LeESPN ranks LeFraud ahead of Tom Brady on list of Top 100 Professional Athletes of the 21st Century...

[thedangerouskitchen]

A complete and utter joke of course, but at least LeESPN didn't rank LeFaud #1...

https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/40 ... st-century

1) Michael Phelps
2) Serena Williams (lol)
3) Lionel Messi
4) LeFraud
5) Tom Brady

[manchild98]

The list is still a joke. A swimmer at #1? No one on the planet cares about swimming? What do swimmers even do when it's not the Olympics? I never seen any televised swimming outside of an Olympic event.

[thedangerouskitchen]

ESPN had Jordan ranked #1 in their 20th Century list.

Spoiler:

at LeFraud not able to beat out a swimmer, a Soccer player and a WOMAN Tennis player.

[AtiliusRegulus]

A joke of a list. Usain Bolt has been the greatest athlete of the 21st century with Brady a close second, I put Phelps 3rd because with all his medals a bunch of his records have been broken. After Phelps those tennis dudes Federer, nadal etc
Threepeating in the Olympics for the 100m 200m 4x100m is unconscionable, keeping in mind that the Olympics are 4 years apart.

[_Vcsgrizzfan_]

A joke of a list. Usain Bolt has been the greatest athlete of the 21st century with Brady a close second, I put Phelps 3rd because with all his medals a bunch of his records have been broken. After Phelps those tennis dudes Federer, nadal etc
Threepeating in the Olympics for the 100m 200m 4x100m is unconscionable, keeping in mind that the Olympics are 4 years apart.

Be still my heart. A sport's take from Attie that isn't mind numbingly stupid.

I'd put Bolt first also. Everyone (who isn't physically handicapped), can run. He's literally competing against the entire rest of the world. That's very different from Phelps (although his achievements are staggering too) and to have dominated so long against the rest of the world is insane.

[elmerjfudd]

I think the only female id choose to be extremely high is Biles. But im not too caught up on olympics. I do agree with Bolt being number 1 or at least 2

[Bush4Ever.]

Everyone can run, but how many people are dedicating themselves to sprinting in a focused way?

I don't know what degree of separation Messi has from his peers in soccer, but it seems like depth of competition would really elevate a dominant soccer player, versus at least some of the other sports.

Edit: Mayweather at 25 is ridiculous.

Jones and GSP as the top MMA fighters is fine. Their rankings seem acceptable.

[Deez]

Lia Thomas should be on this list soon.

[PhutureDynasty]

Everyone can run, but how many people are dedicating themselves to sprinting in a focused way?

I don't know what degree of separation Messi has from his peers in soccer, but it seems like depth of competition would really elevate a dominant soccer player, versus at least some of the other sports.

Edit: Mayweather at 25 is ridiculous.

Jones and GSP as the top MMA fighters is fine. Their rankings seem acceptable.

#1 has to be Brady or Messi, IMHO.

Agreed on Mayweather too.

[AtiliusRegulus]

Everyone can run, but how many people are dedicating themselves to sprinting in a focused way?

I don't know what degree of separation Messi has from his peers in soccer, but it seems like depth of competition would really elevate a dominant soccer player, versus at least some of the other sports.

Edit: Mayweather at 25 is ridiculous.

Jones and GSP as the top MMA fighters is fine. Their rankings seem acceptable.

I watch YouTube videos of regular joes trying to lower their sprint times. Trust me, it’s hard. I see some joes in decent shape running in it 14, and with training barely lowering it to 13.4. Sprinting is hard work. Repeating in an Olympics thrice is even more hard work. Having a record that stands 15 years is even more hard work (9:58, 19:19)

Bolt’s problem entirely not his fault was that he didn’t have the Nike sponsorship and a pseudo anti racism cause to he political with.

[LeBronMonsterDunk]

There's ZERO money in professional sprinting unless you're like Top 5 in the world, and thus zero incentive for any aspiring athlete to take it seriously.

Why would an elite athlete ever become a sprinter if they could excel in football, basketball, baseball, soccer, hockey, etc?

Being the best sprinter is far less impressive than being elite at numerous other sports where the competition pool dwarfs professional sprinting.

Same goes for swimming too.

[kobeunderbite]

I cannot take any sport seriously if goofy ass Noah Lyles is supposed to be the best at it.

[Bush4Ever.]

