Phelps v Tiger: who's the greatest?
Sunday, August 17, 2008 at 08:07PM A bunch of people have asked me over the past few days: How does Michael Phelps rank against Tiger Woods as far as the greatest individual sport athlete in the world.
Being a golf geek, I can't really be objective on this one. I think Tiger Woods is the greatest athlete on the planet -- period. And when it's all said and done, he'll be the most accomplished athlete in history. Greater than Ruth. And Jordan. Gretzky and Ali. Federer. Jim Brown. You name it -- Tiger will be more accomplished.
That being said, Michael Phelps is unquestionably the greatest Olympian of all-time, and will certainly rank as one of the most accomplished athletes in history. He's also undoubtedly the athlete of the year; even with Tiger's amazing performance at the US Open, 2008 belongs to Michael Phelps.
The difference between Tiger and Phelps may simply be familiarity: we watch Tiger do the unthinkable a dozen times a year, while Phelps and most other Olympians only come into our lives once every four years. And it's also a matter of longevity. Tiger has dominated his sport unlike any other for a dozen years, and he'll likely dominate it for at least another dozen. He could conceivably dominate the PGA Tour into his 50s. Would anyone bet against it?
But the real kicker -- the way I measure him against all the other greats -- is this simple test: Can any other athlete (in history) lay claim to being the most naturally gifted person in their sport's history, the most disciplined, most competitive, greatest mental game, physically fit, longevity at the top, and clutch? Tiger's all that. Physically fit -- he's built like a strong safety. And clutch? He's the most clutch athlete in history -- not just golf. Mentally tough? The guy thrives under unrelenting pressure. Competitive: he won the U.S. Open with a torn ACL and a fractured leg. That was Willis Reed time ten.
Under this test, the only other athlete that really compares is Michael Jordan. You can make the same claims about MJ, no doubt. He's certainly the greatest team sport athlete of all time. Apply this test to A-rod, who when it's all said and done will be the home run and RBI leader. Clutch? If choking was an art, he'd be Picasso. Mentally tough? The first sign of adversity he's packing it in faster then the French army. Competitive? If shouting "I got it" while rounding third base on an infield pop up is considered competitive, than I guess so.
Phelps stacks up well -- it'll be interesting to see if he can win gold medals into his 40s. If he can surpass all expectations on longevitiy, than maybe he could top Tiger as the greatest athlete of all time. At this point, he's not really competing against his fellow swimmers anymore; he's competing against Tiger and Jordan and others for the mantle of greatest of all-time.
Reader Comments (2)
This of course assumes that one considers golf a sport. And not just a long walk with someone else carrying your bags.
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