Mount Rushmore: Athletes

[albionmoonlight]

I don't know if we have done this one yet. A Mount Rushmore of every athlete in history. (If you don't know the rules of Mount Rushmores--they are simple. Pick 4 people from the category to represent that category. No more. No less). What's cool about this is that the pool of potential candidates is so large. I can think of 10 or so people off the top of my head who could be a justifiable choice on such a mountain.

Anyway-- my four:

Muhammad Ali ("The Greatest." I can't argue with that.)

Pele (as someone said below--the greatest player in the world's most popular sport)

Babe Ruth (An icon. People who haven't watched a game in their lives know who he is. Every player to come since is measured against the Babe.)

Jim Thorpe (A pure athlete. He excelled at a world class level in any sport to which he turned his attention.)

[VPI97]

Jesse Owens - The biggest sociological & political impact from an athlete
Hank Aaron - The holder of the "biggest' record in American sports
Walter Payton - The penultimate example of how I'd want my son to be if he grew up to become an athlete.
Wayne Gretzky - The most impressive statistical career of anyone in sports.

[Huckleberry]

Jesse Owens
Carl Lewis
Muhammad Ali
Bruce Lee

[I. J. Reilly]

Arthur Ashe & Lou Gehrig; they each get two sculptures.

[Crapshoot]

Pele - Greatest player, world's game.

Don Bradman - the man dominated cricket to an extent never seen since, and was an Australian national treasure.

Babe Ruth - Changed baseball - completely and utterly. Its a shame he didn't play against all the top level talent.

Jesse Owens - a giant fuck-you to the Furher - that is a legacy.

[WSUCougar]

Michael Jordan - Dominated a sport with arguably the world's best athletes
Bo Jackson - When healthy, Bo had seemingly limitless athleticism.
Pele - A world-beater
Wayne Gretzky - Seemed like he had magic powers on the ice

[albionmoonlight]

Walter Payton - The penultimate example of how I'd want my son to be if he grew up to become an athlete.

Sweetness is my favorite athlete of all time.

[WSUCougar]

Sweetness is my favorite athlete of all time.
If you look up "running back" in the dictionary, his picture should be there.

[Samdari]

Jackie Robinson. Four times.

[Huckleberry]

Main Entry: pen·ul·ti·mate http://www.m-w.com/images/audio.gif (javascript:popWin('/cgi-bin/audio.pl?penult04.wav=penultimate'))
Pronunciation: <TT>pi-'n&l-t&-m&t</TT>
Function: adjective
1 : next to the last <the penultimate chapter of a book>
2 : of or relating to a penult (http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/penult) <a penultimate accent>


Main Entry: pe·nult http://www.m-w.com/images/audio.gif (javascript:popWin('/cgi-bin/audio.pl?penult02.wav=penult')) http://www.m-w.com/images/audio.gif (javascript:popWin('/cgi-bin/audio.pl?penult01.wav=penult'))
Pronunciation: <TT>'pE-"n&lt, pi-'</TT>
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin paenultima penult, from feminine of paenultimus almost last, from paene almost + ultimus last -- more at ULTIMATE (http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/ultimate)
: the next to the last member of a series; especially : the next to the last syllable of a word

I apologize, but that specific word is one of my pet peeves. Carry on, and I agree with the sentiment regarding Payton.

[GoldenEagle]

Jesse Owens - The biggest sociological & political impact from an athlete
Hank Aaron - The holder of the "biggest' record in American sports
Walter Payton - The penultimate example of how I'd want my son to be if he grew up to become an athlete.
Wayne Gretzky - The most impressive statistical career of anyone in sports.


On that reasoning, what if Barry Bonds were to pass Aaron?

[WSUCougar]

I apologize, but that specific word is one of my pet peeves. Carry on, and I agree with the sentiment regarding Payton.
's alright. But if you were in the IHOF, your team would be shoveling shit for 10 seasons at least. :D

[Bee]

Jim Brown
Jim Thorpe
Bo Jackson
Deion Sanders


edit: I might replace Deion if I can think of someone better. The other 3 in my book are locks.

[tanglewood]

Pele
Muhammad Ali
Micheal Jordan
Don Bradman

[JonInMiddleGA]

Babe Ruth
Roger Bannister
Bobby Jones
Michael Jordan

[Pumpy Tudors]

Comedy response:

David Eckstein
Bart Conner
The third guy in the Jamaican bobsled
Pumpy Tudors

[Maple Leafs]

The third guy in the Jamaican bobsled
Pumpy Tudors
Why does he get to be on there twice?

[digamma]

Jackie Robinson
Michael Jordan
Muhammed Ali
Babe Ruth

[JonInMiddleGA]

Comedy response:

David Eckstein
Bart Conner
The third guy in the Jamaican bobsled
Pumpy Tudors

That IS a joke ... nobody in their right mind would put Bart Conner on Rushmore ahead of Kurt "Gymkata" Thomas. His cinematic career transcends sports.

