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Post by Soccerhouse on Mar 20, 2018 14:20:04 GMT -5
interesting list generated by ESPN --- The dominant 20 athletes of the past two decades In celebration of ESPN The Magazine's 20th anniversary, Peter Keating's crunched the numbers to find the most dominant athletes of our time. tons of strange things on this list -- Peyton Manning at #3, a Nascar driver ahead of Federer? Then to why I'm posting it here -- What do you think of this Marta making the list, but then above Messi and Ronaldo? Marta at 9 Messi at 11 Ronaldo at 14 www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/22765432/tiger-woods-lebron-james-most-dominant-athletes-last-20-years
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Post by soccerfan30 on Mar 20, 2018 14:58:47 GMT -5
For her sport Marta has been unquestioned the best player for almost a decade, she should be in the top 10 in my book. Most other sports have several top players: LeBron, KD and Steph...Messi, Ronaldo and Neymar...Federer, Nadal, Novak,etc. Marta has been the top of the hill in her sport, unfortunately that hasn't translated to team success.
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Post by Futsal Gawdess on Mar 20, 2018 15:29:01 GMT -5
The two questions I asked myself when I first read the list were - did any of these athletes transcend, re-invent, disrupt or become change agents for their sport? And what was the impact of them being on the course/field/court/pitch/track, etc? Tiger, Serena, LeBron, Federer, Schumacher, Floyd, Bolt, Messi, Ronaldo I agree. You notice how I only used their singular names to identify them and you know who i'm referring to. Not sure whom I would put as #1 but I personally think Serena needs to be further up the list within the top 3. She's more dominant than Federer and with the exception of maybe Tiger I just don't see anyone else having the name recognition and far reaching effect that she's had and still has. Even if you don't follow Tennis you know who she is. I can say if you don't follow soccer, you wouldn't know who Marta is. Messi is tempered or watered down by Ronaldo and vice versa. If there was only one of them, I'd move him into top 3. I like NASCAR and love me some retired Junior but Jimmy Johnson shouldn't be on the list. Peyton Manning, really and lets not forget or try to remember who Lauren Jackson is. Who watches the WNBA? Bonds shouldn't be on the list not only for his cheating(allegedly) but also because he wasn't an ambassador for the sport. Finally, I wish this didn't just cover the last 20 years because without a doubt, I believe Mia Hamm would have been the female soccer representative on this list. I give Marta a lot of credit for pushing the boundaries and showcasing what a "girl" can do in soccer, but we can all agree Mia started us down that path. In addition to 4 NCAA championships, 2 Olympic Golds and 2 World Cup titles, she's also co-owner of the LA FC team along with being the global ambassador for Barcelona. I miss Mia
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Post by Soccerhouse on Mar 20, 2018 15:33:54 GMT -5
Wow -- never would have known Futsal Gawdess was such a Mia fan!!! Bringing it!
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Post by Futsal Gawdess on Mar 20, 2018 18:43:56 GMT -5
Growing up she was a pioneer and trailblazer to many little girls around the world. Saw her in a friendly in Europe and was just amazed at her style of play. Even in Europe where Soccer is worshiped more than actual Religion sometimes, the women's game is just now truly taking hold.
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Post by jash on Mar 21, 2018 22:44:24 GMT -5
Where is Michael Phelps?
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Post by Soccerhouse on Mar 21, 2018 23:03:55 GMT -5
If lance Armstrong wouldn’t have been busted as the biggest cheater in the history of sport - would he have been number 1? No Phelps is a crime. And how can you put Bonds on the list? And I can name a few WNBA players, but the one they have on list I’ve never even heard of. Had to google her —impressive resume Obviously a goal of a list like this is to have some controversy. I just never thought of Manning as a dominant player. Found this link at the way way bottom that attempts to answer our questions- like also, where is Kobe? www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/22792577/the-biggest-questions-espn-magazine-list-most-dominant-athletes-last-20-years
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Post by Keeper on Mar 22, 2018 13:19:00 GMT -5
All I’m saying is driving a car is not being an athlete or athletic. Skilled? Yes. But so are chemist.
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Post by rocko1989 on Mar 22, 2018 13:50:49 GMT -5
All I’m saying is driving a car is not being an athlete or athletic. Skilled? Yes. But so are chemist. I have never agreed with anything more on this site than the statement above!
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Post by Soccerhouse on Mar 22, 2018 14:51:25 GMT -5
Interestingly, Motocross often gets mentioned as the most physically demanding sport
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Post by SoccerMom on Mar 22, 2018 14:55:17 GMT -5
All I’m saying is driving a car is not being an athlete or athletic. Skilled? Yes. But so are chemist. i totally agree....but i dont consider a golfer an athlete either....just skilled. all that walking! whew oh wait, they drive them around...all that heavy lifting?? oh wait someone does that too....
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Post by rocko1989 on Mar 22, 2018 16:10:18 GMT -5
Interestingly, Motocross often gets mentioned as the most physically demanding sport The other comments were about stock car racing, not motocross. The beating those folks take (motocross) on the course is pretty rough. I don't think there is a way to measure which is really the most physically demanding. Hockey, rugby, football all seem pretty tough physically. And let's be honest, men's college soccer is quite physical as well!
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Post by Futsal Gawdess on Mar 22, 2018 18:33:07 GMT -5
All things being equal, I would rather play Men's College Soccer any day as compared to Women's College Soccer any day. You need jujitsu, taekwondo and a few ninja skills to avert permanent injury in women's college soccer. Trust me, I know.
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