how many sportsmen are 'immortal'?

[irocfan]

In view of the fact that we have just lost Muhammad Ali I thought that this might be an interesting Q. As it says on the tin - how many sportsmen/women could be said to have transcended sport of people know who they are even if they are a cave dwelling hermit in Nepal?

There is obviously Ali and (IMO) Jesse Owens but then who? Possibly Pele or Bolt(?)

[irocfan]

bearman68 said:

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, possibly Don Bradman.
Micheal Phelps?
David Beckham / Messi / Maradona.
Schumacker.
Joe Dimaggio.
Johnny Weissmuller
Joe Brown (personal entry)

quality sportsmen all but.... say any of those names to my step-daughter and she'll have heard of 3 or 4 at best. Tendulkar is a demi-god in India but to the non-sporting public most other places in the world it's a case of "say who now?" Beckam will be forgotten in the next 10 years as will (I suspect) Maradona and Messi wouldn't even register on her radar even now when he is (arguably) the greatest player on the planet.

If you're talking to sports fans then yes most names are a given but otherwise....

[irocfan]

Impasse said:

coopedup said:

Not really, it just depends on how much you keep up with sport in general. I personally cannot stand to watch football but I am aware of all the great players. I love all sports and through my enjoyment I recognise most names and have an idea of what they have achieved.

I think you've just proved my point. You follow sport. Despite what Sky and the rest of the media try to tell you, the vast majority of people do not. They will sometimes get caught up in the fever surrounding well promoted tournaments, but usually sport doesn't feature in their everyday lives and neither do the people who play them.

which is precisely why I mentioned my step-daughter - obviously got a bit of an eye on the sleb scene given her age but that's it. Now put in my mother-in-law and I can pretty much guarantee that she'll have heard of:

Ali
Owens
Beckham (and that only 'cause she's English)
and now I'm coming up on empty

I guess that the trick has to be to find someone who has transcended sport and actually influenced or been part of) history

[irocfan]

As Alex M said.... let's put it slightly differently.

30 years from now who will be written about in the history books?

Owen
Ali

Possibly Pele

[irocfan]

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