Who's your Top 3 athlete's of the decade ?

[Doomsday101]

Aye, and Bolt won 3 golds-- setting world records in each. Which I would put on par with Phelps' 8, considering the difficulty of both.

I agree. I have no problem with Bolt being thought of as one of the top athletes in the world, He is. As for 1,2,3 or some other number that is pure opinion but a solid case could be made for him.

 

[michaeljr1186]

Tiger Woods

 

[Alumni2k11]

I'm surprised this thread has made it this far without any buehler jokes (unless I overlooked it).

 

[jem88]

In no particular order:

Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Zinedine Zidane

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I'm not arguing that SWIMMING is silly, just the fact that you can get a gold for Free Style 100m, 200m, 400m, and then turn around and the same thing for backstroke. I just don't think you can compare those golds with, say, a basketball gold medal. Or a triathlon gold medal. Even the best triathlete in the world can't win more than one gold per Olympics.

If Bolt were winning the mile and the hurdles and the long jump or some sort of combination, then I'd say he is on par. He isn't. There is no comparison IMO. Phelps, at this point in his career, is far and away superior to anybody IMO.

 

[TheCount]

If Bolt were winning the mile and the hurdles and the long jump or some sort of combination, then I'd say he is on par. He isn't. There is no comparison IMO. Phelps, at this point in his career, is far and away superior to anybody IMO.

I'd say Bolt is easily on par as an athlete, they just compete in different kind of worlds. Sprinting doesn't necessarily make you a good hurdler just like Phelps may not be a good marathon swimmer. That's how different they are. But Bolt has talked about taking up the long jump, so maybe we'll see that from him.

I'd certainly like to see Bolt get some more of this kind of stuff under his belt though before I give him a top 3 decade award.

As far as my top 3, in order:

Tiger
Phelps
Armstrong

4 and 5 would be Federer and Bolt.

 

[Rogah]

Finally, the number of Gold things is irrellevant. It's far more impressive to win the 3x golds that Bolt won in 2008 than Phelp's 8, IMO. I mean, if runners were silly enough to do a "backwards 100m and 200m", then sure Bolt could have won a few more gold.

I disagree. Phelps accomplished something that no one has ever done before (in his own sport or any other for that matter). Bolt did something that had been done before.

I think the more impressive feat is the one that no one else had ever done.

 

[TheCount]

I disagree. Phelps accomplished something that no one has ever done before (in his own sport or any other for that matter). Bolt did something that had been done before.

I think the more impressive feat is the one that no one else had ever done.

Huh? We talkin' about the same Usain Bolt?

 

[Rampage]

the amount of disrespect for real athletes like fighters,football players and basketball players in this thread is unreal. instead people are talking about golfers,swimmers, and sprinters....

 

[Rogah]

Huh? We talkin' about the same Usain Bolt?

I'm sorry, is there something in my statement that is factually incorrect? Usain Bolt is not the first runner to win 3 gold medals in the Olympics ya know. In 1988, Carl Lewis won golds in the exact same 3 races PLUS he threw in a gold medal in the long jump to boot (just like Jesse Owens did in 1936). What's more impressive? Winning Events A, B and C or winning Events A, B, C and D?

What Michael Phelps did was something that had never been accomplished before. Ever.

 

[Rogah]

the amount of disrespect for real athletes like fighters,football players and basketball players in this thread is unreal. instead people are talking about golfers,swimmers, and sprinters....

And in terms of pure athletic ability, all those guys you metioned pale in comparison any Olympic caliber decathlete.

 

[Rampage]

And in terms of pure athletic ability, all those guys you metioned pale in comparison any Olympic caliber decathlete.

 

[Chief]

Tiger Woods
Lance Armstrong
Michael Phelps

List them in any order you like. Those would probably be my three.

Totally agree ... as long as we're listing the top three who were the most dominant in their sport and accomplished the most in the past decade. Which is what I think it should be.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

Roger Federer, Armstrong with Phelps and Bryant tied.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

I'm sorry, is there something in my statement that is factually incorrect? Usain Bolt is not the first runner to win 3 gold medals in the Olympics ya know. In 1988, Carl Lewis won golds in the exact same 3 races PLUS he threw in a gold medal in the long jump to boot (just like Jesse Owens did in 1936). What's more impressive? Winning Events A, B and C or winning Events A, B, C and D?

