With the retirement of Tom Brady, the undisputed greatest NFL quarterback of all time, there is a lot of chatter on who is really the definitive greatest athlete of all time. The GOAT of GOAT's so to speak. Talk about a can of worms. I posed this question to several of my family members and it resulted in an immediate and spirited discussion.
I was a bit surprised that the discussion was limited to Brady and of course the obvious choice...Michael Jordan. The discussion went back and forth and each side provided compelling reasons why either Tom or Michael should be considered the GOAT of GOATs. But as I thought about it, I wasn't buying it. I mean, there are so many other sports and so many other great athletes. Just looking at the graphic above starts to raise questions in my mind. So to that end, I started doing a little research on other athletes and other sports. After all it's NFL playoff Sunday and I could do this in front of the TV.
Who are my candidates? The more I thought about it there are just so many. And it's difficult to compare eras, different sports, and skillsets. Since the modern dawn of the age of sports in let's say 1900 there have been hundreds of great athletes at all levels. Today, we think of the epitome as professionals so I focused there, with one exception. All of my finalists are of pretty much of the current age. I didn't reach back to the Ty Cobbs, Knute Rocknes, Joe Louis', Jim Thorpes, or all the other amazing athletes of a different age. So I guess my pick will be the GOAT of GOAT of the current age. But come on...I'm pretty sure all of these people would fare pretty well against the great athletes of history. Comparing different sports is a tough one. Team sports vs individual sports, sports with a defense and one in which the athlete is performing against him or herself, or obscure sports that don't get the attention of the major sports are some daunting comparisons. And then there are skillsets. How do you compare a football player and a golfer for example. Pretty subjective. Nevertheless, I decided to mostly ignore all those things and just focus on two things. Ability and impact. Which athlete had an ability that was so far above everyone else that the choice is compelling? And which athlete had the biggest and most dramatic impact on his or her sport. I'm absolutely positive that if you're a sports fan, you'll have some differing opinions. But this is my blog and my space, so there you have it. Think about it yourself and come up with your list. If you're a fan, I bet it's pretty close. And you probably have some that aren't even on my list!
So here they are:
- I'll start with the most difficult analysis because of the nature of the sport. Baseball. There are just too many positions and too many skills involved to choose one guy. Pitchers, outfielders, infielders, and catchers all have wildly different skillsets. Arguably, the most difficult thing in sports is to hit a round ball with a round bat, but some baseball GOATs have not been hitters. So my GOAT of GOATs will not be a baseball player. But here's what I will say. For my money the greatest all around baseball player in my lifetime was Willy Mays. Full stop. But it's not Willy.
- The biggest sport in the world is what Americans call soccer. To everyone else in the world it's football. But Americans being Americans...well...let's just leave it there. I have watched kids and grandkids play soccer for decades but haven't gotten into the pro game too much. I do like Ted Lasso but that's a whole different thing. I know there are a ton of fantastic athletes that play the game and they are wildly popular. Guys like Renaldo and Messi have huge followings and you can get into a pretty good bar fight by claiming one is better than the other in the wrong place. But in doing a bit of research, by far the best soccer player in history is a guy I remember from earlier days named Pele. He has the Guinness world record in goals scored. His stats are off the charts. He was voted the player of the Century! His talent was huge and his impact was huge. But for me, he's not the GOAT of GOATs. I'm sorry, I just can't do it.
- You might not think a GOAT of GOATs could come from golf, But I'm not so sure. In golf, there is always the debate on Jack vs Tiger. Arnie is acknowledged as having brought the game to the masses for his time and was one of the most beloved figures in all of sport, but it really comes down to Jack or Tiger. I used to be in the Jack camp. But the more you look at it, the more, at least for me, Tiger wins. Tiger let us see that training, strength, and athleticism makes a huge difference for a golfer. And was just so dominant. One of the most fierce competitors of all times. Who wants to take on Tiger in any tournament on a Sunday? Raise your hand. Okay, got it. And his game was amazing his whole career. I still think an argument can be made either way, but I come down on Tiger's side. But is he the GOAT of GOATs? I can't make that case.
