New concept: Y4Y (similar to P4P)

[boliodogs]

You have this theory that athletes always improve as time goes by and you say anyone who disagrees with you doesn't have good sense. I disagree that there is always this steady improvement of all athletes in all sports.Boxing is my only sport so I can't comment on the other sports. In boxing I think the great fighters of the past are just as good pound for pound as the best we have today. SRR, Duran, Louis, Marciano, Armstrong, Hagler, Napoles, Ali and so many more were great in their day and they would be just as great if they were fighting right now. There is film to compare most of them with today's best and I have seen those films. I am an old man so I saw some of them fight live. AJ and Wilder are not the best heavyweights I ever saw and not even close. I have yet to see a heavyweight that I thought would beat the prime Ali before he was not allowed to fight for almost 4 years for not joining the army. I don't agree with your latest is always best theory.

[boliodogs]

Exhibit A:

That's the mile and not boxing. The mile record has only gone down a few seconds since Bannister ran it in under 4 minutes about 65 years ago.

[olddb]

I don't think improvement works in linear fashion as you describe.

[Eddy Current]

I don't think improvement works in linear fashion as you describe.

The above graph is linear. Granted that's a linear improvement of running speeds. But things like powerlifting records have also been broken as time goes on. Athletes have just gotten bigger, faster, and stronger.

If you look at NFL players now vs even 1980, the contrast looks ridiculous.