Serena Williams - greatest athlete of all time?

[blue]

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

She doesn't think so.



Much ado about nothing. The men are obviously an order of magnitude better. That's just a fact. It detracts from her accomplishments exactly zero.

yup. If you put all the best female athletes through a "combine" type situation with various sprints, vertical jump, lifting tests, etc. she would come out right near the top, alongside some MMA types, and some professional crossfit gals.

Come to think of it, where do the pro crossfit gals fit in?

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by blue

yup. If you put all the best female athletes through a "combine" type situation with various sprints, vertical jump, lifting tests, etc. she would come out right near the top, alongside some MMA types, and some professional crossfit gals.

Come to think of it, where do the pro crossfit gals fit in?

Wait...not to derail the thread...but...

We just agreed on something! Who says there isn't a way forward!

Facetiousness aside, it is a nice thing.

[mechanic1908]

I'm kinda surprised there's not mention of Kaitlin Jenner? I mean how many other women have won as many men's events? ,,,,😊

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[mdunn]

Originally Posted by Scott O

Some are suggesting Serena is the greatest athlete of all time. Clearly she's the greatest female tennis player and possibly the greatest female athlete, but not the 'greatest athlete. If aliens came to earth and cgallenged us to a game if whatever, I'm taking Bo Jackson, Larry Bird, Jim Brown, but no NASCAR guys or soccer players.

Obviously you have been influenced by this.

[Silurian]

No mention of Jesse Owens?. Three world records and a fourth equalled in the space of an hour. Four golds in Berlin in 36 and a humiliated Austrian corporal.

[Scott O]

How about Canada's greatest athlete?https://youtu.be/ILXNF-o08YY

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[blue]

Originally Posted by Silurian

No mention of Jesse Owens?. Three world records and a fourth equalled in the space of an hour. Four golds in Berlin in 36 and a humiliated Austrian corporal.

Track is a tough one. Because how can he be the best ever when he ran 10.3 in the 100, and Bolt ran 9.58? Best in his time? sure. Best under pressure? Definitely up there.

But his significance, much like Babe Zaharias (created the concept of the LPGA), Jackie Robinson (no need to explain), Martina Navratilova (out and proud), goes beyond his specific athletic achievements. Those achievements stirred things up because of where/when/who.

Most significant Athlete is a whole other discussion from "greatest"

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Scott O

Some are suggesting....

Who, by the way?

[lkingston]

Here's my entry:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe


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[cotten]

Serena Williams - greatest athlete of all time? Serena deserves tremendous respect for all her accomplishments. The fact that I don't consider her the greatest athlete of all time takes nothing away from that respect.

cotten

[Mdinterman]

Probably greatest women's tennis player. Maybe. Gotta remember Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova in that discussion, too.

Greatest athlete? No way. Bo Jackson is a likely candidate. Jesse Owens is a good possibility. But for my money, I would pick Muhammad Ali. I know, he only boxed but can you imagine him as an NFL safety? Or and NBA forward? His speed and quickness (coupled with his obvious strength) were in a class by himself. He was also very tough mentally. He could have exceeded in pretty much any sport. Decathlon, soccer, you name it.

[Scott O]

Originally Posted by fazool

Who, by the way?

The Twitterverse is abuzz with this topic. (And they don't follow the same guidelines as the AGF!)

[veryzer]

I have a hard time thinking of any human being I could point at and say, "He's more athletic than Bo Jackson."

A complete freak of nature.

[LSemmens]

Compared to me, even McEnroe is a better athlete, It would be quite interesting to see McEnroe play Serena. She just might show him up!

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

... Much ado about nothing. The men are obviously an order of magnitude better. That's just a fact. It detracts from her accomplishments exactly zero.

Since I don’t know the answer, I’ll ask – is their a male tennis player who stands above all other male players to the same degree that Serena stands above all other female players?