# The World's Greatest Athlete **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 11, 2001, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429 "2001-06-11T15:33:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![plasticbryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@plasticbryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plasticbryan)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2001, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/1 "2001-06-11T15:33:23Z")
Do you remember the Disney movie of this title? It starred Kurt Russell as a boy “discovered”, in Africa (made sense to Disney) who ended up winning some decathlon event. Anyway, I started to think about who was the greatest athlete ever? A couple of names to throw out: Jim Thorpe, Jesse Owens, Micheal Johnson, Micheal Jordan, Deion Sanders, Sergei Bubka, Daley Thompson. Unfortunately, I can’t speak with much authority on athletes outside of the U.S. I also think we should leave out Biblical (Samson, etc… )and mythological (Odysessus, Jason, Hercules, etc…)figures, since the authenticity of any documentation left around might be difficult to verify. IMHO, I like Jim Thorpe. He is the only person to have won both the decathlon and the pentathlon. Then he went to have an exceptional career in pro football. His medals were stripped from him when he was found to have played pro baseball as a college student. I know that ESPN did this gig last year, and there may have been many threads spun from it, but let’s restart it. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/2 "2001-06-12T02:19:50Z")
Wayne Gretzky. So much more dominant in his sport than Jordan or Ruth. ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/3 "2001-06-12T03:30:48Z")
[here](http://www.iditarod.com) ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/4 "2001-06-12T03:50:25Z")
How about someone for whom there IS some documentation: [Milo of Kroton](http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/Olympics/milo.html)! > [@](#): > > One of the most legendary athletes in the ancient world, Milo of Kroton, wore the victor’s crown at Olympia no less than six times. Born in southern Italy, where Greece had many colonies, Milo won the boys’ wrestling contest in 540 BCE. He returned eight years later to win the first of five consecutive wrestling titles, a feat that seems incredible by modern standards. Rarely do modern-day Olympians compete in more than two or three Olympiads over the course of a career. Much like the boxer George Foreman, Milo resisted retirement: By the time of the 67th Olympiad in 512 BCE, Milo was probably forty or more years old but he competed anyhow. > > … > > According to our ancient sources, Milo enjoyed showing off his unrivaled strength. For instance, he would clasp a pomegranate in his hand and have others try to take it away from him. Even though he was holding it so tightly that no one could remove it, he never damaged the fruit. Sometimes, he would stand on a greased iron disk and challenge others to push him off of it. Another of his favorite exhibitions was tying a cord around his forehead, holding his breath, and breaking the cord with his bulging forehead veins. Other times, the wrestler would stand with his right arm at his side, his elbow against him, and hold out his hand with thumb pointed upwards and fingers spread. No one could successfully bend even his little finger. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/5 "2001-06-12T04:02:35Z")
What does it mean to be a “great athlete” in the abstract? I ask because every year, NFL puts collegians through combines, where they weigh them, measure them, time them in sprints, see how much they can bench press, see how great their stamina is. When the combine is over, the NFL scouts have a VERY good idea of how great every man’s overall athletic ability is. So, with all that knowledge, every NFL scout knows exactly who the best available athletes are. So, naturally, EVERY player drafted turns out to be a star, right? Uh, no. The record shows conclusively that MAGNIFICENT athletes often turn out to be terrible football players (or terrible baseball players, or terrible basketball players or… you get the idea). Now, even if you COULD come up with a scientific formula that gave a man points in each of four categories (strength, speed, agility and endurance), and concluded that… for the heck of it… Bo Jackson was the greatest athlete of all time, the fact remains, I can think of DOZENS of players I’d rather have on my baseball team, and HUNDREDS I’d rather have on my football team. I mean, if versatility matters, Danny Ainge was a major league third baseman AND an NBA forward, as well as an excellent golfer. But does ANYONE think Danny Ainge was one of the greatest athletes of all time? It’s entirely possible that, if you DID put together a scale of points for those four categories, you might find that the gretest athlete of all time is someone you’ve never heard of! Maybe a tight end who just couldn’t hold on to the ball… or a center fielder who just couldn’t hit the breaking ball… ---
**Author:** ![Dignan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f07891/32.png) [@Dignan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dignan)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/6 "2001-06-12T05:36:22Z")
> [@](#): > > IMHO, I like Jim Thorpe. The problem with picking the “greatest athlete” is how much things change over the years. The training methods today are much different then they were when someone like Thorpe played. For example, baseball players in the 50’s would play the season and once it was over they’d go work at a regular job and not pick up a bat until spring training. Today we have people that work out year round and use vitamin supplements, muscle builders, etc. > [@](#): > > Wayne Gretzky. So much more dominant in his sport than Jordan or Ruth. I’m a huge hockey fan, but I have to disagree with you. Gretzky wasn’t even the best _hockey_ player. Gretzky was the smartest hockey player, probably the most talented even, but not the best. That title belongs to “Mr. Hockey,” Gordie Howe. Howe did everything in the game. He was a “real” hockey player. He was a guy that was the star and he took care of himself too. You didn’t mess with him because he was a mean SOB. Howe was the best hockey player, I’m sure of this because a “Gordie Howe hattrick” is a goal, an assist, and a fighting penalty - in the same game. All the parts of a game. Who do I think is the best athlete? I don’t know if it can be answered, but I think I remember seeing something where Dick Schaap said Bo Jackson was #1 on his list of that thing ESPN did with the “50 Greatest Athletes.” Bo Jackson seems like a good pick. I didn’t get to see him much, but from tapes and things like that he looked like he was pretty dominant in two professional sports. He also continued to play baseball with a new hip! ---
