# Tom Brady \> Michael Jordan as single most dominant athlete in the history of team sports **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 8, 2021, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-brady-michael-jordan-as-single-most-dominant-athlete-in-the-history-of-team-sports/932421 "2021-02-08T03:46:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2021, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-brady-michael-jordan-as-single-most-dominant-athlete-in-the-history-of-team-sports/932421/161 "2021-02-25T02:41:29Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Batting can be, and is, both attack and defense at the same time (Test cricket particularly). Bradman was capable of both. That he was. But in the terms @Dropo probably means, Bradman didn’t bowl, well his average leggies were only seen as last resort. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-brady-michael-jordan-as-single-most-dominant-athlete-in-the-history-of-team-sports/932421/162 "2021-02-27T22:34:51Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > His stats will be greatly dependent on the batting line up. If he has great protection behind him (think Ortiz and Ramirez on the 2004 Red Sox) he’s going to get pitches to hit. “Lineup protection” does not have a great deal of effect on a hitter’s statistics and no effect at all on how valuable his statistics will tell you he is. It may result in a slight uptick in walks if the batter is very badly protected, but a player with a few more walks and slightly fewer outs and hits is basically the same hitter. Barry Bonds’s huge walkin’ years including two years with a great power hitter hitting behind him, Jeff Kent, and two without, and either way the statistics still told you he was the best hitter in the league. The thing is that ultimately a batter hits or he doesn’t. A quarterback with no protection from the offensive line can’t make plays. ---
**Author:** ![Thing.Fish](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thing.fish/32/9168_2.png) [@Thing.Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing.Fish)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2021, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-brady-michael-jordan-as-single-most-dominant-athlete-in-the-history-of-team-sports/932421/163 "2021-03-03T17:50:17Z")
I followed the Giants pretty closely during the Peak Bonds era. He might have been walked with the bases loaded on a couple occasions, but it certainly wasn’t done on a regular basis. Suddenly I free associate to a game I attended in the early oughts at fkaCominsky. Fun fact, Bonds never struck out four times in a game. But on this occasion he whiffed his first three at-bats and came up in the ninth with the bases loaded and the Giants down by three… Shoulda walked him 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-brady-michael-jordan-as-single-most-dominant-athlete-in-the-history-of-team-sports/932421/164 "2021-03-04T01:53:03Z")
More evidence that Bradman is the GOAT: he had a pop song written about him. [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hjZHfEIEJ54/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH2BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGGIgYihiMA8=&rs=AOn4CLAsSiyG72mCFDu_iNz-kuSsO0o7Eg "Paul Kelly - Bradman (Official Video)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjZHfEIEJ54) ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2021, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-brady-michael-jordan-as-single-most-dominant-athlete-in-the-history-of-team-sports/932421/165 "2021-03-04T05:22:16Z")
Probably the greatest (unintended) compliment paid to Bradman was after the development of Bodyline - which was basically ‘aim directly and try and hit the batsman _ **every single ball** _ to try and intimidate him’ - the english team members who developed it went back to England, played Bodyline against local teams, and it was immediately banned by their own country’s rule makers after numerous players (including several who were in Australia, but hadn’t actually faced it until now) complained it was ‘too dangerous and unfair’. And - true - Bradman did not bowl much, but he was a gun fielder. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2021, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-brady-michael-jordan-as-single-most-dominant-athlete-in-the-history-of-team-sports/932421/166 "2021-03-05T02:38:01Z")
You reminded me of Dion Sanders: great DB, even if he didn’t like to get his jersey dirty, and a legit returner and occasional receiver. Arguably one of the best all around American football players ever. ---
**Author:** ![Capn\_Carl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/838e76/32.png) [@Capn\_Carl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capn_Carl)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-brady-michael-jordan-as-single-most-dominant-athlete-in-the-history-of-team-sports/932421/167 "2021-03-06T01:13:57Z")
What is a gun fielder? ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2021, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-brady-michael-jordan-as-single-most-dominant-athlete-in-the-history-of-team-sports/932421/168 "2021-03-06T23:01:58Z")
Obviously an australian expression (didn’t realise). ‘Gun’ when applied to any sportsman means extremely good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tom-brady-michael-jordan-as-single-most-dominant-athlete-in-the-history-of-team-sports/932421.md?page=8)