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Deleted member 307496
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Richie Benaud.
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Deleted member 307496
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I hate to say it, but Shane Warne is also up there.
Poisoned Slice
Bionic Poster
Thread right here.
:lol::lol:
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Deleted member 307496
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Thread right here.
WhiskeyEE
G.O.A.T.
I can't find global figures, but...
Most popular sports in American high schools:
1. Football
2. Track & Field
3. Basketball
4. Baseball
5. Soccer
6. Wrestling
7. Cross Country
8. Tennis
9. Golf
10. Swimming and diving
http://swimswam.com/girls-swimming-8th-boys-swimming-10th-popular-high-school-sport-united-states/
Considering that the US doesn't dominate wrestling whatsoever, it is safe to say that wrestling has very healthy global participation. It is also clear that the US dominates swimming much more than it does wrestling.
I have personally known one competitive swimmer in my life. He was a scrawny pimply faced dork I knew from Chem class. So let's not pretend that swimming has some sort of mass appeal on a competitive basis. It's a niche sport like wrestling.
Track and field would be better to focus on if you are so hung up on participation.
Having said that, swimming is much more spectator friendly as it is simple and people can identify with it. Just like they can with speed walking. Everyone has swam laps at the local wave pool before.
Most popular sports in American high schools:
1. Football
2. Track & Field
3. Basketball
4. Baseball
5. Soccer
6. Wrestling
7. Cross Country
8. Tennis
9. Golf
10. Swimming and diving
http://swimswam.com/girls-swimming-8th-boys-swimming-10th-popular-high-school-sport-united-states/
Considering that the US doesn't dominate wrestling whatsoever, it is safe to say that wrestling has very healthy global participation. It is also clear that the US dominates swimming much more than it does wrestling.
I have personally known one competitive swimmer in my life. He was a scrawny pimply faced dork I knew from Chem class. So let's not pretend that swimming has some sort of mass appeal on a competitive basis. It's a niche sport like wrestling.
Track and field would be better to focus on if you are so hung up on participation.
Having said that, swimming is much more spectator friendly as it is simple and people can identify with it. Just like they can with speed walking. Everyone has swam laps at the local wave pool before.
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Deleted member 688153
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Football is the global sport.
DerekNoleFam1
Hall of Fame
Ah Thorpie -he was never beaten over the 400 metres freestyle after he won the world championships at 15, ie complete dominance of one event, but he did not have the versatility or longevity of Phelps.
WhiskeyEE
G.O.A.T.
The US does not dominate wrestling like it does, for example, basketball. Maybe read my entire post.
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Deleted member 307496
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I'd say he was arguably better than Phelps though.
WhiskeyEE
G.O.A.T.
An Australian point of view is extremely biased. You guys have very disproportionate participation in swimming.
DerekNoleFam1
Hall of Fame
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Deleted member 688153
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Sysyphus
Talk Tennis Guru
http://biggestglobalsports.com/
"The following list of the world's biggest sports is based on data collected on amount of coverage from major online sports news websites on a daily basis across some of the world's biggest countries, with amount of coverage weighted by country size to evaulate a true list of the world's biggest sports."
Swimming comes in at number 16, being top 20 in every country measured—wrastling comes in at number 26.
Swimming is bigger globally—deal with it.
WhiskeyEE
G.O.A.T.
WhiskeyEE
G.O.A.T.
So 16 and 26. That isn't exactly a blow out. They are both semi-popular borderline niche sports. You were the one who brought up participation, not me.
edit: That website does not measure participation. It measures general interest (which obviously does not directly correlate with participation) and even references spectator interest in olympic swimming. Derp.
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Deleted member 688153
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Proof you do not need to be superfit to be a superstar sportsman.
The only cricketer I would consider putting on the list is Bradman.
It was once a gentleman's sport.
Once.
I think the sport has to be classy to qualify.
So that narrows it down to Tennis, Golf, Cricket/Rugby in the old days, and football (the European version, not the one where huge sweaty men body slam each other), and some Olympic sports.
Most other sports are quite classless, and frankly embarrassing.
