Greatest Sportsman

[Agent Nationaux]

Who do you consider to be the greatest sportsman out of Jahangir Khan, Roger Federer, Don Bradman, Michael Schumacher, Pele and Muhammad Ali. Please provide your reasons.

For me it has to be Jahangir Khan, not just because he is a Pakistani but also because he has the greatest record in sports history, even better than Bradman's average of 99. He won 555 consecutive squash matches from 1981 to 1986. During this winning streak he also won the 1982 International Squash Players Association Championship without losing a single point. He has also won the World open 6 times and the British open a record 10 times. he is considered the greatest squash player in history (please note that Squash is an incredibly intense game which has quite a strenuous effect on the human body, so don't take it as a joke).

[Francis]

Michael Jordan. Simply the best basketball player in history and a jam-up guy too! Watch Space Jam and you know anything the media has said about him is false. He would have scored 100 points in the modern game, no doubt. Impossible to play Jordan without getting fouled. In fact the NBA devised rules back then that made it less likely to foul a player like Jordan. Yet Jordan was always fouled because you couldn't stop him.

Schumacher was incredible, and while many people will say he wasn't the greatest, he really was. I loved his cool interviews afterwards, "The car drove fantastically well. The tires, the car, the whole package, it was just superb." Take note all you wannabees, this is the kind of confidence you need

Have there ever been two greater, more likable, sportsmen in history?

None greater.

Likable? Hewitt, Hayden, Gregan, Cronje, Kobe etc.

[PhoenixFire]

Haha Jahangir Khan won 555 consecutive matches. Holy ****.

[BoyBrumby]

Bradman.

To be better than anyone else by so very much in a major team sport is without precedence.

With all due respect to squash, it's very much a minority sport. Whilst Jahangir's record is impressive, there are other examples from smaller sports. For example Pierre Etchebaster was world champion in real tennis without interruption for a mind-boggling 26 years.

[G.I.Joe]

Bradman.

[Teja.]

Modesty forbids me.. etc.

[Agent Nationaux]

Originally Posted by BoyBrumby

Bradman.

To be better than anyone else by so very much in a major team sport is without precedence.

With all due respect to squash, it's very much a minority sport. Whilst Jahangir's record is impressive, there are other examples from smaller sports. For example Pierre Etchebaster was world champion in real tennis without interruption for a mind-boggling 26 years.

Squash isn't that much of a minority sport and is more intense than tennis.

[Agent Nationaux]

Originally Posted by Francis

Michael Jordan. Simply the best basketball player in history and a jam-up guy too! Watch Space Jam and you know anything the media has said about him is false. He would have scored 100 points in the modern game, no doubt. Impossible to play Jordan without getting fouled. In fact the NBA devised rules back then that made it less likely to foul a player like Jordan. Yet Jordan was always fouled because you couldn't stop him.

Schumacher was incredible, and while many people will say he wasn't the greatest, he really was. I loved his cool interviews afterwards, "The car drove fantastically well. The tires, the car, the whole package, it was just superb." Take note all you wannabees, this is the kind of confidence you need

Have there ever been two greater, more likable, sportsmen in history?

None greater.

Likable? Hewitt, Hayden, Gregan, Cronje, Kobe etc.

Sorry forgot about Jordan

[nightprowler10]

Originally Posted by Francis

Michael Jordan. Simply the best basketball player in history and a jam-up guy too! Watch Space Jam and you know anything the media has said about him is false. He would have scored 100 points in the modern game, no doubt. Impossible to play Jordan without getting fouled. In fact the NBA devised rules back then that made it less likely to foul a player like Jordan. Yet Jordan was always fouled because you couldn't stop him.

Schumacher was incredible, and while many people will say he wasn't the greatest, he really was. I loved his cool interviews afterwards, "The car drove fantastically well. The tires, the car, the whole package, it was just superb." Take note all you wannabees, this is the kind of confidence you need

Have there ever been two greater, more likable, sportsmen in history?

None greater.

Likable? Hewitt, Hayden, Gregan, Cronje, Kobe etc.

In before "Wilt?!"...

[grecian]

Originally Posted by nightprowler10

In before "Wilt?!"...

No reason to be in before Chamberlain really. Yet many of us will wonder why being best at a sport that is just massive in one country, and seems to preclude most of the world on height, means you're deffo the best sportsman ever.

Haven't we had this discussion before though

[benchmark00]

Wayne Carey.

[nightprowler10]

Originally Posted by grecian

No reason to be in before Chamberlain really. Yet many of us will wonder why being best at a sport that is just massive in one country, and seems to preclude most of the world on height, means you're deffo the best sportsman ever.

Haven't we had this discussion before though

The Wilt comment has more to do with my dispute where certain CWers in the past have maintained that Wilt was undeniably the best baller ever. But yeah agreed, basketball not being a dominant sport in most of the world (more than just one country though) doesn't help MJ's cause. But his dominance in the 90s did globalize the game.

That said, your point about height is silly, and something only someone not very knowledgeable on basketball would bring up. Yes, height is important, but speed, quickness, overall athleticism, and a high basketball IQ are much more important. Height matters little when you come up against an athletic guard with a 40" vertical leaping ability and great ball handling skills.

[Smudge]

Originally Posted by Agent Nationaux

Who do you consider to be the greatest sportsman out of Jahangir Khan, Roger Federer, Don Bradman, Michael Schumacher, Pele and Muhammad Ali. Please provide your reasons.

For me it has to be Jahangir Khan, not just because he is a Pakistani but also because he has the greatest record in sports history, even better than Bradman's average of 99. He won 555 consecutive squash matches from 1981 to 1986. During this winning streak he also won the 1982 International Squash Players Association Championship without losing a single point. He has also won the World open 6 times and the British open a record 10 times. he is considered the greatest squash player in history (please note that Squash is an incredibly intense game which has quite a strenuous effect on the human body, so don't take it as a joke).

Jahangir isn't even the best sportsperson in his sport:

As Heather McKay, she completely dominated the sport of women's squash in the 1960s and '70s. She lost only two matches in her entire career (in 1960 and 1962), and was unbeaten in competitive squash matches from 1962 through to 1981, when she retired from active open squash.

Heather McKay - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[GIMH]

Andy Gray and Richard Keys pour scorn on your post Volty

[grecian]

I realise my earlier comment may seem a bit disrespectful of the thread, anyway this was the thread I referred to about us all having this discussion before, yet it's always a viable one OP