I watch YouTube videos of regular joes trying to lower their sprint times. Trust me, it’s hard. I see some joes in decent shape running in it 14, and with training barely lowering it to 13.4. Sprinting is hard work. Repeating in an Olympics thrice is even more hard work. Having a record that stands 15 years is even more hard work (9:58, 19:19)

Bolt’s problem entirely not his fault was that he didn’t have the Nike sponsorship and a pseudo anti racism cause to he political with.

When I was in high school trying to get a college scholarship I went through a huge plyometrics and sprinting program designed to increase my vertical and sprint/line times. It went from "geez" to "yeah...I guess that's respectable" and that's it. I totally get the rarity of top sprinting times.

Bolt and Phelps (and Biles) are crazy impressive, but it's within a pool that is literally orders of magnitude more shallow than soccer.

That's all I'm saying. Being 1st in your class by a nose at Harvard Med is probably harder than being 1st in your class by a length at Podunk High School three years in a row.

[_Vcsgrizzfan_]

I watch YouTube videos of regular joes trying to lower their sprint times. Trust me, it’s hard. I see some joes in decent shape running in it 14, and with training barely lowering it to 13.4. Sprinting is hard work. Repeating in an Olympics thrice is even more hard work. Having a record that stands 15 years is even more hard work (9:58, 19:19)

Bolt’s problem entirely not his fault was that he didn’t have the Nike sponsorship and a pseudo anti racism cause to he political with.

When I was in high school trying to get a college scholarship I went through a huge plyometrics and sprinting program designed to increase my vertical and sprint/line times. It went from "geez" to "yeah...I guess that's respectable" and that's it. I totally get the rarity of top sprinting times.

Bolt and Phelps (and Biles) are crazy impressive, but it's within a pool that is literally orders of magnitude more shallow than soccer.

That's all I'm saying. Being 1st in your class by a nose at Harvard Med is probably harder than being 1st in your class by a length at Podunk High School three years in a row.

You and LMD are making me question my thoughts on this, but I still tend to agree with Attie, which is a little frightening to me.

I guess it depends on how many individuals who obviously can run fast, get "streamed" to work that talent. I just kind of assumed it was pretty much universal that if you had that true elite talent (speed), you would be streamed into it. That is probably a faulty assumption, but I don't know to what degree.

I definitely don't agree with your take that it is literally "orders of magnitude" more shallow that soccer. Shallower, probably, but I doubt it is the huge gulf you are suggesting. I agree that for swimming and gymnastics, yes, the pool is orders of magnitude more shallow. But I don't buy that for sprinting. His complete domination of the sport for such a long period of time (in a sport where peaks are usually relatively short) also keeps me leaning towards Bolt.

At the end of the day, I have no issue with a pick of Messi as first as soccer is unquestionably the most played team sport around the world. It is accessible to virtually anyone since the cost to play is essentially a pair of shoes, and even that is optional at young ages.

[PhutureDynasty]

I went to Podunk High School and was 1st in my class 3 years running.

Suck it, Bush.

[Bush4Ever.]

The most popular major sport by participation in the world is soccer, and then a giant gap, minus a bunch of conflation around Asians playing weird sports like cricket and badminton.

I tend to believe money follows depth/talent, even if it's not a perfect correlation for obvious reasons.

Bolt has an estimated net worth of 90 million dollars. Messi is 10xing (an order of magnitude, literally) that by some estimates. Lebron is as well.

The length of domination isn't a separator either is it? I know dick about soccer, but it seems like the main award is the "Ballon d’Or" award, and Messi has won it 8x, over a period of time from 2009-2023 (Bolt won gold 2008-2016).

Put it this way, if I had a son, and God whacked him with a magic wand that let him replicate any athlete's career in the 21st century...someone like Messi is my choice way before Bolt. I'd even go pure American style and pick Tom Brady over Bolt, provided God wouldn't make my son carry Brady's homosexuality as well.

[Bush4Ever.]

I went to Podunk High School and was 1st in my class 3 years running.

Suck it, Bush.

The top student in my class of 83 in high school became a fat baby factory, and the 2nd best turned out to be a filthy liberal BBC whore living in Chicago, writing gibberish on her blog but being a PUBLISHED AUTHOR because she made 50 dollars writing a 200 word blurb for some online magazine called queer or feminism or some such.

Edit: She was so hot though. I'm extremely bitter I didn't hit it in HS, since our lockers were right next to each other and we actually did get along then. Damn it.

[_Vcsgrizzfan_]

The most popular major sport by participation in the world is soccer, and then a giant gap, minus a bunch of conflation around Asians playing weird sports like cricket and badminton.

