The Greatest Sportsperson Of All Time

Hi everybody paying their first visit to my blog. This is my first try at blogging. So bare with the discrepancies that may creep in. 

 

The first topic I am going to write about is something i consider myself familiar with and interested in. Sports. I have been attracted to reading anything and everything about sports and games though i restrain myself from touting aloud my knowledge of which I am proud of, and at the same time , I accept I am blissfully unaware of many amazing things, which I find hard accepting.

Fine. Without much ado, let me start. The Greatest Sportsprson of all Time. There are people who delve into this discussion and there are those who say sportspersons across various eras and games should not be compared and that such comparisons are always aligned to find the most popular sportsperson deviating from the pursuit of the Greatest. However, comparing 
Pele with Maradona is not as compelling and exciting as with Mohammed Ali. 

The stars I consider are Michael Phelps, Michael Johnson, Michael Jordon, Michael Schumacher, Tiger Woods, Muhammed Ali, Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis,  Roger Federer,Pele and last but not the least, Lance Amstrong. Before I go any further, i deeply apologise to other greats left out of my purview because of my ignorance rather than  their not being great. Critics are always welcome. I need constructive criticism to mature.  

All these are one of the greatest in their disciplines but I am looking for someone who is greater than the other greats, someone who worked that extra little that makes the difference. 

Michael Phelps with his 14 Olympic Golds and 2 Bronze medals in just two Games overshawdows almost any other Olympian. You can realise what a monumental thing he has achieved when you compare him with the nearest competitor Carl Lewis who had 9 Golds in 4 games. However he was fortunate to dominate an event with many disciplines and he never beat Ian Thorpe in his pet event. Victory over Thorpe in this Games would have definitely made me more interested. 

Michael Johnson is arguably the greatest quarter miler of all time. He holds that world record and held the 200 m record too for 12 years. You would be astounded by his dominance when you see his world record videos in You tube leaving the others in the field feel like school boys. 

Michael Jordon is undoubtedly the greatest basketball player of all time. The fact that he twice came out of retirement - stars usually fail when the come out of retirement amid huge expectations- and managed to win titles is testamant to his greatness. He is called "His Airness" and Mr.Air. Agian Youtube would help you gauge his power. Watch top 10 of Michael Jordon.

Yet another Michael, no less greater , is Schumacher. F1 fans in parts of the world where it is gradually gaining fame know only Schumacher. Though his greatness is surrounded by controverseries hi is still one of the greatest. Once, he won a race by around 1min 40 secs. Another time he drove more than half of his race with a gearbox stuck in the 5th gear only to win handsomely. Yet another time, he recorded fastest times in almost two third of the total number of laps in wet conditions. Moreover, he won seven titles, unlikely to be emulated in a very long time. Schumacher holds many records in F1 including most drivers' championships, race victories , fastest laps, pole positions, points scored and most victories in a single season.He is the only driver to have an entire season of podium finishes..Great?

Back to another Olympian,James Cleveland Owens or Jesse Owens. He is the first athelete to win 4 Golds in a single Games. His win gains additional importance against the backdrop of Hitler and his grand plans of asserting Aryan supremacy at the Games. His ability and talent was not recognised in the US at that time and that he had to race horses for his leaving is a sad thing.

Next is Carl Lewis, the first person to emulate Qwens' record in athletics and the first to win 4 consecutive golds in a single event. He definiltely is one of the greatest. His longevity certainly adds to his greatness. 

Tiger Woods is the richest sportsperson ever.Though Jack Nichols holds the record for the most number of Grand Slams it is inevitable that Woods would surpass him soon. Jack Nichols acheived is 18th slam at 48. Woods, 32, can be expected to do that in a few years.He works best under pressure and his dominance is unsurpassed in golf.

Muhammed Ali, born Cassius Clay, is the greatest boxer of all time.He was an Olympic Gold medallist and the only boxer to have won the heavyweight title 3 times in a row. thi is great especially  because, in the 100 year old history of the championship every title holder has defeated the previous one every year.He was voted the Sportsperson of the Century by Sports Illustrated and BBC.

Roger Federer is arguably the greatest Tennis player ever.Rod Laver and Pete Sampras dont make the grade because they were not as consistent or as all round players as Federer. Fedex has made 18 Grand slam semis continuously while Pete made three at the most. The loss to Nadal in the greatest match of all time this year at Wimbledon does not diminish his greatness. While Pete won his last Slam 12 years after his first, Federer's longevity remains to be seen.

Lance Amstrong is the greatest cyclist of all time overshadowing other greats like Miguel Indurain.He is great because he won Seven tour de France titles in a row. He is greater because he won the title with the record shortest time and with record longest margin. He is one of the greatest because he did all this after fighting testicuar cancer.

And finally, Edison Arentes Do Nascimento. Confused. He is the greatest footballer of all time , also called Pele.He is known as "THe King of Football" or just "king".Brazilians hero worship Pele. He dedicated his 1000th goal to the nation's poor children. He never went to the lucrative clubs of Europe despite several offers. He is the only footballer to be part of 3 World Cup winning squads. He won his 1st world cup at 17. Want more? He was titled Athlete Of The Century by the International Olympic Committee without appearing in a single Olympics. Dumbfounded?

So who is the Greatest. Still difficult. 

Thats it for now. I would like to get all your thoughts and criticisms before continuibg further. I will be back with my verdict soon.

Bye..