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The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

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  • #76
    Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

    Just a reminder--------

    " a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina"

    "A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts."

    "An athlete is a sportsperson in a general sense or specifically a competitor in athletics (track and field) events."

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    • #77
      Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

      Good stuff, MD!

      That's what I'm getting at. For me, a great athlete posses speed, quickness, agility, coordination, strength and endurance.

      If we could take all of our candidates for "greatest athlete" and run them thru standardized tests for the above attributes, we'd have a winner.
      http://shop.cafepress.com/content/global/img/spacer.gifOK, let's try this again...

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      • #78
        Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

        And that person wouldn't be Tiger Woods.

        I can't believe this thread is still going on.

        I love golf. I plan on playing about 50 rounds this summer. That being said, while it's one of the hardest sports to master, it's not a very athletic sport at all. if you can control your body and swing with consistency, you're fine. The problem is that it's damn near impossible to do that AND handle the mental toughness of the game. Everyone who is on the PGA tour has roughly the same amount of talent. The winners are the ones with the mental toughness and prepare with hard work.
        .
        But greatest athlete of all time. No f'ing way.

        A great athlete is some combination of faster/quicker/stronger than the average athlete. Does golf require you to elude anything or anyone? Do you have to be quick? Do you have to be fast? No. You just have to be smart and do the same thing over and over and over consistently. It really is like bowling.

        When i golf, I always walk the course and carry my bag. Sometimes I run up the hills for the hell of it. You know why? Cause I barely even get a workout walking the course. If you don't sweat from exertion, it ain't much of an ATHLETIC event.

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        • #79
          Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

          Originally posted by Eaglebreath
          I still don't see it. It sounds to me like what Dutch is saying is that you can be the world's greatest athlete without being athletic....Sorry, I don't get that at all.
          It's like saying the world's greatest comedian isn't the funniest.

          Makes no sense.

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          • #80
            Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

            Athleticism isn't just about speed, it's also about coordination and strength. Tiger's got plenty of both.

            Again if you go by just speed and agility, the greatest athlete will just end up being some scrub on the end of a bench somewhere; and that just doesn't make sense.
            Whatcha Gonna Do Brother, When the Eagles run wild on you?

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            • #81
              Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

              Originally posted by MDFAN
              "An athlete is a sportsperson in a general sense or specifically a competitor in athletics (track and field) events."
              It's all semantics really. The term we should be using is 'Sportsman'. That way all competitors can be represented and we don't have to debate their 'athleticism'.

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              • #82
                Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

                I agree. If you want to change thie to sportsman, or competitor, than I have a much easier time supporting Tiger. How about "most dominant performer at his sport".?
                http://shop.cafepress.com/content/global/img/spacer.gifOK, let's try this again...

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                • #83
                  Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

                  Originally posted by FRESH
                  I agree. If you want to change thie to sportsman, or competitor, than I have a much easier time supporting Tiger. How about "most dominant performer at his sport".?
                  So you admit it's a sport, but those that participate are not athletes?
                  Whatcha Gonna Do Brother, When the Eagles run wild on you?

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                  • #84
                    Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

                    I do, in the same sense that racing is a sport.

                    Not athletes necessarily. Heck, I'm sure there are some accountants out there that are more athletic. LOL!
                    http://shop.cafepress.com/content/global/img/spacer.gifOK, let's try this again...

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                    • #85
                      Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

                      Originally posted by FRESH
                      I do, in the same sense that racing is a sport.

                      Not athletes necessarily. Heck, I'm sure there are some accountants out there that are more athletic. LOL!
                      I'ld like to be in the gym when Tiger benches you like the 400 lbs he normally does. Of course VJ, Westwood and a ton of other current top competitors also confirm that they have to train seriously every day just to be able to compete on the modern tour.

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                      • #86
                        Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

                        Hey musclehead, strength is only one of the very important categories when describing athleticism. My point is, some sports require a greater level of athleticism than others to be successful at it. Tiger being a great golfer does not make him a great athlete. It makes him a great sportsman/competitor/technician...etc.........
                        http://shop.cafepress.com/content/global/img/spacer.gifOK, let's try this again...

