Most remarkable athlete

[jem88]

I had a post in the off-topic zone about Stevie Wonder, talking about how he is a genius, etc, etc. So after reading an article this morning, I got to thinking about which athlete past or present has/had that same aura of genius. Someone who combined god-given skill with personality, someone who it's basically impossible to say anything negative about.

Of course I have my personal favourites, Irvin and Holt, but there are enough question marks about both to rule them out. And then looking at other sports, there are certainly many other possibilities: Cal Ripken, Greg Maddux, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Pele, Paolo Maldini, Ryan Giggs, Kaka, Roger Federer, Steffi Graf, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux. The list is obviously lengthy and all these guys (and girl) are tremendously accomplished.

But there is one guy who for me rose above all others, a man who as I said before, it's impossible to criticize and who embodied grace, toughness, class and was a total sports genius. That man was Walter Payton.

Thoughts?

 

[CowboyWay]

Payton is a good one. I was always a huge fan of David Robinson. I hate the spurs, but that guy was as classy as they get. He was the complete package.

 

[jem88]

Payton is a good one. I was always a huge fan of David Robinson. I hate the spurs, but that guy was as classy as they get. He was the complete package.

Yeah but he didn't come off as cool as Payton. Sweetness struck me as a fun guy to hang out with. Robinson might have been a bit too straight-laced.

 

[phillycard]

Music and atletics. Kind of tough to draw the same comparisons, but I see what you're saying. Music to me is just such a broader field, because while some people may not like hockey or basketball, nearly everyone can relate to musical genius.

 

[lewpac]

Roy Jones Jr.
Dr. J
Derek Jeter
Lynn Swann
Tommy Hearns

 

[zrinkill]

 

[jem88]

Roy Jones Jr. = has carried on too long
Dr. J = a good shout, but hard to argue that he was the best ever
Derek Jeter = no personality
Lynn Swann = good, but in Payton's class
Tommy Hearns = I think if we're going to make the case for a boxer, then Muhammad Ali would be the choice.

I just can't think of any other athlete who ticks as many boxes as Payton.

 

[UKCowboysFan]

I would go for the rower Steve Redgrave.

He won Gold medals at 5 consecutive Olympic Games, (in an endurance event).

He also overcame a lot of health problems in that period (not least his diabetes), and has always treated his completion and everyone else with the utmost respect.

Having retired from sport he now runs his own charitable foundation.

 

[Yeagermeister]

Bo Jackson

If he hadn't hurt his hip who knows what he could have done.

 

[zrinkill]

Bo Jackson

If he hadn't hurt his hip who knows what he could have done.

Yup ....... Bo Jackson or Michael Jordan

 

[the kid 05]

Yup ....... Bo Jackson or Michael Jordan

Jordan as much as i love him on the court i've heard hes a real to people.

 

[Joe Realist]

Michael " don't inhale " Phelps

Alex " A-ROID " Rodriquez

 

[jem88]

Jordan doesn't have the class that Payton did.

 

[burmafrd]

None of these guys could have ever CARRIED Jim Thorpe's shoes.

 

[lewpac]

jem88, the OP, says that any reference to a boxer should be Muhammad Ali....

Dead wrong.

To start with, he was not "the greatest". The only reason he's mentioned along these lines is because HE said it so much, and we live in a nation of sheep......................after a while, it just became "urban legend" without anyone considering otherwise.

For starters, he LOST the SIGNATURE FIGHT OF HIS CAREER. The first Frazier fight. And I don't want to hear about any layoffs or time he missed. HE says HE'S the GREATEST, and lost the biggest fight of his life.

Second, he's a coward and a divider. He's not a "uniter". His need for self promotion and attention led him down a path of "love him or hate him". THAT alone eliminates him from this discussion.

I know that I'll get a lot of crap for not going along with the crowd about Ali, but he wasn't "the greatest". Top 5 ever? Probably, but not the best ever. He'll never get by Joe Louis and Rocky.......

Ya' wanna' know who's the BEST heavyweight fighter to ever put on the gloves? It's Sonny Liston. Sonny Liston was unbeatable. He threw, by all accounts, both fights to Cassius Clay. Any casual observer knows that Liston was bought, bribed and threatened by the mob. The details of his death are still a mystery to this day (found in a hotel room in Vegas with enough heroin in him to kill 20 people, and they say it was "suicide").

Nah, sorry. You can't put Clay/Ali in the "class" of "all around perfect guy" like Payton. Not even close. He was, is, and will always be an idiot.........

 

[lewpac]

Yeah but he didn't come off as cool as Payton. Sweetness struck me as a fun guy to hang out with. Robinson might have been a bit too straight-laced.

I met David Robinson a half dozen times. He spends a lot of time on the Big Island where I live. Every time, he takes the time to make my kids feel special. Never in a hurry to get out of there, nothing but a grin from ear to ear. A real class act and gentleman. I'd put him at the top of this list..............

 

[the kid 05]

jem88, the OP, says that any reference to a boxer should be Muhammad Ali....

Dead wrong.

To start with, he was not "the greatest". The only reason he's mentioned along these lines is because HE said it so much, and we live in a nation of sheep......................after a while, it just became "urban legend" without anyone considering otherwise.

For starters, he LOST the SIGNATURE FIGHT OF HIS CAREER. The first Frazier fight. And I don't want to hear about any layoffs or time he missed. HE says HE'S the GREATEST, and lost the biggest fight of his life.

Second, he's a coward and a divider. He's not a "uniter". His need for self promotion and attention led him down a path of "love him or hate him". THAT alone eliminates him from this discussion.

I know that I'll get a lot of crap for not going along with the crowd about Ali, but he wasn't "the greatest". Top 5 ever? Probably, but not the best ever. He'll never get by Joe Louis and Rocky.......

Ya' wanna' know who's the BEST heavyweight fighter to ever put on the gloves? It's Sonny Liston. Sonny Liston was unbeatable. He threw, by all accounts, both fights to Cassius Clay. Any casual observer knows that Liston was bought, bribed and threatened by the mob. The details of his death are still a mystery to this day (found in a hotel room in Vegas with enough heroin in him to kill 20 people, and they say it was "suicide").

Nah, sorry. You can't put Clay/Ali in the "class" of "all around perfect guy" like Payton. Not even close. He was, is, and will always be an idiot.........

Same thing with Nirvana's front man Kurt Cobain; autopsy showed he had enough heroin in him he couldn't lift a fork yet he some how put a 12 gauge shot gun between his legs and pulled the trigger with his toes...

 

[Hostile]

Muhammed Ali is considered the most recognized man in the world. Even more than the Pope or the President.

Tiger Woods is nearing that kind of aura.

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

 

[burmafrd]

Rocky Marciano would have taken Liston.