Most overrated athletes

[Trillus]

Who do you believe are the most overrated athletes. Here are mine:

1. Lewis Hamilton- words cant even begin to describe, and I dont even follow Formula 1 much. Not to mention he comes across as a phony spoiled brat as well.

2. Peyton Manning- he wins many MVP and other awards he doesnt deserve. He is hailed by some as the best ever when he isnt even the best QB of his own generation. He continues to get schooled in big games by opposing QBs- Brady many times over, Brees last year, etc...

3. Phil Mickelson- the guy cant even take the #1 ranking from Tiger Woods in his worst year ever. He has never been ranked #1, he has never won Player of the Year, he is inconsistent, plays risky unstable golf, is badly overweight (granted many golfers are), and a headcase. He isnt even really the 2nd best player of his very weak generation, despite the 4 majors.

4. Sidney Crosby- The next Gretzky? Please. He probably isnt even the best player of his own generation so far depending on your criteria. He certainly isnt someone who will dominate the league and set all kinds of records (individual or team related) as predicted once but is continued to be hyped as such.

5. David Nalbandian- if I wasnt an avid tennis follower I wouldnt even realize this as he isnt even important enough to know otherwise.

 

[MixieP]

I have only heard of number five on your list. But I have a remark to make on number one, who appears to be a car driver. Are they really considered athletes?

 

[r2473]

LeeD

.........

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

Id have to go with Favre. Gets hyped as possibly the greatest qb of all time when hes not even top 5. Kills team w turnovers in big moments. Only 1 sb win, and that was thanks to Reggie White.

 

[bezs]

Agree on Hamilton, my take would be Steven Gerrard sure he has single-handedly saved Liverpool several times in a match but i think he is hyped up too much same goes for Andy Murray.

 

[rainingaces]

Agree on Hamilton, my take would be Steven Gerrard sure he has single-handedly saved Liverpool several times in a match but i think he is hyped up too much same goes for Andy Murray.

I think the opposite way about Gerrard think he is underrated if he played for a barca, real, man utd he would be such a huge star in world football. He is one of the best midfielders in the world no doubt.

Agree on Lewis Hamilton he won his world title by default really, a huge lead slowly faded away due to him choking like in his rookie year, (thought it was hard to choke driving a racing car but he made a art of it) then he needed to finnish 7th in the last race in arguably the best car was 8th on the final lap the rest is history. Lucky choker.

 

[Trillus]

Id have to go with Favre. Gets hyped as possibly the greatest qb of all time when hes not even top 5. Kills team w turnovers in big moments. Only 1 sb win, and that was thanks to Reggie White.

Now that you brought him up I agree. He is pumped up like a god. He is still a great QB but overrated in a historical sense. His greatness is mostly founded upon career numbers which came about by postponing his retirement 5 or 6 times. And he isnt a huge performer in big games.

 

[Trillus]

Agree on Lewis Hamilton he won his world title by default really, a huge lead slowly faded away due to him choking like in his rookie year, (thought it was hard to choke driving a racing car but he made a art of it) then he needed to finnish 7th in the last race in arguably the best car was 8th on the final lap the rest is history. Lucky choker.

Agreed. And yet pundits try and say he is unlucky to not be in the fastest car which is supposably the reason he isnt winning it every year. Please, the McLaren has overall been the fastest car for 4 years now, minus the early part of 2009.

 

[Dilettante]

Lionel Messi.

Good? Yes indeed. Overrated? Vastly.


PD: As for F1 racing overrated drivers, in Spain there's a curious mix. Some people overrate Fernando Alonso, and some people just can't stand Alonso at all.

 

[HiroProtagonist]

Id have to go with Favre. Gets hyped as possibly the greatest qb of all time when hes not even top 5. Kills team w turnovers in big moments. Only 1 sb win, and that was thanks to Reggie White.

BINGO

The first guy that came to my mind.

 

[SempreSami]

Agreed. And yet pundits try and say he is unlucky to not be in the fastest car which is supposably the reason he isnt winning it every year. Please, the McLaren has overall been the fastest car for 4 years now, minus the early part of 2009.

