# Greatest Athlete by Decade **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 29, 2005, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738 "2005-04-29T17:12:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Try\_As\_I\_Might](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Try\_As\_I\_Might](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Try_As_I_Might)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2005, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/101 "2005-05-05T20:29:04Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > He’s doing MMA now, is he not? Although not very successfully. > > I also heard that Pavel Nastula has decided to give MMA a shot. > > Regards, > Shodan Yeah, he went to pride and ktfo (“knocked out”) because he shot on a striker without checking where the other guys hands were. I expect he’ll do some defense training and do better. I’m pretty sure he’ll do fine if he can just get to the ground. That step from kickboxing or grappling to MMA is a really big one–especially going into Pride. I’d like to see how Pavel does. As for the above-noted list: That is really pretty interesting. I was surprised that baseball/softball got as high a ranking as it did and Cricket wasn’t even mentioned. Anybody have a guess? I also think some of the rankings were a bit peculiar. For instance, it takes more hand/eye coordination to bowl than to wrestle… :dubious: I am not sure how many people on that list have wrestled. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/102 "2005-05-06T01:22:48Z")
> [@Myler Keogh](#): > > Your doing a great job emphasising the cerebral aspects of American football, but I have to say that I am not entirely convinced. Fundamentally, chess is played by geniuses and professional US football is played by dumbasses, by and large. Thanks, you made my point for me better than I ever could. Both soccer and football are played by dumbasses, yes. Due to it’s nature, the strategy in soccer is controlled by the dumbass players. Conversely, the strategy in football is controlled by the non-dumbass coaches, who study easily as much as chess master study their game. (Though I’d never compare their intellects to chess masters. That would be as silly as comparing the soccer players to football coaches.) > [@](#): > > There is a gap of some sorts between the mountains of analysis going on and its implementation on the football field. How many of the great plays made in a game are down to the bespectacled analyst sitting in the stands, and how many down to the superb athleticism of the players getting results? eg, fuck the playbook, lets just hoist one up to Randy. > Or to put it another way, who wins out of great players/dumb coaching staff versus mediocre players/brilliant coaching staff? Hey, you did it again. The Superbowl champions 3 of the last 4 years have been won by mediocre talent coach by brilliant strategists. How many times does that happen in soccer? Soccer is more easily won by brainless athleticism. Try that in football (Spurrier) and you’ll get laughed out of the league. To me, that’s a negative for soccer and a positive for football. (I’ve long held the belief that Americans are primarily interested in strategy, as opposed to athleticism, thus explaining the fixation with games like baseball, football, and also the newer poker fad. This would also help explain the difficulty in soccer and hockey catching on.) Note: I apologize for the repeated references to “soccer”, as opposed to the sports’ true name. The only purpose for that is clarity, I assure you. No offense is intended. ---
**Author:** ![Busy\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@Busy\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Busy_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 9:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/103 "2005-05-06T09:19:36Z")
> [@Ellis Dee](#): > > The Superbowl champions 3 of the last 4 years have been won by mediocre talent coach by brilliant strategists. How many times does that happen in soccer? You make good points **Ellis**. I would re-iterate my view that football strategy is simply far less developed than its American counterpart. In real terms I realise that this means that there is currently far less meaningful analysis of football, but that will change. There are, however, plenty of stellar examples of mediocre football teams having great success through high-quallity coaching, Greece being the team that immediately springs to mind. They won the 2004 European championship, the second most prestigous international football competition after the world cup, with a pub team. No particularly talented players whatsoever, just a good coach and an organised strategy. The Patriots may be a good example of mediocre talent/great coaching, but they do at least have some great players. I think I am right in saying that Tom Brady and Corey Dillon are two outstanding players in very important positions. In club football, where the standard is higher, Porto won the European champions league last year (most prestigous club competition in the world). This team is a good analogy to the Patriots, two or three great players and the rest pretty average. Great coach, Jose Mourinho who moved to Chelsea and has just won the English Premier League. Liverpool have just made it to the final of the same champions league, to be played in three weeks time, with a very limited squad of players. But again, they have a brilliant coach who watches a huge amount of game film in preparing his game strategy. My own team, Everton, are currently fourth in the English league with a rank-average set of players. The club doesn’t have a pot to piss in , but we do have a great coach who has enabled us to break into the super-rich top four clubs in English football. Just some examples to show that strategy and analysis can beat athletic talent in football, just an in US football. I’m normally all for posting in the clearest terms possible, but I just can’t use the S-word for some reason. Sorry for the confusion. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2005, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/104 "2005-05-06T10:30:38Z")
> [@Myler Keogh](#): > > In club football, where the standard is higher, Porto […] is a good analogy to the Patriots, two or three great players and the rest pretty average. Liverpool have just made it to the final of the same champions league, to be played in three weeks time, with a very limited squad of players. But again, they have a brilliant coach who watches a huge amount of game film in preparing his game strategy. > > Just some examples to show that strategy and analysis can beat athletic talent in football, just an in US football. Clearly, I’m still not giving soccer strategy the credit that it’s due. Unfortunately, I just can’t watch it, as it bores me to tears. Maybe I could start up a franchise in a video game, if only to gain some knowledge of the game. That is the only way I know anything at all about basketball, though admittedly I still know next to nothing compared to a true fan of the game. I know much of the world is fervently passionate about the game I call soccer, in the same way I revere the NFL. (Go Giants!) I wonder, is there any person who is that passionate (and knowledgable) about _both_ sports known as football? I’d love to hear from that perspective, though I tend to doubt such a person exists. > [@](#): > > I’m normally all for posting in the clearest terms possible, but I just can’t use the S-word for some reason. Sorry for the confusion. No confusion, and I wouldn’t expect you to say soccer. It must appear as ugly to you as “American Football” appears to me. For future threads, I can refer to my football as the NFL for clarity. Is there a similar acronym I can use for soccer? FIFA? ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2005, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/105 "2005-05-07T20:35:52Z")
> [@watsonwil](#): > > **1990’s** > > **Athlete of the Decade** : _Bill Wennington…Just Kidding…Michael Jordan_- As easy a choice as Babe was in the 20’s. Pure dominance in every possible criteria. I would have voted for Ali for Athlete of the 20th Century, but MJ was in the top three. The first Multimedia, international icon. > > Honorable Mention: Jerry Rice (though you may disagree with who the greatest QB or RB is, NO ONE disagrees about the greatest WR), Michael Johnson, Pete Sampras (his legacy is hurt because the Agassi rivalry was a little too one sided). Pure dominance in every possible criteria… except baseball. ---
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2005, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738/106 "2005-05-08T07:31:44Z")
Interesting thread. The only comment i have to make is- it’s **Gretzky** , OK? I personally love Lemieux and Orr, tho when pressed will admit the Great One really was the best of all time. Regardless of where you rank him against the greatest batsman of all time, (or one of the better quarterbacks), for og’s sake have the decency to spell his name right! My frickkin’ eyes are bleeding. It’s **Gretzky**. Seriously. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/greatest-athlete-by-decade/301738.md?page=5)