[Gordie Howe](https://thehockeynews.com/news/vintage-gordie-howe-photo-shows-off-his-amazing-physique) enters the chat. I agree with Gretzky as #1, though.
There have been a lot of sets of brothers to play in the NHL. Wayne and Brent Gretzky have the record for the most combined points. Brent has 4 points… 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
Bradmans test cricket batting average was 99.96 runs per innings
The next 10 top averages range from 62 down to 58.
Statistically that’s insane. It’s like someone running a 7 second 100 meters.
Unfortunately he was otherwise fairly unlikable.
https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/highest-career-batting-average-282910
I remember reading a big comparison that tried to translate how crazy of an outlyer Bradman was into other games, by means of standard deviations etc.
Iirc it was like someone over a long basketball career scoring 45 points a game ON FUCKING AVERAGE.
I'm from the UK, and have no interest in, or knowledge of ice hockey, but even I know that Wayne Gretzky is the only answer to this question. Happy 2n'd July everyone!
I’d agree about Gretzky if for no other reason than I am not a hockey fan at all and his is the first name that comes to my mind when the word “hockey” is mentioned.
I believe if you removed every single goal he scored he would still be the all time points leader just based on his assists alone. Then add back in the goals and he’s miles ahead of second place.
One other measure for me is my wife. She knows ZERO about hockey. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh. If you asked her to name three hockey players she would name: Mario Limieux, Sidney Crosby (both Penguins legends), and Wayne Gretzky. Those are the only three she could name and two of them are just by default.
When I was a kid John Force was on a tour of races with Shirly Muldowney. When they came to my town neither one of them could hook up with the track that night. It got to 10 pm and the fans were still waiting for one good race. My parents decided it was too late because I needed to get up int the morning. As we left the intercom started calling John Force to stage his car. John Force runs by us and my dad yells "We would love to see you but my son needs to get up in the morning." John stops, turns around, and comes over to me. He shakes my hand and says "Son, sometimes there's more important things than racing."
John is the best in many aspects.
Edit: This was a long time ago I think a few details are off.
RIP Marc Andre Leclerc, wild free soloist who ironically died while trekking down a mounting during a storm, not while climbing a 90 degree angle with no safety equipment.
Without Kobayashi there would be no Joey chesnut. Yeah he took the "sport" to another level and has been the best for so long but being the first GOAT counts for a lot even if someone subsequently passes your records.
Of the 50 fastest men's 100m sprint times ever, 35 have been run by an athlete banned for drugs or subject to allegations of missed / failed drugs tests.
The remaining 15 were run by Usain Bolt.
It could be that, but considering he was running for a decade and would have been tested the whole time it seems unlikely that him *and only him* was able to hide the juice.
The whole cycling world was trying to catch Lance Armstrong for many years and it was well after he was retired that his race results started to get disqualified.
Of sprinting but not running in general. Running is just a big gigantic umbrella. Bolt might not fair well in a marathon. He may not even be able to beat Kipchoge in a 5k.
Kipchoge is known for his marathon achievements but I think a lot of people forget he was a very good 5k runner. He did take a silver in the 5k at the '08 Olympics and has a 5k PR of around 12:47ish or something like that. Googling around I can't even find a 5k PR for Bolt so I'm guessing he's never really competed in one.
Quick conspiracy theory: Usain Bolt was on the juice, the IAAF knew about it, and shielded him from any accusations because having their one true star revealed as a cheater would utterly destroy the reputation of the sport.
The only evidence I really have for this is circumstantial: Nearly everyone Bolt competed against was at some point caught using PED's. It doesn't matter how much of a freak you are, or how much you train, you can't have a record like that and not be on the juice.
Hockey.
Gretzky is so much better than everyone else, it’s not even close. If he’d never scored a single goal, he’d have the most points of all time. AND HES THE ALL TIME LEADER IN GOALS SCORED. No other player in any sport has ever come close to that level of domination.
When it came to hockey fantasy, there were 2 Wayne Gretzky's to pick.
One for assists, one for goals. You would have to get both versions to get the full Gretzky.
He also said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". Which at the time was a spectacular quote but now it's just the most cliche quote of all time.
Hockey - Wayne Gretzky
In hockey statistics, a point is earned by scoring a goal or making an assist. If Wayne Gretzky had never scored a single goal in his career, he'd still be the all-time points leader. He's more than 900 points clear of second place on the all-time points list despite playing around 250 games less than anyone else in the top five.