What Michael Phelps did was something that had never been accomplished before. Ever.

but remember Lewis didn't really win the 100m sprint, he finished a distant second to Ben Johnson but only got the Gold when Johnson failed a test (and don't forget Lewis failed three tests that year but they were covered up by the USOC)

 

[Rogah]

but remember Lewis didn't really win the 100m sprint, he finished a distant second to Ben Johnson but only got the Gold when Johnson failed a test (and don't forget Lewis failed three tests that year but they were covered up by the USOC)

1) Um, when another runner is disqualified for cheating, then his results are thrown out. So yeah, Carl Lewis "really won" the gold. It happens all the time in Olympic competition.

2) Your other remark is almost too stupid (and too paranoid) to address. Sounds like sour grapes from another loser Canadian. Carl Lewis was among a handful of athletes who tested positive for over-the-counter drug use found in cold medicine, there was a thorough investigation, and all those athletes were cleared and exonerated.

3) All the above events are irrelevant to the point I made. The Ben Johnson disqualification (and Lewis alleged drug use) wasn't even the same Olympic competition as the one I was talking about.

 

[Hostile]

I have not read the thread.

1. Tiger Woods
2. Roger Federer
3. Michael Phelps

To me they all had sustained excellence and cannot rely on teammates.

Honorable mention would go to Usain Bolt for the sheer dominating way he has come on at the end of the decade.

Peyton Manning would have my vote as the best athlete in a team sport.

 

[Biggems]

I have not read the thread.

1. Tiger Woods
2. Roger Federer
3. Michael Phelps

To me they all had sustained excellence and cannot rely on teammates.

Honorable mention would go to Usain Bolt for the sheer dominating way he has come on at the end of the decade.

Peyton Manning would have my vote as the best athlete in a team sport.

You would take Manning over Duncan, Bryant, or Shaq?

I am a Manning fan, but I do not consider his accomplishments on the whole as equal to those of Duncan's. In this decade Duncan won 3 titles, 2 MVPs, 2 Finals MVPs, was all-NBA and 1st team all-defense for pretty much the entire decade. He also led his team to the highest winning percentage of all teams in the NBA, NFL, NHL, and MLB combined. He is now widely considered as the best power forward to ever play the game.

As for Bryant....4 NBA titles(3peat to start the decade), 6 Finals appearances, league MVP, Finals MVP, the best player in the game over the last 3-4 years. Is now the #2 shooting guard of all time. I could say more if I was a hardcore Lakers fan, but I am not.

Shaq....4 NBA titles(3peat to start the decade), 5 Finals appearances, he was the Lone Ranger (Kobe was Tonto) for the Lakers during the first half of the decade. One of the top 6 Centers of all time.

 

[CanadianCowboysFan]

For someone who thought my response almost too stupid to respond to, there sure was a long response.

Cari Lewis lost the race in 1988 big time and was givem the gold on a technicality. If he just failed tests due to cold meds, why did he say he didn't want to talk about the past when asked about it a couple of years ago? If it were such a simple reason why not say so?

 

[Rogah]

For someone who thought my response almost too stupid to respond to, there sure was a long response.

Actually, I said your point about the USOC engaging in some sort of cover-up was almost too stupid to respond to, but I gave that paarticalar point all of 3 sentences anyway. I didn't realize 3 sentences was a "long response".

I see your reading comprehension remains as poor today as it was on the politics board.

Cari Lewis lost the race in 1988 big time and was givem the gold on a technicality. If he just failed tests due to cold meds, why did he say he didn't want to talk about the past when asked about it a couple of years ago? If it were such a simple reason why not say so?

Um, Ben Johnson failing a drug test is not a "technicality." As for Carl Lewis, there was a proper investigation and he was fully exonerated. Anything beyond that is just sour grapes from a sore loser.