Bo Jackson vs Roger Federer comparison on ESPN

W

World Beater

Hall of Fame
dominikk1985 said:
federer obviously achieved way more than Jackson. however if we are talking pure athleticsm not a lot of People beat Bo. that guy was super fast, could hit a ball a ton and was a Monster on the Football field. I can see why americans pick him over the frail roger.

if we talk about achievements however it is not even Close. Fed is one of the ten greatest sports persons ever while Bo was a mediocre Baseball Player.
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LOL.

Frail? why because your eyes say so?

Federer is on his way to becoming one of the most durable tennis players of all time having played multiple grand slams - he is on his way to passing ferreira...

Bo Jackson, for all of his strength and athleticism, had a career that was hampered by injuries.

Yep, federer is the frail one.

LMAO.
 
P

Praetorian

Professional
Haha.. I think it's funny that people argue about this when Fed isn't even the best athlete in tennis, not today, not ever. Now stay with me here - as I would buy into, and make an argument, that he is an athlete who accomplished my most in tennis. Whatever sport you wish to pick, whether it be basketball, hockey, tennis, football, american football, sumo, etc., one can pick the best ATHLETE in their respective sports, and whatever criteria you choose to weigh your definition of a great athlete, someone from one sport will be deemed greater than the other.

Hell, if your definition of hand-eye coordination is the ultimate definition of an athlete, then Roger will probably win. Heck, if you compare him to tennis players in the 80s, McEnroe would probably kill him as well. However, like those tennis greats, it's hard to argue the Bo's Hand-eye isn't superior to your normal everyday person.

To all the pundits who think popularity is a measure of athleticism, then you should just stop commenting. If that's the case, Yao Ming, would be considered a better athlete than Lebron James. Just because you don't know who Bo Jackson is, doesn't diminish the fact that he is a superior athlete.

What ESPN offered is an opinion based off of mostly measurable factors. And when put together, Bo is the better ATHLETE.
 
THUNDERVOLLEY

THUNDERVOLLEY

G.O.A.T.
For those still upset over this, perhaps consider that your breathless defense reveals just how much confidence you do not have in Federer; in other words, you should be satisfied in this "he's best at everything!" belief, and not need to defend / cry about him in every "GOAT" thread, here & around the 'net.

In terms of significant tennis accomplishments (not dressed up trivia), the guy could not win the ultimate distinction of tennis excellence, so in the end, he's another player with several majors, but nowhere near the greatest.

On the purely physical specimen consideration, he's not the fastest player in hand or foot speed, certainly not the strongest, or has the greatest hand-eye coordination--and that's within the realm of tennis history. Outside of tennis, the ranking suffers more when pitted against truly superior athletes.

This "Federer has to the best" mentality is childish at best, and only reveals how insecure his fanatics are if such protests (always in great volume at TW) are the usual response when Federer is not the objecrt of worship.
 
HunterST

HunterST

Hall of Fame
I think the real fallacy here is the criteria where Bo Jackson "played the harder sport."

That makes absolutely no sense. One sport can't be harder than another because the easier the task is associated with a sport, the more proficient the players have to be at it.

Sure, it's harder to hit a baseball pitch than a tennis groundstroke. If you hit 30% of the pitches, however, you're an all-star. Tennis players must make a much, much higher number and percentage of their shots.

So, at world class levels, no sport can be "easier" than another unless we're talking about how hard on the body a sport is etc.
 
forzamilan90

forzamilan90

Legend
World Beater said:
Bo Jackson > Federer


but...

Lew Hoad >>>>> bo Jackson.

Weak era.
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586
 
A

Anaconda

Hall of Fame
IMO I think Muhammed Ali overall is arguably the greatest athlete ever, from this era, Floyd Mayweather really could be. BTW, I am not biased towards boxing, from what I've seen, both guys, especially Mayweather, are 'up themselves'.
 
tlm

tlm

G.O.A.T.
Mike Sams said:
Bo Jackson is kinda like Taylor Dent.
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You have said some crazy things but this is by far the dumbest statement to date. To put those 2 in the same sentence could be the worst comparison ever made here and that is not easy.
 
