ADSactly Sports: The Greatest Players of All-Time - Who is the G.O.A.T? (Part 1)
ADSactly Sports: The Greatest Players of All-Time - Who is the G.O.A.T? (Part 1)
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Sports have long been a topic for water cooler banter. From last night game to the latest and greatest play, sports fans revel in the opportunity to boast about their favourite teams or players. There are even some that are so passionate about their favourite sport or team that they take pride in the amount of knowledge they have about them. Sports discussions can be light-hearted and joyful and they can also be heated and full of distaste and anger. Emotions can run high as a fan's passion for his or her team is challenged. I am sure if you think hard enough you will remember a time when a sports discussion got a little more heated than it should and tempers even flared. With the end of the NBA finals and all the water cooler chat about Lebron James, I started to think about how often these conversations happen.
The thing about sports is that everyone has their own opinion about things. What the best sport is, who the best players are, what the best teams are and even down to certain specific plays. I have seen two grown men get into such a spirited argument about a hockey hit that it looked like it was going to turn into a fight right there in the bar. It was as if they had forgotten that they were merely fans and not the players themselves. I got to thinking about all the things that are argued about by sports fans and with all the Lebron James talk I realized just how much time we spent on one topic. A topic that comes up all the time and has been argued for as long as sports have existed. The all-important question that every fan thinks they have the answer to, Who is the G.O.A.T?
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The Greatest Player of All Time has long been argued by fans from all sports. It is an interesting debate for so many reasons. How does one determine who is the best player that ever played a sport? Is it their statistics? How many points or touchdowns or home runs can be used as a way to argue your opinion for sure. Is it the number of championships they have won? The way a player is appreciated could depend on the era in which they played. In lots of sports, the game has seen changes over time that could have an impact on players statistics. This leads to further discussion and comparison of the players and arguments over the interpretation of these differences. I have been involved in and listened to hundreds of these conversations and the only thing I can say with any certainty is that there will always be differences of opinion when it comes to the topic of the G.O.A.T in sports.
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I thought it would be fun to take a look at some sports and have a discussion about who the G.O.A.T is in each sport. The discussions can vary at times based on positions depending on the sports. For example in American Football quarterbacks are often talked about as the greatest but then there are separate discussions about the greatest running back or wide receiver. I will try to keep this discussion as impartial as possible and keep my personal opinion to myself. So gather around the water cooler and let's talk about the greatest players of all time.
NFL Football
This is a debate that I have personally spent many an hour discussing with friends and enemies alike. There are several players that always get brought up during these arguments. Names like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are regularly tossed into the ring when discussing the greatest of all time. Then you get the generational gap coming into play as people suggest Dan Marino or even Joe Montana or Terry Bradshaw. Each of these players has an impressive resume and an argument for their spot atop the rest of can be made. Marino for the longest time was the greatest statistical quarterback of all time but people would argue that he wasn’t the best because he failed to win a championship. Manning has now become the best statistical QB with the most yards passing and most touchdown passes and he has three championships to his credit. Then there is Brady who has been to a record 8 Super Bowls and won 5 of them.
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The QB will often be debated most because they have such a big impact on games but there are many other positional players who deserve to have their names brought up when discussing the best of all time in the NFL. Wide receiver Jerry Rice set the gold standard for all WR. He owns all the major statistical records at his position and it isn’t even close. Running backs Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith and Barry Sanders have all been brought up for consideration and there are many defensive players that come to mind as well. Lawrence Taylor and Reggie White just to name a couple.
Soccer
The crown of greatest of all time when it comes to soccer is a tough debate. As you might expect, the strikers get all the glory when it comes to soccer and when the discussion of best player comes up it is no different. Soccer fans can be some of the most passionate fans in the world and when asked who they think the best of all time is the debate can get feverishly intense. What makes you the best in this sport? Is it your statistics in league play with your club team or is it how you perform on the world stage in the World Cup? We might very well be witnessing some of the greatest soccer players of all time right now in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. These two players have taken the game to a whole new level and have become dominant forces both with their club teams and in World Cup play. Messi has been to one final but lost while Ronaldo has taken World Cup scoring to new heights this time around.
