What is Digg?149 Comments
- b4rb3qu3, on 12/04/2008, -3/+46Worst SNL host ever
- nathanbutnet, on 12/04/2008, -6/+31"Greatest Swimmer". I heavily respect the dude and his drive, but he is not the greatest athlete he simply is an amazing swimmer who made the Thorpedo eat his words.
- rnelsonee, on 12/05/2008, -2/+23Yeah, but "greatest" what? We know Phelps is the best swimmer, but does his extreme specialization warrant best athlete? The problem is that he's too specialized for some. I mean 8 medals is great, but all eight events were the same *basic* thing.
First off, not all athletes specialize in one sport. Jim Thorpe and Bo Jackson are great examples of good athletes among multiple sports. Even Michael Jordan played more than one sport professionally.
Aside from that, there are complaints coming from people who play sports which utilize multiple skill sets, like football. That not only requires running, but hand/eye, and the physique to take down other 300lb players.
Then there's the biathlon, triathlon, decathlon, and track and field crowd. I'd say someone who can to ten sports very well is better than someone who can do one sport extremely well. Bryan Clay, gold medalist for Beijing's decathlon, has made his view on this very clear (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26444860%29 (I don't really support his notion that he's the greatest, I find his lack of hubris annoying).
So, food for thought. - lukeag10, on 12/05/2008, -1/+21Please, read the whole article and his definition of "athleticism." Nobody's doubting he's an exceptional swimmer, it would pretty easy to say he's the best swimmer the human race has ever seen. But the author defines a great "athlete" as someone being exceptional all around. Michael Phelps isn't a great athlete if he's not in the water. Try Jim Thorpe, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe . Olympic gold medalist, professional football, baseball, and basketball player. That's an athlete.
- Mockylock, on 12/05/2008, -7/+23When he can dunk from the 3 point line or win 7 Tour de France races after having cancer... maybe he can be considered.
- ScubaSt3ve, on 12/04/2008, -13/+28Agree 100%. You call some guy splashing around in the water, swimming faster than any other human being has in the known history of mankind and accumulating more gold medals than any other athlete in the history of the Olympics "athleticism"? Please.
- binchaud, on 12/04/2008, -7/+20I would even argue that swimmers & track runners are more inclined to be called "greatest" than basketball players or football players, because their sports are MEASURABLE. In the last 8 times Phelps raced in the Olympics, he won.
Can you say the same for Jordan or Jerry Rice each time they ran a play? Their sports are not measurable enough for them to be considered "greatest." While in an individual race you either win or you lose. Your dependence on your team mates or your ability to run separate plays is never a factor. (let go of the argument of relays being a team event - it still doesn't change the fact that swimming and track are more measurable than other sports). - chrisinsocalif, on 12/05/2008, -1/+10I think Lance Armstrong is a better athlete, but that is just my opinion.
- Davegfx, on 12/04/2008, -3/+12I went into this article thinking I was going to despise it, but he makes some good points.
- thebrinkman, on 12/05/2008, -5/+13Any title of "greatest... ever" is shameless hyperbole.
...except for the Beatles. - mbradbury, on 12/05/2008, -5/+13Don Bradman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Bradman#World_ ...
- leif77, on 12/05/2008, -1/+8you mean from the foul line? I'd pay good money to see it done from the arc.
- Murdats, on 12/05/2008, -2/+9you don't speak english too good either
- bob501337, on 12/05/2008, -1/+8Just like Usain Bolt; everyone knows you're not an athlete unless you can catch a football.
- doublefelix, on 12/05/2008, -2/+8Michael Phelps vs. Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes (skip to 11:15 for the race):
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4639050n - ramenite, on 12/05/2008, -4/+10I still think the whole "8 golds" thing is a bunch of BS. Other athletes don't get to run in nearly the same amount of events to even get a CHANCE at 8 golds at a games.If they had 4 different ways to run 100M, Usain Bolt would have won 3 more golds.
Greatest athlete ever? Hell, he wasn't even the best athlete at the 2008 games. - heymike, on 12/05/2008, -1/+7Matter of opinion, I guess. Personally I would have to go with wrestling as being one of the more 'athletic' sports in the Olympics; definitely when compared to swimming. That's a tough 5 minutes.