- When I was a kid and I guess for the rest of my life, Muhammed Ali was, to me the most dominant figure in sports. Back when the heavy weight championship of the world was a big deal, Ali was it. I mean...IT! He was immensely talented and charismatic as hell. It seemed like there wasn't anyone or anything that could defeat him. And even when he lost, it was like he won. Boxing is sorta specialized and I can't see naming a boxer as the GOAT of GOATs, but I had to mention him out of respect.
- Tennis is one of those sports that go in out of popularity and favor. For me the women's game has always dominated. Nothing against the guys, but the women always seemed so fiercely competitive. One time I went to see Steffi Graf play in a tournament and to this day I thought she was the best, most dominant woman athlete I'd ever been in the presence of. She was amazing. But there were a lot of amazing women tennis players. Steffi, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Margaret Court, Billie Jean King....there were a ton of them. But if any of them were going up against Serena Williams, Serena would win most of the matches. And I'm not sure it would be close. She was (is) immensely talented and had a humungous impact on her sport. One thing I always remember...she won the 2017 Australian Open while she was pregnant. Enough said. But is she the GOAT of GOATs. Based on talent and impact, she could be. But for me...no.
- I said earlier that I was going to focus on professionals with one exception. I think I have to take a look at Olympic athletes and make some evaluation of them. One who stands out is Simone Biles. She does stuff in gymnastics that can't be done by anyone else. She is the definition of dominance. But there is someone better. Michael Phelps has 28 medals, 23 of them gold. He was the top medal winner at 4 consecutive Olympics. He has more medals than 161 countries. His talent was off the charts and he dominated every time he got in the pool. Every time. His impact on both his sport and the Olympics is indisputable. But...once again...I just can't do it. Maybe I'm too much of a traditionalist. But also a big factor is that in swimming, it's a singular sport. You're not going against a defense. So no...Michael isn't the GOAT of GOATs.
- Let me dispense with the football players before we get to the final two. Like baseball, it's incredibly difficult. Lots of different positions and lots of different talents. Tom Brady is without any doubt the greatest quarterback to every live. But I'm not sure that even makes him the greatest football player. If you're counting rings, I guess the case can be made. But like I said in the beginning, I'm not counting championships per se. I'm looking at talent and impact. Brady's impact was the rest of us being amazed at his talent and longevity. But there are a few others in football with amazing talent and impact. Jerry Rice comes to mind. And for my money Jim Brown was the greatest running back of all time. Linemen? Defensive players? Special teams? They aren't in the conversation. So again...I'm sorry but Brady isn't the GOAT of GOATs. I hope Patriot nation will forgive me.
- Now for me, it becomes very difficult. I'm not a huge hockey fan, but you don't have to look very hard to become bedazzled by Wayne Gretzky. He has dozens of records. He leads the NHA (still) in scoring. He was an amazing game strategist. One of my favorite thoughts about how to play any game comes from Gretzky. It was widely said that his secret was pretty simple. He didn't skate to the puck, he skated to where the puck was going to be. He played that ball-busting game for 20 years. He has 4 Stanley Cups if you're counting championships. Some say that winning the Stanley Cup is the most difficult championship in sports. He was widely respected beyond measure and in Canada probably the most popular athlete in history. He could easily be the GOAT of GOATs. Could be...but isn't.
- Michael Jordan was and is in a class by himself. His athletic prowess was unmatched. They didn't call him "Air Jordan" for nothing. Everyone loved him. Everyone. He really opened up basketball to the masses. Everyone wanted to watch if he was playing. He was mesmerizing. I'm not a fan of today's NBA, but I was certainly all in for Michael back in the day. He was beyond competitive. It didn't matter what the circumstances were, Michael believed he would win and fought to the end. My favorite player at the time was Bill Russell but I threw him over for Michael. You can compare him to Wilt, Ozzie, Kobe, Magic, Lebron, Stef...any of them and he wins. Simple as that. Oh yeah, and in the middle of it all he decided to go try and play baseball. It didn't work out too well, but he was in it. Michael won 6 rings over 7 years. Let that sink in. As someone pointed out, 18 years after he retired, he is still the most popular athlete in the U.S. So while I will totally concede the point that it's subjective...Michael Jordan is (for me) the GOAT of GOATs.
