He can run faster than any human being in the world. This counts for something. Bolt is a solid nomination.
that's tough, because Bo was a combo of speed and strength that might never have existed before and might not now. I'll throw out Ben Johnson too. Strong, fastest in the world at the time.
I know he hasn't been super productive in the league, but as far as pure agility Reggie Bush would be high up there.
Sanders was faster, but not by enough to make up for the big advantage Bo has in strength. In my eyes, at least.
Deion was a little guy, he was supposed to be fast. Bo was a freak of nature. Eddie George was scared shitless of Ray Lewis. I don't think I've ever saw a pro athlete look like such a [itch bay] as to when the Titans played the Ravens.
The question isn't "who has the most athleticism". The question is "who is the best athlete". Now these two inquiries surely aren't mutually exclusive. Like you said, Novak is the best in his sport in part because of his speed, agility, flexibility, and endurance -- all components of what we might call "raw athleticism". But think of raw athleticism as a means to an end -- a tool that a great athlete very likely has in his toolbox, but not the ultimate question that we're trying to get at. Stated differently, the question of who is the best athlete will almost necessarily include some discussion about their raw athleticism. But, again, only as a means of determining who is the best athlete.
What do you think? I would have a tough time making a case for the world's strongest deadlifter as the world' greatest athlete. That's just one of a million ways of measuring strength. But speed is speed. I think the world's fastest 5K runner might have a claim if he was a good deal better than his peers (a la Usain Bolt). I think the point you're not getting is how fast Usain Bolt is. Carl Lewis had the world record in 1987. 9.93. 20 years later the world record was 9.77. It was incrementally improving at less than 0.01 per year. Then Bolt ran 9.58. It may be 30 years before another human being is as fast as him. In fact, there are a lot of studies into how fast a human being could ever run the 100 meters. If/when Bolt goes under 9.5, he will have gotten very close to the human being sprint speed asymptote. I'm not understanding your skepticism of Bolt as one of the best athletes on the planet.
With Sanders, it was his combination of speed, agility, fluidity, and body control. I don't think this combo existed before and I don't think it does now. Again, I don't think there is really a right or wrong answer here, but Sanders skillset allowed him to be the best cornerback in the history of the game. I'm leaning towards Sanders on this one.
Deadlift is the best measure of strength there is. I'm aware of Bolt's dominance over his peers. Also note that my question to lys was about being an all around athlete. If you want to say he's the best athlete in the same way as a Tiger Woods, he's in the upper echelon.
Who is the best athlete in the NFL? Three years ago I would say Randy Moss without thinking twice. Now it's a tougher call. I'm inclined to say Michael Vick, but then I run up against a metaphysical question. Is Michael Vick a better athlete than Aaron Rodgers? Hear me out. If Aaron Rodgers is better at playing the exact same position as Michael Vick, then isn't he the better athlete? He certainly isn't as agile, but the sum of his athletic gifts makes him better than Vick at the narrowly defined athletic endeavour that both of them have chosen as their profession. Interesting question. Discuss.
