List of GOATs

[Andycoleno9]

After watching MJ's The last dance i was thinking about greatest players in other sports. So my list ( i didn't include sports which i don't watch like cricket, baseball etc..) would be:

Football: Lionel Messi
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Tennis: Roger Federer / Serena Williams
MMA: Fedor Emelianenko
Boxing: Muhammad Ali
Handball: Ivano Balic
Hockey: Wayne Gretzky
Am. football : Tom Brady
F1: Michael Schumacher
Athletics: Usain Bolt

GOAT in general: Michael Jordan

Feel free to add a sport.

 

[altodevil]

Tom Brady shouldn't be anywhere near these discussions. Invalidates the entire thread. Mods please lock this.

 

[Raoul]

After watching MJ's The last dance i was thinking about greatest players in other sports. So my list ( i didn't include sports which i don't watch like cricket, baseball etc..) would be:

Football: Lionel Messi
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Tennis: Roger Federer / Serena Williams
MMA: Fedor Emelianenko
Boxing: Muhammad Ali
Handball: Ivano Balic
Hockey: Wayne Gretzky
Am. football : Tom Brady
F1: Michael Schumacher
Athletics: Usain Bolt

GOAT in general: Michael Jordan

Feel free to add a sport.

Good choices, except fo Fedor.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Good choices, except fo Fedor.

I was thinking Miocic or him but prime Fedor was a monster.
How do you know that you are old? When you make a list like this and put all retired people on it. Ha ha. I nearly put Il Fenomeno but said to myself; "No man, don't go too far"

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Boxing: Sugar Ray Robinson
Baseball: Babe Ruth

 

[Moby]

Cricket is easy. Don Bradman. Don't think anyone in any other sport managed to achieve the astronomical feats he did in cricket.

 

[Raoul]

I was thinking Miocic or him but prime Fedor was a monster.
How do you know that you are old? When you make a list like this and put all retired people on it. Ha ha. I nearly put Il Fenomeno but said to myself; "No man, don't go too far"

The trouble with Fedor is he never fought in the UFC, where all the best fighters compete. Therefore its hard to put his career in the GOAT category for lack of consistent quality opposition.

 

[P-Ro]

Tom Brady shouldn't be anywhere near these discussions. Invalidates the entire thread. Mods please lock this.

 

[SalfordRed18]

After watching MJ's The last dance i was thinking about greatest players in other sports. So my list ( i didn't include sports which i don't watch like cricket, baseball etc..) would be:

Football: Lionel Messi
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Tennis: Roger Federer / Serena Williams
MMA: Fedor Emelianenko
Boxing: Muhammad Ali
Handball: Ivano Balic
Hockey: Wayne Gretzky
Am. football : Tom Brady
F1: Michael Schumacher
Athletics: Usain Bolt

GOAT in general: Michael Jordan

Feel free to add a sport.

This is subjective so won't talk about what's wrong with your list.

However you lose all credibility when you list athletics as a whole.

 

[Jippy]

No way Jordan is the overall sport GOAT for me. His sport is/was just too niche and US-centric.

 

[Invictus]

Multi-discipline: Jim Thorpe
Badminton: Lin Dan
Gridiron: Jerry Rice
Pool: Efren Reyes
Lifting: Naim Süleymanoglu
Rugby: Richie McCaw
Skating: Yuzuru Hanyu
Gymnastics: Simone Biles
Squash: Jahangir Khan
Chess: Magnus Carlsen
Surfing: Duke Kahanamoku
Table Tennis: Ma Long
Wrestling: Aleksandr Karelin
Swimming: Michael Phelps

 

[Fener1907]

Cycling was missed, although arguing against Eddy Merckx being the greatest might be futile.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

No way Jordan is the overall sport GOAT for me. His sport is/was just too niche and US-centric.

Just because Brits aren’t any good at it doesn’t make it niche.

 

[Andycoleno9]

This is subjective so won't talk about what's wrong with your list.

However you lose all credibility when you list athletics as a whole.

You are right about that.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

Nani

 

[horsechoker]

Shagging: Johnny Sins

 

[Andycoleno9]

No way Jordan is the overall sport GOAT for me. His sport is/was just too niche and US-centric.

He is maybe only undisputed GOAT. In nearly every other sport there is some debate. But not about basketball. Only some kids who never watched MJ will say LeBron James.

 

[The Cat]

Cricket is easy. Don Bradman. Don't think anyone in any other sport managed to achieve the astronomical feats he did in cricket.

Possible (losing) argument for Sobers as an all round cricketer and not just one facet of it.

 

[Hugh Jass]

Snooker: Ronnie O Sullivan.

