It seems like most sports or games, there’s been a steady progress in performance such that even world champions a few decades ago would have a hard time even competing with the best today. For example, the longest standing Olympic record was for long jump in 1968 which is just shy of the 50 year criteria. Even still, most people believed the record was due in some part to the high altitudes of Mexico City.
But are there any sports or games where we could say a competitor from pre-1965 would compete and possibly win against the current world champion? Fencing? Chess? Billiards? Pinball? Juggling?
In billiards, it would depend on what game is played. Straight pool was much more popular 50 years ago than it is now, and modern players might not know the strategy as well. The record run of 526 balls was done by Willie Mosconi in 1954. If the game is 9-ball, modern players might have the edge.
There might be a few based on sheer numbers involved, and the more people you have to look for the best of the best of the best. Some facet of shooting sports possibly for example. During the wars 10s of millions of guys picked up a rifle and learned to shoot, not to mention all the ones who did it to hunt for food etc. A few of them figured out they had a great natural talent for it, and trained and developed it, and somewhere someone was the best. But now, so many fewer people training to use guns seriously, many of the ones with the greatest developable talent may never find out they have it.
Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus yes, but the others?:dubious:
This is a tough question to answer. On the face of it, physical fitness and conditioning and equipment today is light years ahead of what it was even 20, never mind 50 years ago.
However, in all sports, playing conditions and rules do not remain static. Many modern players might be less skilled at a certain aspects of the game then the predecessors, because the said ability is no longer as important or relevant. The oldies can conversely find conditions in the modern game alien to them.
In Cricket, I doubt Bradman would have done as well as he did, in an era of reverse swing and doosras, but how would Ponting do on uncovered pitches?
In fooball, Pele would have probably walked into any team today, but I doubt he could have done as well against the brutal and physical games of the 1970’s and 80’s (before the referees started cracking down). How would Tiki Taka have done against the 1970’s era Leeds and their “kick the shit out of everyone” attitude to the game? I mean considering the hissy fit the Spainiards through over a few kung fu kicks in 2010, I have to wonder.
Boxing maybe, if only because it had far more participants and far more frequent events back when it was popular. There were simply more top athletes in any given weight class than there are now, and more (and maybe better) trainers, and more paying bouts available for boxers to develop with.
Individuals aren’t teams. I have no doubt that we could find individual players in any team sport from 50-60 years ago who could excel today. Ted Williams could hit today, Jim Brown could score touchdowns, Bobby Hull could score goals and Sandy Koufax could strike men out. But Koufax’s 1965 team, the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, would be eaten alive by any team today. Bobby Hull’s Blackhawks would barely make it to the third period against any NHL team today.
I also don’t believe that Pele would walk into any team today. Personally I have always found him to be overrated, with a goal tally bolstered by a lot of goals against questionable opposition and the advantage at international level of being surrounded by what at the time were the very best players.
Thats not to say that he was useless, but he wouldn’t get close to recreating his achievements in todays game.
Those were exactly the names I had in mind. As for the others? maybe I misunderstood the OP but I assumed it referred to the very cream of 50 years and only a couple of players would fit into that bracket.
Well, no surprise, soccer is a team sport. Messi has had the advantage of playing with Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Eto, Deco, Henry, Fabregas, Neymar, Suarez for Barca and Di Maria, Mascherano, Augrero, Higauin for the Argentines. If he had been like George Weah for Liberia, he would never have accomplished much.
Pele, was a player who relied heavily on dribbling and passing, he would fit right in today. I doubt the much more physical game of the 1970’s and 1980’s would suit him, or Messi for that matter. I was watching the 1986 WC Finall recently, and was shocked at how much the referees let slide; the W Germans seemed determined that Maradona should leave the game on a stretcher, of course it backfired on them when he made that pass to the unmarked Burrachaga.
Did boxers used to aggressively cut weight back then to the same extent they do now? That alone might be enough to make up for any other advantage the older boxers might have had.
If you’re talking individuals then I doubt there’s a female cyclist riding today who could take on Beryl Burton across a range of events. Her records have mostly been broken now (after standing for decades, 12 hr time trial still stands), but the modern rider is a specialist. Beryl rode every time trial in the book - from 10 miles to 24 hours.
I’m talking about a modern rider just beating Beryl’s times - don’t think that could be done. If you imagine what Beryl would do on a modern bike then it’s not even a contest - no one would get near (esp as the time trial is the discipine that has benefited the most from advances in technology).
If a top athlete from 1965 stepped into a time machine and came out today, he’d probably be completely outclassed. Bill Russell would be considered too scrawny to take on current NBA centers. Bob Lily and Alan Page would be too small to start at most colleges. Lance Alworth would be deemed far too slow to play wide receiver. Bart Starr would never be able to read the Patriots’ defenses.
But of course, that’s NOT how things really change in sports. Things evolve gradually, and the best of the best adapt.
The NFL’s current huge linemen aren’t (usually) that big naturally. Most have had to eat and pump iron a lot more than they want to attain their size and strength. Are we sure Page and Lily couldn’t do the same?
In the games category, I suspect the very best duplicate bridge players from yesteryear could hold their own against modern talent. Maybe chess players, too. And poker.