Most important athlete of all-time?
- Thread starter jedione12
- Start date
Good question. They may be dedicated people and great role models, which I guess is "important" in some sense of the word. And they can use their power, money, and influence to try to do some good for society, as in Lance's Livestrong campaign. And they are often non-partisan, so they appeal to a broad spectrum of people, which I think is a good thing in a public figure. So I think they actually can be important, though the level of importance isn't defined simply by the degree of athletic success.stinkyboy said:
I'll agree to that one..but if you wanna go big wave surfers, you gotta throw in laird Hamilton or Taj Burrow...maybe AI..Jayridesacove said:
But Eddie was the pioneer. Hell, he even died at sea on his surfboard - that's hardcore.
Plus none of them have a cool ass bumper sticker that says "Eddie would Go."
Plus none of them have a cool ass bumper sticker that says "Eddie would Go."
i know..i'm agreeing with you. just adding on who else I think are big pioneers in surfing.Jayridesacove said:
Laird was the first to utilize the ski-doo for towing in big waves and Taj took on a whole new "Gen X" approach to it.
Man, I remember being super young, and he ran through my town. The whole freakin' town was lined up along the road to cheer him on. I really don't remember too much about it, but remember the crowds/etc...GeoffW said:
He gets my vote, one hell of a guy...
JJames
The Terry Fox story for those who don't know..
http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/top_ten/nominee/fox-terry.html
http://www.cbc.ca/greatest/top_ten/nominee/fox-terry.html
yea, he's writen a few books.....SkaredShtles said:
http://www.mountaineersbooks.org/searchproducts.cfm
and he smells funny.
Dog Welder said:
Yeah I would say Jesse Owens is up there in the top 3....Jackie Robinson broke down a lot of barriers but mostly on a continental level...Jesse Owens did it on an Olympic/world level....D
There are actually only 14 8000 meter peaks.biker3 said:
-S.S.-
Well, he *has* written books, but he's not "the author guy".... he's "the mountaineer guy"pnj said:
-S.S.-
He was a racial Pioneer in Tennis for sure, but both Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens were both on larger stages (Olympics and Baseball being larger then Tennis) and earlier.Jamsoul said:
I think Jesse Owens gets my vote.
Lance is an inspirational story, but he lacks the social significance that brings the others up front.
my vote goes for your mom
sorry, couldn't help myself
the 8 year old in me just took over the keyboard
sorry, couldn't help myself
the 8 year old in me just took over the keyboardJesse Owens gets my vote
OJ Simson ,was really good on the field got away with murdering a white man and his ex-wife Effed up his kid`s ,and still gets some hot ass 
WTF ,I`am J/K
WTF ,I`am J/K
shocktower said:OJ Simson ,was really good on the field got away with murdering a white man and his ex-wife Effed up his kid`s ,and still gets some hot ass
And parts in the naked gun movies
Tsss fuk Jesse Owens. My vote goes to Bender!
http://www.edviesturs.com/endeavor8000/SkaredShtles said:Well, he *has* written books, but he's not "the author guy".... he's "the mountaineer guy"
-S.S.-
Apparently Ed Viesturs as done the same thing smelly guy did.
Ed did recently accomplish the same.DRB said:
Equipment now is significantly superior to what Messner had available. And he was the first. That's the most important part. He was the first to successfully take "alpine" style to the 8000m peaks.
Hell - he climbed the "Great Coulior" on the north side of Everest solo.
Superhuman if you ask me..........
-S.S.-
Naw.pnj said:
It's just that I could give a rat's ass about baseball, track, boxing, etc.
So maybe my choice is biased. Imagine that.
-S.S.-
while i agree that messner's feats seem superhuman, were they really important? jesse owens seems to be the clear shoo-in considering the racial barrier, not to mention the foreshadowing of WWII.SkaredShtles said:Naw.
It's just that I could give a rat's ass about baseball, track, boxing, etc.
So maybe my choice is biased. Imagine that.
-S.S.-
Absolutely.Toshi said:
-S.S.-
Owens and Robinson are so close for me its really hard to pick. Robinson faced hostility and isolation on a scale much greater than Owens. But Owens literally went into the lion's den and kicked the lion in the teeth and dared him to do something about it. Well that's not a good analogy because Owens was such a gentle person.Toshi said:
What about the athletes like Luz Long (the german that Owens beat in the long jump) or Pee Wee Reese (a teamate of Robinson) that embraced them when others did not. Long hugged Owens right there in view of Hitler. That's a pretty important step.