 

[Hugh Jass]

Shagging: Johnny Sins

 

[Paxi]

Multi-discipline: Jim Thorpe
Badminton: Lin Dan
Gridiron: Jerry Rice
Pool: Efren Reyes
Lifting: Naim Süleymanoglu
Rugby: Richie McCaw
Skating: Yuzuru Hanyu
Gymnastics: Simone Biles
Squash: Jahangir Khan
Chess: Magnus Carlsen
Surfing: Duke Kahanamoku
Table Tennis: Ma Long
Wrestling: Aleksandr Karelin
Swimming: Michael Phelps

One of most ridiculous records you'll likely to see. Would have loved to seen him make the switch to MMA. If Fedor is considered one of the GOAT's with his back ground in Judo and Sambo. Imagine Karelin with his Greco-Roman wrestling. What could have been..

 

[adexkola]

Shagging: Johnny Sins

Ffs

 

[Jippy]

Just because Brits aren’t any good at it doesn’t make it niche.

It's niche compared to say football and we're shite at that too.

He is maybe only undisputed GOAT. In nearly every other sport there is some debate. But not about basketball. Only some kids who never watched MJ will say LeBron James.

That's like saying Phil Taylor is the undisputed darts GOAT and maybe kabaddi has one. Doesn't automatically translate into them being the world's greatest sportsperson ever.

 

[Hound Dog]

Football : Messi
Basketball: Abdul-Jabbar , due to not being overrated due to being the poster boy of Nike and most recently Netflix
Tennis: Nadal . Federer only has style of playing going for him.
Boxing: Ali
Athletics overall Bubka
F1: Lewis Hamilton

GOAT overall extremely difficult to judge. Probably Ali

 

[GuyfromAustria]

Biathlon: Ole Einar Bjørndalen

 

[freeurmind]

Lomah for rugby Union and Sachin for Cricket

 

[Red Stone]

Bo Jackson as the GOAT athlete in general? Not the GOAT in one sport, but managed to become a high-level pro in both baseball and American football, which is a ridiculous achievement.

 

[Organic Potatoes]

Bo Jackson as the GOAT athlete in general? Not the GOAT in one sport, but managed to become a high-level pro in both baseball and American football, which is a ridiculous achievement.

Might’ve been without the hip injury. Best athlete ever in the NFL and MLB possibly.

I’m biased, but on overall athlete I’m agreeing with @Invictus on Jim Thorpe.

 

[Raoul]

Bo Jackson as the GOAT athlete in general? Not the GOAT in one sport, but managed to become a high-level pro in both baseball and American football, which is a ridiculous achievement.

I wouldn't disagree if not for the fact that he only had half a career. Definitely the best athlete I've ever seen.

 

[Grylte]

Biathlon: Ole Einar Bjørndalen

I think only US and UK sports counts. Usually does on the Caf atleast

Bjørndalen is Goat by a mile.

Was thinking about Cross country, skijumping and alpine aswell.
Stenmark maybe in alpine, but Tomba and Aamodt are up there.
Ski jumping i don't know that much about, but Finland, Germany and Norway are usually good, historically.
Cross country...Probably Marit Bjørgen and Bjørn Dæhlie.

 

[Himannv]

Possible (losing) argument for Sobers as an all round cricketer and not just one facet of it.

Nah, Bradman is just so far ahead of everyone else and the clear GOAT. Sobers doesn't rank highly enough as a bowler, although I think he could well be the 2nd or 3rd best batsman.

 

[11101]

Thinking of the only sports where there is little to no debate:

F1 - Ayrton Senna
Surfing - Kelly Slater
Skateboarding - Tony Hawk
Swimming - Michael Phelps

 

[anant]

Hide and Seek: John Cena

 

[Himannv]

GOAT overall extremely difficult to judge. Probably Ali

I don't know if you can say he's the undisputed GOAT even in boxing. SRR is arguably better although he fought at a different weight class and he didn't quite have the unpredictable movement and speed of Ali. He was an excellent counter-puncher and seemed to get better the longer the fight went on.

Duran, Mayweather, Marciano, and Louis all have good arguments to be called the best as well (although I think they aren't).

 

[pacifictheme]

Thinking of the only sports where there is little to no debate:

F1 - Ayrton Senna
Surfing - Kelly Slater
Skateboarding - Tony Hawk
Swimming - Michael Phelps

Schumacher and Hamilton have surpassed senna.

 

[RobinLFC]

Thinking of the only sports where there is little to no debate:

F1 - Ayrton Senna
Surfing - Kelly Slater
Skateboarding - Tony Hawk
Swimming - Michael Phelps

Also Senna is a questionable choice for GOAT in the F1, let alone someone to have the "little to no debate" tag.

 

[11101]

Schumacher and Hamilton have surpassed senna.

You won't find any/many drivers who think that. Including those two. They all say Senna.

 

[MyOnlySolskjaer]

Would like to see a list of Sports All-time 2nd Bests.

 

[JPRouve]

Ivano Balic

Handball: Nikola Karabatic.

 

[pacifictheme]

You won't find any/many drivers who think that. Including those two. They all say Senna.

An early death does wonders for a reputation.