The final has arrived. We are looking to decide who the greatest sportsman of all time is. This question is a difficult one to answer, with a number of different sports out there, what is it that makes one the greatest?
Does the sportsman have to come from a major sport, such as football or tennis which have a bigger following? Or could the greatest be someone who has dominated their sport, but overall it being a smaller sport? Is it the achievements they've had, for instance, being Ranked #1, winning the most gold medals etc., and does this have to be over a long period of time? Or is it all about having a rivalry and proving that they can beat the best.
The other question that is important to consider is, could it be achievements not strictly within the sport which count. Their attitude off it, charitable deeds, memorable quotes and such. Having the personality which gets people interested in a sport, appealing to those who wouldn't normally care?
There are a number of reasons why so many sportsmen could be argued as the best, and after all of the debates, we have our five finalists, who can be voted for as follows:
5
Michael JORDAN (Basketball)
Held off competition from the likes of Phil Taylor and Ayrton Senna to make the final. Undoubtedly the greatest basketball player of all time and one of the most recognisable athletes in the world. He holds a number of basketball point-scoring records and has won the NBA six times, winning MVP five times.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jordan
4
Roger FEDERER (Tennis)
Won round two from Pele and Don Bradman, and is probably the greatest tennis player of all time. Not as clear-cut as Jordan, but he is one of my personal favourites in the 20 selected. Over 1000 career victories, seven Wimbledon championships and seventeen Grand Slam. Spent almost ranked either 1st or 2nd, dominating the early 2000s of tennis and continuing it to today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Federer
3
Muhammed ALI (Boxing)
This poses the question of whether it is achievements outside of playing the sport which count. He had an excellent record of 56 wins, and 5 losses, beating all the of his rivals to win titles. The name is known by those who don't know anything about Boxing, because of his attitude outside of the ring and the way he defined the sport. Beat off competition from Leo Messi and Usain Bolt to make the final.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_Ali
2
Diego MARADONA (Football)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Maradona
The was the tightest group, which also featured Nicklaus, Redgrave, Owens and my 'wildcard' pick Team Hoyt. Most known for the 'Hand of God' but just in the very same match, he scored possibly the greatest goal of all time and probably single-handedly won Argentina the world cup. There is the question of whether other footballers are better, but in this list, Maradona is the only one to make the final and not Pele or Leo Messi.
1
Usain BOLT (Athletics)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usain_Bolt
The wildcard pick, we have the four group winners, but the final person who got support and who I feel has the best chance of competing is the fastest man of all time. He holds the World Records for the 100m and 200m. He won gold medals in both of these events in both 2008 and 2012.
I'm sure there'll be plenty of views on the subject and why your pick deserves to win, good luck to all.
Greatest of all time - FINAL
posted on 3/7/17
Still dunno how Jesse Owens or Tiger Woods didn't get into the final.
posted on 3/7/17
Because Jack Nicklaus was a better golfer
posted on 3/7/17
Tiger did more for Golf/equal rights than Nicklaus did though. I assume that is why Ali is on the list.
posted on 3/7/17
Woods did more for its image.. helped broaden its appeal, especially to younger players. Wouldn't say he did a huge deal for equality otherwise you'd see more black players in the game, and there isn't.
His recent shenanigans haven't exactly helped his legacy either.
posted on 3/7/17
Black players weren't allowed on golf courses when he started out.
His recent shenanigans haven't helped his image, but he has been victimised by the media worse than many other athletes who have done similar/worse. He had an affair and got considerably more abuse than the likes of Ryan Giggs did (or Peter Crouch or David Beckham etc). Then he was guilty for driving under the influence where he had a bad reaction to medicine and pulled over as he felt woozy which was actually pretty commendable. He is a victim in how he has been treated and the press have tried their hardest to tarnish his legacy, no golfer has ever hit the heights he did.
posted on 3/7/17
He's a far bigger name than Giggs or other footballers, hence the more spotlight shone on him.
He wasn't treated any harsher than the other cheats who also got it in the neck from all sides of the press etc.
End of the day, he's done nothing to get more black players playing and he wasn't as good as Nicklaus.
Hence, he wasn't in the final of this half ersed poll.
posted on 3/7/17
What cheats got it in the neck from all sides?
He has done a lot to get black players playing, because now they are actually allowed on golf courses where they werent back then. He was better than Nicklaus, Jack has never won more than two championships in a year. Woods has.
Woods at his peak was better than Jack, he has just declined due to injuries.
posted on 3/7/17
It was a half ersed poll though, fancy only including Utd in the tags ffs.
posted on 3/7/17
“You know what the game of golf is, don't you? It's basketball for people who can't jump and chess for people who can't think.”
― Tom Robbins, B Is for Beer
posted on 3/7/17
It's not always easy to tell just how big a legend is going to be while he's still active, but looking back now, you have to ask how the hell Wayne Rooney missed the final here.