HunterST

HunterST

Hall of Fame
tlm said:
You have said some crazy things but this is by far the dumbest statement to date. To put those 2 in the same sentence could be the worst comparison ever made here and that is not easy.
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SOMEONE has a man crush on Bo Jackson!!! <3
 
tlm

tlm

G.O.A.T.
HunterST said:
SOMEONE has a man crush on Bo Jackson!!! <3
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No not even close but if you think that taylor dent can in anyway be compared to bo jackson then you have no clue also. It is amazing that there are that many people here who have no idea of how special of an athlete that Bo was.
 
tacotanium

tacotanium

Professional
Bo was a true world class athlete. In his short time of the NFL got better rate than your average running back (according to some youtube vid's). Don't know how well he did in MLB but got attention. His career ended in the NFL after a serious injury, kinda like how Brett Favre did for being a threat and was a real target for opponents.

Don't get me wrong, Roger is a great athlete but I don't think he can do what Bo did. haha.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itdDgidRSHY

watch it all.
 
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BlueB

BlueB

Legend
Bo, who...? The guy was good, not even best, in two sports that are not even international. He won a heinz ketchup, whaaat? Why he didn't go to the Olympics if he was so god?

Here's a list of some outstanding athletes that won Olympic medals in 2 completely different sports:

Eddie Eagan (USA)
1920 Antwerp Gold Boxing (light heavyweight),
1932 Lake Placid Gold Bobsleigh (four-man)

Jacob Tullin Thams (NOR)
1936 Berlin Silver Sailing (8-metre)
1924 Chamonix Gold Ski jumping (individual large hill)

Christa Luding (GDR)
1988 Seoul 2 Silver Cycling (sprint)
984 Sarajevo Gold Speed skating (500 m)
1988 Calgary Gold Speed skating (1000 m), Silver Speed skating (500 m)
1992 Albertville Bronze Speed skating (500 m)

Clara Hughes (CAN)
1996 Atlanta Bronze Cycling (road race), Bronze Cycling (time trial),
2002 Salt Lake City Bronze Speed skating (5000 m)
2006 Turin Silver Speed skating (team pursuit),
Gold Speed skating (5000 m)
2010 Vancouver Bronze Speed skating (5000 m)

Morris Kirksey (USA) (athletics and rugby)
Edwin Flack (AUS) (athletics and tennis)
Karch Kiraly (USA) (indoor volleyball and beach volleyball)
Otto Herschmann (AUT) (swimming and fencing)
Carl Schuhmann (GER) (gymnastics and wrestling)
Rebecca Romero (GBR) (cycling and rowing)
Roswitha Krause (GER) (swimming and handball)

And if you wanted versatillity, look no further then Daley Thompson.

Last but not least: Paralympian Sarah Storey
16 medals (including 5 golds) in swimming in Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens before having to quit swimming due to persistent ear infections, she then took up cycling and won 2 golds in Beijing.

Oh, almost forgot Wa-Tho-Huk - Jim Thorpe... Eats Bo "heinz ketchp" for breakfast ;)
 
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HunterST

HunterST

Hall of Fame
tlm said:
No not even close but if you think that taylor dent can in anyway be compared to bo jackson then you have no clue also. It is amazing that there are that many people here who have no idea of how special of an athlete that Bo was.
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There's no question Bo is bigger, faster, stronger than any tennis player, but I think the people that disagree are looking at the world "athletic" as "skill in sport."

By that definition, I don't think it's outlandish to say Federer matches up with Jackson.

If we're going by pure athletic skill, wouldn't the world's top decathlete trump anyone else, including Jackson?
 
T

thisiscrazy

Rookie
BlueB said:
Bo, who...? The guy was good, not even best, in two sports that are not even international. He won a heinz ketchup, whaaat? Why he didn't go to the Olympics if he was so god?