The Australian cricket team, even though I am a huge fan, is often embarrassing.
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Deleted member 307496
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Bradman was much better, I agree.
above bored
Semi-Pro
I think Ali's conduct outside the boxing ring make him even greater than just his boxing achievements. He trailblazed with his personality, charisma and wit, and took on important political fights against injustice and illegal wars. He wasn't perfect, but then who is? Still, overall, his actions outside the ring elevate his greatness.
borg number one
Legend
Those popularity ratings for high school sports consider total participation. Tennis teams often only have about 14-18 players total on the varsity team. Meanwhile, other sports such as football has many more spots to fill on those teams. If you could take 50 tennis players on the team, you'd have more people participating and tennis would be rated as being more "popular". The same goes for baseball and track and field. Basketball team numbers are smaller, in terms of open spots on the team. So those popularity rankings measure participation totals, which is different than sheer appeal of those sports to high school students. Also, overall tennis participation numbers in the U.S. were higher in the U.S. in 1980 than it was in 2014 or any other year since, even with the significant increase in total population. Having said that, tennis is holding its own and tends to draw good numbers, especially in relatively more affluent and warm areas of the country. I think we'll see another upswing though. I see plenty of juniors in and around Houston playing a lot of tennis and they are aiming for college tennis. I think if you had a big star emerge out of American tennis again in the rankings, things would shift considerably. With all the companies that market tennis from American headquarters such as Nike, Wilson, and the ATP, you could see another international tennis boom for tennis that is propelled by a popular American tennis star or stars. I think it could be very different the next time that happens, even compared to the Sampras-Agassi era.
Inanimate_object
Hall of Fame
I suppose the punch Ali never threw counts for nothing? C'mon that's one of THE iconic sportsmanship moments!
tennis_pro
Bionic Poster
Tiger Woods is not a sportsman nor is golf a sport.
A competition in which a 70-year old fatman can easily compete against fit 20/30 year olds is definitely NOT a sport.
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Deleted member 688153
Guest
Then you should be able to win a major no problem.
Go on, go and beat that Spieth guy, right now at The Masters.
Should be easy.
God, that mug McIlroy, what's that guy doing!
A 70-year old "fatman" could beat him!
You see, bro, I actually, er, play golf sometimes, and, how should I put this - I'm not winning The Masters any time soon, and I'm a fit guy.
When you wouldn't be worthy to caddy for the last man on the board if you trained for ten years, maybe it would be better if you didn't poast.
Just my thoughts, nothing personal.
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Russeljones
Talk Tennis Guru
A boxer or an Olympic wrestler. Can't split them at the moment.
Inanimate_object
Hall of Fame
Using that logic, dart, pool, and eating contests are sports.
BringBackSV
Hall of Fame
Golf is clearly a sport and one of the toughest ones there is. Im not sure why you think 70 year old fat men are competing on the PGA tour either.
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Deleted member 688153
Guest
Except you need fitness in golf.
Like, you actually do, believe me.
Sure, they might have belly fat (because they aren't running), but their arms, back and shoulders are powerhouses.
Also it's the toughest mental sport going.
Also snooker is extremely skilled, and honestly, so is darts.
But they are games, not sports.
Eating contests are not even worthy of mention.
Inanimate_object
Hall of Fame
Just saying if the argument is that golf is a sport because not any schmuck can waltz on to the PGA and break Jack Nickalus' slam record, than you are lending yourself to endless counter-arguments because as much as you want to demean darts, there is tremendous effort and talent involved in that. And just as I could not grab my 9-iron and win the US Open, you cannot go into a dart tournament and sweep.
BTW you need to train your body for eating competitions. Some might call that physical exertion. Thumb-war competitions require alot of digital dexterity and force. That IS physical exertion. Sailing is also an exercise in physical attributes among other things. The line in the sand between sport and game is not clear cut - and surely we can treat those in contention with a bit more respect.
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BringBackSV
Hall of Fame
Fitness is advantageous in golf too, which is why the whole tour pretty much does physical training along with hitting balls for hours. I also agree that is the toughest mentally. There is also a ton of skill required.
