Best Individual Athlete

[IrishCanadian25]

With the Olympics a week away from closing and Michael Phelp's historic 8 Gold Medal and 7 World Record run officially in the books, it begs the question that I have heard rotated around sports talk radio for days now - who is the BEST individual athlete in the world? I have made 4 nominations.

Tiger Woods.

Pro- 14 major championships. Most consecutive weeks as golf's #1 player, as well as the most weeks overall. 65 overall PGA Tour wins - #3 all time, and only 32 years old.

Con- Is golf "athletics" or is it an "activity?" Some don't consider golf to be the athletic pursuit tennis, swimmng, etc. is.

Roger Federer.

Pro- 12 Grand Slam Titles, appearances in 10 consecutive Grand Slam finals (a record), 65 consecutive wins in grass, 56 consecutive wins on hard court, 5 consecutive Wimbeldon Titles (ties a record), 237 consecutive weeks ranked #1 in the world (record).

Con- Never won the French Open. Can't put a string together on clay - the same knock people had on Sampras. Historic rivalry with Rafael Nadal doesn't seem to be heading Federer's way.

Michael Phelps

Pro- Holds 7 World records in swimming. Won 8 Gold Medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics - more than any olympic athlete in history. All time, 14 gold and 2 bronze swimming medals. Multiple World and US Swimmer of the Year awards. At only 23 years of age, Phelps plans to swim again in the 2012 Olympics.

Con- Major accomplishments occured during one week of a four year span, as opposed to Tennis and Golf stars who play every year for several weeks. Often criticized for breaking world records thanks in part to the new "fast pool" and the redesigned Speedo.

Cael Sanderson

Pro- 159-0 in college wrestling - the only wrestler in history to finish college undefeated with more than 100 wins (Dan Gable lost one match, 1-0). Won the gold medal in the 2004 Olympics in the 84 kg weight class. 4 Consecutive NCAA Division-I championships. Current Iowa State Coach.

Con- Success was confined to college success. Wrestling not as mainstream a sport as golf, tennis, or even swimming.



Feel free to vote for one of these four or to nominate your own INDIVIDUAL athlete. Team sports do not count, so don't bother nominating Jordan, James, Ovechkin, Rodriguez, etc.

 

[klunderbunker]

This is Tiger Woods and its a runaway. Going in the order of the poll...

Roger Federer has been on a downward spiral for a long while now. He's no longer #1 in the world, Nadal is. Federer was great, but he may not even be the best of all time. It's still up in the air. Very good, but not the best in the world.

Phelps is the best swimmer in the world right now. But the problem is that there's no such thing as swimming that matters outside of the Olympics. We'll hear about him for a few months as he's a huge story, but he won't be heard of again anytime until London, and its not his fault as there's nothing for him to win until then that anyone will know about.

Sanderson, I've heard of but not since he's been in college. If I remember right, he lost his first match out of college. Was he in the Olympics? I honestly don't know and I haven't heard about him in years.

This leaves Tiger. Did you know there's been two majors in the last 5 weeks? Neither did I, because no one is watching them. Tiger Woods is golf. Think about this. This guy is so good that he had a broken leg and an injury that puts people on the shelf for a year at a time and he wins the 2nd biggest golf tournament in the world? That's not good, that's not dominance, that's not human. The second best player in the world is Phil Mickelson. If he won the next 6 straight majors and Tiger never played a hole in that time, they would be tied. Phil is 2nd best in the world, but its Tiger's world.

 

[Matt Phoenix]

I went with Tiger for the reasons you said IC, I class Golf as a sport and there is nobody that hasnt been living in a cave for the last decade who hasnt heard of Woods.

Agree with KB with Phelps, in the world of the olympics and swimming he is the shit and will be the shit for many years to come, however that would change IMO if he goes onto London and can duplicate his success.

However I am going to throw another name in the mix, Lance Armstrong.

In 1999, he was named the American Broadcasting Company's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year. In 2002, Sports Illustrated magazine named him Sportsman of the Year. He was also named Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year for 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005. He received ESPN's ESPY Award for Best Male Athlete in 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006, and won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Overseas Personality Award in 2003. Armstrong retired from racing on July 24, 2005, at the end of the 2005 Tour de France.

I think he deserves to be classed with the best IMO, I mean that is a great list of accomplishments and probably brought a new generation of people into competitive cycling. Again there is not many people who havent heard of Armstrong either.

 

[Mr. TM]

Well I'd like to put up a nomination to Muhammad Ali. Many consider his ability in the Ring better than any other human's ability. To dominate the world of boxing is a huge step up than dominating swimming or Tennis. Very few people on this Earth who haven't been living under a rock doesn't know who Ali is. He finished his Career 56-5 and was a 3 time Champion and was especially famous for "The Rumble in The Jungle"

 

[Davi323]

I am gonna go with Tiger Woods as well. I do consider him an athlete. If you have ever looked at how ripped his arms are as he takes swings, you would realize how much training he has to do in order to be as good as he is. He is incredibly fit. Before Tiger Woods, maybe I would have scoffed at golfers as athletes, but, Tiger Woods is certainly an athlete.