The McLaren's had reliability issues this season, whereas the Red Bulls haven't, allowing someone boring like Webber to lead the standings.

And lol at whoever said Messi.

 

[Polaris]

3. Phil Mickelson- the guy cant even take the #1 ranking from Tiger Woods in his worst year ever. He has never been ranked #1, he has never won Player of the Year, he is inconsistent, plays risky unstable golf, is badly overweight (granted many golfers are), and a headcase. He isnt even really the 2nd best player of his very weak generation, despite the 4 majors.

Phil Mickelson is not even an athlete. Sorry. Some golfers happen to be athletic, but Phil isn't one of them. He is an amazing golfer though.

Golf has extremely low (if any) standards for athletic ability.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

A video treasury of Favre's season ending INT's, going back to his GB days.

http://deadspin.com/5456548/a-video...s-season+ending-interceptions-update/gallery/

 

[El Diablo]

These discussions always are marred by personal animus. The OP declares Lewis Hamilton a "phony spoiled brat" which would seem to have NOTHING to do with whether he's a great athlete. Major league baseball players voted Jeter the most overrated player in the game a few years ago, which I took to be a reflection of their jealousy of the smokin' women he's been with. Jeter's career BA is something like .316 and he could be the all-time hits leader if he hangs around long enough (he started the year AHEAD of Pete Rose's pace.)

 

[ollinger]

As a Jets/Giants supporter, I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing Favre get knocked on his durable can a few times tomorrow night.

 

[Ultra2HolyGrail]

Id have to go with Favre. Gets hyped as possibly the greatest qb of all time when hes not even top 5. Kills team w turnovers in big moments. Only 1 sb win, and that was thanks to Reggie White.

Does that mean mcnabb is overrated because he has no super bowls? Or marino?

Favre was 5 yards away from goat contender if he would have got them into the super bowl.
We will see monday how favre does with moss.

 

[Feña14]

Agree on Hamilton, my take would be Steven Gerrard sure he has single-handedly saved Liverpool several times in a match but i think he is hyped up too much same goes for Andy Murray.

Spot on with Gerrard.

 

[Ultra2HolyGrail]

As a Jets/Giants supporter, I'm looking forward to hopefully seeing Favre get knocked on his durable can a few times tomorrow night.

That's what makes him great, ready to take a beating

 

[counterpuncher64]

Surprised nobody mentioned LeBron James. Brb, calling myself the chosen one and then not winning a title.

 

[Enzo]

By time Peyton Manning retires he'll have all the records. You couldn't be more wrong there.

 

[bms2011]

1.Usain Bolt
2.Tom Brady
3.Lebron James
4.Shaq
5. Michael Phelps

 

[Breaker]

1.Usain Bolt
2.Tom Brady
3.Lebron James
4.Shaq
5. Michael Phelps

:shock:. Maybe LeBron, MAYBE Brady though that's a stretch..but the other three you have some explaining to do.

For me Wayne Rooney, one good season littered with tap in headers my nan could have put away and penalties and all of a sudden he's considered one of the top 3 footballers in the world, the White Pele, the one who will lead England to glory at the World Cup, a consistent 20 goal a season forward, NOT A GRANNY SHAGGER, and rated 88 in FIFA!.

Also Glen Johnson is terrible and at fault for a ton of Liverpool's conceded goals yet is drooled over because he takes 10 shots a game as a right back.

 

[bms2011]

:shock:. Maybe LeBron, MAYBE Brady though that's a stretch..but the other three you have some explaining to do.

For me Wayne Rooney, one good season littered with tap in headers my nan could have put away and penalties and all of a sudden he's considered one of the top 3 footballers in the world, the White Pele, the one who will lead England to glory at the World Cup, a consistent 20 goal a season forward, NOT A GRANNY SHAGGER, and rated 88 in FIFA!.

Also Glen Johnson is terrible and at fault for a ton of Liverpool's conceded goals yet is drooled over because he takes 10 shots a game as a right back.

