nyc-cowboy:

n.c.cowboy:

Like someone above said, Jim Thorpe did it all.  And I hate to say this because he was a redskin, but Sammy Baugh was impressive in his day. As was Wilt Chamberlain. 

I've been playing golf for 25 years, and I love playing it more than almost anything in the world, but I have a very hard time putting any golfer in the same category as the 3 guys mentioned above, much less your average NFL, NBA, or NHL player.  And I say that because I don't believe you have to be a superior physical specimen in the prime of his life to do well at golf.  The only thing I can think of that great golfers have that others MAY not have is superior hand-eye coordination and the ability to concentrate on the task at hand.  The pro golfers are definitely special, since they can break par just about anywhere, but almost anybody can be a single-digit handicapper with proper instruction and good practice habits.  And if your handicap is in single-digits, you're plenty skilled at the game of golf (especially if you hold down a full-time regular job!).

So no, I don't thing Tiger is the best athlete ever, although I do believe he's the best golfer ever.  I also feel confident in saying that his will to win in golf may be greater than any other person involved in any single-competition sport.

What does Jim Thorpe being American Indian have to do with anything - you got something against American Indians. And if you want to talk about concentration- what about a race car driver that is in a car thats hotter than hell going at over 200mph where any mistake and they could DIE.

Anyway, I'm going with Jordan.

nyc-cowboy:

My apologies to nc cowboy - my bad. I guess I'm a little touchy cause someone said something stupid in another thread.

I think it is upstanding to be man enough to do this. Too many of us would not. Good job, nyc-cowboy.

nyc-cowboy:

My apologies to nc cowboy - my bad. I guess I'm a little touchy cause someone said something stupid in another thread.

Thanks for the apology; I definitely wasn't talking about Jim Thorpe being an Indian, I meant to convey that Sammy Baugh played for the hated Washington Redskins franchise, sorry for not being clear about that.  I certainly don't rank any athlete higher than Jim Thorpe, that's for sure.  The big point is these pundits of today suggest some athlete of today is the "greatest ever", which I think totally disrespects previous generations that don't have anyone around to stand up and speak out for them (except our own tiny voices that actually know some history of sports, which are unlikely to be heard by the mass media).

n.c.cowboy:

nyc-cowboy:

My apologies to nc cowboy - my bad. I guess I'm a little touchy cause someone said something stupid in another thread.

 

Thanks for the apology; I definitely wasn't talking about Jim Thorpe being an Indian, I meant to convey that Sammy Baugh played for the hated Washington Redskins franchise, sorry for not being clear about that.  I certainly don't rank any athlete higher than Jim Thorpe, that's for sure.  The big point is these pundits of today suggest some athlete of today is the "greatest ever", which I think totally disrespects previous generations that don't have anyone around to stand up and speak out for them (except our own tiny voices that actually know some history of sports, which are unlikely to be heard by the mass media).

 

gp_cowpolk:

n.c.cowboy:

nyc-cowboy:

My apologies to nc cowboy - my bad. I guess I'm a little touchy cause someone said something stupid in another thread.

 

Thanks for the apology; I definitely wasn't talking about Jim Thorpe being an Indian, I meant to convey that Sammy Baugh played for the hated Washington Redskins franchise, sorry for not being clear about that.  I certainly don't rank any athlete higher than Jim Thorpe, that's for sure.  The big point is these pundits of today suggest some athlete of today is the "greatest ever", which I think totally disrespects previous generations that don't have anyone around to stand up and speak out for them (except our own tiny voices that actually know some history of sports, which are unlikely to be heard by the mass media).

 

Ican agree that Jim was at least one of the greatest athletes ever if not the greatest.He is one of my heroes and was way ahead of his time

Like they will say about our Cowboys Irvin drug habits. or others who fallen into the trap of drugs or alchohol.

but an Athelete Jim Thorpe was. As most Indians in that day. Now you will not see them at  Mickey Ds or  Stores unless you live next to a reservation. Well enough of that.

   Now someone we all knew or say. Even the Williams sisters could fall in that class.

But with macho macho man athelete. Wll my vote would be Hakim Olajuwan. A giant of a man and body.

He gets my vote. And good man toward his people.

   But Tiger Woods, if you have never played golf like myself. Well I guess we cannot ever understand what it takes to win, much less play.

That's kind of a funny argument.  I mean the one about Tiger being the best athlete ever.  He plays a sport that is not really built around athleticism, but rather, a good swing and geometry.  I guess you could call that athleticism, but in my eyes that's a stretch.  Maybe he is a wonderful athlete, but the sport he has chosen does not exactly show off a wide array of athletic skills.  Best golfer ever?  I would say definitely, as no golfer has dominated the sport as he has.  Since most of the best athletes have been mentioned, I will just throw in the Bo Jacksons and Deion Sanders's and leave it at that.

Tiger may not be the best overall athlete ever (Thorpe gets my vote),  but his ability to focus and perform under pressure is second to none. 

MJ hands down. 

Thorpe is a good choice, maybe the best, I like Babe Ruth, the guy hits 60 homeruns on nothing but beer and hotdogs, and probably could have been a hall of fame pitcher had he not been able to hit the ball so well, he is the fat mans athlete, a group of which I include myself.

no f-ing way, Primetime, MJ, or Bo, that is who my vote would go to.

The Emperor:

I don't consider golf a sport. So, I don't consider Tiger Woods an athlete.

I'd bet good money that if you put in just one week of Tiger's normal routine you'd change your mind in a HURRY!

Irrespective of golf (which is certainly a sport by the very definition of the word "sport") Tiger was very good in track in school, and can play pretty much any sport well.

I wouldn't tout him as the best athlete ever by any means, but he is without a doubt one of the most influential, and well known, athletes of all time.

The Emperor:

I don't consider golf a sport. So, I don't consider Tiger Woods an athlete.

I wish you were here a couple of months ago. OMG everyone was killing me for the same statement.

Tiger can not be consider the greatest athlete ever because the sport he plays doesn't display athleticism. We can't tell how fast Tiger is, how much endurance he has, how high can he jump, or his strength. Well maybe his strength but to only a certain extent. And we can only tell how great his hand eye coordination is. But whether golf is a sport or not is a totally different question than what was asked.

Here you go to the original question to whether Tiger is the best athlete ever. Put up highlights of Tiger Woods, Kobe Bryant, A ROD, and Adrian Peterson. I want to see what idiot picks Tiger as the greatest athlete ever after watching all those clips.