16 replies to this topic

[BSLChrisStoner]

ESPN: Most Dominant Athletes of Last 20 Years

http://www.espn.com/...s-last-20-years

[bnickle]

Fed is easily #1. Or should be.

[Mike in STL]

Peyton Manning is wayyyy to high at 3. Brady at 20? So postseasons mean nothing at all. Guys like Tiger, Fed, Mayweather, Bolt, they get to be miles ahead of their competition, while Manning and Brady were elite, we're not miles ahead of Favre, Brees, Rodgers, etc...

If Trout is on there after only 6 years, where is Curry?

If Bolt is on there where is Phelps?

[bnickle]

Fed at 5 is a joke

[SportsGuy]

Fed is easily #1. Or should be.

Not sure he is easily #1...there is a lot of competition for that spot.

What % of tournaments did he win? Any Idea?

If I were guessing, without looking at raw numbers, I would agree he should be right there with Tiger and Serena.

ESPN says they didn’t take titles into consideration...I don’t see how you can’t though.

[Mike in STL]

This list is better suited for a click bait slideshow site at the bottom of a blog post then it is as a feature in a sports magazine during march madness, spring training, bball and hockey playoff races, NFL combine....but what do I know?

[DJ MC]

Where's Secretariat?

[mweb08]

Phelps is a crazy omission.

Otherwise, it's whatever. I don't love car drivers and golfers being ranked so highly, but if the athleticism of the sport or whatever you want to call auto racing isn't being factored in, and clearly it isn't, then one can justify most of this even if I'd rank them differently or add other athletes.

[RShack]

I like what they said about Barry Bonds...

[Cisc-O's]

Explanation on Phelps.

Where the heck is Michael Phelps?

Here's the issue: There were 34 swimming events at the 2016 Olympics, with three more coming in 2020. And while it makes no sense to count each as a distinct sport, like soccer or baseball, there's also no way to combine times across distances, disciplines, medleys and relays-and no one rating that weights national, international and Olympic competitions for an annual score among individual swimmers. We'd love to tell you where Phelps and Katie Ledecky rank on our list of most dominant athletes, but we can't. It's not our fault, it's the data!

http://www.espn.com/...s-last-20-years

[RShack]

Where's Secretariat?

 

[SBTarheel]

Secretariat was 1973.

 

LeBron should be 1. 

 

but I don't watch Golf, so I can't really question Tiger. 

[mweb08]

Explanation on Phelps.

Where the heck is Michael Phelps?

Here's the issue: There were 34 swimming events at the 2016 Olympics, with three more coming in 2020. And while it makes no sense to count each as a distinct sport, like soccer or baseball, there's also no way to combine times across distances, disciplines, medleys and relays-and no one rating that weights national, international and Olympic competitions for an annual score among individual swimmers. We'd love to tell you where Phelps and Katie Ledecky rank on our list of most dominant athletes, but we can't. It's not our fault, it's the data!

http://www.espn.com/...s-last-20-years

 

Wouldn't this logic also apply to Olympic running events?

[mweb08]

Phelps is a crazy omission.

Otherwise, it's whatever. I don't love car drivers and golfers being ranked so highly, but if the athleticism of the sport or whatever you want to call auto racing isn't being factored in, and clearly it isn't, then one can justify most of this even if I'd rank them differently or add other athletes.

 

Also, as I talked about before in the best athletes of our lifetime list that Rob and I did, there seems to be a mainstream sport bias in this, which is not unexpected, but it should be said that a lot of sports were probably completely ignored in this. 

[SportsGuy]

Also, as I talked about before in the best athletes of our lifetime list that Rob and I did, there seems to be a mainstream sport bias in this, which is not unexpected, but it should be said that a lot of sports were probably completely ignored in this.

Mike Golic mentioned that Cael Sanderson should be on the list. He went 159-0 in college and then won a gold medal.

He also mentioned that he won 4 state titles in high school, although that was outside of the 20 year period.

And just for good measure, he coaches Penn St, who has won 7 of the last 8 national titles.

Obviously coaching shouldn’t be included but no one dominated his sport like he did(its impossible to)...yet he would never be considered for exactly the reason you mentioned.

[bnickle]

Since yoy brought up wrestling. If you guys dont know who Maryland born Kyle Snyder is go look him up.


Oh, and Fed is still #1.

[Mike in STL]

Mike Golic mentioned that Cael Sanderson should be on the list. He went 159-0 in college and then won a gold medal.

He also mentioned that he won 4 state titles in high school, although that was outside of the 20 year period.

And just for good measure, he coaches Penn St, who has won 7 of the last 8 national titles.

Obviously coaching shouldn’t be included but no one dominated his sport like he did(its impossible to)...yet he would never be considered for exactly the reason you mentioned.

John Cena is a 16-time world champion!

 

But seriously. I would think if Rousey hadn't lost her last two fights, she would have to be on this list. Since being so far ahead of the other competitors carries weight here. I mean, when you are beating people in a a matter of seconds over and over and over again, thats pretty damn dominant. Different sport, but Ali won 56 fights, only 37 were by knockout though.