GOATs
In the wake of the death of Muhammad Ali, the greatest boxer of all time, my mind is reflecting on what it means to be the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) at something.
I feel as though only a small percentage would argue with the fact that Ali was the greatest boxer of all time. Ali himself shouted it from the rooftops and through his bouts in the ring and his life outside the ring he proved that he was more than special.
This brings me to my point. There are many special athletes that do special things but it is difficult to win the label of GOAT.
The few GOATs can readily be named. In boxing it is Ali. In basketball it is Michael Jordan. In golfing it is Jack Nicklaus. In hockey it is Wayne Gretzky Every other sport is undecided. In baseball there is Ruth, Mantle, Aaron. Football has Montana, Marino, and Manning.
Mary Lou had Nadia.
Serena has Martina.
Ronaldo, Messi, Pele, Beckham.
There will always be arguments made for different players and athletes who are admittedly very special, but what does it take for one to break through the glass ceiling to become the GOAT of their respective sport? Though statistics plays a role in the determination of greatness, there is an intangible that has a bigger impact. Does the athlete change the way the game is played or perceived? Does the athlete challenge other members of that sport to rise to a different level on and off the selected playing surface?
Ali is the face of boxing, the icon, but more than that he led people and inspired them to be better whether they were boxers or not. He promoted everyone's personal greatness with quotes that are plastered throughout the nation and possibly even the world. Jordan redefined basketball and carried the NBA from a Magic-Bird era into a one-man show making the NBA a brand that, in my youth and adolescent years wherein Jordan played, was the focus of water cooler conversation. Jack Nicklaus statistically is the best golfer and years later is still the face of the sport. When his name is brought up for a comparison, golfers are humbled. Gretzky, nicknamed The Great One, is the most recognized name in hockey historically. During a time when the NBA dominated the airwaves, Gretzky kept hockey relevant and when he retired, the NHL struggled to regain its footing. He kept the sport alive.
So what do the names Curry, Serena, Djokovic, and Brady have to do to be GOATs? They have to do more than play hard. They have to exude humble confidence. They have to effortlessly motivate. And they have to be the face for their sport beyond their era.
I write in deep regard for all who have impacted the game. As previously mentioned, there are man special players and I will praise great accomplishments and always encourage a widespread respect for those who are special; Manning, Jagr, Jeter, Ewing, Tiger, and a personal favorite Bart Conner. Find why players are special and remember that true greatness lives beyond its lifetime.
RIP Ali
I feel as though only a small percentage would argue with the fact that Ali was the greatest boxer of all time. Ali himself shouted it from the rooftops and through his bouts in the ring and his life outside the ring he proved that he was more than special.
This brings me to my point. There are many special athletes that do special things but it is difficult to win the label of GOAT.
The few GOATs can readily be named. In boxing it is Ali. In basketball it is Michael Jordan. In golfing it is Jack Nicklaus. In hockey it is Wayne Gretzky Every other sport is undecided. In baseball there is Ruth, Mantle, Aaron. Football has Montana, Marino, and Manning.
Mary Lou had Nadia.
Serena has Martina.
Ronaldo, Messi, Pele, Beckham.
There will always be arguments made for different players and athletes who are admittedly very special, but what does it take for one to break through the glass ceiling to become the GOAT of their respective sport? Though statistics plays a role in the determination of greatness, there is an intangible that has a bigger impact. Does the athlete change the way the game is played or perceived? Does the athlete challenge other members of that sport to rise to a different level on and off the selected playing surface?
Ali is the face of boxing, the icon, but more than that he led people and inspired them to be better whether they were boxers or not. He promoted everyone's personal greatness with quotes that are plastered throughout the nation and possibly even the world. Jordan redefined basketball and carried the NBA from a Magic-Bird era into a one-man show making the NBA a brand that, in my youth and adolescent years wherein Jordan played, was the focus of water cooler conversation. Jack Nicklaus statistically is the best golfer and years later is still the face of the sport. When his name is brought up for a comparison, golfers are humbled. Gretzky, nicknamed The Great One, is the most recognized name in hockey historically. During a time when the NBA dominated the airwaves, Gretzky kept hockey relevant and when he retired, the NHL struggled to regain its footing. He kept the sport alive.
So what do the names Curry, Serena, Djokovic, and Brady have to do to be GOATs? They have to do more than play hard. They have to exude humble confidence. They have to effortlessly motivate. And they have to be the face for their sport beyond their era.
I write in deep regard for all who have impacted the game. As previously mentioned, there are man special players and I will praise great accomplishments and always encourage a widespread respect for those who are special; Manning, Jagr, Jeter, Ewing, Tiger, and a personal favorite Bart Conner. Find why players are special and remember that true greatness lives beyond its lifetime.
RIP Ali
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