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                        • #87
                          Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

                          Originally posted by Flying Dutchman
                          Originally posted by FRESH
                          I do, in the same sense that racing is a sport.

                          Not athletes necessarily. Heck, I'm sure there are some accountants out there that are more athletic. LOL!
                          I'ld like to be in the gym when Tiger benches you like the 400 lbs he normally does. Of course VJ, Westwood and a ton of other current top competitors also confirm that they have to train seriously every day just to be able to compete on the modern tour.
                          weightlifting -- another non-athletic endeavor
                          Don't kid yourself Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd kill you and everyone you cared about!

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                          • #88
                            Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

                            ooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh.........Dutch is gonna bring you a beat-down!

                            http://shop.cafepress.com/content/global/img/spacer.gifOK, let's try this again...

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                            • #89
                              Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

                              Knock off the personal jabs.............................................. .........please.

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                              • #90
                                Re: The Greatest Athlete of Our Time (OT)

                                Dave Hollander
                                Is Golf a Sport? Seriously.

                                I'm at birthday party last weekend for my friend's 5-year old and his buddies find out I'm sports writer. Some nondescript LPGA championship is playing on the TV with no sound and one of the fathers tells to me how Lorena Ochoa ought to get more recognition. Another asks me if I think Tiger Woods will pass Jack Nicklaus' hallowed record of winning 18 professional majors - after all, Tiger's halfway there. So I jiggled the ice in my glass and offered a seasoned perspective: "Seriously guys, do you really consider golfers to be athletes?" I was friendless for the rest of the afternoon.

                                Are golfers athletes? Ichiro Suzuki, the fleet Seattle Mariners outfielder, commented on Tiger's Wood's athleticism last spring in USA Today: "Tiger is a great golfer, but ... when you say athlete, I think of Carl Lewis. When you talk about (golfers or race-car drivers), I don't want to see them run. It's the same if you were to meet a beautiful girl and go bowling. If she's an ugly bowler, you are going to be disappointed." I'll have to ponder the "ugly bowler" analogy a little longer but I think Ichiro raises a larger question: Is golf a sport?

                                Golf does not even rise to the level of "a good walk spoiled" because the primary action of walking is not required. So says PGA Tour v. Martin (2001) where the Supreme Court ordered the PGA to allow disabled golfer Casey Martin to use a golf cart in between holes rather than walk. The Court supported its decision by finding that whether a golfer walks between holes does not "fundamentally alter the nature" of the game. How can you call something a sport where being ambulatory is not a basic minimum physical requirement?

                                A "sport" requires athleticism. Athletes are people who demonstrate superior physical skill in the areas of strength, agility and stamina. Think of the mythological gods and heroes who personified the highest physical virtues: Hermes (speed), Hercules (strength), Aphrodite (stamina). There's got to be at least some running to call it a sport. I'd prefer some contact, too. But "no walking required"? You call that a sport?

                                Just because it's difficult doesn't mean it's a sport. Computer programming and brain surgery are difficult. They are not sports. Just because you compete doesn't make it a sport either. Pretzel vendors compete. Art galleries compete. Hell, a spelling bee is a competition. Golf is recreation--something to pass the time. It is no more a sport than marbles or cat's cradle.

                                That takes me to my final point: Golf is boring. You want to get a nap in on Sunday afternoon? Turn on golf. Looking for that TV show to help the kids get some shut-eye? Turn on golf. Do you want to see the least amount of physical prowess combined with the greatest dearth of raw emotion? Turn on golf.

                                Not long ago, I listened to a host on talk radio praise Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Pat Sumerall for his ability to call any sport on television -- even golf. "Golf's easy," said Summerall. "Nothing happens."

                                That, my friends, says it all.
                                Don't kid yourself Jimmy. If a cow ever got the chance, he'd kill you and everyone you cared about!

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