How about Bruce Lee. Didn't he create a sport he was so good. And he can kill you with one finger right?
Calvin Murphy <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/LmI9MSuXtdY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
It's not Joe Mauer but he's an impressive athlete. All Star/MVP in baseball and was the #1 High School football recruit in the country. I'd probably go Bo or Primetime.....
The way I see it, there are three ways to judge "best athlete": 1. The best all-around in a single sport. 2. Being very good at many sports. 3. Pure athletic ability (running, jumping, etc.) To me, (1) doesn't mean much. Even if you could agree on the best athlete for each sport, there's no good way to distinguish between them. Who's better, Wayne Gretzky or Aleksandr Karelin? I think the other two are better criteria for this. That being the case, Jim Thorpe fits the bill pretty well. For women, Babe Didrikson Zaharias.
lol, I watched 30 for 30 yesterday and was planning to make this EXACT thread. Actually I was going to make "Greatest Athlete During your Lifetime" but this is close enough. My vote would go to Bo. The man was just an absolute freak. He was built like a tank and ran a 4.1 40 at the combine. It's sad his careers were cut short, as I would have loved to see what he'd been able to accomplish without the injuries.
No doubt Deion was great, but he's wasn't on Bo's level. He was a decent baseball player, but Bo was one of the best players in the league for a stretch. I think without injury it was very possible he would be a hall of famer in both leagues.
Deion's athleticism allowed him to play on both sides of the ball in the modern era, not to mention special teams. I'd say he's definitely in the top 10. Jim Thorpe is a guy you always hear about, but nobody really saw him do anything, so what do you do, just take some old people's word for it?
Who was a Hall of Fame golfer, set 5 world records in track and field in one afternoon, All-American basketball player, and accomplished diver, bowler and pool player? And a Texan to boot!
Feel free to suggest other people, the rest of the world just plays too much soccer, we diversify. I consider greatest athlete the ability to be good at any sport you play, hand eye speed and power. MJ was the GOAT, but we saw what happened when he played a sport like baseball. Bo Jackson combination of speed, power and athleticism is unmatched. He was a little overrated a basball player, but he was still getting better before the hip injury. His last 2 years he was a great player. And he very well might have been the greatest running back of all-time. He was actually faster than deion, a state champion in the 100. Jim thorpe was great no doubt, but competition and specialization wasn't close to what is was in Bo's day. 1.Bo Jackson 2.Jim Brown 3.Jim Thorpe 4.Deion Sanders it get's sketchy after those 4 to me. Mauer deserves legit consideration though. Gatorade player of the year in football, 2 time all state PG also.
Bo Jackson was a cool baseball player, but he was never one of the best players in the league. His best year was 1989 and he didn't place in the top 10 in the AL (let alone all of MLB) in WAR, offensive WAR, OPS, OPS+, OBP, BA, Runs Created, Runs Scored, Extra Base Hits, Total bases... He had elite power for his era. 4th in the AL in homeruns, 3rd in HR per at bat. He also tied for 4th in RBI and was 6th in SLG. However, you expand to include the National League and Bo doesn't place in the top 10 in SLG either. Drops to 8th in HR, 7th in RBI and 6th in AB per home run. He was a good power hitter, that's it.
Your right, he wasn't a great player, but he was a very good player, getting better at the highest level of the sport. That is impressive.
I don't know anybody else, but when I consider how "athletic" someone is, I don't think of things like on base percentages and RBIs. (not that you're making this argument) Baseball is a funky sport, where very specialized skills oftentimes outweigh sheer athletic ability. When I think of the greatest athletes in baseball, I think of guys who run fast, jump high, and knock the crap out of the ball. Hand-eye coordination and all that jazz are an afterthought. Bo Jackson possessed a freakish combination of strength, agility, and speed. I have zero problem with people calling him the greatest athlete of all time.
Oh I'm not arguing against his athleticism, nor am I saying he's not the best "athlete" of all time. Just saying he wasn't one of the best "players" in baseball.