I tend to believe money follows depth/talent, even if it's not a perfect correlation for obvious reasons.

Bolt has an estimated net worth of 90 million dollars. Messi is 10xing (an order of magnitude, literally) that by some estimates. Lebron is as well.

The length of domination isn't a separator either is it? I know dick about soccer, but it seems like the main award is the "Ballon d’Or" award, and Messi has won it 8x, over a period of time from 2009-2023 (Bolt won gold 2008-2016).

Put it this way, if I had a son, and God whacked him with a magic wand that let him replicate any athlete's career in the 21st century...someone like Messi is my choice way before Bolt. I'd even go pure American style and pick Tom Brady over Bolt, provided God wouldn't make my son carry Brady's homosexuality as well.

I disagree with a few parts of this, again. I think you are underestimating the amount of people in the "pool" of sprinters. We won't agree.

Secondly, of course as a parent you'd want the outcome that creates the most wealth and fame. That is part of the reason for why there would be differences in the depth of the pools, but I've already given my thoughts on that.

Finally, I do think length of domination matters in this instance. "Generally" speaking, sprinters have a significantly shorter peak than soccer players. They rely on peak fast twitch fiber that tend to degrade more rapidly. It is exceedingly rare to see a top level sprinter past the age of 30, or younger than 22 or 23. That is definitely not the case in soccer, or for that matter, most team sports.

I don't know much about soccer either. Messi is up there in the conversation for GOAT I'm sure, with guys like Pele, Rinaldo and guys I don't know. How many years was he the best in the world? Not sure. Bolt was definitely the absolute best in the world for his period of domination. There is no doubt about that. His records still stand, which in and of itself is kind of crazy.

Another thing, not that it is too important. but you can remain a pro in a lot of sports when you are still above average but no longer great. I'm guessing Bolt could have gone to another Olympics or two and been competitive, although probably not winning. That is pretty crazy too.

I think we've flogged that enough.

[Bush4Ever.]

Jesus Christ Grizz. Holy shit.

[Shill Jackson]

The most popular major sport by participation in the world is soccer, and then a giant gap, minus a bunch of conflation around Asians playing weird sports like cricket and badminton.

I tend to believe money follows depth/talent, even if it's not a perfect correlation for obvious reasons.

Bolt has an estimated net worth of 90 million dollars. Messi is 10xing (an order of magnitude, literally) that by some estimates. Lebron is as well.

The length of domination isn't a separator either is it? I know dick about soccer, but it seems like the main award is the "Ballon d’Or" award, and Messi has won it 8x, over a period of time from 2009-2023 (Bolt won gold 2008-2016).

Put it this way, if I had a son, and God whacked him with a magic wand that let him replicate any athlete's career in the 21st century...someone like Messi is my choice way before Bolt. I'd even go pure American style and pick Tom Brady over Bolt, provided God wouldn't make my son carry Brady's homosexuality as well.

I disagree with a few parts of this, again. I think you are underestimating the amount of people in the "pool" of sprinters. We won't agree.

Secondly, of course as a parent you'd want the outcome that creates the most wealth and fame. That is part of the reason for why there would be differences in the depth of the pools, but I've already given my thoughts on that.

Finally, I do think length of domination matters in this instance. "Generally" speaking, sprinters have a significantly shorter peak than soccer players. They rely on peak fast twitch fiber that tend to degrade more rapidly. It is exceedingly rare to see a top level sprinter past the age of 30, or younger than 22 or 23. That is definitely not the case in soccer, or for that matter, most team sports.

I don't know much about soccer either. Messi is up there in the conversation for GOAT I'm sure, with guys like Pele, Rinaldo and guys I don't know. How many years was he the best in the world? Not sure. Bolt was definitely the absolute best in the world for his period of domination. There is no doubt about that. His records still stand, which in and of itself is kind of crazy.

Another thing, not that it is too important. but you can remain a pro in a lot of sports when you are still above average but no longer great. I'm guessing Bolt could have gone to another Olympics or two and been competitive, although probably not winning. That is pretty crazy too.

I think we've flogged that enough.

When it comes to soccer you have the best athletes of most every country (obviously not the US/Canada) focused on the sport. The competition level is massive. Messi has been far and away the best, over a very long time. He’s done so despite very much not being a LeBron-type physical specimen (growth hormone issue in his youth). He should be at the top.
ps - not a single cyclist listed. A cricket player, but no cyclist. Absolute joke of a list.