Time is drawing closer to handing out the mantle of greatest Golfer and Tennis player the World has ever seen.

Arise Sir Tiger and Sir Roger.

Two questions:

Who is the greatest of the two and who has the greatest impact in Sport?

Is either of them the greatest Sportsman of all time or about to be?



A simple answer from me. I think Tiger is the greatest Sportsman of all time, ecplising even Ali, Nicklas, Jordan and Pele.

I love Roger playing tennis, it´s poetry in motion. But the impact of Tiger in ability, money and presence is astonishing.

I watched him beat the World last night by 8 shots, and to be honest he would have been unhappy not to have shot a 62 yesterday instead of 66.

When I watch Tiger I´m always analysing where he could have won by 10 instead of 5, or eagled instead of birdied etc....

He has 61 Tournament wins just behind Palmer...Incredible at 31 years old.

OK then ...I´ll reply to myself.

I thought some of the all round sporting buffs would get into this.

COAT....I´ll get mine then.

Had you sneakily posted this in the wrong section (General Chat) you'd have got a lot more replies by now mate, you've got to learn no one ever looks here :lol:

For me the best sportsman of all time is Pele, easily.

you think???

I think the fact he was surrounded by such a great team and was secondary to Maradonna in football ability knocks him down, a great guy dont get me wrong....but not the best.

In terms of impact then yes Woods would be up there, he has changed the was golf is and the people who play it, gone are the booze and pie regimes of the past and fitness training and wieght lifting are now prominent thanks to him.

Other for impact would have to include Wilt Chamberlain.....the NBA actually changed the rules of the game to try and slow him down!!!!!

I dont see how money has anything to do with it thjough?

I think Pele and Maradona were pretty much equal as players but off the pitch Pele is promoting all the standard UEFA/FIFA Football for Poverty etc while Maradona... is a druggie and alcoholic.

oh i have no argument with the man himself, maradonna is a complete tool mate........but he wa sooooo much better than Pele as a player

Out of the two, Tiger Woods.

Agreed.

Pele is very overrated.

Hmmm its not so much overated as that people forget the team he had around him. And the fact of what a nice guy he seems to be wins poeple over where as everyone knows what Maradonna is like and he gets knocked down for it.

He took Napoli to the Serie A title for gawds sake???q

General chat...wasn´t that binned last year?

Over here in Spain. People can´t see how Pele can be compared to Maradona or even Johan.

Why??

Impact for me is just as important as ability.

Tiger has impacted golf like no other. His face because of muli media must be the most recognisable accorss all corners of the globe. Only Jordan and Ali fit into this catagory for me.

Ability wise. We are fortunate to b watching two historic players from the same era in Woods and Federer who both will statistically be the head of the game by the time their careers finish. But for me they will be the greatest too in terms of elegance, grace, gentlemanly conduct and the ability to detroy all before them.

See, now i know you are taking the piss.....

Tiger woods and gentlemanly conduct??? Do me a favour

Spanish people are so blinkered in terms of the abilities of Spanish speaking sportsmen.

They have no morals when it comes to sport...So what if Maradona was a druggie alcolholic he was a genius..So what if Contador won the tour with suspicions over his head.

If the Sportsman didn´t play in Spain, wasn´t Spanish or Latin American then they don´t care..

If a Spanish Sportsman takes drugs or was deemed to cheat a little...WHO CARES....but if an opponant did the same there would be uproar.

Lewis Hamilton here is the Devil.

I´m quite serious. It´s an honour to watch him conduct himself.

He doesn´t have to be the joker of the party.

So you are a really popular guy out there then......

he is one of the mardiest players i have ever watched, constantly mouthing at Fans, the press and officials

Claiming the youth championships were "fixed" after he lost

Sacking his caddy every time he has a shit round

Sulking at the Ryder cup and refusing to shake hands with the European players

and so on and so fourth, he does act like a spoilt brat at times

It makes me scream from the rooftop when Lewis wins, or gives Fernando what for.

I hate their biasedness. I really get patriotic and start waving the flags.

No not popular.

For me the mentality of a pure driven winner.

I love it.

:huh:??

you cant be serious?? You lkike guys that throw the dolly out the pram when they lose because they have a "winning mentality"?

he has broken a few clubs in tantrumtastic fashion non?

Woods, at the moment a harder game to be the best at.

Balls.

They're the 2 best players of all time, IMO.

Don't think you can say either is SO much better than the other.

Maybe, but it's hardly gentlemanly is it?

I think he´s mellowed from those younger days.

Hes always chatting and laughing going down the 18th with all his opponents. Probably because hes thrashed them...but still. It´s very friendly and most welcome.

I don't know anything about golf or tennis.





ah what the heck -- I'd go for Tiger because (like with Jordan* and Ali* before him) there is also a racial aspect. That makes Tiger much more important culturally -- much more impactful, to use Elche's term -- than Federer.

And isn't Tiger dominant in a way that Federer is not? And in a way that Pele, Jordan, Chamberlain can never claim because they played team games?

Pele actually has some of that racial importance to him, as well, though I think people forget that now. It wasn't too long before he (and his other black teammates) arrived on the scene that Brazilian football was ignoring people who looked like him.




*Jordan really can't compare -- the NBA was long a black league by the time he arrived and Magic and Dr. J were already well-loved black superstars with a lot of marketing impact. Jordan just took that to the next level. But it's true that he deserves a lot of credit for creating the type of the financially autonomous black celebrity -- look at, for example, Jay-Z now.

Ali was different. Sonny Liston and Floyd Patterson were already black boxers before him. But he was still all about race, since he combined his boxing with his islamic beliefs and his opposition to the Vietnam War and endorsement of black pride.

I'd say Federer is dominant in a way that Woods isn't...although Tiger has done the grand slam in their respective sports, Federer hasn't yet.

Because it's an easier sport to be dominant in at the moment.

Easier? All that physical exertion year in year out?!

Well obviously you can because i just did?? :p

There's no one challenging Federer. Only Nadal a bit on clay...

Yeah because he is dominant.

When Tiger was completely dominant was it because the sport was easy at the time or because he was so far ahead of his peers?

He still is so far ahead of his peers.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/golf/top_m...sts/default.stm

Look at points average and Money list.

If you check this season's results. I'm sure he'll feature on it regularly, and he doesn't even participate in 75% of the events.

Not quite to the extent he was a few years ago though!

It's true. But he's still miles above the rest. But so is Roger. It's a tough one.

I just think Golf is a harder game to win week in week out.

Bendtner? :unsure:


He wins hands down.. :scarf:

Tiger is as dominant today as 5 years ago.

Facts back that up.

Hes won 15 of his 61 Tournaments in the past 16 months. (23 in 24 months )

His scoring average in 2007 is his lowest of his career.

Since 2005 ( 2 calendar years ) he´s won 5 majors, 2nd 3 times and 3rd once.

He recorded his lowest ever Major round this year and his lowest 4 round PGA total Sunday.

His points gap between him and 2nd place is at it´s highest level.


I believe hes even more dominant now. Also he could become more so as he closes in on Jack.

All this and he´s lost his father and become a father. Two things sent to take our focus away from our old lives.

He won only one of the majors this year. :good:

Picky!

Only because it shows he hasn't be as dominant as years gone by...imposing though definitely.