Each Countries Greatest Athlete

[Jack Straw]

Jack, Do you believe Ruth could only compete at a high level against White athletes.. bcuz that's what you're theory suggests (?)
There have been great White power hitters in an integrated MLB; I'm curious, what leads u to believe Ruth wouldn't be one.
I also find it curious that this standard is always selectively applied to White icons. Nobody questions the greatness of Negro Leaguers for not facing hitters & pitchers like Ruth & Walter Johnson, etc.
I think some of these guys did face each other on barnstorming tours tho..

My last point, bcuz of baseball's prominence in the '20s, I'd submit Ruth was facing the greatest athletes he could.. the White talent pool was less diluted by athletes migrating to football & basketball. Peace

No. I never said that, just that there were great players that didn't get the opportunity to play in the major leagues. Ruth would have been great regardless. We just don't know exactly how great.

 

[Terry Yake]

iran-ali daei

 

[Albatros]

I agree about Graf, not so high on Schumacher. Personally I'd pick Dirk Nowitzki over both Schumacher and Beckenbauer. But overall Graf might still be my number 1 amongst German athletes.

Max Schmeling is up there too, I think clearly above Nowitzki at least.

 

[Jumptheshark]

In your opinions, who are the greatest athletes of each sporting nation? Now of course they're 195 countries so we obviously won't get to all of them, but I'll just name a handful that come to my mind!

Canada: Wayne Gretzky
USA: Michael Jordan (could be many ppl tbh)
Argentina: Leo Messi/Diego Maradona
Portugal: Cristiano Ronaldo
Spain: Rafa Nadal
Switzerland: Roger Federer
Brazil: Pele
Germany: Franz Beckenbauer/Steffi Graf
China: Yao Ming
Jamaica: Usain Bolt
Philippines: Manny Pacquiao
Ireland: Connor McGregor
Great Britain: Mo Farah
Serbia: Novak Djokovic
France: Zinedine Zidane

greatest athlete or most famous?

Mo Farah the greatest UK athlete?

I think you are getting famous and greatest confused

 

[nturn06]

Ukraine: Andriy Shevchenko

I would say Sergey Bubka

 

[Shrimper]

India - Sachin Tendulkar, Sri Lanka - Muttiah Muralitharan, Australia - Don Bradman, West Indies/Barbados - Garfield Sobers

 

[NJDevs26]

'Greatest athlete' could actually be a guy like Carl Lewis, doesn't have to be limited to the team sports. It depends on your definition. Although Jim Brown is a good pick too.

For Japan would it automatically be Saduharu Oh, or do they have a great Olympian you can put there? Ichiro's had legendary longevity so he's in the mix. Ohtani may be considered for that in a few years.