Here's my general "Sniff Test" for "Best Athlete Ever:"
Pretend there's an alien invasion. They are a sadistic species; they are going to destroy earth unless a team of 5 of our best athletes can win a series of athletic competitions against the aliens and/or complete some random obstacle course of various skill/coordination/strength/athletic tasks. But here's the catch: we do not get to know the rules of the games before we pick the team!
Given the above scenario, WHO DO YOU SEND??
-Not Kelly Slater
-Not Lance Armsrong (not anymore...maybe when he was a peak Iron Man Triathlete, to cover the Endurance angle)
-Not Tony Hawk
-Not Tiger Woods
I like your list. Here are my changes:
Husain Bolt
Lebron James
Rajon Rondo
Wes Welker
Chris Johnson
Trey Hardee (2009 #1 Decathlete)
Josh Smith
Andrei Kirilenko
Dwight Howard
Nate Robinson
Lionel Messi
Cristiano Ronaldo
Andre Johnson
Sydney Rice/Desean Jackson type
Carl Crawford
Add:
-Kobe or Dwyane Wade (I like Wade's "basketball athleticism" but Kobe's more intense and varied workout regimen might give him an edge. Toss up.)
-Michael Vick
-Reggie Bush
-Antonio Gates?
-Allen Iverson? TO? Ray Lewis? All definites 2-5 years ago, maybe on the bubble now, but still might be good enough.
Awesome input...but of course I have to argue.
-Vick I'll give you; as I think I said above, I'd add Vick in one second if he shows he's fully back this season
-Kobe no way. He has now shaped himself into a specific skill sport; his "athleticism" days are done. He's been passed by many players; wouldn't trust him over ~25 or so basketball players in terms of anything except basketball specifically. 7-8 years ago? Maybe. Definitely not now. Especially since he definitely wouldn't recognize his own limitations and concede excellence where needed.
-Today, I take Rondo over Wade. I think Wade is a little like a slighty poor man's Lebron: What does he do that Lebron doesn't do except Lebron is bigger and stronger? Rondo is smaller, but faster and more of a "freakish" athlete than Wade; I'd trust Rondo's ability to adapt to random athletic feats more than Wade's.
-Gates, I just don't see it. He has a specific size/skill set that is unique, but I could see several people crossing from NBA (if willing to take a paycut) and making that size/skill combo seem fairly pedestrian.
-I can't believe you'd strike Messi, the consensus best player in the most populous and monetarily driven sport in the entire world. Can't agree with that.
-I also can't believe you'd strike Welker, Jackson, and Rice, some of the purest athletes in the NFL, while adding Bush, who, though great in college, can't get it done on the level that Welker, Jackson, and Rice excel on as pure athletes! And same for Andre Johnson, who is arguably a half step below the Welker/Jackson/Rice class as a pure athlete while possessing clear advantages at size and strength.
REgardless, awesome debate.
Definitely a very fun debate. I'll defend a few of my choices. I'll also add a little about my decision criteria
So my players have to have 1 of 2 things going for them to make it.
1.) If they are the best/most athletic at their sport.
2.) If they are not the best/most athletic at their sport, they need to convince me that they can do something else athletic other than their sport.
-I think you're right about Rondo. I change my mind and add him. He's a great basketball player despite being a poor shooter. That goes to show what kind of overall athlete he is.
-Kobe: I do have a bias for him. I've seen clips of his workouts and they are so varied from strength training, to agility, to endurance, to boxing. And would anyone fight/play harder for the human race than Kobe??
-Gates: Strength. A very important athletic attribute. I also remember him impressing me very much as a college basketball player. He averaged 20 ppg his last year in college. You could be right though. I generally agree with your NBA -> NFL statement.
-Messi: He's small and doesn't strike me as a pure athlete. I haven't seen a lot of him, but I haven't been impressed from a "general athletic" standpoint. I think there are many soccer players far better for what we're looking for. Like how there are many basketball players who are more athletic, while poorer players, than Paul Pierce. The 2 of them have found niches in their sport. I'd take Ronaldo for this conversation over Messi in a heartbeat.
-What can Andre Johnson, Welker, and DeSean Jackson do besides play WR? That is one of my big tests for this discussion. Is there any other sport or position or thing they could do professionally? Welker, possibly. Jackson, I say no? Johnson, maybe?
-Bush has absolutely exceptional agility (for all of human kind), which is a key athletic attribute. Agility, unfortunately, isn't the most helpful attribute for a RB in the NFL. His athletic skill set is far better suited for something else.
Topic: Best Athlete Ever: Kelly Slater? (Read 16499 times)