Here's a list of some outstanding athletes that won Olympic medals in 2 completely different sports:

Eddie Eagan (USA)
1920 Antwerp Gold Boxing (light heavyweight),
1932 Lake Placid Gold Bobsleigh (four-man)

Jacob Tullin Thams (NOR)
1936 Berlin Silver Sailing (8-metre)
1924 Chamonix Gold Ski jumping (individual large hill)

Christa Luding (GDR)
1988 Seoul 2 Silver Cycling (sprint)
984 Sarajevo Gold Speed skating (500 m)
1988 Calgary Gold Speed skating (1000 m), Silver Speed skating (500 m)
1992 Albertville Bronze Speed skating (500 m)

Clara Hughes (CAN)
1996 Atlanta Bronze Cycling (road race), Bronze Cycling (time trial),
2002 Salt Lake City Bronze Speed skating (5000 m)
2006 Turin Silver Speed skating (team pursuit),
Gold Speed skating (5000 m)
2010 Vancouver Bronze Speed skating (5000 m)

Morris Kirksey (USA) (athletics and rugby)
Edwin Flack (AUS) (athletics and tennis)
Karch Kiraly (USA) (indoor volleyball and beach volleyball)
Otto Herschmann (AUT) (swimming and fencing)
Carl Schuhmann (GER) (gymnastics and wrestling)
Rebecca Romero (GBR) (cycling and rowing)
Roswitha Krause (GER) (swimming and handball)

And if you wanted versatillity, look no further then Daley Thompson.

Last but not least: Paralympian Sarah Storey
16 medals (including 5 golds) in swimming in Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens before having to quit swimming due to persistent ear infections, she then took up cycling and won 2 golds in Beijing.

Oh, almost forgot Wa-Tho-Huk - Jim Thorpe... Eats Bo "heinz ketchp" for breakfast ;)
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First, enough of the "who is Bo Jackson?" or "Bo who?" That shows only either ignorance or dislike for American athletes and also the fact you shouldn't even be posting here if you really don't know who he is. The attitude gets old quickly.

I'm not directing this to person I'm quoting here.

I think this post is a good argument as to why Federer should not be considered the greatest athlete - variety. While I'm not sure cycling and rowing would qualify (they are 90% endurance sports) or indoor/beach volleyball (is there really a significant difference?), Carl Shuhmann's exploits definitely would. Medaling in wrestling and gymnastics is pretty impressive.

And for those that are not familiar with baseball, there was a study by SI that measured the athletic requirements of all four main American sports plus tennis, golf, soccer and some others. Baseball was labeled the most demanding. Not just in terms of pure speed or power (of which the best players do have) but also agility, hand-eye coordination etc.

I truly believe one of the most difficult (if not the hardest) thing to do is to be able to hit both a 97 mph fastball and also an 85 mph curveball. I've seen both in a batting cage in Japan and, suffice to say, it's not easy. If you take the time to really think about it, being able to do one is hard enough, but being (mentally and physically) prepared and able to do both at anytime is quite incredible.

And for you tennis diehards, please do not compare retuning a 130 mph serve with a tennis racquet within the court (yes, a very hard thing to do) with hitting a 95 mph pitch with a bat for a basehit. It's not even close. There's a reason that being able to do the latter less than 1/3, i.e .300 average, of the time is considered very good.

The reason that Bo Jackson was in consideration as the best athlete is that he could do this plus all the power, speed and endurance feats.

Interesting note for fun: it has been said that Ted Williams could see the individual stitches on the baseball on a fastball. I could barely see the ball itself.

I, myself, really didn't think baseball would be considered a more athletic sport over football or hockey, but if you really think about it, overall, it just might be. While other sports might require more speed or endurance, the specific precision that baseball also requires in pitching and hitting certainly adds a another dimension.

But, in my opinion, I believe the best athletes are decathletes. They have speed, endurance, balance, coordination - everything.
 
tlm

tlm

G.O.A.T.
HunterST said:
There's no question Bo is bigger, faster, stronger than any tennis player, but I think the people that disagree are looking at the world "athletic" as "skill in sport."

By that definition, I don't think it's outlandish to say Federer matches up with Jackson.

If we're going by pure athletic skill, wouldn't the world's top decathlete trump anyone else, including Jackson?
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You just keep proving how little you know please read below just one of the many articles about Bo Jackson's endless list of accomplishments. Better yet why don't you just do a little research on Bo so that you can see how truly clueless you are, because with every post you just keep proving you know nothing about the top athletes that ever played.

