include distance runners like Prefointane (or how it is actually spelled)? Who else wins marathons regularly these days?
Submitted by DavyJones (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:08:00 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Calling Lance Armstrong a pussy...wow...just wow.
Submitted by Slapshot99 (user info) at 2004-07-23 18:02:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:16:22 (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:07:29 (#)
Ranking: 0
Your personal list of top 10 athletes is lacking. This is my personal top 10:
1. Jim Brown (Before '79 but he's the best ever) <-----Top 10 maybe, number 1 NO!
2. Michael Jordan <------ Ok
3. Mike Vick <--------- NO FUCKING WAY, He has played 3 years you idiot.
4. Ray Lewis <----------- Ever heard of Butkus your nerd.
5. Lawrence Taylor <--------- Ok
6. Joe Montana <------------ NO!
7. Jerry Rice <------------ Should be higher.
8. Wayne Gretzky <------------- Same as Rice.
9. Barry Sanders <-------------- No!
10. Albert Pujols <------------- So he is the best baseball player ever. Ever heard of Mays, Mantle, Ruth, Bonds ect......
Lance Armstrong is a pussy. <-------- You need your jaw broken you fucking pussy faggot.
---------------------------------
Are you fucking with me?
================================================================================================
Well put BS...I finally agree with you except for the Jim Brown thing.....How hard was it for a guy his size to run through 190 lbs Def. Tackles?...Jim wouldn't last three years with todays Defensive 300lbs- 40yds/4.5 sec monsters. Lance should be on top...so lets BOTH break his jaw.
Submitted by BillsSBChamps (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:16:22 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:07:29 (#)
Ranking: 0
Your personal list of top 10 athletes is lacking. This is my personal top 10:
1. Jim Brown (Before '79 but he's the best ever) <-----Top 10 maybe, number 1 NO!
2. Michael Jordan <------ Ok
3. Mike Vick <--------- NO FUCKING WAY, He has played 3 years you idiot.
4. Ray Lewis <----------- Ever heard of Butkus your nerd.
5. Lawrence Taylor <--------- Ok
6. Joe Montana <------------ NO!
7. Jerry Rice <------------ Should be higher.
8. Wayne Gretzky <------------- Same as Rice.
9. Barry Sanders <-------------- No!
10. Albert Pujols <------------- So he is the best baseball player ever. Ever heard of Mays, Mantle, Ruth, Bonds ect......
Lance Armstrong is a pussy. <-------- You need your jaw broken you fucking pussy faggot.
---------------------------------
Are you fucking with me?
Submitted by SullyThePirate (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:07:29 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Your personal list of top 10 athletes is lacking. This is my personal top 10:
1. Jim Brown (Before '79 but he's the best ever)
2. Michael Jordan
3. Mike Vick
4. Ray Lewis
5. Lawrence Taylor
6. Joe Montana
7. Jerry Rice
8. Wayne Gretzky
9. Barry Sanders
10. Albert Pujols
Lance Armstrong is a pussy.
Submitted by meagain at 2004-07-23 17:04:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
And no hockey goalies, these guys have the most amazingly balance and flexability as well as reflexes imaginable to human kind. A person who is out of shape can't play goal in hockey, you must be an amazing athlete. I motion for either Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur to be in that list. And Barry Sanders is the greatest althlete I ahve ever seen.
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-23 17:02:25 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I appreciate all the feedback.
I guess I should have made it more clear that I consider golfers non-athletes (for the most part) relative to more physical sports (basketball, football).
It's hard to compare athletes from different sports to one another, but I also think it has to do with popularity of sport, and such.
Submitted by nitty34 (user info) at 2004-07-23 16:45:10 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Don't really care one way or the other, but let's look at the one huge difference between your version of golf versus a professional golfer;
Golf Carts.
