The best of all time in each sport

Who is the greatest individual player in each sport?

I'll start with a pretty obvious one-

Cricket- Sir Donald Bradman

Don't know if this will work for team sports.

Why not? Most team sports have three or four people who are widely acknowledged as the best.

Well Bradman is acknowledged as the greatest batsman, not sure all will regard him as the greatest cricketer.

Eddie the Eagle?

Erik the Eel?

There is an argument for Sobers as the greatest all round cricketer of all time.

Football- Pele.

Some say Maradona, but I refuse to consider him because he was a f*cking cheat. Others say Messi, but he still has a lot to prove, imo. Didn't show up for Argentina in the last World Cup, and for all that a player achieves domestically, I think his performances at international level has a big say in how great he is.

For pure talent, many people would go with George Best, but the booze ruined him and he could never fulfill his potential.

Henry wrote:There is an argument for Sobers as the greatest all round cricketer of all time.

Football- Pele.

Some say Maradona, but I refuse to consider him because he was a f*cking cheat. Others say Messi, but he still has a lot to prove, imo. Didn't show up for Argentina in the last World Cup, and for all that a player achieves domestically, I think his performances at international level has a big say in how great he is.

For pure talent, many people would go with George Best, but the booze ruined him and he could never fulfill his potential.

Wasn't Pele a bit one dimensional?

Golf is Tiger
F1 is the Aryian
Basketball is Kobe
AFL is Peter Matera
League is Tim Brasher
Football is Maradona
Tennis is Borg
Swimming is Phelps

Athletics is Michael Johnson
Union is Lomu

Did you Google them on your iPad with one hand?

Paul Keating wrote:Athletics is Michael Johnson
Union is Lomu

That being the same Lomu who never won a WC and never scored a try against the Boks? Good choice.

Paul Keating wrote:Golf is Tiger
F1 is the Aryian
Basketball is Kobe
AFL is Peter Matera
League is Tim Brasher
Football is Maradona
Tennis is Borg
Swimming is Phelps

No way. Jordan has him covered. Kobe's career field goal percentage is around 44%. He scores a lot of points but he takes a lot of shots. Jordan's fg percentage was around 50%. Wilt Chamberlain was better than Kobe as well.

taipan wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:Athletics is Michael Johnson
Union is Lomu

That being the same Lomu who never won a WC and never scored a try against the Boks? Good choice.

WTF you need to win a WC to be considered the best?

I will go with Mark Ella or Eales

Paul Keating wrote:

taipan wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:Athletics is Michael Johnson
Union is Lomu

That being the same Lomu who never won a WC and never scored a try against the Boks? Good choice.

WTF you need to win a WC to be considered the best?

I will go with Mark Ella or Eales

Well you have to achievesomething. Lomu didn't achieve much.

Cricket- DGB/Sobers
Football- Pele
Rugby Union- Dan Carter
Golf- Jack Nicklaus
Basketball- Michael Jordan
Tennis- Roger Federer
F1- Michael Schumacher (between 1993 and 2006)

taipan wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:

taipan wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:Athletics is Michael Johnson
Union is Lomu

That being the same Lomu who never won a WC and never scored a try against the Boks? Good choice.

WTF you need to win a WC to be considered the best?

I will go with Mark Ella or Eales

Well you have to achievesomething. Lomu didn't achieve much.

In his prime (1995-2000), Lomu was a player that hadn't been seen before, and hasn't been seen since. In other words, he was awesome. A 6 foot 5 winger with incredible speed and the power of a prop. It was almost unfair at times.

Henry wrote:

taipan wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:

taipan wrote:

Paul Keating wrote:Athletics is Michael Johnson
Union is Lomu

That being the same Lomu who never won a WC and never scored a try against the Boks? Good choice.

WTF you need to win a WC to be considered the best?

I will go with Mark Ella or Eales

Well you have to achievesomething. Lomu didn't achieve much.

In his prime (1995-2000), Lomu was a player that hadn't been seen before, and hasn't been seen since. In other words, he was awesome. A 6 foot 3 winger with incredible speed and the power of a prop. It was almost unfair at times.

And as I said, he still couldn't score a try against the Boks.

Henry wrote:F1- Michael Schumacher (between 1993 and 2006)

How can you specify a time frame?

Almost every sportsman throughout history has a hole in their career record.

So, either you are the best or you aren't

You sound like the Paks back in C4 days.

taipan wrote:

Henry wrote:F1- Michael Schumacher (between 1993 and 2006)

How can you specify a time frame?

Well I guess I shouldn't. He has tarnished his career in the last two years with his comeback at the age of 41. So you can either say he isn't the best because of his bad judgement in making a comeback, or you can say he is the best because in his prime he was by far the best F1 driver the World has seen, and that anyone in history would struggle to be competitive in F1 at the age of 41.

Using a combination of "best" and "greatest" (and only males of course):

Cricket - Bradman
Boxing - Ali
Soccer - Pele
Golf - Jack
Formula 1 - Senna
MotoGP - Rossi
Tennis - Laver (at least until Nadal wins his 16th slam)
Cycling - Eddie Merkxx
Basketball - Jordan
Athletics - Jesse Owens or Carl Lewis
Swimming - Phelps
Rugby Union - ??? Gareth Edwards? John Eales? Colin Meads?
Rugby League - Johnny Raper
AFL - WGAF? Wayne Carey? I know Polly Farmer usually gets mentioned
NFL - ??? Jim Brown? Joe Montana?
Baseball - Babe Ruth
NHL - Gretsky
Squash - Jahangir Khan
Darts - Phil "The Power" Taylor
Snooker - Stephen Hendry
Billiards - Walter Lindrum
Chess - Kasparov
Rowing - Steve Redgrave I guess
Poker - Amarillo Slim

AFL's greatest would probably be Gary Ablett senior, no?

Henry wrote:AFL's greatest would probably be Gary Ablett senior, no?

Is he even better than his son?