When Vincent "Bo" Jackson was still in High school, in Bessemer Alabama, he was such a great track star that he learned to throw the discus and to pole vault in one day. He did this so he could compete in the Decathlon. He could already run the 100 meters in 10.39 seconds, which was unheard of for a High School player who already weighed over 200 pounds.
He won the Alabama state decathlon setting a record for the point's total, and his point lead was so great, he didn't have to do the one mile run, which he hated. He also set a record in the 100 meters run.

He was drafted by the New York Yankees in baseball but decided to attend Auburn University and play football and baseball on the advice of his mother. From 1982-85 He was a very good athlete at Auburn. In 1985 he batted .401 with 17 Home Runs and 43 RBIs. He won the Heisman Trophy in 85 and was the MVP of the Sugar Bowl and also the Liberty Bowl during his football playing time. He considered joining the USA Olympic team but opted for pro sports.

His college number (34) was retired from Auburn, one of only 3 ever done so. He set records for most rushing yards in a season with 1,786 in 1985 and in career with 4,303 yards

He was drafted by the Tampa Bay team of the NFL, but went to play pro baseball for the Kansas City Royals instead. In 1987 22 Home Runs 53 RBIs and 10 stole bases as an outfielder. In 1989 he was selected as a Major League All-Star. His Royals team mate George Brett named one of his children "Jackson" in honor of Bo.
 
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M

mental midget

Hall of Fame
decathletes are superbly conditioned but none of the events require the fine motor skills needed to hit a baseball, for example, which is why i have trouble putting any of the pure track and field guys at the top of this list. there are plenty of guys who can run fast and jump high, but the ability to master complicated fine motor skills is another thing entirely.

nobody's mentioned scott draper, the only guy to win an atp tour title, and a pga title. i don't think he holds any track and field records but to be able to play those two sports, both of which require a tremendous amount of specialized coordinated movements, is pretty incredible.
 
tlm

tlm

G.O.A.T.
mental midget said:
decathletes are superbly conditioned but none of the events require the fine motor skills needed to hit a baseball, for example, which is why i have trouble putting any of the pure track and field guys at the top of this list. there are plenty of guys who can run fast and jump high, but the ability to master complicated fine motor skills is another thing entirely.

nobody's mentioned scott draper, the only guy to win an atp tour title, and a pga title. i don't think he holds any track and field records but to be able to play those two sports, both of which require a tremendous amount of specialized coordinated movements, is pretty incredible.
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I agree that decathletes are more about being superbly conditioned than having fine motor skills. That is just another example of why Bo is the greatest athlete because he had both.
 
borg number one

borg number one

Legend
Tennis requires fine motor skill and you have to be able to be incredibly consistent as well. So, not only are top players pulling off difficult shots once in a while, but in rallies, they are doing it time after time..hundreds of times during one match. It's not like in baseball when you may have only 4-5 times at bat during a game. You have to do something difficult many, many times and also you have to be mobile and pull off a wide variety of shots, so the "skill" required is quite extraordinary. Yet, look beyond the developed skill necessary, because you have to also combine athleticism. Pro tennis players have to do a lot of running and also combine short sprints with longer runs. They have to have match endurance but also be able to pull off "wind sprints" in essence. Then, there's also the skill and athleticism required with footwork. So, tennis requires great skill plus great pure athleticism and there's absolutely no one else to rely on either. On top of all that, you have to deal with the elements, so it's not strictly an indoor sport like basketball either. Tennis is one of the most difficult sports there is for these reasons and tennis players are incredible athletes especially due to the fact that the sport requires great athleticism plus honed skills. If you look at baseball, yes, it's difficult to hit a fastball or curve ball, but then look at the running. You run to first base or maybe second base and then take a breather. In tennis, you have to hit another 5-10 shots just during one point all while running around. Even the running involves running in every direction possible. So, the requirements in tennis are multifaceted.
 
T

Tennis_Monk

Hall of Fame
thisiscrazy said:
First, enough of the "who is Bo Jackson?" or "Bo who?" That shows only either ignorance or dislike for American athletes and also the fact you shouldn't even be posting here if you really don't know who he is. The attitude gets old quickly.

I'm not directing this to person I'm quoting here.

