haha. If only we could have had Karelin for left tackle - of course, he’d only be 3* because of his height. AND play him at defensive end.
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Reminds me you’ve got to consider Secretariat and Tornado as well right? Tornado threw off 220 straight riders over 6 years, and Secretariat holds fastest times at Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont that haven’t been broken in nearly 50 years.
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Eric Heiden. Won every gold medal (from 500m to 10,000m) in speed skating at the 1980 olympics. For Usain Bolt to match that, he would have to have won every track race less than the marathon. Heiden was the best sprinter and the best distance racer. For Karelin to match that, he would have to win gold in every combat sport in every weight class. (as an aside, and for the woke, Heiden was also the best female speedskater in 1980 if he so identified).
How many people in the world have access to a speed skating rink??
Okay, the best speed skater is the best athlete of those people.
It’s still Jim Thorpe.
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That’s a good feat. But 887-2 over the course of more than a decade is damnably difficult to beat.
Karelin was a beast.
As much love for Gardner as I have, his victory over Karelin amounted to him being to fat for Karelin to throw. It is the most boring match ever.
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How many people really try to sprint?
My point is Bolt is a specialized athlete only able to win short sprints. Heiden was the best sprinter and distance racer.
Indisputably, the best female athlete ever is Bruce Jenner.
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Not if Mike Lee has any say in it.
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Everyone tries to sprint, Elementary Schools and Middle Schools all over the world race kids in gym class if a kid has noticeable talent, he/she runs races and from there technical sprinting coaches find them. 99% of the world doesn’t have access to a speed skating rink.
Winter Olympic athletes are the least impressive athletes, they’re the best of the 1%.
The best athlete of all-time got beat by a fat guy who excelled at standing his ground. How did Gardner get his point anyway? Wasn’t it some technicality?
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I think you overestimate the reach of sprint coaches. Anybody with speed and athleticism in the U.S. pursues football, not track. Track at best is what top athletes do to avoid spring lifting sessions for football. Javelin Guidry maybe could have developed into a world class talent, but, he pursued football.
It’s still Jim Thorpe.
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has anyone mentioned Jesus? 
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No, you’re proving my point. Guidry was not looked at by ice skating coaches…but he definitely was looked at by track coaches.
Yes a technicality. Rulon was a world class wrestler. Let’s not forget that in your narrative.
Your argument is that track has the largest funnel in the world, and thus, the best sprinter is the best athlete. However, your “largest funnel” claim is incorrect. My point is that while everybody runs, most people don’t care about track.
With Javelin, he chose to prioritize football over track because the potential payout of football is so much higher. So, whether track coaches looked at him or not, because he chose football, the track coaches looking at him was just as meaningful as all of the ice skating coaches who looked at him playing. (You argument for large funnel implies that he got turned down by the track coaches).
No top US athlete (or athlete around the world) competes in track, if they have any other choice. Even Usain tried to do something other than track (soccer). Track is for the ultimate specialist and has a low payout.
Applying your same funnel argument to skating, huge sections of the world have access to ice to skate, and huge chunks of population skate. Therefore the funnel is huge and Eric Heiden is an even greater athlete. But, like I said, I don’t buy the funnel argument.
My point is that Eric Heiden, not being a specialist, beat all of the specialists in every event in his sport. He also won the 1985 U.S. cycling championship and is in the cycling hall of fame, further showing that he was a great all round athlete.
More people in the US know how to roller skate than ice skate.
My submission for Greatest Athlete of All-Time:
Babe Zaharias. Two Golds in track and field and 10 LPGA Championships. Not to mention an All American in Basketball. Not to mention she pitched in Spring Training for MLB.
Multi-Sport Greatness>One Sport Greatness.
If you are looking for the most dominant in one sport:
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