# Who is the best... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 5, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best/60989 "2001-04-05T22:53:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AnotherHeretic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee59a6/32.png) [@AnotherHeretic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AnotherHeretic)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2001, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best/60989/1 "2001-04-05T22:53:54Z")
baseball player ever? hockey player ever? football player ever? soccer player ever? ---
**Author:** ![Jeannie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e480ec/32.png) [@Jeannie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeannie)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2001, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best/60989/2 "2001-04-05T22:58:00Z")
I’m not much into sports, but I do like football. The best ever was Walter Payton. Amazing player, and a real class act. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2001, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best/60989/3 "2001-04-05T23:10:47Z")
Michael Jordan - all four. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2001, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best/60989/4 "2001-04-05T23:22:57Z")
Sultan of Swat, the Babe Super Mario Jim Thorpe Pele They may as well close this thread. Those are the answers. ---
**Author:** ![imthjckaz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/imthjckaz/32/3223_2.png) [@imthjckaz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/imthjckaz)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2001, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best/60989/5 "2001-04-06T00:07:10Z")
Baseball- **Willie Mays** , he could run, hit for power and average, and could cover lots of ground in centerfield. Hockey- **Wayne Gretsky** rewrote the NHL record books, was an excellent skater who was born to play hockey. Football- **Jim Brown** , had he not retired in his **prime** , and played a few more years, Payton would be the 2nd hightest rusher. Power, speed and balance with the heart of a lion, he was the best. Soccer- **Pele** , played the game when the U.S. didn’t know what soccer was. A gifted athlete who could do things with his feet, what others couldn’t do with their hands. [sub] i know too much about sports, i need to get a life[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2001, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best/60989/6 "2001-04-06T00:22:07Z")
**Diego Armando Maradona** Better than Pele - at least to me. Pele’s a close second, and third goes to Johan Cruyff. ---
**Author:** ![Tyklfe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@Tyklfe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tyklfe)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2001, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-best/60989/7 "2001-04-06T00:39:09Z")
All of the sports that you mentioned are somewhat arbitary. Everyone just picks thier favorite and then argues about it, because there are too many variables. But with a sport like Pole Vaulting or Discus or Javilin you know who the best is, he(or she) the one with the world’s record. Pole Vaulter?- **Sergei Bubka** he broke the world’s record 30 times during his career and still holds it check it out - [http://encarta.msn.com/find/MediaMax.asp?pg=3&ti=01CE0000&idx=461528823](http://encarta.msn.com/find/MediaMax.asp?pg=3&ti=01CE0000&idx=461528823)