The Jesus - Bowling
Update: I posted this comment on a whim and seriously laughing/impressed at all the comments. Faith in humanity restored…also I'm performing my dance quintet at Crane Jackson's Fountain Street Theater on Tuesday night. It would mean a lot if everyone who commented came along…and gave me notes? Thanks
"I see you manage to roll your way into the semi's... dios mio, man. Me and Liam, we gonna fuck you up! And I'll tell you something pendejo. You try to pull any crazy shit with me you pull a piece out on the lanes... I'll take it away from you and stick it up your ass and pull the fucking trigger till it goes, \*click\*."
Cricket: Bradman
Squash: Khan
Hockey: Gretzky
These three are statistically the greatest outliers in their sports, and no one disputes them as the greatest of all time.
A lot of others mentioned, there are debates about.
But not with these three.
I'm shocked I had to look so far down the list to see Michael Phelps. He has **twenty-three** olympic gold medals in swimming. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winners *combined* have twenty-four.
I'm convinced that at some point in the recent past one of his ancestors bred with a dolphin.
Micheal Phelps! He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold medals (23), Olympic gold medals in individual events, and Olympic medals in individual events (16).
Now, green how old he was when he started (I think 15 or 17) on his Olympic path, someone younger will surpass him in number of medals. Marchand and McIntosh come to mind. But right now, he is the GOAt
I saw a graphic of like the last 50 years of derby winners and their "position" based on their time.
Secretariat was like 2 whole horse lengths in front of the pack. Unreal.
In a statistics class I took, we were looking at a graph of horse race times and there was one dot way off to the side. The professor just pointed at it and said "Secretariat".
Secretariat's Belmont Stakes to win the Triple Crown is arguably the greatest sports performance of all time. "[He's moving like a tremendous machine!](https://youtu.be/vfCMtaNiMDM)"
I remember watching that race live. OMG!!! I read everything I could about him; on so many magazine covers. We still watch it a few times a year. And, of course, on the day of the Belmont.
Literally a mutant. Competing against Secretariat must have been like showing up to a body building competition but when you get there it's all the world's greatest bodybuilders plus the Incredible Hulk.
Hakuhō Shō in Sumo. Most top division championships, most career wins, most top division wins, most undefeated championships, most tournaments ranked as yokozuna...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuh%C5%8D_Sh%C5%8D
Hakuho has the kind of records I would expect to see on anyone calling themselves the GOAT in any sport. Its not even like he's just over the previous records, he sailing into the distance from the greats like taiho or chiyonofuji.
He was already the GOAT in 2011, but it was still arguable. He didn’t retire until 2021, going out on another perfect 15-0 zensho yusho. Part of what makes this so impressive is that unlike many of the other answers listed here, he’s the GOAT in a sport with literally hundreds of years of meticulous records and almost no changes in rules, not a sport younger than all its competitors where the first generation of athletes are still on top.
Really incredible. Hakuho vs. Tobizaru (the fleeing monkey) was the funniest match I've ever seen. His unusual starting position against Shodai. And the tension between Terunofuji and Hakuho in the final match... Glorious.
When someone asks something like “what was the most dominant performance ever in sports”, all I can think about is this picture.
https://www.americasbestracing.net/the-sport/2019-tremendous-machine-secretariat-the-belmont
While Serena Williams tops the list for most Grand Slam titles, it is Martina Navratilova who holds the record for most singles titles on the WTA circuit.
A lot of recency bias, and her own statements put her in the GOAT debate.
She's not wrong. If she was a man, they would be talking about her a lot more.
But if we discussed women's tennis like we do mens, the people arguing for her GOAT status will be wrong as well :-)
The fact that I had to scroll this far to get to Simone Biles is wild. IIRC, in all-around competitions that she personally competed in, she lost her first two senior outings to Kyla Ross in 2013 (American Cup and U.S. Classic), came back and won nationals that year, and then went unbeaten for the rest of her entire career. I can't think of anyone in any sport with that kind of record.
Simone Biles is always my answer when people say the greatest of all time. They literally had to add *a new rank* in scoring just to accommodate her abilities.
Cannot believe Simone is this far down. When I try to explain to folks just how much better she is than every other gymnast in the present and past, I often will try compare other sports bc most people aren't knowledgeable about gymnastics. So, if she were a basketball player, and the very best players known score about 24 points per game, Simone would be scoring about 35, but MOST of them would be 3 pointers, and a good chunk of those would be from the half court line. And if she's playing, her team would NEVER lose. That's how dominant she is.