His accomplishments speak for themselves. Phelps dominated the Olympics, but Tiger has dominated his entire sport since the day he turned pro. The number of victories he already has makes him one of, if not the greatest golfer of all time, and by the time he is Jack Nicklaus's age, he will have absolutely trashed all of his records. Tiger Woods should set the bar so high by the time he retires, he will be untouchable.

Klunderbunker is absolutely right...Golf is Tiger's world. His name has become so synonymous with golf, without him around, few people care. The NBA did fine in cities without Michael Jordan. Hockey teams without Wayne Gretsky managed to win the Stanley Cup a few times...but, what is golf without Tiger? The entire sport uses him as their unofficial spokesman.

 

[Mitch3721]

Im not sure if you mean best individual athlete of all time, or best individual athlete at the moment. If it is at the moment then how can anybody look past usain bolt. I did sprinting for 4 years, and know exactly how much effort and athleticism it takes to be that good. He may not have accomplished as much or phelps or woods, but from an athletic point of view he is unbelieveable, and he will continue to break records.

Not taking anything away from Phelps, as 8 golds is amazing, but Bolt has taken his achievement and topped it, even by winning less golds then him.

Woods is a phenomenal GOLFER, but not a phenomenal athlete. Golf is a game based on skill, not on athleticism. Skill plays parts in both sprinting and swimming, but even without skill you can achieve something in sprinting (Bolt rarely gets a good start). This is why i didnt consider him, his game relies far too much on skill

 

[Shocky]

Golf is terrible. I'm sorry, but it's not an athletic sport. Tiger Woods happens to be dominate because he is the only one with a truly athletic body. The rest are spoiled rich kids that have a little bit of a potbelly that survive on the swing their caddy taught them when they were young. Woods is so dominate because he goes teh extra mile to keep himself in shape. Just because he is an athletic person doesn't make him an athlete.

People discrediting Michael Phelps is just silly. Discrediting someone because the events only happen "once every four years", do you realize how ridiculous that sounds. It makes it even tougher because everyone is training for those races once every four years. These guys train there ass off, because to win Gold at the Olympics only happens once every four years, and the opportunity can pass you by very quickly. At any tennis or golf tournament, X amount of people are sitting out at any given tournament. The Olympics, it's the worlds best. The way Phelps dominated the best in the world at his events says something.

Sure, people may bring up the fast pool or the speedo, that's irrelevant. Everyone he raced against in those 8 gold medal races were racing in the same pool, and wearing the same speedos. He dominated everyone that was on his level as their countries best, and it was on an even playing field.

However, my pick would also be Muhammad Ali. He was the world champion when it meant something to be world champion. He was the undisputed champion of the world. No 8 world title bullshit like we have now. One undisputed champion that fought fighters every where in the world in a division that meant everything at the time. The heavyweight division has faded to obscurity at this point, because of all the bullshit that goes on behind the scenes. Out of the 9 titles he won, he was only beaten for 3 of those titles. Out of his five losses, 3 came at the tail end of his career.

 

[FromTheSouth]

Golfers aren't athletes. Factory workers use more athleticism on a daily basis than golfers. Tiger is phenomenal at what he does, but enough is enough. Just because it's on ESPN, doesn't mean it's a sport. They show poker, scrabble, and women's basketball.

I would go with Kobe Bryant. He is a lockdown defender, he jumps over who he needs to jump over, runs by who he needs to run by, and is in perfect control of his body at all times, even after taking contact in the air.

For all my European friends, I would go with Christiano Ronaldo as number 2. I know he whines, and tried to ruin Sir Alex, but no one is better on the pitch, and he won EPL and Champions League. He would have won Euro, but he is alone on Portugal's national team. Just that they were thought of as dangerous is a testament to his ability.

 

[Mexican Geek]

My vote went for Phelps.

But if you ask me, there one guy who fucken kicked ass and is IMO the best athlete:

Bryan Clay, Gold Medal Olympic Decathlon

For those who watched the event (well, just parts of it, thanks and fuck u NBC...) you know what im talking about...

Here, his complete results at the decathlon.

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer08/fanguide/athlete?id=6609

 

[Davi323]

How exactly are golfers not athletes? I am curious as to the explanation for this...Football players are athletes, right? Doesn't that include the kicker and punter? All they do is sit on the bench hoping to get a chance to kick the ball. Soccer players are athletes, right? What about goalies? All they do is get tanned for 90 minutes a game, and occasionally have to block a shot that comes to them once every 15 minutes.

