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With the Olympics in full swing and with a number of seriously dominant athletes on display, I thought this might be an interesting issue to weigh in on.
No poll (too many choices), no real ground rules (though I think time has to factor in here: athletes should be dominant over a decent period), just names, sports, and whys. Obviously, comparing athletes in different sports is highly subjective, but them's the breaks...
To start the ball rolling and to knock off a couple of current hanging curve balls:
Usain Bolt--running (sprints). Almost a given. Fastest person in the world continues to be so, across almost a decade.
Michael Phelps--swimming. 28 medals, 29 world records.
Serena Williams--tennis. Okay, she lost in the Olympics. But her longevity plus number of titles, it's just too much.
Tom Brady--American football. Love or hate him, he has mastered the game imo, like no one else ever has.
Who's next?
No poll (too many choices), no real ground rules (though I think time has to factor in here: athletes should be dominant over a decent period), just names, sports, and whys. Obviously, comparing athletes in different sports is highly subjective, but them's the breaks...
To start the ball rolling and to knock off a couple of current hanging curve balls:
Usain Bolt--running (sprints). Almost a given. Fastest person in the world continues to be so, across almost a decade.
Michael Phelps--swimming. 28 medals, 29 world records.
Serena Williams--tennis. Okay, she lost in the Olympics. But her longevity plus number of titles, it's just too much.
Tom Brady--American football. Love or hate him, he has mastered the game imo, like no one else ever has.
Who's next?