I take back Usain Bolt but Shaq everbody talks about he is sooo amazing he really isn't the greatest he's good but not amazing. Phelps mainly because he comes around at the Olympics then dissapears and competes in a small event here or there

 

[Feña14]

I take back Usain Bolt but Shaq everbody talks about he is sooo amazing he really isn't the greatest he's good but not amazing. Phelps mainly because he comes around at the Olympics then dissapears and competes in a small event here or there

Usain Bolt is a tricky one, there is no doubt he's incredible at what he does. For me personally though, there are plenty of sports out there where you need to be lightning quick, but you also have to combine it with other skills to truly excel. Wingers in rugby for instance, they are scary fast yet also need agility, footwork, changes of pace etc.. and do it for 80 minutes twice a week. That to me is an awful lot more impressive than just being an all out speed demon. You have wingers like Walcott who can run 100 metres in less than 10 seconds without a ball, yet they also combine it with the ability to dribble a ball with their feet against defenders who will stop at nothing to make sure they don't get past them.

Taking nothing away from Bolt, to be able to go as fast as he can is amazing. I just personally rate athletes who combine great pace with other skills higher.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

Does that mean mcnabb is overrated because he has no super bowls? Or marino?

Favre was 5 yards away from goat contender if he would have got them into the super bowl.
We will see monday how favre does with moss.

Did you see the link I posted? Favre has flat out cost teams games and chances at more SBs with his turnovers at the worst possible times. All time leader in TDs, but all time leader in INTs as well.

Don't get me wrong, Favre is definitely top 10. But he also has his flaws. People treat every team he's going to as if they are instantly SB favorite, but as we saw in NY and again in MIN, Favre alone isn't enough to win teams SB and in some cases loses them (NFC Champ GM INT x2)

I'd put Elway, Montana, Unitas, Brady, Manning all ahead of Favre,

Surprised nobody mentioned LeBron James. Brb, calling myself the chosen one and then not winning a title.

I wouldn't say LeBron is overrated, just overhyped. Anybody that watches knows he's pretty damn good, even if he's turned into an arrogant a$$hat these past few months and pretty much given up on any Jordan comparisons.

I take back Usain Bolt but Shaq everbody talks about he is sooo amazing he really isn't the greatest he's good but not amazing. Phelps mainly because he comes around at the Olympics then dissapears and competes in a small event here or there

In Swimming Olympics are the only thing that matter to most. Just like the slams in tennis. And didn't Phelps break a few more records at the World Championships last year?

 

[Ultra2HolyGrail]

I'd put Elway, Montana, Unitas, Brady, Manning all ahead of Favre

Favre is ahead of elway imo. All elway did was hand terell the ball and run and dive to make himself really famous. Favres first super bowl touchdown pass and running around put him on the map. But favres throwing ability is better than elways i think.. Personality can go a long way too. I really don't think you can ask for a better QB than montana though.

 

[Ultra2HolyGrail]

Now that you brought him up I agree. He is pumped up like a god. He is still a great QB but overrated in a historical sense. His greatness is mostly founded upon career numbers which came about by postponing his retirement 5 or 6 times. And he isnt a huge performer in big games.

He did almost take the vikings to the super bowl. The freakin vikings. Not many other quarterbacks could perform as well and make their team feel like champions playing at 40+ years old. The guy has a rocket for a arm, there is no denying that.

Moss+Favre=Super bowl for sure this year.

 

[g.hull]

Federer by far

 

[UW_Husky88]

I wouldn't say LeBron is overrated, just overhyped. Anybody that watches knows he's pretty damn good, even if he's turned into an arrogant a$$hat these past few months and pretty much given up on any Jordan comparisons.

LOLWUT?!! Cool logic bro



Oh and btw, Federer, Nadal, Sampras, Agassi, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Pele, Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, Wayne Gretzky, Lance Armstrong, and Tiger Woods are the most overrated athletes of all time












***trollface*** (except for Tiger Woods)

 

[ollinger]

I never cease to be amazed by Peyton Manning, how he doesn't just complete the pass but puts it exactly where it should be. Overrated?? I've seen them all since Unitas and I've never seen better than Peyton.

 

[doom]

John McEnroe.