I think this post is a good argument as to why Federer should not be considered the greatest athlete - variety. While I'm not sure cycling and rowing would qualify (they are 90% endurance sports) or indoor/beach volleyball (is there really a significant difference?), Carl Shuhmann's exploits definitely would. Medaling in wrestling and gymnastics is pretty impressive.

And for those that are not familiar with baseball, there was a study by SI that measured the athletic requirements of all four main American sports plus tennis, golf, soccer and some others. Baseball was labeled the most demanding. Not just in terms of pure speed or power (of which the best players do have) but also agility, hand-eye coordination etc.

I truly believe one of the most difficult (if not the hardest) thing to do is to be able to hit both a 97 mph fastball and also an 85 mph curveball. I've seen both in a batting cage in Japan and, suffice to say, it's not easy. If you take the time to really think about it, being able to do one is hard enough, but being (mentally and physically) prepared and able to do both at anytime is quite incredible.

And for you tennis diehards, please do not compare retuning a 130 mph serve with a tennis racquet within the court (yes, a very hard thing to do) with hitting a 95 mph pitch with a bat for a basehit. It's not even close. There's a reason that being able to do the latter less than 1/3, i.e .300 average, of the time is considered very good.

The reason that Bo Jackson was in consideration as the best athlete is that he could do this plus all the power, speed and endurance feats.

Interesting note for fun: it has been said that Ted Williams could see the individual stitches on the baseball on a fastball. I could barely see the ball itself.

I, myself, really didn't think baseball would be considered a more athletic sport over football or hockey, but if you really think about it, overall, it just might be. While other sports might require more speed or endurance, the specific precision that baseball also requires in pitching and hitting certainly adds a another dimension.

But, in my opinion, I believe the best athletes are decathletes. They have speed, endurance, balance, coordination - everything.
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Very good post. I however disagree with something( I paraphrased below)
>>>
there was a study by SI that measured the athletic requirements of all four main American sports plus (whatever rest of world plays) and determined baseball is most demanding.

>>>>
 
T

thisiscrazy

Rookie
borg number one said:
Tennis requires fine motor skill and you have to be able to be incredibly consistent as well. So, not only are top players pulling off difficult shots once in a while, but in rallies, they are doing it time after time..hundreds of times during one match. It's not like in baseball when you may have only 4-5 times at bat during a game. You have to do something difficult many, many times and also you have to be mobile and pull off a wide variety of shots, so the "skill" required is quite extraordinary. Yet, look beyond the developed skill necessary, because you have to also combine athleticism. Pro tennis players have to do a lot of running and also combine short sprints with longer runs. They have to have match endurance but also be able to pull off "wind sprints" in essence. Then, there's also the skill and athleticism required with footwork. So, tennis requires great skill plus great pure athleticism and there's absolutely no one else to rely on either. On top of all that, you have to deal with the elements, so it's not strictly an indoor sport like basketball either. Tennis is one of the most difficult sports there is for these reasons and tennis players are incredible athletes especially due to the fact that the sport requires great athleticism plus honed skills. If you look at baseball, yes, it's difficult to hit a fastball or curve ball, but then look at the running. You run to first base or maybe second base and then take a breather. In tennis, you have to hit another 5-10 shots just during one point all while running around. Even the running involves running in every direction possible. So, the requirements in tennis are multifaceted.
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Tennis certainly has the leg up on the endurance factor. No question. But the pure act of hitting a ball in a tennis rally is not nearly as difficult as hitting a major league pitch. It's not even close. It's apples and oranges. The fact that that tennis requires hundreds of hits does not make the actual act more difficult, from a motor skill perspective.

I think the big difference between the two is that in tennis, making contact is not as big an issue than placement. In baseball, it's tough just to make contact. Then to place the hit where it won't be an out is a whole other skill. Some can do it with power, some with precision and others with both. Ichiro is the prime example. (He does have power but usually chooses precision over power in actual games).

Baseball hitters also require precision not only with the swing, but also body placement (head, hands, feet, hips, shoulders) just like tennis players. In fact, such body placement might be more crucial in baseball than tennis. I would wager that it's easier to hit a ball back in tennis while off balance than it is to hit a baseball off balance.

