Everyone has their favourite player who they regard as the
best but how can you say that a particular sportsman or sportswoman is the
best? Naturally people would have different opinions as to who the best is. A
much bigger debate rages on and that is who the best of all time is. Again
people’s opinion would differ, so what would be the best way to settle this
debate? The best way would be to prove your claim, would his or her
performances be the deciding factor or would it be the opinions of experts in
that field. I believe the best way to determine who the best of all time is to
look at statistics. This is of course not full proof, for example Rugby players
in the past were not seen as professionals and had day jobs. For this reason
they didn’t play as many games so their stats can’t compare to the professionals
of today. It is however one of the only ways to prove claims.
Mohammed Ali would come to mind as he proclaimed himself the
greatest ever. His persona, attitude and skill in the ring would back up his
claim. His stats would back up his claim further as he only lost 5 fights in
his whole life. He also won a Gold medal at an Olympics. He beat some of the
best fighters of the time and nobody would blame you for saying he’s the best
ever. When you compare him to the likes of Floyd Mayweather jr, his stats seem
to pale in comparison as Floyd has never lost a fight. Some would say that the
opponents he has faced couldn’t compare to those of Ali but stats don’t lie and
he is unbeaten.
After his 200m gold medal Usain Bolt has proclaimed himself “a
legend and greatest athlete to live”. Granted he is the fastest man alive and
he holds 5 gold medals at the Olympics but this claim is greatly exaggerated as
he only ranks 65th on the all time Olympic medal tally. He isn’t even
the highest placed sprinter as Carl Lewis is placed 5th on the all
time list. To be the greatest you have to be head and shoulders above everyone
else. Statistics don’t lie and they can be the only thing to prove the best
from the rest.
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