The Greatest Sportsman Ever

[Cardinalfang]

Sampras wasn't in the same league as Federer who is surely the greatest tennis player ever. Sampras was a serving machine who never won the french open and by that rational should not be in this list.

I also think that Maradona was surely a greater player than pele. Pele always played in teams with players almost as good as he was - garrincha, carlos alberto, jaizinho etc. Maradona won the wc with a team of journeymen. Cant stand the guy but he was better than pele.

SRR also is greater as a boxer than Ali. Ali however, is the greatest sportsman of all time due to not only his achievements but his overall impact and influence.

[The_Demon]

Boxing is my favourite sport,so its Louis every time,i love football too,so Pele comes 2nd

[McGoorty]

If all members of Boxing Scene had to choose which guy is the Greatest sportsman ever, who would you choose?
Just to aid your subconscious, i picked up a few names - its wholly up to you to rearrange them in your desired order or pull out some new names altogether.

Muhammad Ali - Boxing
Babe Ruth - Baseball
Wayne Gretzky - Ice Hockey
Michael Jordan - Basketball
Tiger Woods - Golf
Lance Armstrong - Cycling
Pele - Soccer
Jim Thorpe - Football
Jesse Owens - Track And Field
Ayrton Senna - Motor Racing
Pete Sampras - Tennis
Michael Phelps - Swimming
Don Bradman - Cricket

I hope u guys have noticed that i didn't mention two guys of the same sport, i.e I automatically presumed that they are the best of their sport. Needless to say, you may have different opinions.

Without doubt it is Sir Don Bradman, of all those names up there I can think of two guys who were more dominant than the others, Bradman stands at the top only because Walter Lindrum's sport of Billiards is tiny in comparison to cricket and there has always been debate of which guy was the more awesome in his sport. Lindrum is nothing less than a magician, he could do things with a cue and cue ball that no snooker player or Pool player has ever approached, he was simply unbeatable..( and so was Herb Elliot the great runner who never lost a single race in his life, including Little Athletics )...... Lindrum like Bradman was the unchallengeable champion for 20 years of top flight competition, Bradman is regarded by 99 out of a hundred experts as basically twice as good as the second greatest batsman to ever live.... it sounds like a fairy tale but it's all true................ ------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------- I am very glad you put Thorpe up there, I know very little about Gridiron but I regard Thorpe as by far the all round sportsman of all time with Bradman the 2nd greatest all round sporting best (but in his game he was god).. many people dont know that Bradman was awesome at golf, tennis and squash and had won state titles in all of those sports....... when he won the state tennis title he had no picked up a raquet in ages, walked in and asked if he could enter the tournament, being so famous they jumped at it,,, and he won the whole tournament,, and I'm sure most people know that back then Australia was a giant in the sport of tennis....... give Bradman a stick and a ball and he will be the best no matter what the sport,... he was invited to Lindrums billiards room and was annoyed that he was made to look a fool by Lindrum, he managed to make a break of about 30 that day and had never played much let alone make a century... he promised Lindrum that a week later he would make a century and Lindrum laughed.... next week his jaw hit the floor as Bradman easily made a century......... Walter then decided Bradman was too good to take chances with and won by making his usual One THOUSAND break............ I wish I was around to see those guys.

[SCtrojansbaby]

Ayrton Senna - Motor Racing

Not a sport

[New England]

four hooks
one time.

[McGoorty]

Yes, one could make a case of that. Sugar Ray Robinson - considered by boxing experts worldwide to be even better than Ali. I wont get into that debate since it is not the purpose for which this thread was created. So now, I have two choices -
1. Replace Ali with Ray Robinson
....This one, I'm very reluctant about, this is because I am a bit biased about Ali.

2. Break My Criteria
....And put two sportsmen for their sports.

whaddya suggest?

No way mate, if a guy aint even unanimous champion of his sport he stands no chance, not even a snowballs of ranking ahead of a Bradman. I make a massive exception for Jim Thorpe considering he was the dominant force in something like 20 plus sporting events..... there are 10 events in the decathlon and 5 in the pentathlon alone and I bet he was awesome with a bow and arrow too,, so he kills sugar Ray Robinson from 80 metres away.... boxers stand no chance of ranking above him. Thorpe could master ball sports, contact sports and outright track and feild athleticism. Thorpe is the greatest American sportsman of all time, bar none.

[McGoorty]

No way mate, if a guy aint even unanimous champion of his sport he stands no chance, not even a snowballs of ranking ahead of a Bradman. I make a massive exception for Jim Thorpe considering he was the dominant force in something like 20 plus sporting events..... there are 10 events in the decathlon and 5 in the pentathlon alone and I bet he was awesome with a bow and arrow too,, so he kills sugar Ray Robinson from 80 metres away.... boxers stand no chance of ranking above him. Thorpe could master ball sports, contact sports and outright track and feild athleticism. Thorpe is the greatest American sportsman of all time, bar none.

ROFL will someone please frame this comment for me, maybe my best work.
""""""" I bet he was awesome with a bow and arrow too,, so he kills sugar Ray Robinson from 80 metres away. """""""""

[McGoorty]

Not a sport

Not a sport ?........................ ?..... I admit it aint the same as normal sports but if Horseracing, syncronised swimming.... rhythmic Gymnastics etc are called sports then Ayrton Senna was a sportsman..... and in my opinion the greatest F1 driver ever.

[McGoorty]

I actually think that Australias love affair with cricket has affected the popularity of boxing in Australia, through most of our history the captaincy of the Australian Test team has been regarded as the nations top job. so if a kid wanted to be famous he tried cricket first, and if he didn't succeed at that he tried football, either Rugby League or Aussie Rules as we are fanatical about them too but not to the extent of cricket as our football codes spilt the country into opposing camps depending on what state you are from... cricket unites us all under one banner........................ tennis was the other alternative, but most of the guys in any aussie sport had also some boxing experience. Our fighters were also locked out of any chance at world fame because no Aussie had a title shot for about 30 years, and a certain youngster probably had much to do with that. So its no wonder that boxing wasnt seen as a serious career although many thousands had amateur experience...... Is it like this in other countries ?

[raf727]

Ali? Really? Haha, no way.