Gymnasts, tri & decathletes would also be high on that list. - CM23099, on 12/05/2008, -1/+7Bradman is the greatest sportsman ever, it's a scientific fact.
"The statistics show that "no other athlete dominates an international sport to the extent that Bradman does cricket".In order to post a similarly dominant career statistic as Bradman, a baseball batter would need a career batting average of .392, while a basketball player would need to score an average of 43.0 points per game. The respective records are .366 and 30.1." - ReeferChiefer42, on 12/05/2008, -1/+7Michael Jordan, Babe Ruth, Tiger Woods, Lance Armstrong, Roger Federer, Ronaldinho, Wayne Gretzky, Jerry Rice...he sure has a LOT to compete with, that's for damn sure.
- superterrorizer, on 12/05/2008, -3/+8I'd consider Jim Thorpe the best athlete ever in Olympic terms.
Phelps is great at swimming, but put him on a soccer field, a football field, or in the ring with a professional Sambo master and I'm willing to bet he won't be able to hold his own. - SpeedSteamBoat, on 12/05/2008, -4/+9Superb sarcasm.
- atticus8, on 12/05/2008, -0/+5when a digger tries a sports reference it goes just like it should.
- SpeedSteamBoat, on 12/05/2008, -1/+6Well, obviously Lance Armstrong isn't the "greatest athlete." I mean, sure, he can beat cancer and ride a bike really fast around France, but I bet he can't swim very well.
See how this works? By this thought process NO athlete could ever be the "greatest." In that case the term "greatest" is pretty meaningless so why bother even caring who it's applies to? - Pinkshisno, on 12/05/2008, -0/+5There will never be a "Greatest Athlete" just like there will never be the best song, movie, book, game, etc. ever.
What we can say however is that Michael Phelps is awesome. Some people see him as a douche, but he's still a great athlete. - da_bradler, on 12/05/2008, -3/+8It's such ***** to call him the greatest swimmer ever as well. Swimming more then any other Olympic sport has seen drastic reductions in world records times as technology has advanced. In another 20 years none of his records will stand it's a simple fact of swimming.
The speed at which a swimmer can go depends a lot on the conditions of the water and the drag imposed by the equipment worn by the swimmer, in China they manufactured the fastest swimming pool in history by carefully monitoring the purity of the water and adding chemicals that lowered resistance for swimmers.
Even to call him the greatest swimmer of all time is extremely ignorant, the only thing he actually proved was he was the best swimmer in that particular competition. - Louis11, on 12/05/2008, -1/+6"Uhh, dumb fact but - EVERY athlete today specializes in their sport."
Deion Sanders - Played in the NFL (can't remember the team(s)) and for the Yankees. And he's not the only one ;) - inactive, on 12/05/2008, -0/+5I like Lance because he's at least a tiny bit humble about his accomplishments.
- adamantwinds, on 12/05/2008, -1/+5Where does everyone get the idea that swimming is easy or straightforward? Professional swimming, unlike your average backyard pool *****, involves a tremendous amount of strategy, multitasking, focus, and skill. It is by no means a simple activity. The fame and popularity of football and basketball in our opinionated society should not mean that swimming is lower in the sports hierarchy. Ok, so Phelps maybe isn't that great at football or basketball. But can Michael Jordan play ping pong, throw javelin, play hockey, or perform in any more than Phelps of the millions of sports out there in the world?
I consider Michael Phelps a very likely candidate for the world's greatest athlete because 1) his body is extremely well built and specialized toward his chosen sport, 2) he actually does what many athletes in the article only claim they can do and dedicates his every ounce of effort to swimming, and 3) he has unarguably proved himself superior to all others in his sport. - lukeag10, on 12/05/2008, -0/+4Well I couldn't think of any notorious athletes that were olympic gold medalists and pro cricket/soccer/hockey players, so I went with Jim Thorpe.
- slomotion, on 12/05/2008, -0/+4You're right that Phelps specializes in swimming but it goes deeper than that. Swimmers have to specialize within their own sport. You have sprinters, distance swimmers, backstrokers, breaststrokers, butterflyers, sprint flyers, mid-distance freestylers etc. Phelps is better than all of them. That's like having a football player who is better than Brett Favre, Brian Urlacher, L.T., Jerry Rice, what have you at the same time!
