Boston Globe SHAUGHNESSY This one clinched it: Tom Brady is the greatest Boston athlete of all time

[Therick67]

Orr literally changed the game of hockey and how it is played.

Brady, not so much

Not sure I can blame Brady for playing in this day and age and not having the opportunity to change how the game is played like Orr did.

Bobby is is the greatest defensemen/player to play the game.

I also think Brady is the greatest qb/winner in football history. His list of accomplishments are unmatched.

What NFL records does Tom Brady already own?

 

[BruinsBtn]

1. You suck at math. Using your 1 billion. 1 billion is 100 times 10,000. I already cited 400,000 in the US alone. And my figure only includes those registered with USA Swimming. Not just some kid in his backyard playing soccer.

2. You're confusing "best at the most popular sport" with "best athlete". You are eliminating the possibility that the best athlete in the world could participate in anything but the most popular sport in the world. Horrible logic right there.

The odds are exceedingly low that a sport that maybe 0.1% of the world's population participates in has the world's greatest athlete. It's possible but...no. You're also cherry picking one country as 'just an example'. Aside from maybe Hungary and Australia there are no countries that swimming even moves the needle in terms of the top-10 sports.

Also. Massive lolz at calling out my math. 10,000 x 100 equals one million, not one billion.... One billion is 100x ten million, Einstein.

 

[Seidenbergy]

The odds are exceedingly low that a sport that maybe 0.1% of the world's population participates in has the world's greatest athlete. It's possible but...no. You're also cherry picking one country as 'just an example'. Aside from maybe Hungary and Australia there are no countries that swimming even moves the needle in terms of the top-10 sports.

Google "most physically demanding sports"

What you will find are lists DOMINATED by sports that wouldn't crack the top 10 in popularity in most countries.

Wrestling
Motorcross
Swimming
Boxing
Martial Arts
Tennis
Gymnastics
etc.

What we have here is a problem of definition. You appear to define "best athlete" as the one you consider to be the best at the most popular sport. I define "best athlete" as the one who is a combo of the most dominant athlete in the most demanding physical sport. Phelps was the most decorated Olympian ever, was easily the most dominant swimmer in the world and has been ranked #1 in the world 8 times from 2003-2016.

Messi hasn't even been universally considered far and away the best soccer player in the world, much less the best athlete, for much of his career. Some years? Sure. Every year? Nope. And how does he do on the largest stage facing the best in the world outside the cozy confines of Barca?

 

[BruinsBtn]

Google "most physically demanding sports"

What you will find are lists DOMINATED by sports that wouldn't crack the top 10 in popularity in most countries.

Wrestling
Motorcross
Swimming
Boxing
Martial Arts
Tennis
Gymnastics
etc.

I define "best athlete" as the one who is a combo of the most dominant athlete in the most demanding physical sport. Phelps was the most decorated Olympian ever, was easily the most dominant swimmer in the world and has been ranked #1 in the world 8 times from 2003-2016.

Messi hasn't even been universally considered far and away the best soccer player in the world, much less the best athlete, for much of his career. Some years? Sure. Every year? Nope.

Messi is the consensus best soccer player EVER.

But ok, you got me, the best motocross driver is a better athlete than him.

 

[Seidenbergy]

Messi is the consensus best soccer player EVER.

Confirmation that you literally have zero clue what you are talking about. He doesn't even make the top 3 of any reputable list.

Pele
Cryuff
Maradona
Platini

 

[BigBadBruins7708]

Confirmation that you literally have zero clue what you are talking about. He doesn't even make the top 3 of any reputable list.

Pele
Cryuff
Maradona
Platini

Cristiano Ronaldo

 

[Seidenbergy]

Cristiano Ronaldo

Not even the best Ronaldo IMO.

 

[CharaBadSenyshynGawd]

Only way to tell for sure is to grab the top 2-3 ever in every single sport and put them up against each other in every single sport in a 1v1 tourney in each with the loser getting 0 points all the way up to the winner getting 50, of however many athletes you end up with total.

I’ll start sending the script around to the TV execs

Regardless, it doesn’t even matter. Tom can’t run, can’t jump, really can’t do anything except read a defense and throw a ball. We can argue semantics of what athlete means, where who ranks, etc. but Tom is one of the most successful American sports figures of all time and that’s not something that can be debated.

 

[Dellstrom]

Brady is undoubtedly the most clutch big-game player, easy. But Belichick and Brady share their success. They're both the best in the history of the NFL at what they do. The mastermind and the guy who turns the plan into action. If the term "athlete" means sports player, sure, you can 110% make the argument. In terms of athletic skill... no.

This is a hockey board so there's some bias but no one on that list changed the way their respective game was played like Orr did. A lot of all-time greats probably wouldn't have played the game if it wasn't for #4. Brady is absolutely on our Mt. Rushmore and he's absolutely the GOAT of the NFL and I doubt anyone will ever surpass what he's done.

 

[BruinsBtn]

Confirmation that you literally have zero clue what you are talking about. He doesn't even make the top 3 of any reputable list.

Pele
Cryuff
Maradona
Platini

Says the guy who can't do basic math.

 

[Seidenbergy]

Says the guy who can't do basic math.

Fast typing is my excuse. Yours?

 

[BruinsBtn]

Fast typing is my excuse. Yours?

 

[Seidenbergy]

Still waiting on a reputable link showing Messi is the consensus best soccer player ever.

 

[yazmybaby]

Messi is the consensus best soccer player EVER.

But ok, you got me, the best motocross driver is a better athlete than him.

Some of the best all around athletes in the world are soccer players.
They had a " superstars competition" for athletes in the 1980's, Brian Budd a soccer player won the event for three years in a row ( which was a big shock to everyone). Russ Francis, Pats TE was in it one year along with Joe Theismann and Charles White.
It would be interesting to get a pro hockey player, basketball, football, soccer, boxing and baseball players together now to see who would win?

 

[Seidenbergy]

Some of the best all around athletes in the world are soccer players.
They had a " superstars competition" for athletes in the 1980's, Brian Budd a soccer player won the event for three years in a row ( which was a big shock to everyone). Russ Francis, Pats TE was in it one year along with Joe Theismann and Charles White.
It would be interesting to get a pro hockey player, basketball, football, soccer, boxing and baseball players together now to see who would win?

They had a reboot maybe 10-15 yrs ago where downhill skier Bode Miller dominated Terrell Owens.