how many sportsmen are 'immortal'?

how many sportsmen are 'immortal'?

Author
Discussion

KrazyIvan

4,341 posts

174 months

Monday 13th June 2016
quotequote all
Well I am just gonna say it

Oscar Pistouris..... though I suspect he won't be remembered for his sport achievements.

For positive reason, I suspect there really is going to only be a handful like Ali and Pele.

All motor sport guys are not going to be remembered by any one not into the sport, same with most current football players like Messi.

Bolt is s good shout as he's a very much larger then life character, and will probably be a celebrity long after he's done on the track.

technodup

7,576 posts

129 months

Monday 13th June 2016
quotequote all
Cheib said:
And if you've never heard of Bradman you should take a look. Greatest cricketer of all time and probably one of the greatest sportsmen ever. He averaged 99.
Trouble is, whoever he is his chosen sport is cricket. And the most 'immortal' or famous sportsperson is never going to be a cricketer because half the world has never heard of the game, never mind a particular player.

It's a footballer, or a one-off sensation like Bolt.



wjb

5,100 posts

130 months

Monday 13th June 2016
quotequote all
In all seriousness, the answer to this is...






































































The immortal...












































































Hulk Hogan.

Cheib

23,110 posts

174 months

Monday 13th June 2016
quotequote all
technodup said:
Cheib said:
And if you've never heard of Bradman you should take a look. Greatest cricketer of all time and probably one of the greatest sportsmen ever. He averaged 99.
Trouble is, whoever he is his chosen sport is cricket. And the most 'immortal' or famous sportsperson is never going to be a cricketer because half the world has never heard of the game, never mind a particular player.

It's a footballer, or a one-off sensation like Bolt.
The OP's question was "how many sportsmen are immortal"...not " who is the most immortal sportsman".

technodup

7,576 posts

129 months

Monday 13th June 2016
quotequote all
Cheib said:
The OP's question was "how many sportsmen are immortal"...not " who is the most immortal sportsman".
Doesn't really matter, no cricketers are.

Halb

53,012 posts

182 months

Sunday 19th June 2016
quotequote all
Voldemort said:
Pheidippides
I sort of agree with this. Herakles as another. I doubt any sportsperson in the last century, will last long in culture.

Simon Brooks

1,517 posts

250 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
Johan Lomu

irocfan

Original Poster:

40,152 posts

189 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
Simon Brooks said:
Johan Lomu
certainly within rugby circles! He redefined what a winger could/should be.



Which I guess is another interesting topic - ONE sportsman from each sport as your most influential/immortal


Rugby - Lomu
Boxing - Ali
Athletics - Owens
Football - Pele
F1 - Fangio
Rallying - Mikkola?
Skiing - Klammer

Simon Brooks

1,517 posts

250 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
irocfan said:
Simon Brooks said:
Johan Lomu
certainly within rugby circles! He redefined what a winger could/should be.



Which I guess is another interesting topic - ONE sportsman from each sport as your most influential/immortal


Rugby - Lomu
Boxing - Ali
Athletics - Owens
Football - Pele
F1 - Fangio
Rallying - Mikkola?
Skiing - Klammer
good shout, breaking it down to specific sports

Not being a cricket fan (or indeed knowing much about it), Where would WC Grace fit into the chart for cricket immortals as this is the person that first comes to mind for a non cricket person

Leithen

10,799 posts

266 months

Thursday 23rd June 2016
quotequote all
Halb said:
Voldemort said:
Pheidippides
I sort of agree with this. Herakles as another. I doubt any sportsperson in the last century, will last long in culture.
Indeed.

Name a 19th Century Sportsman.

I can only think of two - W G Grace and C B Fry.

I doubt they will be remembered by the time the 22nd Century arrives.

So the answer is almost none are.

rog007

5,748 posts

223 months

Thursday 7th July 2016
quotequote all
irocfan said:
certainly within rugby circles! He redefined what a winger could/should be.