 

[Trillus]

By time Peyton Manning retires he'll have all the records. You couldn't be more wrong there.

We will see. I doubt very much he will have records such as the most Super Bowl wins or Super Bowl MVPs, which are the most important things to try and attain. In fact I wouldnt be shocked if he never wins another Super Bowl. And it wont be because he wasnt on a great team. There are guys who are better QBs than him in big games, Tom Brady is by a huge margin.

And even something like his single season TD record was broken by Brady.

Tom Brady is the best QB of this generation, not Manning.

 

[Trillus]

He did almost take the vikings to the super bowl. The freakin vikings. Not many other quarterbacks could perform as well and make their team feel like champions playing at 40+ years old. The guy has a rocket for a arm, there is no denying that.

Moss+Favre=Super bowl for sure this year.

You are right but in his prime when expectations were alot higher he didnt perform as well in the playoffs as he could have sometimes. He is still an all time great QB of course. I agree with about where jamesblakefan has him though.

And no I dont think he is going to get another Super Bowl win this year either, but crazier things have happened.

 

[Trillus]

I take back Usain Bolt but Shaq everbody talks about he is sooo amazing he really isn't the greatest he's good but not amazing. Phelps mainly because he comes around at the Olympics then dissapears and competes in a small event here or there

Phelps has the record for most golds and most medals both overall and for an individual meet everywhere important- Olympics, Worlds, Pan Pacifics, U.S Nationals, and has done it multiple times over. He certainly does not dissapear in the context of what swimming entials. Granted he hasnt had the best year ever this year, in fact he wasnt even the best swimmer of the year- that was clearly Ryan Lochte. And it wouldnt surprise me if he has already a bit past his prime or the motivation will not be there to hold off hungry challengers. However it really doesnt matter either way, he has already set many records that might never be broken.

He is hands down the greatest swimmer of all time, it is one of the few sports where the greatest ever isnt even arguable. Like in tennis you could argue Federer, in golf you could argue Woods, but in neither case is it clear cut. Very few sports it is. Phelps is actually one of those rare athletes who is inarguably the greatest ever at his sport. I cant imagine anyone thinking he is overrated unless you consider swimming as a sport overrated. To each their own though.

 

[Ultra2HolyGrail]

And no I dont think he is going to get another Super Bowl win this year either, but crazier things have happened.

Hopefully this jenn sterger incident does not become a big problem.. Do you think favres wife is going to be mad? :shock:

 

[Breaker]

We will see. I doubt very much he will have records such as the most Super Bowl wins or Super Bowl MVPs, which are the most important things to try and attain. In fact I wouldnt be shocked if he never wins another Super Bowl. And it wont be because he wasnt on a great team. There are guys who are better QBs than him in big games, Tom Brady is by a huge margin.

And even something like his single season TD record was broken by Brady.

Tom Brady is the best QB of this generation, not Manning.

Brady can not make all of the throws that Manning can and doesn't have the consistency of Manning, with the Patriots' passing game being based on slants and screens. When Moss came the deep ball option was there as well but Manning has every throw pretty much down to perfection which allows the Colts offence to be entirely centered on his arm leading them down the field.

Also Super Bowls are a team accomplishment. And last time I checked Colts have beaten Patriots consistently since around 2005 and Manning/Colts topped Brady/Patriots in the biggest game of his career AFC Championship when down 13-31..

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

LOLWUT?!! Cool logic bro

Oh and btw, Federer, Nadal, Sampras, Agassi, Michael Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Pele, Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, Wayne Gretzky, Lance Armstrong, and Tiger Woods are the most overrated athletes of all time

***trollface*** (except for Tiger Woods)

Reading comprehension fail? What do they teach you guys at UW?

There is a difference between being 'overrated' and being 'overhyped'. By 'overhyped' I mean the hoopla about his move to Miami, "The Decision", etc. But he IS properly rated by most as one of the 2 best B-ball players on the planet, along w/ Kobe. In fact some notable put him at the top (Barkley, Magic, etc). He is not overrated in that regard, but has been overhyped since the move to Miami.