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Then there are those who will say that the question of the G.O.A.T in soccer is a non-discussion and that there are only two players that deserve to be in the discussion. Diego Maradona from Argentina and Pele from Brazil. Both players played in different eras and were considered to be the dominant players of their time. Their goal scoring prowess was second to none and they have the World Cup accolades to go along with it. Maradona with one championship while Pele won three times. There are so many players that have had an impact on the game of soccer. I am sure that I am only touching the tip of the iceberg with these four names and that there are so many other players that fans would nominate for this prestigious recognition.
Pelé played professionally in Brazil for two decades, winning three World Cups along the way, before joining the New York Cosmos late in his career. Named FIFA co-Player of the Century in 1999
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Basketball
This year the battle for king of the castle in the NBA and acknowledgement in the eyes of fans as the greatest of all time came to the forefront. Lebron James has now accomplished something that no other player in the NBA has ever done. This year marked the 8th consecutive time and 9th in his career that he has led his team to the NBA finals. This feat on its own has many people calling him the G.O.A.T. However, although he is the most dominant player in the game today and has reached all those finals, he has only won three times. The player that most people hold above Lebron is Michael Jordan. Jordan is considered by many to be the most dominant player to ever play the game. He was capable of taking over games and winning them all on his own and he proved to be one of the most clutch players ever. When the chips were down and the game was on the line, he was able to take his game to a whole different level and make unthinkable shots. He made it to the finals 6 times winning every single time he was there and being named MVP in each of those championship final series.
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However, there is a list of names from another generation that people would argue deserve their name in the conversation. During the 1980’s, the argument about who was the greatest NBA player had two names. Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. During their primes, they were the two most dominant players and the Magic vs Bird discussion burned strong. There are those who would even include Wilt Chamberlain who held many scoring records including most points in a game.
This is just the beginning of the discussion as there are so many more sports to work through. Stay tuned for part two of this series coming soon. Who are the greatest players in your opinion? Are there any names that I have missed from these sports? What do you think are the most important factors in deciding who the G.O.A.T are? I look forward to hearing your thoughts so step on up to the water cooler and join the conversation and let both your passion and knowledge show.
Authored by: @broncofan99
Sources used:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_FIFA_World_Cup_finals
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/leaders/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_NBA_champions
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Ahh, the G.O.A.T. discussion, a discussion that can strain friendships, bruise fruit, and leave throats hoarse.
I think people are going to be impacted by what they were actually able to see, versus what they have been told and can look at on scoresheets. I was born in the mid-80s so I got to see Jordan get his rings and now I can see LeBron's greatness--I never got to see the primes of Magic, Bird, Kareem, Wilt, or Russell. As such, I will always lean towards the people I was able to see.
I lean towards MJ still over LeBron, because of one very subjective difference--LeBron was (and still is) more physically gifted than MJ. LeBron is a physical freak and could easily have reached about 70% of what he accomplished through his physical gifts; I respect the hell out of him for changing his game and constantly getting better, but I have even more respect for MJ because he was never someone who could dominate physically. Sure, he bulked up in the 90s, but MJ did not bully you down physically the way LeBron can and does--that's a disadvantage for MJ, and he overcame that in spades.
With American football, it seems like such a lopsided discussion because the impact of the quarterback is incredibly disproportionate, especially in recent times. As much as I hate to admit it, I think I would have to go for Brady. Low draft pick that got a fortuitous chance to take over a team, and grabbed it with both hands. Five Super Bowls, most wins of any QB, always performed in the playoffs. I have a huge bias as a Joe Montana fan, but I think Brady has taken the top position.
If we're going by non-QBs, Jerry Rice would have to be the man. Obviously it helps if you have Joe Montana and Steve Young throwing to you in your prime, but him holding all those scoring/receiving records is not simply a product of good QBs. He was that damned good.
