Greatest Sportsman of All Time?

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Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, Willie Mays, and Steve Carlton should all be in this argument. And no, the last one is not local bias.
 
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People who drive cars are not athletes. People who ride horses in races are not athletes. I mean they aren't in total control. The car and horse are what decide the outcome more than them.
I disagree with that... you'll find most motorsport drivers are fit as all fuck. Mark Webber, who just won his first GP, is unbelievably fit, as was Schumacher and all the rest of them. They're athletes, just not in the general sense. But yes in car/horse racing, a lot of it comes down to the car/horse, and that's why that can't really be included.
 
I disagree with that... you'll find most motorsport drivers are fit as all fuck. Mark Webber, who just won his first GP, is unbelievably fit, as was Schumacher and all the rest of them. They're athletes, just not in the general sense. But yes in car/horse racing, a lot of it comes down to the car/horse, and that's why that can't really be included.

Being fit has nothing to do with being an athlete.
 
Really think about that...

You can't race at 300km/h for an hour and a half against g-forces as high as 6 if you aren't fit.. Webber is an athlete.
 
That's not what I'm saying: your reply to the insinuation was that "they're really fit." That's great, but that doesn't make one an athlete.

But I'd also dispute what you're saying there too. An unathletic person could succeed in car racing with ease. I'm not saying they don't need some stamina, but they don't have to be in shape.
 
Hey? Not even remotely close. Basketball is infinitely bigger than cricket globally.

How? Just look at India. Population of 1 billion, and there isnt a child there that hasn't picked up a cricket bat. They go nuts for it. Basketball's biggest market is the US, pop 300 million, a huge chunk of which dont even like it.
 
How? Just look at India. Population of 1 billion, and there isnt a child there that hasn't picked up a cricket bat. They go nuts for it. Basketball's biggest market is the US, pop 300 million, a huge chunk of which dont even like it.

I think he's speaking more in terms of global reach as opposed to actual population figures. Basketball stretches to most of Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, South America, and a good cross-section of Africa in addition to North America.

I'm not sure how ubiquitous cricket is in the rest of the world, but that's probably the most popular American-based sport worldwide right now.
 
I think he's speaking more in terms of global reach as opposed to actual population figures. Basketball stretches to most of Europe, Southeast Asia, Australia, South America, and a good cross-section of Africa in addition to North America.

I'm not sure how ubiquitous cricket is in the rest of the world, but that's probably the most popular American-based sport worldwide right now.

absolutely, but cricket is played extensively in Australia, India, pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, England, Ireland, Scotland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, The Carribean, Canada to a large extent, South Africa, Kenya, Afghanistan, UAE, Zimbabwae, the US have an ok side as well, Argentina, Bermuda, Namibia... the list goes on.

Europe is covered with 2nd and 3rd tier teams, Asia well and truely covered, as is oceania, the middle east, North America, South America, Afria, UK... where else is there??

And the populations of these places alone!

Sorry, but people think cricket isnt global because the absolute pinnacle is exclusive, and open only to 9 teams. But there is a highly competitive second level that are always challenging to break into that area.

The reach of cricket is just as wide as basketball, but people are placing more value on a sport that has the NBA because America support it, but India is the answer to that as the 1 billion citizens of India are bananas over cricket. A higher percentage of the Indian population support and play cricket than the 300 million Americans
 
And large portions of the Chinese population kind of dig basketball, too.
 
Yeah, I was talking about global reach, not the populations of the countries that support. Table tennis has half the worlds population behind it in China, way way more then the entire cricket world combined, but I wouldn’t say it’s a bigger global sport than cricket because of that. Basketball would easily be the 2nd largest team sport in the world behind football/soccer. Lightyears ahead of cricket. It’s incredibly naïve to think that cricket even comes close by even a long shot.

At a domestic competition level, the NBA is certainly the most prominent/popular/best basketball league in the world, but it is by no means the only big one, nor is it that far ahead of the pack. In Europe, the top league is called the Euroleague. Its salaries are in the millions, the games are played out of huge arenas and broadcast globally (including Australia – pay attention, there’s a few games a week on ESPN). 30 teams from 18 countries compete. It’s huge. Below it is the second division Eurocup, which features 54 teams. Below that, the Eurochallenge division (another 38 teams). Moving between divisions works on a similar promotion/relegation system to soccer. The domestic basketball competitions in Europe are easily 2nd only to the football comps in terms of size, reach, finances, popularity etc. There are hundreds of millions of dollars made and spent in European soccer. Plenty of basketball purists actually prefer the Euro leagues to the NBA - more traditional basketball, less for show, more passion. Top shelf Euro teams can and do regularly beat NBA teams in (admittedly exhibition) games as well.

The competitions in South America are not quite as strong - the US and Europe are the biggest financial drawcards for top shelf players - but still incredibly popular. Again, in the majority of countries, second only to soccer. In Asia the competitions are relatively weak in comparison, but in some countries still very popular. Leagues in China, Japan, Philippines and Korea are considered easy money for just outside top level players. They pack the arenas and draw huge TV audiences, so the money is there, but the domestic talent isn’t that strong, so it’s an easy buck. There is though a flood of money coming into the Chinese basketball league at the moment, to try and set it up as the third major league alongside the NBA and the Euroleague, so we’ll see. US basketball is crazy popular through Asia as well. No need to point out how huge names like Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are across that region.

But then you can’t forget the US. That’s 30+ teams, nearly 400 professional players, with representatives from all corners of the globe (including some of the leagues best players). Then there’s the incredibly popular, several hundred team strong college competition (and its utterly brilliant play-off), and a couple of 2nd division professional leagues (including the NBA’s Development League).

But those are just the domestic competitions – of which for cricket, even you would admit, is an area that is really a non-event. But then in terms of international reach it kills cricket too.

You named 21 cricket playing countries above. I’ll be very, very kind and say there’s a mix of 30 former colonies, random islands, and hodge podge backwaters that could patch together a national team of some sort, although we all know at least half of those would be nothing but a joke in any competition, as they usually are, outside the top 6 or so. The basketball World Championships are structured similar to the FIFA World Cup. First, you have to play off within your region. Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, Americas. 49 teams in Europe (with a top tier, i.e. serious challengers, of about 25), 44 teams in Americas (10 good chances), 51 in Africa (5 challengers), and 21 in Oceania (2 challengers). 24 teams make the finals. It’s as intense and competitive as the football WC’s. The US are certainly not a lock – even with top shelf teams they’ve lost the last three (although did win the last Olympics and will be heavy favourites next year) - and even when they do win a tournament, they will drop games or suffer serious scares along the way. The Olympics just gone was the first time in a long time that the US team has gone through a tournament undefeated, and there were plenty of close games. It is a remarkably even competition, with any of a number of teams from Sth America, Nth America, Europe or Asia (including Australia or New Zealand) easily being able to reach at least the Semi’s. There is nothing like the significant drop off in cricket between the Top 4-6 and the rest.

And this is all while completely ignoring womens basketball, which is an incredible, huge, popular force in itself.
 
A) never dreamed of comparing it to soccer

B) I am well aware of what the Euroleague is, as I follow basketball very closely

C)My point wasn't to go through the finer details of who plays basketball or cricket more, it was to make the point that it was a very valid entrant into the global sporting world, and that, given the nature of any global team sport, noone in history has stood as far above the pack in ANY sport as Bradman
 
Sorry, thought you were saying cricket was bigger than basketball globally, and/or that bball had no profile beyond the NBA.
 
If you guys don't think Bevo is the greatest sportsmancow of all time, I just can't help you.
 
Cumdog sucks. Cricket is in it.

I'll let you connect the dots.
 
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