Ron Jeremy
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]Brett620 wrote:
Jerry Rice was an elite player, but not an elite athlete. He never was considered fast or very strong. But he was more like Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.
Moss had more ability, Rice was the better player. [/quote]
If pure athleticism is the only criteria then the whole list should be the top 10 male gymnasts in the world. Shit, the 100th ranked gymnast in the world is still a better athlete then the next best athlete in another sport.[/quote]
Maybe in relative upper body strength. I think Olympic lifters are some of the best athletes. Even the superheavyweights (many are fat) can run a quick 40 yard dash. I’m thinking a gymnast wouldn’t be very quick on his feet or explosive compared to a sprinter, oly lifter, football/soccer player etc…
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]Brett620 wrote:
Jerry Rice was an elite player, but not an elite athlete. He never was considered fast or very strong. But he was more like Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.
Moss had more ability, Rice was the better player. [/quote]
If pure athleticism is the only criteria then the whole list should be the top 10 male gymnasts in the world. Shit, the 100th ranked gymnast in the world is still a better athlete then the next best athlete in another sport.[/quote]
That’s ridiculous. Those dudes don’t have anywhere near the speed, leaping ability, power or agility to qualify. Strength and the ability to use trampolines - while impressive - aren’t enough.[/quote]
Are you kidding me? Are you aware of the upper-body strength required to perform on the rings or the pummel horse? Power and agility is something that gymnasts have in spades. And the leaping ability is off the charts, trampoline or not.[/quote]
You’re confusing flexibility with agility. I already said they’re strong, but they have no other observable quality that would qualify 'em for this list. Being able to do a standing back flip requires very little leaping ability. How you can try and argue this is baffling.
[/quote]
Are we thinking of the same gymnastics? I mean shit like the uneven bars, the parallel bars, the rings, the pummel horse, that sort of shit. A standing backflip? These guys do triple flips with multiple 360 degree rotations, and then land on legs strong enough to withstand the impact and centrifugal force created by all that spinning and flipping.
There isn’t one athlete in any of these lists that isn’t a gymnast that has EVER performed even one backflip with a 360 rotation and landed on their feet, let alone multiple flips and rotations.
Shit, look at the floor routines the women go through. They perform all sorts of crazy aerial movements and they don’t use anything but their own athletic ability to project themselves into the air. No trampolines used in the floor routine. And if you’ve seen them running before they do the vault you’d know that they have pretty impressive as well.
You’re just fucking with me, aren’t you?
[quote]MytchBucanan wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]Brett620 wrote:
Jerry Rice was an elite player, but not an elite athlete. He never was considered fast or very strong. But he was more like Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.
Moss had more ability, Rice was the better player. [/quote]
If pure athleticism is the only criteria then the whole list should be the top 10 male gymnasts in the world. Shit, the 100th ranked gymnast in the world is still a better athlete then the next best athlete in another sport.[/quote]
Maybe in relative upper body strength. I think Olympic lifters are some of the best athletes. Even the superheavyweights (many are fat) can run a quick 40 yard dash. I’m thinking a gymnast wouldn’t be very quick on his feet or explosive compared to a sprinter, oly lifter, football/soccer player etc…[/quote]
Dude, the fast-twitch fibers required to project your body into the air the way they do is insane. So are the fast twitch fibers used to land or move around the pummel horse. Why do you think rings are so popular with guys like Thibadeau now?
[quote]MytchBucanan wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]Brett620 wrote:
Jerry Rice was an elite player, but not an elite athlete. He never was considered fast or very strong. But he was more like Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.
Moss had more ability, Rice was the better player. [/quote]
If pure athleticism is the only criteria then the whole list should be the top 10 male gymnasts in the world. Shit, the 100th ranked gymnast in the world is still a better athlete then the next best athlete in another sport.[/quote]
Maybe in relative upper body strength. I think Olympic lifters are some of the best athletes. Even the superheavyweights (many are fat) can run a quick 40 yard dash. I’m thinking a gymnast wouldn’t be very quick on his feet or explosive compared to a sprinter, oly lifter, football/soccer player etc…[/quote]
Muhammad Ali
Jim Thorpe
Jim Brown
Jesse Owens
Bo Jackson
Deon Sanders
Allen Iverson
Air Jordon
Bob Hayes
Wilt Chamberlain
Hershal Walker
I agree with FightinIrish, Ali is always my first pick.
[quote]NorCal916 wrote:
I guess “athletic ability” is what I’m measuring. And I give weight to those who show ability in more than one area (that’s why Usian Bolt didn’t make my list or that great Russian powerlifter)
Gable is a good choice.
Along with Alexander Karlin[/quote]
On the Usain Bolt point. Actually, the guy could have made a pro cricketer as a quick bowler. In order to make pro as a cricketing fast bowler, you require a considerable amount of physical/athletic traits (not to mention co-ordination and body control). I believe he is precisely one of those people who can show ability in more than one area.
But then americans never really care for cricket.
Mark Henry was a hell of an athlete in his day. Maybe not top 10, but honorable mention for sure.
[quote]FightinIrish26 wrote:
Muhammad Ali[/quote]
How in the F**K did this go to a 2nd page without Ali’s name on any LIST???