Just James said:
Marathon a day for 128 days straight? pffft...I could do that with one leg anyday!
Terry is up there, but Owens and Robinson share the top spot IMHO.
Athletes aren't usually important at all, but they do have lot of exposure and influence so when they do something significant it can be pretty powerful. Lance has done some incredible things on and off the bike, you don't need to like him, and his motives can be questionable sometimes, but still you gotta respect what he has done. The $40M from livestrong is a drop in the bucket but could result in some important discoveries, so props to him.
We will never know the role Jesse Owens played in Hitler's downfall but he absolutely has to go down as one of the most important ever.
Since it's a bike site, I'll put in my vote for Major Taylor, who broke down racial barriers for cycling in the early 1900's when bicycle racing was HUGE in the states. He basically came in as a marked man and beat the snot out of everyone in just about every race. Those dudes were hard men and he spanked 'em all despite being a black man in a time of slavery.
We will never know the role Jesse Owens played in Hitler's downfall but he absolutely has to go down as one of the most important ever.
Since it's a bike site, I'll put in my vote for Major Taylor, who broke down racial barriers for cycling in the early 1900's when bicycle racing was HUGE in the states. He basically came in as a marked man and beat the snot out of everyone in just about every race. Those dudes were hard men and he spanked 'em all despite being a black man in a time of slavery.
MAN! I can't believe I totally spaced on him! Truely one of the heros of cycling, all too forgotten. If anyone has the book "The Quotable Cyclist," there is a fantastic quote in there from him, which I can't seem to locate on the web (damn you Google!), but it's something to the effect that he had found most of his fellow cyclists would look past his color, and only see a fellow cyclist, for the most part. Great quote, and a great guy.OGRipper said:
I think there's a Major Taylor racing team now, out of the Northeast, all minority, and they race the track. I think Cannondale sponsors them...
I think I'm gonna try and track down a copy of his autobiography, "The Fastest Bicycle Rider in the World."
JJames
i can't believe this thread's gotten as far as it has, and no has said the obvious.
MOHAMMED ALI
F'IN DUH!
MOHAMMED ALI
F'IN DUH!
I actually met him when I was 16 (I am 32 now) in DC, when Parkinson's had just started to take its toll, his motor skills were pretty shot at that point, but he was still quick witted and was able to express himself well. He spoke at our National Young Leaders conference. I got to shake his hand, I dont know why that is a big deal, but it was and still is to me. He is a great man, was a great fighter, but the Most Important athlete of all time? eh.. his era maybe.narlus said:
Why All time?
I'm not arguing for him for "best ever," but honestly, when you look at it, what's the big deal about riding 2,000 miles in 3 weeks in July? Or punching someone better than anyone else? Or hitting a little leather ball with a chunk of wood?Toshi said:
They all did/do things that most mortal people can't even dream of. They advanced what mankind is capable of. I think Meissner's feats were incredible, just as I am constantly amazed at what Lance and the crew put themselves through, and are capable of. It's kinda like landing on the moon, huge feats that really do serve a bigger purpose.
That's just my opinion though...
JJames
(the white dude on the left) is an Australian who spoke at a university sports dinner I attended a few years ago. Gave an amazing account of a simple man being present at an incredible moment in our (everyone's, not just Aussie's) history.
he bucked the system when it was not a popular thing to do, and paid the price. he became entwined w/ the civil rights movement, and was known the world over. he definitely transcended his sport.Mtb_Rob_FL said:
chicodude01 said:
black panthers fo life man, c'mon now
:evil:
Just James said:
Another book to check out is "Major Taylor, The Extraordinary Career of a Champion Bicycle Racer" by Andrew Ritchie (1988). Haven't read the autobio, will try to find it. Ritchie's book is fairly even-handed and not all glowing praise, which is good.
LordOpie said:
Not to mention owning Fran3c...
Then there is that blind downhill d00d I read about over on MTBR.com..
LINK: http://www.teambat.org/
LINK: http://www.teambat.org/