Most Dominant Athlete of All Time
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No athlete has inspired me more than Takero Kobayashi, winner of the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest for 6 years straight. 
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/news/story?id=2509226
This year's record: 53.74 hot dogs in 12 minutes ... lol
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/news/story?id=2509226
This year's record: 53.74 hot dogs in 12 minutes ... lol
fastest man....BEN JOHNSON.....dont need Asafa powell or anyone else claiming otherwise.....BEN will always be the fastest man on earth as far as im concerned
Gretzky played in a time when theyre werent great goalies on everyteam.....and as much as football, basketball and hockey are all team sports, i think Jordan was able to dominate the whole game like no other...he didnt even need teammates, scottie pippen was crap.....
Muhammed Ali
My hero........he totally transformed the world and even today..is probablly the best known and respected athlete in the world.
He fought every contender and had some of the best fights recorded in history.
I still remember him lighting the torch at the Atlantic Olympics too, and felt how suitable a choice he was. I was just transfixed to see if his hands would remain firm with the torch...and now he fights the fight of his life..Parkinsons.....in the public forum.
Outside of Hockey countries no one has heard of Gretsky......and yes he was great Hockey player. Same with Jordan in his sport. But Ali......stood up for principles against the Power Establishment. That took courage.
What have the other athletes done......to even compare to that than become spokesman for their own interests?
My hero........he totally transformed the world and even today..is probablly the best known and respected athlete in the world.
He fought every contender and had some of the best fights recorded in history.
I still remember him lighting the torch at the Atlantic Olympics too, and felt how suitable a choice he was. I was just transfixed to see if his hands would remain firm with the torch...and now he fights the fight of his life..Parkinsons.....in the public forum.
Outside of Hockey countries no one has heard of Gretsky......and yes he was great Hockey player. Same with Jordan in his sport. But Ali......stood up for principles against the Power Establishment. That took courage.
What have the other athletes done......to even compare to that than become spokesman for their own interests?
interesting take. I had friends and family from around the world who knew and asked about gretzky. jordan also is a world icon. and though I agree with you about Ali standing for something other than money like todays spoiled athletes, I dont think that criteria defines greatest athlete, but rather the kind of person he is. sorta like how i dont care what job anyone i know does, because it doesnt define who they are. to me, character is a seperate issue. i mean Ali is famous first and foremost because of his boxing. if you were to find out of an athlete who did the same if not more than Ali did to stand up for a great cause, yet they were below average in their sport, would you call them too the greatest athlete of all time?Mistress Kyla said:
Agree with everything I think you are saying...but...
...are you saying Jordan didn't transcend basketball?
There was at time (and might still be the case) when MJ was the most well known person on the planet...
He was very much "heard of" in places that had never witnessed a basketball game....
"Outside of Hockey countries no one has heard of Gretsky......and yes he was great Hockey player. Same with Jordan in his sport. "Mistress Kyla said:
...are you saying Jordan didn't transcend basketball?
There was at time (and might still be the case) when MJ was the most well known person on the planet...
He was very much "heard of" in places that had never witnessed a basketball game....
Lemme see if I understand this correctly...
Those must be more airplanes....
..we are going to have a poll on Canadian website visited primarily by white male Canadians as to who the most powerful Black man is in the United States??fantasiafan said:
Those must be more airplanes....
MLAM said:
LOL.....not just airplanes, JETS!
hey if we dont do it here on TERB, that only means FORBES will run it....Well, Pinball may be in the media, but I'd go with Michael Lee Chin - worked with him many a time and hes a fantastic person, powerful, and has a lot of influence - you can also blame him for the mess at the museum and Bloor/Avenueguyroch said:
Until it is proven that he actually cheated, whether you like him or not, Lance Armstrong is definitely one of the top 3 of all-time. Out of all the individual sports, The Tour de France is insane. The levels of endurance, strength, power and strategy that are simultaneously required is... insane!! And that he managed to accomplish something that will NEVER happen again, in my opinion, as well as fighting cancer is... insane!!
And for all you Gretzky ponderers... (and keep in mind that I HATED him when he played) his linemates were not on their way into the Hall of Fame when they were starting out. When they played Junior, NOBODY predicted the type of careers that they would turn out. But as a 15 year old dominating the World Juniors and the OHL, Gretzky always looked like the next coming. Except for his size, he was ALWAYS great...
His teammates enjoyed greatness as a result of having played with him moreso than the other way around. With average to less than average linemates, in his first year in the league, he dominated as a young, undersized kid. With good linemates, who had average to above average talent, playing with Gretzky allowed THEM to make significant strides in their level of play. And while Gretzky did benefit from his co-starring cast, it was nowhere near the same level of reciprocation. Besides, the Nik Antropov like speed of Bernie Nicholls and Luc Robitaille, who else did Gretzky have to benefit from in L.A., where he single handedly turned around hockey on and off the ice?
And in a comparison to Jordan... he was no different when it came to attacking the game with a ferocious determination and hard nosed work ethic. Their approaches may have been different (love vs hate), but the results were the same. They dominated and changed the way the game was played. If Sidney Crosby manages to stay healthy and has the type of career I believe he will have, it makes me wonder if people will forget all about the garbage that he had to play with in his 100+ point rookie year.
#11
And for all you Gretzky ponderers... (and keep in mind that I HATED him when he played) his linemates were not on their way into the Hall of Fame when they were starting out. When they played Junior, NOBODY predicted the type of careers that they would turn out. But as a 15 year old dominating the World Juniors and the OHL, Gretzky always looked like the next coming. Except for his size, he was ALWAYS great...
