Worlds Greatest Athelte ever?????

Rafael Nadal.

What???? Chaz, I know were Pals and all but are you even serious?? early day drinking Brother?? lol.. Ok, make your case........

Essentially when you talk about greatest of all time, they must dominate their sport and opponents. They must also be of the finest physical specimen to do this (body type and look will vary greatly, but dedication and training is all there).

Tennis athletes are under rated for their endurance and stamina, precisions, control, and mental game. With that in mind, in my mind Rafa is the greatest of all time in the sport, and in general Amazing. He has dominated all his opponents, with a winning record against ever peer, and is top in too many categories to list. Then there is his humility and humanity.

Pelé...

Tim Tebow

Thanks for the laugh

Michael Phelps has to be part of the discussion, with the most Olympic medals and most gold medals.

What has always been my problem with the "accumulation of medals = ___" argument is that there are plenty of Olympic sports where an athlete has one or two chances at a medal, and that's it. If you are a swimmer, you can be in a disproportional amount of events and have multiple chances of winning. so while Michael Phelps is a great athlete, a fantastic swimmer and the most decorated, the accumulation of awards doesn't automatically make him even the best Olympian in my eyes.

Jim Thorpe by far!!! I am a huge Bo Jackson fan, but lets face it Jim Thorpe, Pro Basell, Pro Football, Pro Basketball, Gold Medals in both the Decathalon and Pentathalon.

^^^^^^THIS^^^^^^^

Rafael Nadal.

What???? Chaz, I know were Pals and all but are you even serious?? early day drinking Brother?? lol.. Ok, make your case........

Tennis athletes are under rated for their endurance and stamina, precisions, control, and mental game. With that in mind, in my mind Rafa is the greatest of all time in the sport, and in general Amazing. He has dominated all his opponents, with a winning record against ever peer, and is top in too many categories to list. Then there is his humility and humanity.

Couldn't agree more on the first point.. However, I have to say as an athlete all together, I find Pete Sampras better

Michael Phelps has to be part of the discussion, with the most Olympic medals and most gold medals.

What has always been my problem with the "accumulation of medals = ___" argument is that there are plenty of Olympic sports where an athlete has one or two chances at a medal, and that's it. If you are a swimmer, you can be in a disproportional amount of events and have multiple chances of winning. so while Michael Phelps is a great athlete, a fantastic swimmer and the most decorated, the accumulation of awards doesn't automatically make him even the best Olympian in my eyes.

Agreed.

IMO, Steve Redgrave ranks up there. 5 gold medals in 5 consecutive Olympics in a grueling endurance sport (and a diabetic).

LBJ


Let the flaming begin. I'm ready

Here you go Amerocentrics....

Lionel Pretoria Conacher, MP (/ˈkɒnəkər/; May 24, 1900 – May 26, 1954), nicknamed "The Big Train", was a Canadian athlete and politician. Voted the country's top athlete of the first half of the 20th century, he won championships in numerous sports. His first passion was football; he was a member of the 1921 Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts. He was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team that won the International League championship in 1926. In hockey, he won a Memorial Cup in 1920, and the Stanley Cup twice: with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1934 and the Montreal Maroons in 1935. Additionally, he won wrestling, boxing and lacrosse championships during his playing career. He and Carl Voss are the only players to have their names engraved on both the Grey Cup and Stanley Cup.

Football, baseball, hockey, boxing, wrestling, lacrosse, and politics for the win.

By technical definition, Aston Eaton is currently "The World's Greatest Athlete."

See here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World's_Greatest_Athlete

No one else can properly receive the title.

theres no technical definition of greatest athlete.

Here you go Amerocentrics....

Lionel Pretoria Conacher, MP (/ˈkɒnəkər/; May 24, 1900 – May 26, 1954), nicknamed "The Big Train", was a Canadian athlete and politician. Voted the country's top athlete of the first half of the 20th century, he won championships in numerous sports. His first passion was football; he was a member of the 1921 Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts. He was a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs baseball team that won the International League championship in 1926. In hockey, he won a Memorial Cup in 1920, and the Stanley Cup twice: with the Chicago Black Hawks in 1934 and the Montreal Maroons in 1935. Additionally, he won wrestling, boxing and lacrosse championships during his playing career. He and Carl Voss are the only players to have their names engraved on both the Grey Cup and Stanley Cup.

Football, baseball, hockey, boxing, wrestling, lacrosse, and politics for the win.

Obvious juicer.

Double post.

+1 for BO JACKSON.

Babe Didrikson Zaharias

All-American basketball player, Olympic Gold (javelin and 80-meter hurdles) and Silver medalist (in high jump)...she actually qualified to compete in five events but was only allowed to compete in three. She then turned to golf and went on to be the LPGA's leading player throughout the 1940s and 50s.

She's got a convincing collection of facts here . . .