Which I guess is another interesting topic - ONE sportsman from each sport as your most influential/immortal


Rugby - Lomu
Boxing - Ali
Athletics - Owens
Football - Pele
F1 - Fangio
Rallying - Mikkola?
Skiing - Klammer
Bodybuilding - Schwarzenneger
Powerlifting - Precious Mackenzie
Ice skating - Torvel & Dean
Decathlon - Thompson
Tennis - Borg

Schermerhorn

4,342 posts

188 months

Sunday 10th July 2016
quotequote all
Mike Tyson.

Seriously, how many people wouldn't know of him or recognise him? Having a tattoo on his face doesn't exactly keep him anonymous either.

Si 330

1,299 posts

208 months

Sunday 10th July 2016
quotequote all
rog007 said:
Bodybuilding - Schwarzenneger
Powerlifting - Precious Mackenzie
Ice skating - Torvel & Dean
Decathlon - Thompson
Tennis - Borg
I was at the English Schools athletics championship at the weekend. My son was competing, his main event is combined events. As I was wondering around I saw Daley Thompson told my son he had never heard of him.

marcosgt

11,011 posts

175 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
quotequote all
irocfan said:
Rugby - Lomu
Boxing - Ali
Athletics - Owens
Football - Pele
F1 - Fangio
Rallying - Mikkola?
Skiing - Klammer
Good list and with you all the way on those with the possible exception of Mikkola - Is he known outside of rallying circles or Finland at all? My guess is that Sainz or Loeb are better known generally.

Jean Claude Killy would be another up there with Klammer for skiing.

Bolt, I suspect (unless it turns out he's a drugs cheat) will be long remembered in Athletics.

Glad to see Fangio mentioned. Whilst here in the UK the expression "Who do you think you are? Stirling Moss?" is still uttered by the odd policeman, I doubt he's in the mainstream consciousness anywhere else.

M

Edited by marcosgt on Wednesday 20th July 09:33

Halb

53,012 posts

182 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
quotequote all
I was once asked if I thought I was Nigel Mansell. I did know who he was at the time.


Lists are always interesting.
Most sports and pastimes are niche, and do not crossover into general consciousness.

In my head there is a list of prominent sports figures, and there is that rare list of the figures who crossover and are actually known by people outside of a sporting interest.
Ali, Schwarzenegger, Tyson to name a few.

SpudLink

5,669 posts

191 months

Wednesday 20th July 2016
quotequote all
Reading this thread makes me a little sad. Sports stars who were so talented, and worked so hard to achieve greatness. And yet it seems that all but a very few fade from public consciousness within a generation.

Anyway, here's a short documentary about someone else who deserves to be remembered; Nadia Comaneci
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-36826597

Crush

15,077 posts

168 months

Thursday 21st July 2016
quotequote all
I'd go with Jonah Lomu too. The first of the 'super' rugby players who had both size and athleticism.

I remember reading an article where the NZ coach was furious with his front row as Lomu was spanking them in strength stats hehe

I doubt he would stand out as much now, but at the time he had players scared to even attempt a tackle, with others giving up as soon as he touched the ball as they realised chasing him down was futile.

GravelBen

15,654 posts

229 months

Friday 22nd July 2016
quotequote all
marcosgt said:
irocfan said:
Rugby - Lomu
Boxing - Ali
Athletics - Owens
Football - Pele
F1 - Fangio
Rallying - Mikkola?
Skiing - Klammer
Good list and with you all the way on those with the possible exception of Mikkola - Is he known outside of rallying circles or Finland at all? My guess is that Sainz or Loeb are better known generally.
The only rally driver I really think would qualify in terms of this thread is Colin McRae.

Halmyre

11,147 posts

138 months

Friday 22nd July 2016
quotequote all
F1 - Jim Clark

Halb

53,012 posts

182 months

Friday 22nd July 2016
quotequote all
GravelBen said:
The only rally driver I really think would qualify in terms of this thread is Colin McRae.
And that other famous driver, Sega Rally. biggrin

I know two Handegg 'stars', the Fridge (thanks to Wrestlemania2 and Marvel comics), and Brian MacFadden...erm...who I now realise is a singer from google....but I am thinking of a fella who stapled his name to the early handegg video games, and so achieved 'immortality'. The only way that sports people, even those from popular sports and not niche sports achieve the higher echelons is to leap from their own page into another book.