BringBackSV
Hall of Fame
I really have no issue with any of those being regarded as sport but we don't have to attribute the same level of credit to each sports competitors. Im not even convinced that being the best at darts is even a good thing.
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Deleted member 688153
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Indeed.
I think darts is a game though, not a sport.
But yes, I was having a go at darts earlier, partially personal bias I will admit (I dislike darts and love golf), but also because I don't think a darts player can be rightfully named the greatest sportsperson ever.
I don't think all sports are equal, basically, and I think golf is more "serious".
Darts is obv. highly skilled, but it's still a pub game for blokes after they've had a few.
You couldn't call Taylor the GOAT sportsperson with a straight face, you just couldn't.
Woods, maybe.
I am very much a fan of classy sports and class in general (Federer fan and all), and golf fits the bill too.
Winning is great but winning with style and class is taking it to the next level of awesome.
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Deleted member 307496
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I'm not really into golf that much, but I hear Adam Scott's name a lot.
I know Greg Norman is a legend though.
I know Greg Norman is a legend though.
Inanimate_object
Hall of Fame
Indeed.
I think darts is a game though, not a sport.
But yes, I was having a go at darts earlier, partially personal bias I will admit (I dislike darts and love golf), but also because I don't think a darts player can be rightfully named the greatest sportsperson ever.
I don't think all sports are equal, basically, and I think golf is more "serious".
Darts is obv. highly skilled, but it's still a pub game for blokes after they've had a few.
You couldn't call Taylor the GOAT sportsperson with a straight face, you just couldn't.
Woods, maybe.
I am very much a fan of classy sports and class in general (Federer fan and all), and golf fits the bill too.
Winning is great but winning with style and class is taking it to the next level of awesome.
And yet I could make an equally credible argument that golf is just a posh game for executives and retired public officials. A highly skilled game where general physical motion is involved. But it in no way requires the level of finesse or cardio demands of swimming, the immensely complicated coordination of boxing, or the raw physicality of American or Aussie rules football. Golf by comparison to pretty much any reasonably popular sports can be made to look like an incredibly silly and trivial routine. I have never found anyone who associated a golfer with an athlete as athlete carries a very strong emphasis on being in prime physical form, something which studies have shown is NOT the case on the PGA tour.
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Deleted member 688153
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And those don't require the hand-eye coordination, hands, or especially mental aspects that golf requires.
Also boxing, NFL are thug sports IMO and I have little respect for guys who beat each other up or ram each other's a**es in sweaty tights on a muddy field.
We'll have to agree to disagree on that front.
That's why this thread isn't about the greatest athlete ever, and I instead made it the greatest sportsperson ever.
Sport is about more than just brawn.
If it was greatest athlete then those boxers or MMA guys would win hands-down, but they are thugs, so I wouldn't call them the greatest sportsperson.
Federer is the best mix IMO, or Nadal.
Tennis is the most physically demanding non-thuggery sport by far IMO, requiring every part of your body.
Federer is also a genius, which is a big part of this.
But Golf, Tennis >>>> Thug sports IMO.
Swimming I can respect too, but Phelps' medal count is inflated as heck.
Federer has one opportunity for a medal, Phelps has oodles.
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Deleted member 307496
Guest
American and Australian football requires great hand-eye-coordination on the contrary. I disagree only on that minute part.
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Deleted member 307496
Guest
I don't think it requires a great lot of stamina though. A lot of the football players are hardly "fit". Just big.
In contrast, tennis players are inhumanly fit.
In contrast, tennis players are inhumanly fit.
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Deleted member 688153
Guest
They do, but I think golf requires the most of any sport (except tennis perhaps).
I don't mind AFL quite so much, it's not as bad as some.
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Deleted member 688153
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Yep.
I think a tennis player would have an easier time changing sports than basically any other sportsperson.
Their fitness and all-round skill set is out of sight.
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Deleted member 307496
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Agreed. Golf also has a lot of competition. Not just at the top either.