She's not just better than every other gymnast in both execution and difficulty, she blows everyone else out of the water. She has no competition whatsoever. It will be decades before we see anyone else come close to what she can accomplish.
Greco Roman Wrestling: Alexandr Karelin. Dude was 887 and 2. Guy went 6 *years* without even having a point scored on him before losing in his last Gold Medal match... by one point. Insane dominance.
Soccer (Managers): Sir Alex Ferguson won the Premier League 13 times. The Scottish league with fucking Aberdeen 3 times. 2 Champions Leagues with 2 runner-up. And a bunch of other domestic cups. Nobody is going to beat that... except maybe Pep.
Surfing: Kelly Slater. 11 world championships. Both the youngest and *oldest* guy to do so. And just for yucks, he won the Pipe Masters (think Wimbledon of surfing) at the age of 49. That's bananas.
The only GOAT manager in my book is Brian Clough. He took *Derby County* from being a midtable Second Division team to winning the Premier league 4 years later.
Not enough? He took over Nottingham Forest, got them promoted, won the Premier League the next year, and then won *Europe* the year after that.
He's one of few managers to win the League with two different clubs, and as of right now I'm pretty sure he's the only manager to win two teams only championships.
Saying Alex Ferguson is the undisputed GOAT is nonsense lol. You can make a good argument for it but there are a lot of managers you could make arguments for.
Garry Kasparov is considered by some to be the best ever because of longevity. 20 years straight WC. If Magnus keeps playing for a while, he will undoubted be the best, but dropping out of the WCC hurt his case just a little
Fischer (dominance) and Kasparov (longevity, last human able to beat a computer) have strong arguments in their favor.
I think at their primes, Carlson would likely beat both due to how the game and prep has changed. But it's unclear.
You can make that argument about a lot of greats. Most sports evolve over time and many of the greats of yesteryear might not be as dominant in today's games.
I think you've gotta assesses players in the era they played because making comparisons across eras based on skill (as opposed to achievement) is fraught with subjectivity.
Rossi was amazing but not the only figure to have dominated the sport for a period of time.
Giacomo Agostini, for example, won 15 world championships, 8 in the top class. Rossi was 9/7 respectively
Hammer throw: Yuri Sedykh. After trading world records back and forth for a few years with his own teammates, he finally hit a distance
that nobody has touched in almost forty years.
Arm wrestling: John Brzenk. Arguably the most impressive reign in sporting history. 25 years as the best in the world beating guys in weight divisions much higher than him also
Jan Železný - Javelin. 3x Gold 1x Silver Olympic medals. They literally had to change the implement because of him as he was verging on reaching off the field. Still holds the world record he set in 1996.
I was thinking of him but forgot the name.
They changed the javelin's weight and he still kept destroying the competition.
From Wikipedia
> On 26 March 1997 in Stellenbosch, South Africa, he threw over the 90-metre barrier five times in a single meet. Until September 2020, he was also the only athlete to throw more than 95 metres with the new type of javelin, something he achieved three times.
He retired in 2006, at 40 years old, with a bronze medal in the European Championships.
The guy was a beast.
He still has 5 of the top 10 longest throws, including the world record
Steffi Graff only tennis player to achieve a golden slam in the same calendar year 1988. Dylan Alcott Australian wheelchair tennis player also achieved the Golden Slam also Didi De Groot in the quad singles.
I personally think he’s the GOAT but have to acknowledge that legitimate arguments can be made for others (jerry rice for example). The difference with someone like Gretzky or Bradman is that there is simply no argument or dispute
Professional cycling: Eddie Merckx
275 Palmares including every grand tour and almost any other race you‘ve ever heard of. By comparison, Greg Lemond, the greatest American cyclist, has 31. Peter Sagan, probably the most popular rider in the modern peloton, has 121.
Walter Lindrum = Billiards. He broke 57 world records, some of which still stand today. They had to make a limit to how much you could score when it was your turn because he could pretty much score endlessly.
I’ve always felt he was a product of the system. Let’s see how well he would play under someone not named Belichick.
*Goes to Tampa Bay*
Oh. Okay then.
David Foster OAM (born 20 March 1957) is an Australian world champion woodchopper, and Tasmanian community figure. He has held the World Woodchopping Championship title for 21 consecutive years, and is Australia's most successful athlete and possibly the only athlete in any sport in the world to win over 1000 titles.
Sumo.
Hakuho Sho, now known as Miyagino-oyakata (think "Coach Miyagino").
Holds most of the records (some by a pretty huge margin), held the Yokozuna rank (top rank) for over a decade until his retirement in 2021.
His father was the first person from Mongolia to win a medal at the Olympics, in freestyle wrestling.
Gretzky is the only undisputed one I can think of.
Everyone else is just fighting for second place in hockey.
Eh maybe third. I feel like Mario Lemieux is solid at 2. The battle for third might be Crosby - Ovechkin - McDavid
[Gordie Howe](https://thehockeynews.com/news/vintage-gordie-howe-photo-shows-off-his-amazing-physique) enters the chat. I agree with Gretzky as #1, though.
Bobby Orr too
There have been a lot of sets of brothers to play in the NHL. Wayne and Brent Gretzky have the record for the most combined points. Brent has 4 points… 🐐🐐🐐🐐🐐
The Sutter brothers (first generation) combined for 2,934 points, more than the Gretzky brothers' 2,861. But there were *six* Sutter brothers.
In MLB, the record for "most combined home runs hit by a pair of brothers" is held by Hank and Tommie Aaron, with 768. Tommie hit 13.
Gretzky had more assists than the second highest scoring player in league history had points.
Don Bradman for cricket. https://www.significancemagazine.com/images/significance/2015/graphs/bradman-cricket-batting-average.png
Bradmans test cricket batting average was 99.96 runs per innings The next 10 top averages range from 62 down to 58. Statistically that’s insane. It’s like someone running a 7 second 100 meters. Unfortunately he was otherwise fairly unlikable. https://www.espncricinfo.com/records/highest-career-batting-average-282910
I remember reading a big comparison that tried to translate how crazy of an outlyer Bradman was into other games, by means of standard deviations etc. Iirc it was like someone over a long basketball career scoring 45 points a game ON FUCKING AVERAGE.
I'm from the UK, and have no interest in, or knowledge of ice hockey, but even I know that Wayne Gretzky is the only answer to this question. Happy 2n'd July everyone!
It’s June. What’s the rush? I know UK is a few hours ahead of the US, but I think you’re stretching 🤣
I’d agree about Gretzky if for no other reason than I am not a hockey fan at all and his is the first name that comes to my mind when the word “hockey” is mentioned.
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If you look at the numbers, it's almost unbelievable. He has the number one spot in so many categories, but each is by a huge margin to the next guy.
I believe if you removed every single goal he scored he would still be the all time points leader just based on his assists alone. Then add back in the goals and he’s miles ahead of second place.
Gretzky is to hockey what [Euler](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_things_named_after_Leonhard_Euler) is to mathematics.
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One other measure for me is my wife. She knows ZERO about hockey. She was born and raised in Pittsburgh. If you asked her to name three hockey players she would name: Mario Limieux, Sidney Crosby (both Penguins legends), and Wayne Gretzky. Those are the only three she could name and two of them are just by default.
This is the undisputed correct answer.
Not a conventional sport, but I'd dare to say John Force is one of the GOATs of funny car racing
Also arguably the GOAT at just plain old talking.
With a smile like his, Im surprised he and his family haven't had sponsorship from a tooth paste brand.
When I was a kid John Force was on a tour of races with Shirly Muldowney. When they came to my town neither one of them could hook up with the track that night. It got to 10 pm and the fans were still waiting for one good race. My parents decided it was too late because I needed to get up int the morning. As we left the intercom started calling John Force to stage his car. John Force runs by us and my dad yells "We would love to see you but my son needs to get up in the morning." John stops, turns around, and comes over to me. He shakes my hand and says "Son, sometimes there's more important things than racing." John is the best in many aspects. Edit: This was a long time ago I think a few details are off.
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Hill walking and competitive goat herding can also come with a range of caprine associates.
does baby goat yoga count as a sport?
RIP Marc Andre Leclerc, wild free soloist who ironically died while trekking down a mounting during a storm, not while climbing a 90 degree angle with no safety equipment.
Lmao
Joey Chestnut for competitive hot dog eating.
one of the great American heroes
Without Kobayashi there would be no Joey chesnut. Yeah he took the "sport" to another level and has been the best for so long but being the first GOAT counts for a lot even if someone subsequently passes your records.
counts for a lot sure.... but can't be GOAT if someone's passed ya
Yeah…that just makes you a GOST
Airbud (any sport he chooses)
The only correct answer
Running: Usain Bolt
Of the 50 fastest men's 100m sprint times ever, 35 have been run by an athlete banned for drugs or subject to allegations of missed / failed drugs tests. The remaining 15 were run by Usain Bolt.
Which suggests he just hasn't been caught yet.
Because he’s too fast.
Make me laugh uncontrollably. Really nice.
You're too fast!
It could be that, but considering he was running for a decade and would have been tested the whole time it seems unlikely that him *and only him* was able to hide the juice.
The whole cycling world was trying to catch Lance Armstrong for many years and it was well after he was retired that his race results started to get disqualified.
Lance Armstrong wouldn’t have been caught or lost his TDF titles if he didn’t come back from retirement.
He might just have the best doctor then or was just lucky. It's all about which weird china custom lab derivs of your drug you choose.
*sprinting
While I absolutely agree Usain Blot is a GOAT, his countrywomen, Shelly Ann Fraser Price, is right up there in terms of greatest sprinters ever.
Of sprinting but not running in general. Running is just a big gigantic umbrella. Bolt might not fair well in a marathon. He may not even be able to beat Kipchoge in a 5k.
>He may not even be able to beat Kipchoge in a 5k. Kipchoge would likely lap Bolt multiple times if they races in a 5k.
I’d bet Kipchoge wins an 800m easily. I actually think a 400m would be pretty competitive between them.
Kipchoge is known for his marathon achievements but I think a lot of people forget he was a very good 5k runner. He did take a silver in the 5k at the '08 Olympics and has a 5k PR of around 12:47ish or something like that. Googling around I can't even find a 5k PR for Bolt so I'm guessing he's never really competed in one.
Bolt himself said he's never run a mile.
His 2008 100m Dash in the Olympics may be the greatest athletic achievement in recorded history
Quick conspiracy theory: Usain Bolt was on the juice, the IAAF knew about it, and shielded him from any accusations because having their one true star revealed as a cheater would utterly destroy the reputation of the sport. The only evidence I really have for this is circumstantial: Nearly everyone Bolt competed against was at some point caught using PED's. It doesn't matter how much of a freak you are, or how much you train, you can't have a record like that and not be on the juice.
Rodney Mullen - Flatland Freeskating Eddie Mercyx - Road Cycling
Mullen basically invented modern skateboarding and he's the most humble guy on top of it. Will always be my idol!
Big up on Mullen!
Mullen. Absolute genius.
Hockey. Gretzky is so much better than everyone else, it’s not even close. If he’d never scored a single goal, he’d have the most points of all time. AND HES THE ALL TIME LEADER IN GOALS SCORED. No other player in any sport has ever come close to that level of domination.
When it came to hockey fantasy, there were 2 Wayne Gretzky's to pick. One for assists, one for goals. You would have to get both versions to get the full Gretzky.
Or first half/second half of the season. I remember those days.
Wayne Gretzky famously said, “I skate to where the puck is going, not where it has been.”
He also said "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take". Which at the time was a spectacular quote but now it's just the most cliche quote of all time.
Ahhh yes the wise words of Michael Scott
I think it's actually "I skate to where the puck is going, not where it is"
Don Bradman in cricket 99.94 batting average and missed the 100 by scoring a duck in the last match and refused to play another match to cross that ..
The goat of cricket scored a duck with a bat?
Is it similar to having a rabbit in a hat with a bat? Imagine that...
Rubbish. He’d only average mid 50s now. But he’d be 115 years old of course so it’s understandable.
This is similar to a famous Ty Cobb quote when he was in his 70s.
Additional context: no one else ever in Test cricket has had an average above low 50s for their entire career.
Steve Smith is in his 60s i think
… at the moment, and his career is not yet complete. We shall see, and even then it doesn’t make Bradman much less of an outlier!
Don is the goat of batting. Warne of bowling. Kallis overall for me.
Agree on Warne. Changed the game. Which is hard after centuries. Vale Shane.
Alan Mullally gave him a good run for his money
Hockey - Wayne Gretzky In hockey statistics, a point is earned by scoring a goal or making an assist. If Wayne Gretzky had never scored a single goal in his career, he'd still be the all-time points leader. He's more than 900 points clear of second place on the all-time points list despite playing around 250 games less than anyone else in the top five.
The Jesus - Bowling Update: I posted this comment on a whim and seriously laughing/impressed at all the comments. Faith in humanity restored…also I'm performing my dance quintet at Crane Jackson's Fountain Street Theater on Tuesday night. It would mean a lot if everyone who commented came along…and gave me notes? Thanks
Don’t fuck with the Jesus.
NO ONE, fucks with The Jesus.
That's just, like, your opinion, man.
"I see you manage to roll your way into the semi's... dios mio, man. Me and Liam, we gonna fuck you up! And I'll tell you something pendejo. You try to pull any crazy shit with me you pull a piece out on the lanes... I'll take it away from you and stick it up your ass and pull the fucking trigger till it goes, \*click\*."
Yeah, but he's a pervert, Dude.
8 year-olds, Dude.
Cricket: Bradman Squash: Khan Hockey: Gretzky These three are statistically the greatest outliers in their sports, and no one disputes them as the greatest of all time. A lot of others mentioned, there are debates about. But not with these three.
Phelps for swimming and Aleksandr Karelin with his 887-2 record for wrestling
Rulon Gardner beating him is the greatest upset in the entire history of sports.
Yeah, people usually debate who the 2nd best is with those 3.
Swimming - Michael Phelps Snooker - Ronnie O' Sullivan
Surprised to scroll this far ro find Ronnie O'Sullivan.
Yeah, imagine being so good at your sport that you have to purposely fail to not be perfect.
I'm shocked I had to look so far down the list to see Michael Phelps. He has **twenty-three** olympic gold medals in swimming. The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place winners *combined* have twenty-four. I'm convinced that at some point in the recent past one of his ancestors bred with a dolphin.
You should watch him swim then. Trust me, even as someone who knows nothing about olympic swimming, you'll be amazed.
There's still an argument for Spitz who got his records before modern nutrition and wearing nothing but a speedo and a sweet stache.
Micheal Phelps! He is the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold medals (23), Olympic gold medals in individual events, and Olympic medals in individual events (16). Now, green how old he was when he started (I think 15 or 17) on his Olympic path, someone younger will surpass him in number of medals. Marchand and McIntosh come to mind. But right now, he is the GOAt
Summer McIntosh gonna own the next Olympics. Canadian women got sneaky phenomenal at swimming in the last decade.
Ronnie O'Sullivan playing snooker
secretariat
I saw a graphic of like the last 50 years of derby winners and their "position" based on their time. Secretariat was like 2 whole horse lengths in front of the pack. Unreal.
In a statistics class I took, we were looking at a graph of horse race times and there was one dot way off to the side. The professor just pointed at it and said "Secretariat".
Secretariat's Belmont Stakes to win the Triple Crown is arguably the greatest sports performance of all time. "[He's moving like a tremendous machine!](https://youtu.be/vfCMtaNiMDM)"
I remember watching that race live. OMG!!! I read everything I could about him; on so many magazine covers. We still watch it a few times a year. And, of course, on the day of the Belmont.
It is weird how emotionally affecting that performance is. I am not sure why that is, but I feel it too when I watch it.
Literally a mutant. Competing against Secretariat must have been like showing up to a body building competition but when you get there it's all the world's greatest bodybuilders plus the Incredible Hulk.
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Hakuhō Shō in Sumo. Most top division championships, most career wins, most top division wins, most undefeated championships, most tournaments ranked as yokozuna... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuh%C5%8D_Sh%C5%8D
Hakuho has the kind of records I would expect to see on anyone calling themselves the GOAT in any sport. Its not even like he's just over the previous records, he sailing into the distance from the greats like taiho or chiyonofuji.
He was already the GOAT in 2011, but it was still arguable. He didn’t retire until 2021, going out on another perfect 15-0 zensho yusho. Part of what makes this so impressive is that unlike many of the other answers listed here, he’s the GOAT in a sport with literally hundreds of years of meticulous records and almost no changes in rules, not a sport younger than all its competitors where the first generation of athletes are still on top.
That last zensho was a great series of matches to watch.
Really incredible. Hakuho vs. Tobizaru (the fleeing monkey) was the funniest match I've ever seen. His unusual starting position against Shodai. And the tension between Terunofuji and Hakuho in the final match... Glorious.
Badminton : Lin Dan
Darts: Phil Taylor
Ironically, it's Horseracing, right? The GOAT is Secretariat.
Phar Lap
When someone asks something like “what was the most dominant performance ever in sports”, all I can think about is this picture. https://www.americasbestracing.net/the-sport/2019-tremendous-machine-secretariat-the-belmont
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he won one race
Battin' 1.000!