[SelzShoes]

Michael Jordan
Babe Ruth
Pele
Jim Brown

[Lathum]

Ali- For all the mentioned reasons
Jackie Robinson- Imagine what sports would be like if they were still segragated
Roger Bannister-First four minute mile, an amazinz feet at the time
Jordan- Most dominate player in any sport I have ever seen in my lifetime

[digamma]

Bannister is interesting. He was arguably the third best miler in 1954, but he got to four minutes first. John Landy, an Aussie, broke Bannister's record by more than a second just two months after Bannister hit the four minute mark. Bannister later defeated Landy in the 1954 Commonwealth Games, but Landy was running on a bad foot he completely gashed earlier in the week while jogging barefooted. Landy never mentioned the injury.

Perhaps better than both was American Wes Santee. Santee was a star for the University of Kansas track team. Along the way he got into a dispute with the AAU and had his amateur status stripped. He couldn't get into races because of that and because of that never broke the four minute mile in a competitive race. In a surely uncomfortable setting, he did the television commentary for the US broadcast of the Landy-Bannister race at the Commonwealth games.

Deservedly, Bannister's legacy burns strongest today. He was the consumate amateur, studying in medical school and running on the side. He's had a long career in medicine and has continued to be active in British athletics.

[bob]

Joe Montana
Steve Yzerman
Barry Sanders
Jesse Owens

[Tigercat]

Owens
Thorpe
Jordan
Pele

[ntndeacon]

Babe Ruth
Babe Didreckson Zaharias
Jim Thorpe
Pele

[Raiders Army]

Depending what on people deem as athletes:

(Sports)
Michael Jordan
Pele
Wayne Gretzky
Babe Ruth
(Tiger Woods has a shot of making this list later on)

(True Athletes)
Muhammed Ali
Jim Thorpe
Carl Lewis
Babe Didrikson

A lot of people have different definitions of athletes.

[Maple Leafs]

All you people voting for Jackie Robinson -- where the hell were you when I was getting ripped for taking him in the second round of the All-Time Sports Draft?

&lt;/still bitter&gt;

[Joe]

Wayne Gretzky
Walter Payton
Christian Laettner
Barry Bonds

[Solecismic]

Baseball: Babe Ruth
Football: Johnny Unitas
Hockey: Gordie Howe
Basketball: Wilt Chamberlain

Each played a pivotal role in his sport's rise to popularity (okay, hockey hasn't quite made it). If we're going on more recent history, then Aaron, Montana, Gretzky and Jordan.

[WSUCougar]

You know what's a riot? For a moment I thought someone posted Christian Laettner's name up there. Ha! Man, I must be tired. *whew*

[Abe Sargent]

If you make my top "athelete" list, then you need to be a real athelete. I want someone who dominates in multiple categories, multiple athletic skills. I agree that, say, a weight lifter is an athelete, but the greatest weight lifter in the world won't make my list while someone else is great in many skills. There's a difference, to my mind, between "athelete" and "sports star." For example, Tiger Woods would never make my athelete list, but he might make a sports star list.

Don Hutson - A three way player (safety, wr, kicker) who had a bunch pf picks, despite playing in a pass light era, a bunch of receiving yards and accolades, and had been called by many the greatest player in the game.

Pete Sampras - Despite failing to win one in France, Pete was great becuase he was such a well rounded tennis player. Fast, precise, good service, agile, he was without a major flaw. The only "weaknesses" he had were just lesser strengths.

Pele - I'm grabbing him from other lists because he's a great call. Sincerest form of flattery and all that.

Jim Thorpe - Without a doubt an amazing athelete.



-Anxiety


EDIT: Thorpe would be my top athelete overall.

[Arctus]

Roberto Clemente
Pat Tillman
Arthur Ashe
Jackie Robinson

[Maple Leafs]

Hockey: Gordie Howe
How could you possibly argue that Gordie Howe had more of an impact on hockey's popularity than Wayne Gretzky?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Comedy Dave Duerson option

[Vince]

Joe Montana
Wayne Gretzky
Michael Jordan
Muhammad Ali

It's very difficult to leave Pele or one of the baseball greats (Ruth, Mays (homer pick, there), Aaron) off this list, but that's how mine would stack up.

[Joe]

You know what's a riot? For a moment I thought someone posted Christian Laettner's name up there. Ha! Man, I must be tired. *whew*
:mad:

[PSUColonel]

Dean Houston...hands down.

[MIJB#19]

Depending what on people deem as athletes:

(Sports)
Michael Jordan
Pele
Wayne Gretzky
Babe Ruth
(Tiger Woods has a shot of making this list later on)

(True Athletes)
Muhammed Ali
Jim Thorpe
Carl Lewis
Babe Didrikson

A lot of people have different definitions of athletes.
I think you missplaced Muhammed Ali there too. ;)

[Raiders Army]

Boxers are far more conditioned than any other Sports Athlete, with maybe the exception of wrestlers. Even wrestlers don't go at it for over half an hour. Anyone who has ever boxed before would know that even two minute rounds seem like an eternity. ;)

[MIJB#19]

Boxers are far more conditioned than any other Sports Athlete, with maybe the exception of wrestlers. Even wrestlers don't go at it for over half an hour. Anyone who has ever boxed before would know that even two minute rounds seem like an eternity. ;)
It was in respons to your athlete definition. I always have a hard time matching the word athlete with any other sport than athletics. :)

[Raiders Army]

If the sport requires them to wear an athletic suppporter, does that make it athletics? :D