 

[jamesblakefan#1]

He did almost take the vikings to the super bowl. The freakin vikings. Not many other quarterbacks could perform as well and make their team feel like champions playing at 40+ years old. The guy has a rocket for a arm, there is no denying that.

Moss+Favre=Super bowl for sure this year.

So did Randall Cunningham. And Tarkenton actually got them to 3 SBs. How short some people's memories (or knowledge of history) are.

Favre's arm is strong, but others, good and bad, have been stronger. Let's not talk as if he has the strongest arm of all time, or else we're right back again overrating him. The 'gunslinger' myth about Favre really is nauseating at this point. :?

 

[Kobble]

No sport world record holders are overrated.

I don't like Bolt or Phelps, but they earned their accomplishments.

Favre - More about rugged football guy nostalgia. Poster child, really.
Anderson Silva - He isn't more dominant than Fedor.
Lebron James - Most of basketball is overrated.
Alex Rodriguez - Baseball is pretty boring.
Derek Jeter - Same **** as A-rod.
Andy Roddick - A big serve, and a scrappy mentality.

 

[fps]

Usain Bolt is a tricky one, there is no doubt he's incredible at what he does. For me personally though, there are plenty of sports out there where you need to be lightning quick, but you also have to combine it with other skills to truly excel. Wingers in rugby for instance, they are scary fast yet also need agility, footwork, changes of pace etc.. and do it for 80 minutes twice a week. That to me is an awful lot more impressive than just being an all out speed demon. You have wingers like Walcott who can run 100 metres in less than 10 seconds without a ball, yet they also combine it with the ability to dribble a ball with their feet against defenders who will stop at nothing to make sure they don't get past them.

Taking nothing away from Bolt, to be able to go as fast as he can is amazing. I just personally rate athletes who combine great pace with other skills higher.

Thing is though, Bolt is the fastest man over a dash in history. Surely there is nothing more "athletic" than being a professional athlete and being the best in history at something everyone on the planet has had a try at?

In other sports there are many variants, reading of a game, opponents, choices, but Bolt has only his athleticism. Sure he trains for technique on the start, on his stride, but his athleticism is more a part of his sporting success than any winger.

It's impossible to compare what he does with anyone else, he's indisputably the best at what he does, there is no hiding from the stats. That's very different from team sports, and the playing with and reacting against others

 

[Raiden]

Agreed. And yet pundits try and say he is unlucky to not be in the fastest car which is supposably the reason he isnt winning it every year. Please, the McLaren has overall been the fastest car for 4 years now, minus the early part of 2009.

Complete Rubbish.

No F1 car has been 'overall' the fastest for the past 4 years

Who do you believe are the most overrated athletes. Here are mine:

1. Lewis Hamilton- words cant even begin to describe, and I dont even follow Formula 1 much.

Yes, indded it shows that you don't follow F1 much and are therefore completely clueless
.

 

[Raiden]

The McLaren's had reliability issues this season, whereas the Red Bulls haven't, allowing someone boring like Webber to lead the standings.

Agreed.

If Hamilton truly had the fastest car and was underusing it (as a clueless poster is insinuating) then his teammate Jenson Button would have beaten him and gone ahead of him and everyone else, as he did at Brawn GP. Jensen is talented enough to take advantage of a fast and reliable car.

The truth is of course that the only overrated F1 driver is a certain coward who (unlike Lewis/Jensen and Webber/Vettel) is afraid to have real competition and instead has a contractually obligated "helper" on the race circuit - an infarior-status "slave driver" who takes orders form him AND as if that's not enough who also has the actual fastest car on the circuit, certainly in this second half of the season (as proven by both drivers, the slave-master and the slave).

And lol at whoever said Messi.

Agreed on that as well.

Messi does get hyped (called the next Maradona and what-not - that's obviously hyperbolic bullsh*t) but he is really talented.

But who truly can be called overrated is Messi's nemesis:

 

[Peters]

Indeed. Hamilton is a natural racer and I can't fathom how anyone could objectively criticise his racing skills. He's a demon.