**Author:** ![Ell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47774/32.png) [@Ell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ell)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 6:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/7 "2001-06-12T06:06:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mahaloth \* > \*\*Wayne Gretzky. So much more dominant in his sport than Jordan or Ruth. \*\* Sir Donald Bradman was much more dominant in his sport than anyone else, in any sport, anywhere in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Kipper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kipper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kipper)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/8 "2001-06-12T06:50:08Z")
I agree with Ell. Donald Bradman was the name that immediatly came to my mind, and this is comming from a Kiwi. For all you yanks… A good test cricketer has an average score in the 40’s. A really outstanding batsman has a average in the 50’s. This guy had a test batting average of 99. ---
**Author:** ![AETBOND417](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@AETBOND417](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AETBOND417)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2001, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/9 "2001-06-12T20:35:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ell \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > \*Originally posted by Mahaloth \* > > \*\*Wayne Gretzky. So much more dominant in his sport than Jordan or Ruth. \*\* > > Sir Donald Bradman was much more dominant in his sport than anyone else, in any sport, anywhere in the world. \*\* I _believe_ this is who I was thinking of. The Aussie cricket player who died within the last 6 months, right? I only heard of him for the first time in a TIME magazine obituary claiming he was not only comparable, but likely superior, to Jordan, Howe, and other sports greats. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/10 "2001-06-13T01:09:46Z")
Babe Didrickson Zaharias or Jackie Joyner-Kersee. ---
**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/11 "2001-06-13T06:38:36Z")
Damn you iampunha! I’m rapidly scrolling down this thread saying “Please let me be the first one to mention Babe Didrickson Zaharias. Please let me be the first one to mention Babe Didrickson Zaharias…” I’m almost there when I see your one line post! There was some SI article a while back where the author asked what you would think of an athlete who held numerous world record in a gazillion different, unrelated sports, and then delivered the shocker that that athlete was BDZ. I can’t find that article on-line, but here’s another one talking about her diverse accomplishments: [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/siforwomen/top\_100/2/](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/siforwomen/top_100/2/) ---
**Author:** ![Opus1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/858c86/32.png) [@Opus1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Opus1)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/12 "2001-06-13T06:41:30Z")
Aha! [Here’s](http://images.cnnsi.com/inside_game/magazine/life_of_reilly/news/1999/10/05/lifeofreilly/) the article. Apparently nobody can decide whether “Didrickson” has a “c” in it or not. The relevant portion is excerpted below: > [@](#): > > Greatest Athlete No Matter What the Spacklebrains at ESPN Think If you knew somebody who entered eight of 10 events in the national AAU track meet and won five of them outright and tied for first in another; who won two gold medals in the 1932 Olympics and lost a third on a technicality; who took up golf and won 82 tournaments as an amateur and a pro; who was a three-time All-America in basketball; who won championships of one sort or another in billiards, cycling, shooting, speed skating, squash, swimming and tennis; and who pitched in several major league exhibition games, wouldn’t you say that’s the greatest athlete you’ve ever heard of? That’s Babe Didrikson Zaharias. ---
**Author:** ![Blunt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Blunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blunt)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/13 "2001-06-13T07:06:39Z")
I’d say Bo Jackson, but I can see arguments for a lot of different athletes. I just tried to think of the guy that I’d most want on my team, if I didn’t know what sport we’d be playing. I figure that if you invented a brand new sport that Bo Jackson in his prime would be the most likely to be good at it. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/14 "2001-06-13T07:13:40Z")
Maybe you guys have forgotten about **Bruce Lee** , if you wanna call **kickin’ ass** a sport. I bet he could annihilate Mohammad Ali and Mike Tyson in the same breath. Not to mention all the other athletes listed above. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/15 "2001-06-13T14:20:26Z")
Apparently you didn’t see my answer to the question. You all have to admit that they are athletes. No, I repeat NO,human could do what they do. ---
**Author:** ![plasticbryan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@plasticbryan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plasticbryan)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2001, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-worlds-greatest-athlete/68429/16 "2001-06-13T20:43:29Z")
My orginal posting had listed JJK, but my fat fingers wiped it out and in my hurry, I neglected to put her on my list. That being said, I completely forgot about THE Babe. I remember reading about her in a “Famous Athletes” biography book way back in 5th or 6th grade.