Greatest Sportsman?

[Brown, Jon Brow]

Another random thread by me.

Who are the best sportman of all time? (Yes, this is a motorsport forum so don't be biased)

My list

1) Don Bradman (test average of 100)
2) Pele (greatest footballer ever)
3) Jim Cark (in my view the best driver ever)
4) Björn Borg (would have beat Federer or Sampras in straight sets)
5) Stephen Hendry (Unbeatable at his peak)

[nicemms]

As I am a Middlesbrough fan I am biased so it has to be Brian Clough.

In terms of motorsport I don't know really.

[harvick#1]

Wayne "The Great One" Gretzky

[jim mcglinchey]

What? No Ali?

[Rollo]

Another random thread by me.

Who are the best sportman of all time? (Yes, this is a motorsport forum so don't be biased)

My list

1) Don Bradman (test average of 100)
2) Pele (greatest footballer ever)
3) Jim Cark (in my view the best driver ever)
4) Björn Borg (would have beat Federer or Sampras in straight sets)
5) Stephen Hendry (Unbeatable at his peak)

To use the same sporting categories:

1) Bradman - Naysayers may doubt this but Bradman had to compete in the era without a helmet (when the English were aiming for batsman), and had his career cut a lot short by the war.
There simple has never been anyone close since.

2) Gary Lineker - Pele has the goals but Lineker passed through the entire of his career without a card of any colour. He was captain of his country and was only one goal behind the all-time record for English goals.
For me to put forward an Everton player means that he must have been special.

3) Jacky Ickx - 8 Grands Prix wins, 6 Le Mans wins, a Bathurst 1000, a Spa 24 Hours win and a Paris-Dakar win. Ickx won in different disciplines and on different surfaces. Had circumstances been different he probably would have won an F1 WDC.

4) Rod Laver - Was world No.1 for seven consecutive years, won all 4 grand slams in a calendar year and did that twice.

5) Steve Davis - Whilst Hendry has won seven World Championships, "Interesting" has won six as well as six UK championships. I think he may have scored more centuries than anyone else possibly.

[millencolin]

Wally Lewis - Greatest rugby league player of the modern era. Made gaps out of nothing. one of the most observant players ever.

[555-04Q2]

Golf - Tiger Woods
Cricket - Sir Don Bradman
Soccer - Diego Maradona
F1 - Michael Schumacher
Tennis - Bjorn Borg
Cycling - Lance Armstrong
Track & Field - Carl Lewis
Basketball - Michael Jordan
MotoGP - Vallentino Rossi

[Schultz]

The thing about Donald Bradman is that he was the best. there can be no doubt about that. I heard someone say this, and it really stuck. If 1000 people were to be asked who they thought the best cricketer of all time was, 995 would say Donald Bradman immediately. The rest will pause and think before saying 'Don Bradman'. There is only one way to measure a sportsmans greatness, and that is comparatively with the cricketers in his era. He dominated them. His average of 99.94 looks like it could only be matched by one man. Mike Hussey. But still, noone dares to compare him with 'the Don', and there never will be a compareable name in cricket.

If someone can come up with a name of compareable greatness in any sport of any form, then I will be surprised. Sir Donald Bradman is the greatest.

[pino]

Giacomo Agostini
Eddy Merckx
Pele
Carl Lewis
Juan Manuel Fangio
Cassius Clay
Björn Borg
Henri Toivonen

[Rudy Tamasz]

Diego Maradona. He alone was worth a whole team and singlehandedly brought Argentina to the second place in the 1990 World Cup.