But as ever with F1, it's very hard to compare drivers due to the myriad of differences in cars and driving styles. Pretty much every racer on the grid is supremely gifted just to be there, unlike certain other racing competitions around the world...

 

[UW_Husky88]

Reading comprehension fail? What do they teach you guys at UW?

There is a difference between being 'overrated' and being 'overhyped'. By 'overhyped' I mean the hoopla about his move to Miami, "The Decision", etc. But he IS properly rated by most as one of the 2 best B-ball players on the planet, along w/ Kobe. In fact some notable put him at the top (Barkley, Magic, etc). He is not overrated in that regard, but has been overhyped since the move to Miami.

They teach us remedial english at very least because urine idiot. Those two are exactly the same. Want proof:

http://thesaurus.com/browse/overrated?r=76&src=ref&ch=the

Notice how the synonyms are "oversell", "hyped-up", etc. Those two are synonyms. Overhyped means something that overpromoted (i.e. ESPN thinking he's King James) that under delivers. Are you really going to argue with me that someone who is overrated can't be described as someone who gets a lot of praise despite it being unmerited? Lol "logic" fail.

PS: LeBron phucking sucks. Lol at putting him in the same category as Magic despite not winning a ring and having to collude with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to even have a chance at it. You're sipping too much of that ESPN Kool-Aid. Furthermore, the fact that you actually think that he's one of the top 2 players in the world (Durant, Kobe, Wade at the very least are more fundamentally sound/better winners than him...in before Durant has never made it to the 2nd round despite giving the Lakers their hardest challenge in the west as an 8th seed with nobody besides him and maybe their PG lulz) proves my point that he is overrated/overhyped, i.e. someone who is touted as being something he's not.

 

[drakulie]

Id have to go with Favre. Gets hyped as possibly the greatest qb of all time when hes not even top 5. Kills team w turnovers in big moments. Only 1 sb win, and that was thanks to Reggie White.

who hypes him as the greatest QB of all time?

And reggie white was the reason they won the superbowl? LMAO

 

[jhick]

Id have to go with Favre. Gets hyped as possibly the greatest qb of all time when hes not even top 5. Kills team w turnovers in big moments. Only 1 sb win, and that was thanks to Reggie White.

I'm a Vikings fan and I'd have to agree with you. Favre can be good at times, but also very bad. Yet many people and especially commentators seem to hail him as the best ever.

But to the OP, I wouldn't consider most of those players overrated, especially Manning or Mickelson. I will say this..without Manning Marvin Harrison would have had an average NFL career.

 

[drakulie]

^^^again, who hypes him as the greatest QB of all time??? I've never heard this.

 

[mtommer]

We will see. I doubt very much he will have records such as the most Super Bowl wins or Super Bowl MVPs, which are the most important things to try and attain.

Football isn't like tennis. When you compare players you compare what the players can do and their personal stats. If a player never wins a Super Bowl but has all the top stats, that person is the best in their respective position. Brady has a phenomenal team and coaching staff built around him. How would Brady do with the Lions? Peyton and Favre would excel. Would Brady? I think that's much harder to say "yes" to.

 

[SlapShot]

But to the OP, I wouldn't consider most of those players overrated, especially Manning or Mickelson. I will say this..without Manning Marvin Harrison would have had an average NFL career.

Look at the roster of receivers that Manning has made better, and it's clear that he is one of the best quarterbacks of all time.

Yes, Reggie Wayne is a great athelete. But it seems like they have been able to plug about anyone in the receiver spot and Manning is able to highlight their ability. Austin Collie anyone? Pierre Garcon? These guys would be unheralded receivers without the ball that Manning throws.

Brady may have been "better" in big games (which is debatable), but he has also been helped by the Pats sustaining a running game, which the Colts have very rarely had (Edge for a couple of seasons, and Addai for 1 or 2 seasons), as well as the Pats having a much stouter defense for the most part. Getting to (and winning) the big game requires a team effort, and the Pats were one of the most watertight teams in the NFL in the 00's.

 

[SlapShot]

^^^again, who hypes him as the greatest QB of all time??? I've never heard this.

John Madden for sure. He swings from Favre's undies like few others.