His teammates enjoyed greatness as a result of having played with him moreso than the other way around. With average to less than average linemates, in his first year in the league, he dominated as a young, undersized kid. With good linemates, who had average to above average talent, playing with Gretzky allowed THEM to make significant strides in their level of play. And while Gretzky did benefit from his co-starring cast, it was nowhere near the same level of reciprocation. Besides, the Nik Antropov like speed of Bernie Nicholls and Luc Robitaille, who else did Gretzky have to benefit from in L.A., where he single handedly turned around hockey on and off the ice?
And in a comparison to Jordan... he was no different when it came to attacking the game with a ferocious determination and hard nosed work ethic. Their approaches may have been different (love vs hate), but the results were the same. They dominated and changed the way the game was played. If Sidney Crosby manages to stay healthy and has the type of career I believe he will have, it makes me wonder if people will forget all about the garbage that he had to play with in his 100+ point rookie year.
#11
Ali...the Greatest
I am sorry......but Jordan was not the best known athlete on the planet..like Ali.
Ali was a the true World Champion of the People.......not the multi nationals. In my country Indonesia Jordan was known for Nike. The government never carried NBA Basketball games on TV but when Ali fought every transister radio was on.....in every village..throughout the world. Africa, Asia, South and Central America plus North America and I am sure even in Antartica...as boxing is a world sport.
Especially the fight with Foreman......and the Thriller in Manila. with Frazier. Those were world events.............NBA playoffs are basically North American events, same with hockey.
Just think if those 5 years had not been taken from Ali at the peak of his career.
Gretsky was not known at all in countries that did not have hockey and while great for his Sport.......what else is he known for.......the same with Jordan.
Even Ali would tell you he is the greatest. LOL.
I am sorry......but Jordan was not the best known athlete on the planet..like Ali.
Ali was a the true World Champion of the People.......not the multi nationals. In my country Indonesia Jordan was known for Nike. The government never carried NBA Basketball games on TV but when Ali fought every transister radio was on.....in every village..throughout the world. Africa, Asia, South and Central America plus North America and I am sure even in Antartica...as boxing is a world sport.
Especially the fight with Foreman......and the Thriller in Manila. with Frazier. Those were world events.............NBA playoffs are basically North American events, same with hockey.
Just think if those 5 years had not been taken from Ali at the peak of his career.
Gretsky was not known at all in countries that did not have hockey and while great for his Sport.......what else is he known for.......the same with Jordan.
Even Ali would tell you he is the greatest. LOL.
M.K.... no one is arguing with you about Ali's world wide prominence and his place as probably the greatest ambassador of sports. However... that's not what this thread is about.
It's about the most dominant athlete of all time... on the field of play. That one individual can do things only others can dream about; could be so much better than everyone else in their chosen discipline to the point that the sport is actually changed due to their greatness.
I rated Ali as third on this chosen list, but in reality, Sugar Ray Robinson could just as easily sit side by side with the man. Ruth, however, was every bit as Gretzky-like and Jordanesque during his complete and utter dominance, at a time when hitting homeruns was actually a difficult thing to accomplish. And the fact that he was also a dominating pitcher before the Yankees eliminated that aspect of his game for the sake of his hitting, only adds to his legend.
Sorry Kyla... Ali now moves into my clean-up spot...
#11
It's about the most dominant athlete of all time... on the field of play. That one individual can do things only others can dream about; could be so much better than everyone else in their chosen discipline to the point that the sport is actually changed due to their greatness.
I rated Ali as third on this chosen list, but in reality, Sugar Ray Robinson could just as easily sit side by side with the man. Ruth, however, was every bit as Gretzky-like and Jordanesque during his complete and utter dominance, at a time when hitting homeruns was actually a difficult thing to accomplish. And the fact that he was also a dominating pitcher before the Yankees eliminated that aspect of his game for the sake of his hitting, only adds to his legend.
Sorry Kyla... Ali now moves into my clean-up spot...
#11
Without Question the most dominant athlete in his sport is
Sergei Bubka the Pole Vaulter. Yes I agree that Edwin Moses had an impressive streak, but no one and I mean no one was head and shoulders about the rest like Bubka. He planned his WR's around meets that paid 25k a pop. Would have destroyed the decathalon record had he chose to participate. His performances in those events would add up to a score that would still be way above what it is today.
Sergei Bubka the Pole Vaulter. Yes I agree that Edwin Moses had an impressive streak, but no one and I mean no one was head and shoulders about the rest like Bubka. He planned his WR's around meets that paid 25k a pop. Would have destroyed the decathalon record had he chose to participate. His performances in those events would add up to a score that would still be way above what it is today.
One cannot argue with the exploits of Gretzky, Ali, Jordan, Brown, Tiger etc. All were/are unbelievable in their respective sports and each dominated their sports. However I believe that Babe Ruth was the most dominant. His statistics are unbelievable, especially in an age where training and modern technology were practically non-existant! His records have held up for over 80 years! Can you imagine if Ruth actually trained? Or like Bonds, Sosa, McGwire.....used steroids!! He might have hit 1000 homeruns. We must also remember that he dominated as a pitcher BEFORE he dominated as a hitter! Even his pitching records are awesome! Can you imagine how much George Steinbrenner would pay someone to hit 60 homeruns and win 25+ games pitching each year????
Rocky was very good, but was also very fortunate to come along when he did. Nearly all of the fighters he faced leading up to the championship, and while he was champion, were well past their prime. The top fighters that came just after him, Liston, Ali, Frazier, would have chewed him up.guyroch said:
