Bo Jackson vs Roger Federer comparison on ESPN

Tennis_Monk

Hall of Fame
What a bunch of drivel by ESPN.

Apparently Bo Jackson is Great Athlete than Roger Federer.

I am not questioning of Bo J is or isnt. I am simply questioning the methodlogy.

Apparently Bo Jackson generates more power , Has less endurance, played more difficult sport.
 

rafafan20

Professional
Bo Jackson is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He could have won gold medals in about 4 different track sports + NFL all star + MLB all star + Heisman winner.
 

The Meat

Hall of Fame
Bo Jackson is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He could have won gold medals in about 4 different track sports + NFL all star + MLB all star + Heisman winner.

If he's greater than Federer, then is he greater than Nadal? :)

Rafafan20
 

r2473

G.O.A.T.
Bo Jackson is the greatest I've ever watched. The 30 on 30 special on ESPN about Jackson was really good.
 

LuckyR

Legend
Bo Jackson is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He could have won gold medals in about 4 different track sports + NFL all star + MLB all star + Heisman winner.

Ummm... the number of championships would be... zero?

Not even a contender.
 

tlm

G.O.A.T.
Bo Jackson is so far ahead of any tennis player that ever lived it is ridiculous. To some here who claim otherwise have no ides of what they are talking about and proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that they no nothing about athletic ability.
 

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
If we went by American standards of athleticism, guys like Maradona, Pele, Federer,Nadal, Messi, Djokovic etc. are not great athletes because they can't bench 400 lbs, run a fast 40 yard dash, and can't dunk a basketball. After all, no other aspects of athleticism matter.
 

tlm

G.O.A.T.
If we went by American standards of athleticism, guys like Maradona, Pele, Federer,Nadal, Messi, Djokovic etc. are not great athletes because they can't bench 400 lbs, run a fast 40 yard dash, and can't dunk a basketball. After all, no other aspects of athleticism matter.

That is completely false, most experts would definitely agree that everyone on your list above would be classified as great athletes. But please don't even attempt to compare them to Bo Jackson.
 

merwy

G.O.A.T.
Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson (born November 30, 1962) is a retired American baseball and football player. He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 1985.

figures
10char
 

Tennis_Monk

Hall of Fame
While i love all sports , Baseball and NFL arent top channels in my sports line up. So my definition of greatest athlete would always be biased. That isnt my point.

My intent was questioning the ESPN methodology in determining greatest by using those 3 metrics between Bo and Roger. A different three between Tiger woods and Jordan, etc.
 

SpitFire

New User
It's all subjective.
your_opinion.jpg
 

rafafan20

Professional
Do you people understand that Bo Jackson set records in high jump pole vault and hurdles in HIGH SCHOOL WITHOUT TRAINING. Seriously, don't be ignorant. Also baseball is popular throughout East Asia and Latin America, and of course Bo Jackson is a better athlete than Nadal. I'd say Nadal and Fed about equal on that scale, Bo is in another stratosphere.
 

tlm

G.O.A.T.
Do you people understand that Bo Jackson set records in high jump pole vault and hurdles in HIGH SCHOOL WITHOUT TRAINING. Seriously, don't be ignorant. Also baseball is popular throughout East Asia and Latin America, and of course Bo Jackson is a better athlete than Nadal. I'd say Nadal and Fed about equal on that scale, Bo is in another stratosphere.

Exactly right like I said anyone even thinking of debating this has absolutely no idea of what they are talking about and the more they say the more they prove how as you would say ignorant they must be.
 

rafafan20

Professional
As a freshman in college, Bo Jackson ran the 100 meter .3 seconds SLOWER than Usain Bolt at the Olympics this past year. AND HES 235 POUNDS.

edit: slower not faster
 
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droliver

Professional
Bo Jackson is one of the greatest athletes of all time. He could have won gold medals in about 4 different track sports + NFL all star + MLB all star + Heisman winner.

Bo was a freakish physical specimen, but there's waaaaaay too much hype re. his multisport prowess.

* He was a great running back in college but there have been many who put up better #'s, including contemporary Herschel Walker who was even better then Bo. His NFL career was very abbreviated by both injuries and his attempt to play baseball. You can't be the best as a part-time player

* He was really fast for a big guy, but he was not an elite world-class sprinter and certainly not a threat to medal in the olympics. His best 100M was 10.44 in 1984 which is .45 seconds slower then the time Carl Lewis ran in the Olympics that year. That is a HUGE gap, and Bo's best time wouldn't put him near the top tier of his era.

* He was good enough to be a major league baseball player (which is saying something) but he was an unremarkable low average, high-strikeout, & low walk/OBP (career .309 OBP) slugger. He was highlight reel flashy, but not a great ballplayer and particularly suffers with some of the more sophisticated stats used to compare him to other players (eg. WAR)

Calling him a better athlete then Federer is in large part applying the eyeball test of raw strength and sprinting speed. By more subtle metrics of agility, stmina, and technique (and certainly by actual results) Federer blows him away. Wayne Gretzky suffered in that comparison as well. They're both normal sized guys with insane gifts but aren't build like bodybuilders
 

rafafan20

Professional
Honestly I didn't even know who Mr Bo Jackson is.
However whether he's better than Federer isn't the point, the point really is that Nards are claiming he's wayyy ahead of Federer which isn't exactly shocking. :lol:

Are you that ignorant that you think this is a federer/nadal issue? Nadal and fed are equal Bo Jackson is on a different planet. Its like comparing Fed to a player ranked in the 500s.
 

rafafan20

Professional
Bo was a freakish physical specimen, but there's waaaaaay too much hype re. his multisport prowess.

* He was a great running back in college but there have been many who put up better #'s, including contemporary Herschel Walker who was even better then Bo. His NFL career was very abbreviated by both injuries and his attempt to play baseball. You can't be the best as a part-time player

* He was really fast for a big guy, but he was not an elite world-class sprinter and certainly not a threat to medal in the olympics. His best 100M was 10.44 in 1984 which is .45 seconds slower then the time Carl Lewis ran in the Olympics that year. That is a HUGE gap, and Bo's best time wouldn't put him near the top tier of his era.

* He was good enough to be a major league baseball player (which is saying something) but he was an unremarkable low average, high-strikeout, & low walk/OBP (career .309 OBP) slugger. He was highlight reel flashy, but not a great ballplayer and particularly suffers with some of the more sophisticated stats used to compare him to other players (eg. WAR)

Calling him a better athlete then Federer is in large part applying the eyeball test of raw strength and sprinting speed. By more subtle metrics of agility, stmina, and technique (and certainly by actual results) Federer blows him away. Wayne Gretzky suffered in that comparison as well. They're both normal sized guys with insane gifts but aren't build like bodybuilders

Number one, thats his best time in a timed track event (which he only did about two of), not his actual best times. Even if taking that number, he never even trained 1 second for track and was 235 pounds in college. Not only that, he was a champion in multiple other track sports, a heisman trophy winner, an all star in two professional sports and the foundation upon which nike was built (just to show how amazing he was).

This place is hopeless...
 

rafafan20

Professional
I don't believe that. Why didn't he participate in the Olympics then?

Because he was a heisman trophy winner in college (huge deal in the USA), and a professional athlete in two sports. Its true, look it up.

type-o in that quote, .3 slower
 

rafafan20

Professional
Very American. I mean really, I can promise no-one in New Zealand has ever heard of Bo Jackson.

So you're claiming ignorance as a reason to why he's not the greatest athlete ever?

And if you think this is a nadal-fed issue you have mental problems. Honestly.
 

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
Very American. I mean really, I can promise no-one in New Zealand has ever heard of Bo Jackson.

Well, Rafafan20 wants to let you know that you are hopeless because you don't fellate American athletes that can run swift 40 yard dashes and win heisman trophies.
 

merwy

G.O.A.T.
If you're defining "athlete" using traditional, basic measurements like 100m sprint time, muscle mass, max. bench press, max. high jump, max. pole vaulting height, that kinda stuff. Then Federer isn't the greatest athlete. Federer probably wouldn't be in the top 1000 in the world. In fact, no tennis player at all could be called a good athlete.

But if you're defining it by being the best at what you do, then Federer is probably one of the best in history. I don't know Bob Jason well enough to really compare them but if he played 4 sports at the same time I have a hard time believing that he's better at one of those sports than Federer is at tennis.
 

rafafan20

Professional
If you're defining "athlete" using traditional, basic measurements like 100m sprint time, muscle mass, max. bench press, max. high jump, max. pole vaulting height, that kinda stuff. Then Federer isn't the greatest athlete. Federer probably wouldn't be in the top 1000 in the world. In fact, no tennis player at all could be called a good athlete.

But if you're defining it by being the best at what you do, then Federer is probably one of the best in history. I don't know Bob Jason well enough to really compare them but if he played 4 sports at the same time I have a hard time believing that he's better at one of those sports than Federer is at tennis.

Are you saying pole vaulting doesn't take skill? Have you ever tried it?
 

tlm

G.O.A.T.
Keep posting and proving how little you know about athletic ability. Bo Jackson was a complete freak of nature that the world has never seen before, he was so gifted it was unreal.

So for those here that know nothing just keep posting and proving your stupidity.
 

firepanda

Professional
It's just an observation. I mean, look at it. Bo Jackson, Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, Tony Hawk, Jim Brown (Another one I've never heard of), Michael Jordan. These are certainly great athletes, but one cannot deny they are American.

Personally, I'd say Muhammad Ali would be the greatest athlete.
 
M

monfed

Guest
Are you saying pole vaulting doesn't take skill? Have you ever tried it?

Ralphfan20, I think what most people are trying to convey to you is that you're comparing apples to oranges. Now I'm sure Mr Bo Jackson is some athletic beast(don't think too many are questioning that) but so is Federer when it comes to impeccable footwork, explosive movement, mindblowing hand-eye coordination , so on and so forth.
Now I'm sure, Nadal fans have little to no respect for the weak era 17 time fluke slam clown ********* but one has to use the right equipment to weigh either player's accomplishments which was probably not done by ESPN.
 

rafafan20

Professional
Thankfully, ESPN2 is showing the 30 for 30 on Bo right now, and guess who said hes the best athlete of all time? Phil Knight? Know who he is? Or is that too "American" for you?
 

Zildite

Hall of Fame
Very American. I mean really, I can promise no-one in New Zealand has ever heard of Bo Jackson.

I have 8)

But Fed still ranked pretty high on the ESPN list, around 5th/6th or something? Not a bad result, but it doesnt matter since the metrics are dumb anyway and about as tired as GOAT discussion on here.
They have done even dumber 'science' than this though, their videos on NFL/Rugby and Cricket/Baseball are massively stupid and cringe-worthy.
I think they actually do some cool analytical stuff as well, just as long as they steer clear of this kind of thing.
 

tlm

G.O.A.T.
It's just an observation. I mean, look at it. Bo Jackson, Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, Tony Hawk, Jim Brown (Another one I've never heard of), Michael Jordan. These are certainly great athletes, but one cannot deny they are American.

Personally, I'd say Muhammad Ali would be the greatest athlete.

Look at what the show were this comparison was made had athletes from all over the world.
 

rafafan20

Professional
Ralphfan20, I think what most people are trying to convey to you is that you're comparing apples to oranges. Now I'm sure Mr Bo Jackson is some athletic beast(don't think too many are questioning that) but so is Federer when it comes to impeccable footwork, explosive movement, mindblowing hand-eye coordination , so on and so forth.
Now I'm sure, Nadal fans have little to no respect for the weak era 17 time fluke slam clown ********* but one has to use the right equipment to weigh either player's accomplishments which was probably not done by ESPN.

Federer is the best tennis player all time hands down. But its one sport. Bo Jackson was a professional/olympic level athlete at 6 sports. Not only professional, but heisman winner, america amateur world record setter and two sport all star. If his career wasn't cut short by a freak injury, he probably would have been even greater.
 

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
Thankfully, ESPN2 is showing the 30 for 30 on Bo right now, and guess who said hes the best athlete of all time? Phil Knight? Know who he is? Or is that too "American" for you?

Phil Knight? Holy sh1t. The chairman of Nike apparently speaks universal truths; yeah no one is allowed an opinion after he has spoken.
 

The Meat

Hall of Fame
Rafafan20, you should change your username to: BoJacksonIsGreaterThanAnyPastTennisGreatBecauseIRejectAnyPossibilityThatTennisRecquiresASpecificCombinationOfTraitsOtherThanBeingAthletic.

Look at Monfils, he's one of the most athletic people I have ever seen. He's a total scrub at tennis.
 

Sid_Vicious

G.O.A.T.
Ralphfan20, I think what most people are trying to convey to you is that you're comparing apples to oranges. Now I'm sure Mr Bo Jackson is some athletic beast(don't think too many are questioning that) but so is Federer when it comes to impeccable footwork, explosive movement, mindblowing hand-eye coordination , so on and so forth.
Now I'm sure, Nadal fans have little to no respect for the weak era 17 time fluke slam clown ********* but one has to use the right equipment to weigh either player's accomplishments which was probably not done by ESPN.

Pretty much this. Yeah 40 yard dashes, bench presses, and long jumps are all valid measures of athleticism, but they are not the only measures of athleticism. Not everything is about power and explosiveness. Being a brilliant football(soccer) or tennis player require incredible amounts of natural talent. You can't just say Pele is nowhere near Bo Jackson because he was 5 ft 8 and played futbol.
 

rafafan20

Professional
Rafafan20, you should change your username to: BoJacksonIsGreaterThanAnyPastTennisGreatBecauseIRejectAnyPossibilityThatTennisRecquiresASpecificCombinationOfTraitsOtherThanBeingAthletic.

Look at Monfils, he's one of the most athletic people I have ever seen. He's a total scrub at tennis.

Tennis is a mixture of skill, training, technique, and athleticism. Fed has trained to get where he is, hard, countless hours, to hone his tennis skill, technique, footwork, etc. in one sport. Thats the difference.
 
M

monfed

Guest
Federer is the best tennis player all time hands down. But its one sport. Bo Jackson was a professional/olympic level athlete at 6 sports. Not only professional, but heisman winner, america amateur world record setter and two sport all star. If his career wasn't cut short by a freak injury, he probably would have been even greater.

That's incredible and I'm sure he's deserving of the award.

I mean no disrespect to Bo Jackson but being great at 6 different sports kindof makes me wonder if he was the best at any ONE sport?
Like take for example cricket: Most historians consider Sir Don Bradman as the greatest batsman and also the greatest cricketer of all time but Sir Gary Sobers who was an allrounder(legend with both ball and bat) isn't considered the greatest(when he excelled at both batting and bowling).
Just thought I'd put this rather random info out there for you to consider but hey I'm watching some of Bo Jackson's youtube vids right now and I can see why he's considered the greatest,the man was a dynamite.
 
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