May I add:
Sugar Ray Robinson
Pele
And a honorable mention to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (the man trained with Bruce lee for craps sake)
[quote]olifter1 wrote:
Not in order
- Bo Jackson (Three sport D-! athlete, two sport pro)
- Tony Gonzalez (multi-sport D-I athlete)
- Carl Crawford (Offered major scholarships in football, baseball, basketball, high school All American in each, drafted out of HS for baseball)
- Carl Lewis (Drafted by Cowboys and olympic champ)
- Lance Armstrong (7 TDF and now setting records in 1/2 ironmans at 41)
- Jim Thorp (Nuff said)
- Julius Peppers (two sport athlete and UNC-Chapel Hill)
- Dieon Sanders (two sport professional)
- George St. Pierre (bad ass)
- Lebron James (could play in the NFL right now)[/quote]
Dave Winfield was a 2 sport D1 athlete who was drafted by 4 pro teams in 3 sports. Also a hall of famer.
Stephen Neal was a world champion wrestler then tried out for the NFL (hadn’t played football since high school) and won 2 super bowls with the Patriots.
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]WhiteFlash wrote:
[quote]DBCooper wrote:
[quote]Brett620 wrote:
Jerry Rice was an elite player, but not an elite athlete. He never was considered fast or very strong. But he was more like Larry Bird or Magic Johnson.
Moss had more ability, Rice was the better player. [/quote]
If pure athleticism is the only criteria then the whole list should be the top 10 male gymnasts in the world. Shit, the 100th ranked gymnast in the world is still a better athlete then the next best athlete in another sport.[/quote]
That’s ridiculous. Those dudes don’t have anywhere near the speed, leaping ability, power or agility to qualify. Strength and the ability to use trampolines - while impressive - aren’t enough.[/quote]
Are you kidding me? Are you aware of the upper-body strength required to perform on the rings or the pummel horse? Power and agility is something that gymnasts have in spades. And the leaping ability is off the charts, trampoline or not.[/quote]
You’re confusing flexibility with agility. I already said they’re strong, but they have no other observable quality that would qualify 'em for this list. Being able to do a standing back flip requires very little leaping ability. How you can try and argue this is baffling.
[/quote]
Are we thinking of the same gymnastics? I mean shit like the uneven bars, the parallel bars, the rings, the pummel horse, that sort of shit. A standing backflip? These guys do triple flips with multiple 360 degree rotations, and then land on legs strong enough to withstand the impact and centrifugal force created by all that spinning and flipping.
There isn’t one athlete in any of these lists that isn’t a gymnast that has EVER performed even one backflip with a 360 rotation and landed on their feet, let alone multiple flips and rotations.
Shit, look at the floor routines the women go through. They perform all sorts of crazy aerial movements and they don’t use anything but their own athletic ability to project themselves into the air. No trampolines used in the floor routine. And if you’ve seen them running before they do the vault you’d know that they have pretty impressive as well.
You’re just fucking with me, aren’t you?[/quote]
Those floors have springs. I’m not saying they can’t do some impressive things (the shit they do on the rings blows me away), I just can’t put 'em in the same group with the Nate Robinsons and Vernon Davis’s of the world.
Well everyone in this thread fucking failed.
ED COAN
I guess you could define him as not an athlete or something, but that’s just semantics imo.
All of you get a zero for the day.
Also want to add Ronald Curry. He is the only person ever named national high school player of the year in TWO sports (football and basketball). He’s the sole reason Michael Vick flew under the radar 'til college. Went to UNC as a quarterback, played both sports, got drafted by the Raiders as a receiver and had one of the most ridiculous touchdown catches in football history. On my phone so can’t link it, but look it up. Shit’s nuts.
It’s wrong, purely on the basis that most of the athletes are American.
I mean, Babe Ruth is a fucking athlete?
The Titanic had a faster turning circle than him for fucks sake.
[quote]Magicpunch wrote:
[quote]NorCal916 wrote:
I guess “athletic ability” is what I’m measuring. And I give weight to those who show ability in more than one area (that’s why Usian Bolt didn’t make my list or that great Russian powerlifter)
Gable is a good choice.
Along with Alexander Karlin[/quote]
On the Usain Bolt point. Actually, the guy could have made a pro cricketer as a quick bowler. In order to make pro as a cricketing fast bowler, you require a considerable amount of physical/athletic traits (not to mention co-ordination and body control). I believe he is precisely one of those people who can show ability in more than one area.
But then americans never really care for cricket.
[/quote]
Probably becuase Americans consider cricket about as much of as sport as tennis or golf. This board doesn’t have much love of soccer, so any sport with a built in tea break is seen as sad.
Bobby Jones wasn’t mentioned because while he might have been one of the greatest golfers, Mohammed Ali would have beaten him in every other sport that has good ratings on ESPN. Mohammad Ali was the greatest.
This topic is too damn broad!
[quote]Drake37 wrote:
This topic is too damn broad![/quote]
True.
I mean was Ali at 25 a better physical specimen than Jordan at the same age?
[quote]ChongLordUno wrote:
It’s wrong, purely on the basis that most of the athletes are American.
I mean, Babe Ruth is a fucking athlete?
The Titanic had a faster turning circle than him for fucks sake.
[/quote]
Babe Ruth WAS a baseball player