Someone ranked 60 could win a huge tournament if the stars align for them for instance. It makes it a dangerous sport too.
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Deleted member 307496
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AFL requires more fitness than rugby in my opinion. It's a more athletic sport.
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Deleted member 688153
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BringBackSV
Hall of Fame
Greg Norman is a legend at choking, you are an Aussie?
tennis_pro
Bionic Poster
What a pitiful venomous comeback. When did I say that golf doesn't require any skills? The hate is so strong here that it turned off your reading comprehension.
Here's the definition of "sport" taken from the Oxford dictionary:
"An ACTIVITY involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment"
Ergo, golf is NOT a sport. I can easily imagine 70 year olds winning major tournaments in golf. Now imagine Nastase coming back on tour and competing against the top 100, heck anyone with an ATP point even. I'm not saying 70-year olds winning in golf is a common phenomenon but it's definitely possible. Just looking at the top 10 official rankings in golf 5 out of 10 players are 35 or older, the no 2 in the world is exactly 39 years old and there's one player who's 45. For comparison it's like Agassi or Sampras being in the top 10 now. They'd get bludgeoned.
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tennis_pro
Bionic Poster
No, it's not. It lacks the physical part. Unless you think that swining a golf club once every 30 minutes is physical enough to call golf a sport.
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AFL is only the name of one league, the sport is called Australian Rules Football.
As for fitness, Australian Rules requires a greater combination of aerobic and anaerobic fitness than any form of rugby, soccer/football or American football. Players run 12-20km (7-10 miles) per match (which doesn't happen in rugby or american football) depending on the position they play. On top of that they need to be heavy enough to withstand continual high impact (something soccer/football players don't need to worry about). It's a more demanding mix of athleticism.
K
King Fed WW
Guest
OP,here is the original thread, all 64 pages.
Darts is a sport, but I understand the debate. However to say golf is not a sport is just embarrassing. Regarding Phil Taylor and his physique, it is said he is the perfect height for darts while his weight helps his balance. Some have attributed his 2003 World Championship defeat due to being slimmer than normal, distorting his balance. All inflicted by a crash diet.
Yes, swinging a club is physical exertion. What else would it be, imaginary? Since when was sports all about power and endurance, skill has always been important. From what I have read, you are a Nadal hater and maybe a Federer fan. Quite bizarre you place such a precedent on pure physicality.
You can easily imagine a 70 yo winning a major? LOL, the oldest major was like 48. No way a guy is his 70s could win one. Yeah a guy in his 50s could and probably will. The fact players can still compete at an old age actaully just increases the strength and depth of the sport.
So I presume soccer isn't a sport, many older players beyond tennis age in that. While in Boxing Bernard Hopkins was world champion aged 49.
Darts is a sport, but I understand the debate. However to say golf is not a sport is just embarrassing. Regarding Phil Taylor and his physique, it is said he is the perfect height for darts while his weight helps his balance. Some have attributed his 2003 World Championship defeat due to being slimmer than normal, distorting his balance. All inflicted by a crash diet.
Yes, swinging a club is physical exertion. What else would it be, imaginary? Since when was sports all about power and endurance, skill has always been important. From what I have read, you are a Nadal hater and maybe a Federer fan. Quite bizarre you place such a precedent on pure physicality.
You can easily imagine a 70 yo winning a major? LOL, the oldest major was like 48. No way a guy is his 70s could win one. Yeah a guy in his 50s could and probably will. The fact players can still compete at an old age actaully just increases the strength and depth of the sport.
So I presume soccer isn't a sport, many older players beyond tennis age in that. While in Boxing Bernard Hopkins was world champion aged 49.
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Deleted member 688153
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So you've gone and tried it now, then?
How did you go?
Where's the jacket, come on, let's see it.
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Deleted member 688153
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It requires a different set of skills to tennis.
Is tennis more athletic? Absolutely. No contest.
But golf is very, very much a sport.
Try playing golf without very strong arms, shoulders, and back.
tipsa...don'tlikehim!
Talk Tennis Guru
is snooker a sport?