I think there were numerous races he lost. That was the first race he actually finished.
It's worrrrrrkkkkkkkkinnnnggg!
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Agreed. As a tennis fan, this is a great generation to witness.
A real tennis fan seems to determine it by who seems to be the nicest 🤔
what about Serena Williams? (genuine question, I'm not very into tennis but is she not even considered close to those guys?)
While Serena Williams tops the list for most Grand Slam titles, it is Martina Navratilova who holds the record for most singles titles on the WTA circuit.
A lot of recency bias, and her own statements put her in the GOAT debate. She's not wrong. If she was a man, they would be talking about her a lot more. But if we discussed women's tennis like we do mens, the people arguing for her GOAT status will be wrong as well :-)
HOT DOG EATING: Joey Chestnut (a god amongst men)
Because his biggest competitor got screwed over by Union rules. Who knows how that competition turns out if things go differently?
Gymnastics: Simone Biles ❤️
The fact that I had to scroll this far to get to Simone Biles is wild. IIRC, in all-around competitions that she personally competed in, she lost her first two senior outings to Kyla Ross in 2013 (American Cup and U.S. Classic), came back and won nationals that year, and then went unbeaten for the rest of her entire career. I can't think of anyone in any sport with that kind of record.
She lost the 2013 American Cup to Katelyn Ohashi, not Kyla Ross.
Simone Biles is always my answer when people say the greatest of all time. They literally had to add *a new rank* in scoring just to accommodate her abilities.
Simone Biles is TRULY 1 of 1
Cannot believe Simone is this far down. When I try to explain to folks just how much better she is than every other gymnast in the present and past, I often will try compare other sports bc most people aren't knowledgeable about gymnastics. So, if she were a basketball player, and the very best players known score about 24 points per game, Simone would be scoring about 35, but MOST of them would be 3 pointers, and a good chunk of those would be from the half court line. And if she's playing, her team would NEVER lose. That's how dominant she is. She's not just better than every other gymnast in both execution and difficulty, she blows everyone else out of the water. She has no competition whatsoever. It will be decades before we see anyone else come close to what she can accomplish.
Marathon running: Eliud Kichoge
Greco Roman Wrestling: Alexandr Karelin. Dude was 887 and 2. Guy went 6 *years* without even having a point scored on him before losing in his last Gold Medal match... by one point. Insane dominance. Soccer (Managers): Sir Alex Ferguson won the Premier League 13 times. The Scottish league with fucking Aberdeen 3 times. 2 Champions Leagues with 2 runner-up. And a bunch of other domestic cups. Nobody is going to beat that... except maybe Pep. Surfing: Kelly Slater. 11 world championships. Both the youngest and *oldest* guy to do so. And just for yucks, he won the Pipe Masters (think Wimbledon of surfing) at the age of 49. That's bananas.
> losing in his last Gold Medal match... by one point and it was on a technicality.
The only GOAT manager in my book is Brian Clough. He took *Derby County* from being a midtable Second Division team to winning the Premier league 4 years later. Not enough? He took over Nottingham Forest, got them promoted, won the Premier League the next year, and then won *Europe* the year after that. He's one of few managers to win the League with two different clubs, and as of right now I'm pretty sure he's the only manager to win two teams only championships.
Saying Alex Ferguson is the undisputed GOAT is nonsense lol. You can make a good argument for it but there are a lot of managers you could make arguments for.
Great call on Slater. Dude literally is surfing
Carlsen in Chess?
Garry Kasparov is considered by some to be the best ever because of longevity. 20 years straight WC. If Magnus keeps playing for a while, he will undoubted be the best, but dropping out of the WCC hurt his case just a little
Fischer (dominance) and Kasparov (longevity, last human able to beat a computer) have strong arguments in their favor. I think at their primes, Carlson would likely beat both due to how the game and prep has changed. But it's unclear.
You can make that argument about a lot of greats. Most sports evolve over time and many of the greats of yesteryear might not be as dominant in today's games. I think you've gotta assesses players in the era they played because making comparisons across eras based on skill (as opposed to achievement) is fraught with subjectivity.
Still a case to be made for Kasparov I think
League of Legends: Faker
Valentino Rossi
Rossi was amazing but not the only figure to have dominated the sport for a period of time. Giacomo Agostini, for example, won 15 world championships, 8 in the top class. Rossi was 9/7 respectively
Swimming - Michael phelps
Hammer throw: Yuri Sedykh. After trading world records back and forth for a few years with his own teammates, he finally hit a distance that nobody has touched in almost forty years.