That said, I think Michael Phelps should be considered as one of the best of all time but not THE best. I would probably but somebody who does those insane deca iron man triathons in that position. - estate, on 12/05/2008, -1/+5Indeed. There is The Don, and then everyone else.
Although to be fair to this discussion, whilst I think Bradman deserves the title of the greatest sportsman of all time, I don't think he deserves to be called the greatest athlete. - Jeffler, on 12/05/2008, -0/+4Maurice Richard then.
On top of being the best hockey player of his generation, he brought up several issues in the NHL involving the discrimination of French Canadian players. His effect was so extreme, that when he was suspended for the season for knocking out a linesman (who was holding him so a player on the other team could wail on him - see what I mean about discrimination?), the entire city of Montreal rioted, a riot that was so big in effect, that some link it to the beginning of the beginnings of the Quebec Separtist Movement.
Want athletic adversity? To start his career, he was literally a tryout off the streets. He comes in, shows flashes of brilliance, but is often injured. He was clearly the best in the game, but his injuries were so frequent that no team would trade for him. Guess it worked out for the Habs in the end though.
I haven't even broken the back on Richard. If you want to know more, do your own research, or better yet, watch the movie 'The Rocket'.
I hate the Habs, but Richard was, in my opinion, the greatest professional athlete in history when back story is included on top of his already amazing performance on ice (I'd put him in the top 25 all time NHL in terms of actual play too, probably higher even).
If you want proof outside of The Rocket as to how much he meant to his city:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DS_x0FwuqY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3OyT9hGE-k - BrewBeau, on 12/05/2008, -1/+5You're right about measurability being a factor, but a runner or swimmer only has to run or swim. They don't have to jump(except for hurdles), shoot, think about what an opponent might do, or make adjustments to strategy mid-event. That has to count for something if we are talking about "greatest athletes".
- AmyVernon, on 12/05/2008, -1/+5Oh, please. Did you see when Nancy Kerrigan was the hostess whenever ago that was? Not even close. Saying she was awful would be kind.
- inactive, on 12/05/2008, -0/+4He is an athlete, not an actor!
- lukeag10, on 12/05/2008, -0/+4...become a writer for the largest name in sports.
And you are? - jamesdew, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3he writes comments on the internet's most popular social news site
- moonboots, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3he displays hubris. he doesn't lack it.
- cddict1, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3I Totally support you,
- binchaud, on 12/04/2008, -15/+18So he's not the "greatest" because he specializes in something?
Uhh, dumb fact but - EVERY athlete today specializes in their sport.
This isn't highschool where a 3 sport varsity player gets the award.
This is real life, and specialization is the only way to achieve success.
Someone who consistently beats every other human being in his/her sport, deserves to be called the "greatest." - aamer, on 12/05/2008, -5/+8too well.
- inactive, on 12/05/2008, -1/+4too bad he was proven innocent... all olympic athletes are tested
- piratearggghhh, on 12/05/2008, -2/+5Is it too much to ask for that goes away until 2012?
- Gr1nch, on 12/05/2008, -0/+3***** i'd pay good money to see someone dunk from the arc too! Even if its the womens/highschool arc.
- walugi, on 12/05/2008, -1/+4I present to you: Marion Jones
- asgardshill, on 12/05/2008, -0/+2Get out of my mind. I was just going to post something about Jackie Robinson. Well said.
- grumpyrain, on 12/05/2008, -0/+2I think the first table on this page says it best:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_cricket_batti ... - inactive, on 12/05/2008, -0/+2And being born perfect for the water like Phelps was.
He was born with tons of abnormalities, larger feet, shorter legs, longer arms, very long torso. All of those help him while swimming to make him more powerful, more hydro-dynamic, etc.
Plus, have you seen his face? It's like the Hills Have Eyes up in there. - Ramble, on 12/05/2008, -0/+2I study and understand the universe around you - what do you do?
- jokher, on 12/05/2008, -0/+2He played for the Yankees before the Braves along with the Giants and Reds afterward. As for NFL, he played for the Falcons, Cowboys, 49ers, Redskins, and Ravens.
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