Best Athlete in the World?

[NISM0_SKYLINE]

He never won Le Mans. Graham Hill did win Le Mans which is more prestigious than Daytona and also the F1 championship and the Indy 500.

Ooops, should of done more research. Well he came in 3rd, won 12 Hours of Sebring, and 24 Hours of Daytona. Ok did I redeem myself ?

 

[Biggles]

What I notice from your posts, in this thread as elsewhere, Omnis, is that you like resolutely to reduce human experience to its elemental basics. I am more interested in the nuances that make life varied & unpredictable.

If you accept “speed” as more than just running fast, then you should accept that Maradona had “speed”: he was actually fast at running, but also had extraordinarily quick reflexes, was quick on his feet, quick at the intricate body control required to dribble, pass & shoot, quick at reading his opponent’s reactions, quick at reading the game etc. To think that the player who, in his day, dominated the most played & most popular sport in the world, was not a great athlete because he wasn’t some kind of muscle-bound thorough-bred, has got to call into question the definition of “athlete” you’re applying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg3uS4ZBHtM

Just one of the most famous examples, but in his prime, 5'5" Maradona ran circles around some of the most elite athletes in the world, game after game.




(… and yes, I also think Doug Flutie was one hell of an athlete)

 

[Omnis]

What I notice from your posts, in this thread as elsewhere, Omnis, is that you like resolutely to reduce human experience to its elemental basics. I am more interested in the nuances that make life varied & unpredictable.

If you accept “speed” as more than just running fast, then you should accept that Maradona had “speed”: he was actually fast at running, but also had extraordinarily quick reflexes, was quick on his feet, quick at the intricate body control required to dribble, pass & shoot, quick at reading his opponent’s reactions, quick at reading the game etc. To think that the player who, in his day, dominated the most played & most popular sport in the world, was not a great athlete because he wasn’t some kind of muscle-bound thorough-bred, has got to call into question the definition of “athlete” you’re applying.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg3uS4ZBHtM

Just one of the most famous examples, but in his prime, 5'5" Maradona ran circles around some of the most elite athletes in the world, game after game.




(… and yes, I also think Doug Flutie was one hell of an athlete)

You're the one who's taking what I say and getting it twisted. I never denied that Maradona was a great athlete. Though, of course, he is not the best athlete of all time. You simply stated that Maradona was a better player than he was an athlete, and I agree to that.