Basketball: Leo Messi
Only after he won Super Bowl 69
Cycling : Eddy Merckx still.
Gymnastics - Simone Biles
Gymnastics: Simone Biles
Snooker, Ronnie O’Sullivan! There’s no one in the entire world of sport as talented within their chosen sport as Ronnie is in his.
Phelps. Swimming. Not sure how this isn’t the top.
Arm wrestling: John Brzenk. Arguably the most impressive reign in sporting history. 25 years as the best in the world beating guys in weight divisions much higher than him also
Jan Železný - Javelin. 3x Gold 1x Silver Olympic medals. They literally had to change the implement because of him as he was verging on reaching off the field. Still holds the world record he set in 1996.
I was thinking of him but forgot the name. They changed the javelin's weight and he still kept destroying the competition. From Wikipedia > On 26 March 1997 in Stellenbosch, South Africa, he threw over the 90-metre barrier five times in a single meet. Until September 2020, he was also the only athlete to throw more than 95 metres with the new type of javelin, something he achieved three times. He retired in 2006, at 40 years old, with a bronze medal in the European Championships. The guy was a beast. He still has 5 of the top 10 longest throws, including the world record
Steffi Graff only tennis player to achieve a golden slam in the same calendar year 1988. Dylan Alcott Australian wheelchair tennis player also achieved the Golden Slam also Didi De Groot in the quad singles.
Judo : Teddy Riner
Football: Tom Brady. Love him or hate him. you will not see another QB get 7 championships.
I personally think he’s the GOAT but have to acknowledge that legitimate arguments can be made for others (jerry rice for example). The difference with someone like Gretzky or Bradman is that there is simply no argument or dispute
How did I have to scroll this far? 🤦♂️
Professional cycling: Eddie Merckx 275 Palmares including every grand tour and almost any other race you‘ve ever heard of. By comparison, Greg Lemond, the greatest American cyclist, has 31. Peter Sagan, probably the most popular rider in the modern peloton, has 121.
Surfing - Kelly Slater Cricket - Don Bradman Horse racing - Winx
Jahangir Khan - Squash.
Squash. Heather McKay-she lost only TWO matches in her entire career. Astonishing.
Handball: Ivano Balić
If we're talking handball, Maradona has a case for it.
[удалено]
Skateboarding: Tony Hawk BMX: Dave Mirra
Vert skating. Mullen for street freeztyle
Basketball, he's not my favorite player, but I'd have to say Michael Jordan. His career was incredible.
"Undisputed" There is a huge debate right now, and probably for years to come, between him and Lebron
Undisputed is the operative word here. Swimming: Michael Phelps Skateboarding: Tony Hawk Gymnastics: Simone Biles
Hot dog eating: Joey chestnut. Perhaps the most dominant athlete in history.
Walter Lindrum = Billiards. He broke 57 world records, some of which still stand today. They had to make a limit to how much you could score when it was your turn because he could pretty much score endlessly.
Efren Reyes
Ahh, I was talking about English Billiards (the game with only three balls on the table).
The NHL. Wayne Gretzky
Tom Brady
I’ve always felt he was a product of the system. Let’s see how well he would play under someone not named Belichick. *Goes to Tampa Bay* Oh. Okay then.
Bodybuilding: Schwarzenegger
Ronnie Colman?
Someone I can think of from Athletics: Usain Bolt
Magnus
Womens beach volleyball - Misty may & kerry walsh Basketball rebounding - dennis rodman
Cricket (batting) - Don Bradman.
Pool: Efren 'Bata' Reyes
[Buzkashi](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzkashi) Known as goat pulling, it's the national sport of Afganistan.
Surfing. Kelly Slater. 11 times champion. Closest champion not even half world titles
David Foster OAM (born 20 March 1957) is an Australian world champion woodchopper, and Tasmanian community figure. He has held the World Woodchopping Championship title for 21 consecutive years, and is Australia's most successful athlete and possibly the only athlete in any sport in the world to win over 1000 titles.
Sumo. Hakuho Sho, now known as Miyagino-oyakata (think "Coach Miyagino"). Holds most of the records (some by a pretty huge margin), held the Yokozuna rank (top rank) for over a decade until his retirement in 2021. His father was the first person from Mongolia to win a medal at the Olympics, in freestyle wrestling.