FOX Sports on MSN - Olympics - Top 10 athletes of all time - Number 1
MSN just came out with a Top 10 Athletes of All Time List. Let the debating begin. Also, if you disagree, let's see your list. Here's the list according to MSN....
#10- Michael Phelps
With last night's performance in the pool, Michael Phelps has now won more gold medals than any athlete in Olympic history. And while the temptation may be to put him even higher than No. 10 on our list of all-time greatest athletes, his permanent place won't be known until the dust settles on his career -- which may last another four or eight years. Are 20 golds possible?
#9- Babe Didrickson Zaharias
Always regarded as one of the greatest female athletes of all time, Babe Didrickson Zaharias seemed to excel in everything she tried. She won three medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics -- gold in the 80m hurdles and javelin, silver in the high jump. On the golf course, she won 41 LPGA events, including three U.S. Women's Open titles.
#8- Pele
Edison Arantes do Nascimento. Who? You may know him as Pele. Widely considered the best soccer player of all time, Pele is the only man to win three World Cup titles. He remains to this day a national hero in his native Brazil and has been declared the soccer ambassador of the world by FIFA.
#7- Jim Thorpe
The years have gone by, but there is still only one Jim Thorpe. The versatile athlete won Olympic golds on the pentathlon and decathlon, and played baseball, basketball and football -- all professionally. He succeeded despite being the subject of constant racist taunts, as he was of mixed Native American and white ancestry.
#6- Jim Brown
His pro football career lasted just nine years, but that's all Jim Brown needed to showcase his greatness. In those nine seasons, Brown rushed for over 12,000 yards (at a clip of 5.2 yards per carry), scored 126 touchdowns, was a 9-time Pro Bowl selection as well as a 9-time All-Pro. Oh, and he was also inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
#5- Willie Mays
With respect to Ruth, Mantle, Musial and Bonds, Willie Mays is the best baseball player to ever live. "The Say Hey Kid" could do it all -- run, throw, field, hit for average and hit for power. He hit 660 career home runs (No. 4 all time) and had 3,283 career hits (No. 10). Perhaps most impressive, he was selected to every All-Star Game from 1954 to 1973.
#4- Wayne Gretzky
The Great One started off sporting a Great Mullet. By the end, his hair was his least impressive attribute (hard to believe, we know!). Gretzky left the game as the all-time leader in points, goals and assists, and remains the only NHL player to record 200 points in a single season.
#3- Tiger Woods
If you don't think golfers are athletes, you haven't seen Tiger Woods. The man who has redefined the game is on pace to shatter every golfing record in the books. He has money like Jordan, a wife like Jeff Gordon, and the charisma of Clooney. Far cry from the plaid pants stereotype, huh?
#2- Muhammad Ali
"The Greatest" comes very close to fulfilling his self-given nickname in our list of all-time athletes. Brash, yet articulate, Ali defined the term "trash-talking" -- and what it means to back it up. Perhaps most incredible about Ali's legacy: He was not allowed to fight for three years during the prime of his career because he refused induction into the U.S. Army.
#1- Michael Jordan
The best basketball player of all time. The best clutch performer of all time. The most competitive athlete of all time. The most beautiful to watch of all time. With six NBA titles and six NBA Finals MVPs, Michael Jordan stands above as the model of a perfect athlete.
MSN just came out with a Top 10 Athletes of All Time List. Let the debating begin. Also, if you disagree, let's see your list. Here's the list according to MSN....
#10- Michael Phelps
With last night's performance in the pool, Michael Phelps has now won more gold medals than any athlete in Olympic history. And while the temptation may be to put him even higher than No. 10 on our list of all-time greatest athletes, his permanent place won't be known until the dust settles on his career -- which may last another four or eight years. Are 20 golds possible?
#9- Babe Didrickson Zaharias
Always regarded as one of the greatest female athletes of all time, Babe Didrickson Zaharias seemed to excel in everything she tried. She won three medals at the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics -- gold in the 80m hurdles and javelin, silver in the high jump. On the golf course, she won 41 LPGA events, including three U.S. Women's Open titles.
#8- Pele
Edison Arantes do Nascimento. Who? You may know him as Pele. Widely considered the best soccer player of all time, Pele is the only man to win three World Cup titles. He remains to this day a national hero in his native Brazil and has been declared the soccer ambassador of the world by FIFA.
#7- Jim Thorpe
The years have gone by, but there is still only one Jim Thorpe. The versatile athlete won Olympic golds on the pentathlon and decathlon, and played baseball, basketball and football -- all professionally. He succeeded despite being the subject of constant racist taunts, as he was of mixed Native American and white ancestry.
#6- Jim Brown
His pro football career lasted just nine years, but that's all Jim Brown needed to showcase his greatness. In those nine seasons, Brown rushed for over 12,000 yards (at a clip of 5.2 yards per carry), scored 126 touchdowns, was a 9-time Pro Bowl selection as well as a 9-time All-Pro. Oh, and he was also inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
#5- Willie Mays
With respect to Ruth, Mantle, Musial and Bonds, Willie Mays is the best baseball player to ever live. "The Say Hey Kid" could do it all -- run, throw, field, hit for average and hit for power. He hit 660 career home runs (No. 4 all time) and had 3,283 career hits (No. 10). Perhaps most impressive, he was selected to every All-Star Game from 1954 to 1973.
#4- Wayne Gretzky
The Great One started off sporting a Great Mullet. By the end, his hair was his least impressive attribute (hard to believe, we know!). Gretzky left the game as the all-time leader in points, goals and assists, and remains the only NHL player to record 200 points in a single season.
#3- Tiger Woods
If you don't think golfers are athletes, you haven't seen Tiger Woods. The man who has redefined the game is on pace to shatter every golfing record in the books. He has money like Jordan, a wife like Jeff Gordon, and the charisma of Clooney. Far cry from the plaid pants stereotype, huh?
#2- Muhammad Ali
"The Greatest" comes very close to fulfilling his self-given nickname in our list of all-time athletes. Brash, yet articulate, Ali defined the term "trash-talking" -- and what it means to back it up. Perhaps most incredible about Ali's legacy: He was not allowed to fight for three years during the prime of his career because he refused induction into the U.S. Army.
#1- Michael Jordan
The best basketball player of all time. The best clutch performer of all time. The most competitive athlete of all time. The most beautiful to watch of all time. With six NBA titles and six NBA Finals MVPs, Michael Jordan stands above as the model of a perfect athlete.
