The World’s Greatest Athlete?
"The Wall Street Journal asked a panel of sports experts to sift through a mountain of data and pick the fastest, strongest, most agile man on Earth. More in sports
By REED ALBERGOTTI
June 20, 2008; Page W1
With the Olympic Games approaching, The Wall Street Journal set out to answer this parlor-game question: If Earth had to send one man to the Intergalactic Olympics, who should go?"
Interesting stuff. I think defining the balance between ‘skill’ and ‘athleticism’ makes this impossible to be very accurate, but it’s still an interesting read.
i’m surprised to see alex rodriguez in the top ten. yeah awesome physical skills but also one of the biggest chokers in sports. he’d be the first guy on my list of people NOT to go to the intergalactic olympics.
No way is ARod one of the world’s best athletes. Great ball player, yes. Neither is Crosby, for that matter. Aren’t there any ruggers who are amazing athletes?
[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
No way is ARod one of the world’s best athletes. Great ball player, yes. Neither is Crosby, for that matter. Aren’t there any ruggers who are amazing athletes?[/quote]
If they were composing this list last year, around the time of the World Cup, there would be ruggers on the list. It’s just a popularity list, that’s all.
They talked about Klitschko in the performance category. I think he should have taken Floyd Mayweather’s spot. And yeah, strongmen and Olympic lifters should have been on there a lot sooner than baseball and basketball players.
I don’t watch rugby at all, but somebody awhile ago had a video of Jonah Lomu up. I watched that and was stunned at the speed, agility, and raw power he produced. He’s something like 6’5" and 275 (i think) with legs like tree trunks, and could move like he was a running back. He was impressive.
[quote]ukrainian wrote:
Why the fuck is LeBron James on there?
They talked about Klitschko in the performance category. I think he should have taken Floyd Mayweather’s spot. And yeah, strongmen and Olympic lifters should have been on there a lot sooner than baseball and basketball players. [/quote]
How come Lebron isn’t ranked higher should be your question? At 6’7 255 5% body fat, high hand eye coordination, speed, power, agility, and reaction why wouldn’t you have him there?
Olympic lifters are powerful, but how many of them you think could run a 400 and a decent speed. Thats lets then 1 minute running, how many events can you win with that kind of conditioning. Then what do they have to react to? Mano y mano if somebody is competing at the moment against them how can their timing be tested?
That list is pretty bad. Kobe Bryant should be there, and at the top spot IMO. Did ya’ll notice they said Lebron James scored high in every catagory but speed? I’d put money the only guy on that list who could beat him over 40yds is LT. He’s pound for pound the fastest guy in the NBA, and that’s saying something.
[quote]Airtruth wrote:
ukrainian wrote:
Why the fuck is LeBron James on there?
They talked about Klitschko in the performance category. I think he should have taken Floyd Mayweather’s spot. And yeah, strongmen and Olympic lifters should have been on there a lot sooner than baseball and basketball players.
How come Lebron isn’t ranked higher should be your question? At 6’7 255 5% body fat, high hand eye coordination, speed, power, agility, and reaction why wouldn’t you have him there?
Olympic lifters are powerful, but how many of them you think could run a 400 and a decent speed. Thats lets then 1 minute running, how many events can you win with that kind of conditioning. Then what do they have to react to? Mano y mano if somebody is competing at the moment against them how can their timing be tested?[/quote]
Lebron James is 6’9, not 6’7. He’s also closer to 265. He’s a freak of nature.
I would actually tend to agree with the list except for the track athletes, while great athletes I think they are too one dimensional. Even though he’s an ass, Marius Pudzianowski should probably be up there.
Ronaldinho (the soccer player) should not be there. He’s had a terrible season. He’s also not very “athletic” in the traditional sense of the word, although he’s a good ball player. Someone like Cristiano Ronaldo is more of a soccer player that represents all-round athleticism.