With soccer, I am again biased towards Ronaldo because of my fandom (Manchester United). I think Messi definitely had one up on Ronaldo up until about 2 years ago, and then Ronaldo won 3 CLs and the Euros. It's a paperbreadth between the two anyway, so it will come down to preference and fandom methinks.
Then again, Pele and Maradona have World Cups to their resume--we'll see if Ronaldo can match them this year, they have a shot. Argentina are toast, though, so no such luck for Messi.
Oddly, there's a sport where the G.O.A.T. is pretty much undisputed: ice hockey. Does anybody say a player other than Gretzky when they talk about the greatest player in NHL history? I have never met anyone that says any other name.
Jerry Rice holding all those records is even more impressive when you consider how pass heavy the league has been over the last 12-15 years. There have been amazing receivers in that span and none are even close to his records. Randy Moss beat his season TD record that crazy Patriots undefeated year but the record Rice put up was in only 12 games! because the league went on strike that year, 22 TDs in 12 games vs Moss 23 TDs in 16 games.
A conversation I return to with almost anyone I talk sports with is this, who is the most dominant athlete of all time? As in lump all athletes together, which one has completely eclipsed all others?
I go with Serena Williams. I can't think of anyone who's dominated their respective sports like she has. 4 straight Grand Slam titals, twice. 23 Grand Slam singles titals. 4 Olympic Gold Medals. She even won a tournament when she was pregnant.
I understand arguments for Manning, Mayweather, and Lebron but there are guys you can argue were as good or better. The only athlete I can think of that may have dominated their respective sport more than Serena Williams is Michael Phelps.
I'm not a real basketball fan outside of Gonzaga, but my GOAT is MJ, LeBron is a beast, but MJ was the best ever.
Soccer? Easy. Pele. It's regional bias, but he brought the game to America, and that alone is enough for me. That and time of excellence should be enough.
Football? I suppose it has to be a qb, but I'm going to put another log on the fire. Roger Staubach changed the game. That said I'm going to go with Montana. He was sooooo goood every time out.
I totally agree with the MJ choice. He is my GOAT. That man just won and he took teams on his back to do it. As great as Pele was I think these two young stars playing right now are re-writing the history books. Staubach was a great player but I never considered Montana to be as great as other quarterbacks. Imagine if he never had a Jerry Rice to throw to or a Roger Craig coming out of his backfield. His stats are average but he was a winner. Put that man in a big game and got it done every time.
I think any debate about the GOAT men’s player should be over (for the time being and also for the foreseeable future).
Many people agree that Federer is the GOAT because of how beautiful his game is, how smooth it looks, or because of specific shots he can hit (forehand, serve, etc). All of those things may be true, but I would prefer to analyze the facts rather than opinions. So after a thorough analysis of the data (especially from Grand Slams), I believe Federer is the GOAT and it’s not even close.
There will inevitably be some people who think Nadal is the GOAT. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but based on the actual data, it’s debatable whether Nadal is even #2. Here’s why:
*GRAND SLAM PERFORMANCE: Federer 20, Nadal 16, Djokovic 12, Sampras 14
-If we use a points system where the winner gets 2 points and the finalist gets 1 point, Federer’s edge is even more obvious. Federer’s point total at the French Open is relatively low because he lost 4 finals to Nadal, who is certainly the greatest CLAY COURT player of all-time.
Federer (Total 50 - 13 AO, 6 FO, 19 W, 12 US)
Nadal (Total 39 - 5 AO, 20 FO, 7 W, 7 US) : Note that over 50% of Nadal’s Grand Slam points come from the French Open. Although Nadal is undoubtedly the GOAT on CLAY, his results (19 points) on any surface other than clay are substantially weaker than Djokovic (28 points) or Sampras (32 points).
