Who would you consider to be the GREATEST ATHLETE ever?

ok, well even 20 years ago Jim Thorpe wouldn't have been able to accomplish half of what he accomplished in 1912. Just simple improvements in things like nutrition and exercise science would automatically exclude him from this list. So I'm still not sure why he's your choice, and I'm def not hating on you bc I really like this guy too. If this thread were titled, "The most dominant athlete of his/her era" then yea it would be him.
 
For the same reasons ESPN picked him as #2 best athlete of all time. I mean honestly will all these answers you choose to argue against Jim Thorpe? I mean OP said Randy freaking Moss!!
 
Tiger Woods=Freak athlete. Runs like a 4.5, probably lifts more than a lot of football players, most successful golfer in history or at least will be.

Oh and did I mention he managed to win the U.S. Open with a shattered knee?
 


some of the responses in this thread have been so jokes

LANCE LANCE LANCE

arguably not the greatest cyclist of all time, but surely the greatest athlete of all time. /thread

 
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How many football players could do that to a fucking 190 lb Human Being
 
I didn't read the whole thread but just off the title the first person to come to mind was Gordie Howe. He played till he was like 50 and is widely regarded as one of the top players of all time, plus we need some fucking canadians on this list.
 
there is a difference between having base qualities such as speed, size, etc. What you cant measure is the comparison of skill between different sports, this whole debate is not going to reach a consensus. If you want to measure just straight strength, speed, size then football players would probably win. But you cant compare athletes when they compare for different sports.
 
agreed, thats a really shitty argument seeing as most nfl running backs are stronger than rugby players... the advantage they have is endurance not strength.

the reason rugby players have more endurance is because thats what rugby is. Football is all raw strength and burst speed so that's what football players focus on and train. The reason football players don't have the same endurance as rugby and soccer players isn't because they're inferior athletes, its because they don't train for it.
 
World-class sprinters are incredibly awesome people. Nobody, and I mean nobody, exerts nearly as much raw power as these guys do. Watching a proper start from standing level is a bit like watching a normal person stepping on a land mine. No hesitation. No transitional periods. Just fucking speed like you wouldn't believe released in the fraction of a second like they spend their lives walking around waiting for a gun to go off. I do feel hope for humanity when I watch these guys run. I understand how we got to the top of the food chain. I feel inspired.
Usain Bolt not only defeats these demi-gods, he clowns the ever-loving shit out of them. He doesn't win races, he makes you doubt their objectivity. He makes people who probably would have been worshipped in antiquity look like they're standing still. Watch Beijing 2008. Watch it again. Consider the raw, unadulterated speed of everyone ELSE in that race and then look at that margin. It looks like a seventh grader having a race with a bunch of nerdy fifth graders, doesn't it? Except those nerdy fifth graders finish the race when you're only two-thirds of the way down the track. We should probably make a whole new class for this guy, but we really don't have a word to describe it.
I don't believe anyone will break 9.59 for at least another 40 years. One hundred meters is a frankly obscene distance to cover in nine and a half seconds. I begin to doubt that Bolt can even top that. That's not a record, that's the extent of human ability.
Now consider that he really prefers the 200.

 
i agree but its hard to say that when his career was so short, if being the greatest athlete ever means being in insane shape and being great at multiple sports then hands down Jim Thorpe, Olympic gold medalist in the decathalon and pentathalon, and also played professional football, baseball, and basketball, while he wasnt doing that he ran down deer and killed them with his bare hands, maybe i made the last part up but Jim Thorpe was the best athlete of all time
 
does drew brees or peyton manning have 3 superbowl championships?

sure peyton had the single season touchdown passing record but brady beat it.

In the end if brady stays healthy and has a solid team...he will be the greatest quarter back of all time.

 
are you honestly saying that brett farve has the athletic ability equal to or greater than adrian peterson and lebron james? holy shit
 
Its gonna be a football player more than likely that has the greatest versatility combining all elements of raw athleticism. Definitely a running back. Who is up for grabs.
 
this. he is the hardest working, greatest athlete ever. period.

tennis is one of the hardest sports to master, those who play it know what i'm talking about. its much different than basketball or baseball or football, its harder.
 
I definitely think that whoever the "greatest" athlete is, they need to come from either: xc skiing, swimming, running, or cycling.
 
Michael phelps is a legit swimmer but hes clumsy out of the pool. The only things hes good at out of water is roastin bowls
 
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