Each sport has its own difficult attributes, but the actual act hitting cannot be compared between the two.
 
T

Tennis_Monk

Hall of Fame
thisiscrazy said:
Tennis certainly has the leg up on the endurance factor. No question. But the pure act of hitting a ball in a tennis rally is not nearly as difficult as hitting a major league pitch. It's not even close. It's apples and oranges. The fact that that tennis requires hundreds of hits does not make the actual act more difficult, from a motor skill perspective.

I think the big difference between the two is that in tennis, making contact is not as big an issue than placement. In baseball, it's tough just to make contact. Then to place the hit where it won't be an out is a whole other skill. Some can do it with power, some with precision and others with both. Ichiro is the prime example. (He does have power but usually chooses precision over power in actual games).

Baseball hitters also require precision not only with the swing, but also body placement (head, hands, feet, hips, shoulders) just like tennis players. In fact, such body placement might be more crucial in baseball than tennis. I would wager that it's easier to hit a ball back in tennis while off balance than it is to hit a baseball off balance.

Each sport has its own difficult attributes, but the actual act hitting cannot be compared between the two.
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It is not difficult to make the contact. It is difficult to hit the ball to a certain spot.
 
kragster

kragster

Hall of Fame
Michael Jackson is amazing. Certainly the greatest dancer of all time but not sure if he is the greatest athlete.

Seriously, had never heard of this Bo Jackson guy . He seems like an amazing athlete but being the greatest athlete is not just about strength and speed, it's also about endurance and I'm not sure this guy could hang with federer in being out there for 5 hours. I'm not saying federer is a better athlete I'm just saying that the comparison is incomplete if you only look at speed and strength which nfl players need. Endurance is a huge part of tennis while it matters much less in baseball or the NFL.
 
GoaLaSSo

GoaLaSSo

Semi-Pro
thisiscrazy said:
Fastball, not so much. Curveball? Slider? Have you ever tried to hit one?
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I used to play baseball, and I have always thought hitting a pitch was similar to returning a first serve.

It is not incredibly difficult to make some form of contact with the baseball or tennis ball, but it is incredibly difficult to make solid and meaningful contact.

The reason why batting averages are so low and why first serve point win percentages are so high are because it is really difficult to hit either ball with proper placement and power. Tennis has a much much larger strike zone, but they also have larger racquets. There are some other differences between the two, but no need to go into crazy detail.
 
borg number one

borg number one

Legend
thisiscrazy said:
Tennis certainly has the leg up on the endurance factor. No question. But the pure act of hitting a ball in a tennis rally is not nearly as difficult as hitting a major league pitch. It's not even close. It's apples and oranges. The fact that that tennis requires hundreds of hits does not make the actual act more difficult, from a motor skill perspective.

I think the big difference between the two is that in tennis, making contact is not as big an issue than placement. In baseball, it's tough just to make contact. Then to place the hit where it won't be an out is a whole other skill. Some can do it with power, some with precision and others with both. Ichiro is the prime example. (He does have power but usually chooses precision over power in actual games).

Baseball hitters also require precision not only with the swing, but also body placement (head, hands, feet, hips, shoulders) just like tennis players. In fact, such body placement might be more crucial in baseball than tennis. I would wager that it's easier to hit a ball back in tennis while off balance than it is to hit a baseball off balance.

Each sport has its own difficult attributes, but the actual act hitting cannot be compared between the two.
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Yet, the frequency cannot be compared either. It's not even close. If it is slightly less difficult to hit it once (just to actually make contact), you also have to be precise with placement and then have to be consistent. So there is much more actual hitting required in tennis and there is precision involved with placement as well. Plus, you have to do it while you are in motion and then after striking the ball, you have to run a lot. In baseball, the primary focus tends to be running in a straight line to the first base bag. So, much more frequency with the hitting and then also much more physical activity. The running required in baseball is not "even in the same ball park" as the running/sprinting in tennis. A lot of outfielders in baseball strike me as the best overall athletes in baseball, given that they must also be quite fleet on their feet when fielding and they also have to have excellent eye hand coordination when catching those fly balls.
 