As a golfer (and a baseball player), I think both sports require athleticism. How about baseball pitchers? That takes unbelievable athletic ability and conditioning. As a golfer, I play on the occasional weekend, as well as on 2-4 trips a year with the boys to the beach. I've grown up playing every sport imaginable, but rarely have I been as tired or as sore as when I have to play 4 rounds of golf in 4 days. It's unbelieveably draining, and the repeated swinging is very hard on the body. And I'm riding in a cart. Maybe it's all the beer I drink. Who knows.
But the same can be said for most sports. Lance Armstrong, your #1, has amazing leg strength and endurance. What about his arm and upper body strength. Or his hand-eye contact? Are offensive linemen athletes, or just fat? Is Shaq an athlete? Sure he is dominant, but he can barely play 6 minutes at a time without lumbering from one side of the court to the other. Are football kickers athletes? How about soccer and hockey goalies?
I think the best summary would be that different sports lend themselves to players who both are and are not considered athletic. There is no divine athletic sport, with the closest thing being the decathalon, in my opinion.
nitty
Submitted by FATMANTPK (user info) at 2004-07-23 16:27:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
I would add Ricky Carmichael to the list.
Yes, he rides a dirt bike. I consider motocross/supercross a sport, as it requires strength, skill and endurance. He trains (or used to when I read the article a few years ago)5 days a week, either on a mountain bike, or jogging/running, as well as weight training. He did that during race season, and off season times.
It takes much more than you can beleive to ride a dirt bike over rough terrain for a sustained period.
Submitted by Gnome (user info) at 2004-07-23 16:20:33 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
as someone who enjoys golf and absolutely loves playing baseball, i agree. however if golf and baseball and other low impact 'sports' were reclassified as 'games' it would make more sense to me.
games take skill, but very little athletisism.
Submitted by reallybored (user info) at 2004-07-23 15:29:44 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Tiger Woods is probably not the person you want to pick when trying to make an arguement about golfers not being athelets. Woods is a gym fanatic. He works everyday, even on days when he has tournaments. He is in top shape.
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-23 15:13:45 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
I didn't bash golf as a sport, I just don't think the competitors are athletic as those in soccer and basketball, as you mentioned. I think golf is a legitimate sport.
And yes, I am five years younger than you which I guess is why I wasn't familiar with those few athletes.
I was also disturbed that ESPN didn't include a soccer player in the top 25. I know soccer isn't that popular in the United States, but watching the players run up and down the field as they do exhausts the hell out of me, and I'm not even playing.
Submitted by Pittdude (user info) at 2004-07-23 15:07:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
+1 because you sounded half coherent when writing. But Im only 21 and know who all those athletes are so Im guessing you are much younger which is why you havnt heard of those athletes. They aren't present athletes really, most are older.
As for golf, I do play consistently and I also have played soccer, basketball and tennis. Every sport demands sweat, hardwork, and practice. While soccer and basketball require endurance and depending on position, bulk, tennis and golf require speed and reflexes. Yes golfers like John Daly are large, but I dont think hes as bad of shape you think. Golf takes big time flexibility to do correctly. No it isn't as hardcore as most sports, but it requires strong shoulders, back, abs and legs.
Overall, not bad but could have been better if you didnt bash golf as a sport!!!
Submitted by congo (user info) at 2004-07-23 14:54:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Well, you really have to judge an athlete relative to the people he competes against. If you're looking for pure athleticism, then you should just make a list of the top 10 Decathletes or something along those lines because in general, every single one of them will be more athletically gifted than, say, someone in the NFL.
This is why I don't have a problem with Tiger being #4. This is the sport he chose to pursue, and he's (at least was) so far ahead of the rest of the field, it's almost embarassing.
Submitted by kitchens_closed (user info) at 2004-07-23 14:54:56 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
Everything you ever wanted to know about convicted_child_rapist
User id: 9287
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...sigh...
Submitted by Random Joe at 2004-07-23 14:51:46 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Where is my boyfriend Pats Quarterback Tom Brady??
Submitted by convicted_child_rapist (user info) at 2004-07-23 14:51:38 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
great!