Djokovic (Total 33 - 12 AO, 5 FO, 7 W, 9 US)
Sampras (Total 32 - 5 AO, 0 FO, 14 W, 13 US)
*WEEKS RANKED #1: Federer 302, Sampras 286, Djokovic 223, Nadal 166
*NUMBER OF TITLES: Federer 96, Nadal, 75, Djokovic 68, Sampras 64
*ATP FINALS TITLES (aka BEATING THE BEST PLAYERS OF EACH YEAR): Federer 6, Sampras 5, Djokovic 5, Nadal 0
Fantastic response. You have shown why it can be so hard to name one player as the best. They have differences that can be debated. Federer is a special player. What about a player like Borg? He was phenomenal in his short time. Does his short career exclude him immediately?? Tennis is planned for a future post in this series.
For me, the GOAT is Michael Phelps. I'm not a fan of swimming competitions, but when he was on the pool ready to compete, I had to watch it, I don´t know why, maybe because of his elegance and incredible straight.
With all respect to all the mentioned athletes, that's my opinion. Obviously, sports like Football, Basketball and American football, are the most known and it makes all sense that you would consider any of the legends of those sports.
You have just dove into deep waters there, pun intended. At some point, we will address the greatest athlete of all time, regardless of sports. Phelps most certainly has a spot at the table in that discussion.
Phelps is a top 2-3 in their respective sport but I give most dominant athlete of all time to Serena Williams.
The G.O.A.T in soccer is definitely Denmark winning the European Championship in Sweden in 1992.
The reason why this is the G.O.A.T, is that they didn't even qualify for the Championships..They were beaten by Jugoslavia in the qualifying group, and all the Danish players had gone on vacation, and never got the time to prepare for the Championships..
Unfortunately for Jugoslavia, the war had broken out, leaving the country in absolute chaos, and they ended up being kicked out of the Championship because of that..
Because Denmark was next in line, they got called up, and went totally unprepared to Sweden...Ending up winning it all...beating Germany in the final 2—0🙂
Thank you @adsactly for reminding me of a fantastic time of my life🙂
As a Dutchy, I don't quite agree with your Denmark 1992 GOAT nomination! ;-)
To me there can only be one Greatest of All Time in Soccer, the legendary Johan Cruyff
@scipio I perfectly understand🙂 Think we got a little lucky on several occasions...Like beating Holland on penalties in the semis, if I remember correctly😉
But I agree with you on Johan Cruyff..he has made a great impact on soccer, both as a player and as a coach...He is without a doubt one of the biggest stars ever! We never had a player like that in Denmark, not even close!
Not a single country besides The Netherlands has had somebody like Cruyff! But all things fair, if the Laudrup brothers would be active players right now, both of them would wear the captain's band in 99% of all teams.
I agree with you! The Laudrup brothers were getting close to actual superstar levels..but neither of them got all the way to the top😉
That 1992 semi-finals penalty series was actually the beginning of a lengthy "penalty trauma" for Oranje, which lasted until last (2014) World Cup (about which the Mexicans are still stating no era penal!)
It's actually strange that such a "curse" can hit a team like that..and for so long...I mean, considering the quality of the Dutch players in the years you mention..
Holland are currently record holders for being in the WC finals for three times, without ever winning! "The Uncrowned King".
Still saw a fantastic tournament in 2010 and enjoyed every moment of it, but one...
That is a whole other topic coming up in the series. The greatest games of all time and the greatest teams. I can imagine the discrepancies we might have in trying to select those. Thanks for the comment.
Read this and it said Manning had 3 championships and I thought to myself "when did he win the other one" looked it up to be sure, he only has 2. He's been to 4 super bowls but lost twice. He won once with the Colts and once with the Broncos.
Exactly..Personal choices is what makes sports fascinating..Imagine if every one have same choice then there will be no spice watching the game.Who's your favourite player of football? Mine is Messy btw
I have never been a huge football fan but I love watching Messi's ball dribbling skills. The man is crazy talented
messi is the best
Understand
Thank u