P

Praetorian

Professional
The Meat said:
What if it was reveled that he was a frequent PED user? Would everyone still think he was the greatest?
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Nope. But if it was proven he wasn't, would you at least acknowledge he was. Just providing a contrasting argument.

But let's assume that he didn't. That's what made his feats legendary, is that there are guys who did PED, and still couldn't do things he did athletically.
 
P

Praetorian

Professional
HunterST said:
There's no question Bo is bigger, faster, stronger than any tennis player, but I think the people that disagree are looking at the world "athletic" as "skill in sport."

By that definition, I don't think it's outlandish to say Federer matches up with Jackson.

If we're going by pure athletic skill, wouldn't the world's top decathlete trump anyone else, including Jackson?
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That's a good point. Who's to say he wouldn't have been a top decathlete if he dedicated himself to it. The smartest man in America spent 20 years as a bouncer - still humbles Stephen Hawking in the IQ department.
 
S

Sumo

Semi-Pro
kragster said:
Michael Jackson is amazing. Certainly the greatest dancer of all time but not sure if he is the greatest athlete.

Seriously, had never heard of this Bo Jackson guy . He seems like an amazing athlete but being the greatest athlete is not just about strength and speed, it's also about endurance and I'm not sure this guy could hang with federer in being out there for 5 hours. I'm not saying federer is a better athlete I'm just saying that the comparison is incomplete if you only look at speed and strength which nfl players need. Endurance is a huge part of tennis while it matters much less in baseball or the NFL.
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To say that about endurance, I'm going to assume you've never play a sport that involves a significant amount of contact.

The endurance required to play RB at top speed for an entire game is off the charts.
 
B

BorisBeckerFan

Professional
If Bo Jackson had not been injured, he would have been as great as Jim Brown, Barry Sanders or Walter Payton. Maybe even greater. Such a shame his career was cut short.
 
T

Tennis_Monk

Hall of Fame
Sumo said:
To say that about endurance, I'm going to assume you've never play a sport that involves a significant amount of contact.

The endurance required to play RB at top speed for an entire game is off the charts.
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Top speed for few seconds... Commercial break, Top speed again for few seconds...Reset, Top speed few seconds...Rinse...repeat. Unlimited substitutions between downs.. Two halfs of 30 minutes with a half time thrown inbetween.
 
S

Sumo

Semi-Pro
Tennis_Monk said:
Top speed for few seconds... Commercial break, Top speed again for few seconds...Reset, Top speed few seconds...Rinse...repeat. Unlimited substitutions between downs.. Two halfs of 30 minutes with a half time thrown inbetween.
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You just reinforced the point I was making about most tennis players having no clue about how contact changes a game.
 
kragster

kragster

Hall of Fame
Sumo said:
To say that about endurance, I'm going to assume you've never play a sport that involves a significant amount of contact.

The endurance required to play RB at top speed for an entire game is off the charts.
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Tell me how much time is an RB actually running in a game vs how much do tennis players run. Not to mention so many switches between offense and defense and so many timeouts. It isn't even close. Explosive speed yes. Endurance ? Not compared to the average soccer or tennis player.
 
Zildite

Zildite

Hall of Fame
Sumo said:
To say that about endurance, I'm going to assume you've never play a sport that involves a significant amount of contact.

The endurance required to play RB at top speed for an entire game is off the charts.
Click to expand...

Bo didn't do that exactly, he shared carries with Marcus Allen.
17 out of 38 games in his career with 15+ carries.
Also he didn't play full seasons because of baseball.
 
S

Sumo

Semi-Pro
kragster said:
Tell me how much time is an RB actually running in a game vs how much do tennis players run. Not to mention so many switches between offense and defense and so many timeouts. It isn't even close. Explosive speed yes. Endurance ? Not compared to the average soccer or tennis player.
Click to expand...

That difference is what I was addressing by bringing up the element of contact. But people here don't seem to want to admit that tennis players get a 30 sec beak after every point as well as extended breaks every other game.
 
J

jrs

Professional
Greatest football players: Bo Jackson's name doesn't come up
Greatest Baseball players: Bo Jackson's name doesn't come up

Greatest Tennis Players: Roger Federer's name comes up

Greatest Networks : ESPN name doesn't come up!
 
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