Tiger Woods plays a sport. In that sport, he has to exert energy, relies on agility, strength, body control, and hand-eye coordination to do what he has to do. Isn't that what athletes in other sports do? They depend on those very same skills to play their game?


http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007/1217/pga_wi_tigerflex_580.jpg

chances are this guy is in far better shape than you are, and depends on a far more strenuous training program to keep him in condition to play his sport.

 

[FromTheSouth]

How exactly are golfers not athletes? I am curious as to the explanation for this...Football players are athletes, right? Doesn't that include the kicker and punter? All they do is sit on the bench hoping to get a chance to kick the ball. Soccer players are athletes, right? What about goalies? All they do is get tanned for 90 minutes a game, and occasionally have to block a shot that comes to them once every 15 minutes.

Athletes run, jump, etc. I wouldn't call golf a sport either. It's a leisure activity with a TV deal. He's really good at it, but come on....

I also wouldn't call kickers athletes either, but at least they run and try to tackle.

Tiger Woods plays a sport. In that sport, he has to exert energy, relies on agility, strength, body control, and hand-eye coordination to do what he has to do. Isn't that what athletes in other sports do? They depend on those very same skills to play their game?

I use hand eye coordination to play video games. I exert energy during sex. Neither makes me an athlete.




http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007/1217/pga_wi_tigerflex_580.jpg

chances are this guy is in far better shape than you are, and depends on a far more strenuous training program to keep him in condition to play his sport.

Chances are the dancers in the olympic opening veremony are in better shape than me too. I drink, I smoke (I'm supposed to stop but I don't) Doesn't make them athletes.

I'm sure Tiger Woods is a better athlete than I am. He would beat me in a decathlon, although I would kill him in the shot put.


Look at it this way....

Just because you do the things athletes do, doesn't mean you are an athlete. Lawyers read, talk, analyze, and do paperwork. So does a restaurant owner. Just because the owner does the same things, does not qualify him to defend himself against the lawyer, and the lawyer probably couldn't run the restaurant.

You might run, lift weights, and watch football. That doesn't make you equal to Tom Brady.

 

[Davi323]

You just contradicted yourself. You admitted Tiger Woods is an athlete, after claiming golfers weren't athletes.

If placekickers aren't athletes, but everyone else on the field is, what would you call them?

And you are absolutely right...just because I do some of the things athletes can do, doesn't make me an athlete. By that reasoning, I can be a football player, baseball player, basketball player, tennis player, gymnast, cyclist, participate in track and field events, and not be an athlete. But, if I can play football without being an athlete, who defines what an athlete is?

From Merriam-Webster:
Athlete:
a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina.

well, that sounds exactly like Tiger Woods to me. Obviously he has been trained to play golf. Also obviously, he is quite skilled at it. Next the dictionary gives us a broad range of activities to include, so even if you don't personally consider golf a sport, the definition of an athlete doesn't get invalidated. Golfers must have strength to drive the ball far. Golfers must have agility in order to maximize the speed and technique of their golf swings. Golfers must have stamina to do that activity for 18 holes at a time, 4 days in a row, often in 90 degree heat, as golf tournaments get played in Arizona, Texas, Florida, etc. You have to be incredibly mentally tough to be a pro-golfer. Maybe not for a guy that just plays at the local recreational course in town as a hobby, but to do it professionally, you gotta be tough. You don't have to be terribly skilled or exert much energy to play church league softball either...But, to be a pro-softball player or baseball player? That's a completely different story. Just like there is a difference between playing golf as a leisure activity and playing golf as a sport. I can be out of shape and play a round of golf, its true. But I can also be out of shape and play softball in a rec league as well. I can also play basketball at the local gym despite being terrible at it, and incredibly slow. I can play a pick up game of football with my friends, I can pick up a tennis racquet and play a match against someone that would be quite humorous in its inepitude to those watching. I am not an athlete. Not even close. But, I can play those sports at the same leisurely level you want to assume all golfers have.

Golf is a real sport, and Tiger Woods is an athlete.

I am not even a golf enthusiast. I can't stand watching it on TV, I don't play it, don't own golf clubs, or anything like that. But they are athletes, and among them, Tiger Woods is king. I just am a bit more open minded about sports than you are, I guess.

 

[FromTheSouth]

OK, let's slow down with your dictionary definitions. My post is half in jest, but the central claim is that golfers aren't athletes. They can train like athletes. Dancers do. And golf isn't a sport to me, any more than bowling, scrabble, or poker.

It's just an opinion.

And if it is your opinion that he's an athlete, cool, it's just not mine. I don't disrespect his ability, I just diminish his accomplishment on a scale of great athletes. I think Rafa Nadal, Christian Ronaldo, Kobe Bryant, et. al. are better athletes.

 

[Draven~]

I have to go with Tiger Woods, although it's close. He's kept doing so good in such a long period of time. Shout out to all the other ones listed though. IE, Federer has done great with the entire tennis career. Easily the best in the world, although Nadal is catching him.

Phelps has done terrific to, but i have to go with Tiger.