Not too sure too but I think my question stems from someone said earlier…in future, what would be defined as sports might not be what we think it is now…things like online gaming etc…
But outside of USA and Canada there are no professional leagues. There just isn’t the diversity of competition to be seriously considered for this make believe title of Greatest Athlete.
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What?
Many sports are amateur, semi professional or sponsored. That doesn’t preclude people from participating, enjoying and progressing the sport.
I mean someone suggested crossfit, where are these professional leagues?
In ant case you only have to watch a game of AFC to know your dealing with world class athletes.
Why does an athlete have to be paid to be considered?
Why can he not be considered just because you think there aren’t enough professional leagues (or putting it simply not enough nationalites who gain their living from practicing a sport)?
I just don’t understand where your coming from. If you don’t like american football just igore that imput.
I mean ozzy rules isn’t played in many countries yet those guys are mental, mentally mad and mentally fit, real sportsmen!
I said not enough play the sport to have consideration for best athlete ever especially Tom Brady who lacks any significant athletic ability. His talent for football is not based on his physical attributes.
Agreed.
True.
Hardly any, although everyone registered in a crossfit gym has the ability to officially log their score in comparison to everyone else in the world unlike basically any other sport.
Not all of them. Most of the players on an American Football team are fucking wank. Look at cornerbacks, they’re all shite.
An American Footballer only has to be the best out of around 1 million high school players, 73,000 college players and 1700 professional players to be considered the “best” Footballer. Anyone outside of America playing American Football - an insignificant minority - have a minute chance of even sniffing professionalism. Soccer has roughly 250 million participants players worldwide and 65,000 professional players across 4,000 professional clubs. It is, just purely statistically, significantly harder to reach the top of the game than it is in American Football.
I love American Football.
Ozzy Rules is definitely not played widely enough to be considered.
This isn’t a serious debate, no one cares, it’s a silly question with no right answer so it really doesn’t matter what anyone says but it’s fun. Logic doesn’t belong in this thread as it cannot exist when comparing the relative greatness of running a marathon in 1:59 to winning 7 Super Bowls to breaking the 147 record multiple times.
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Yet you keep plugging it.
I’ll just end with, let it go! (itis fun to see who posters propose, it’s not fun having other posters criticising a sport that they respect).
I would love someone to mention an ozzy rules athlete. Who are you to decide what we can or can not post?
Marshall Faulk!!!
I claim and maintain the right to ruin this thread as much as I want thank you.
Anyone who mentions Ozzie Rules will be targeted with half-arsed points aimed at delegitimising their claim.
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My view for total GOAT is Michael Jordan. I’d be surprised that most of the world doesnt knows the name. To transcend in that way puts him above pretty much everyone else… Was helped a fair bit by a little wee deal with Nike! He also also the greatest in his sport to boot.
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Don’t you mean Michael Jackson? I’ve never heard of Jordan well that’s not exactly true Jordan Henderson the LFC billy GOAT.
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Righto 3000. 
…who is very much alive and still kicking. 
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AlphaZero says yes in a serious tone of voice
Jordan is a fair shout, but I think he loses points because of how bad he was at baseball. He tried so hard to be a multi-sport star, but couldn’t figure out how to hit a curveball.
If none of you know who Jim Thorpe was, go and read about him. Just a completely dominant athlete in any sport he chose to compete in. He’d probably get my vote for GOAT athlete in general.
Bradman gets the nod for GOAT athletic achievement for his test cricket BA.
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Others of that ilk (other than multi-eventers like Decathletes) are the likes of Jeff Wilson, Dennis Compton, and CB Fry
I agree, I don’t think many countries around the word would have heard of Tom Brady. American football is popular in a few countries. Football (Soccer) is far more popular around the world. My Grandad knew Pele, Pushkas, Bobby Moore and Eusubio were.
I like sports in general, I mentioned Tom Brady to my cousins and they said “who’s he?”. They don’t even know what a Superbowl is.
If I mention Maradona, Messi or Ronaldo, they know who they are and they are not avid football watchers unless it is a World Cup. Even in the Asian villages, most people know who Maradona, Messi and Ronaldo are. There are huge posters of them in the towns, during the international football tournaments.
They would look at me with a blank face, if I said Tom Brady is the GOAT.
Muhamnad Ali transcended across the globe and was hugely popular across continents. I think he is the GOAT of my era. However, think Michael Jordan is of the similar vein and maybe Tiger Woods. I would give Mike Tyson a mention too and Roger Federer.
However, it is difficult to say who is the GOAT, they maybe in their sporting discipline. So , Brady is GOAT in American Football only.
Edit. GOAT, Nadia Comeneci in gymnastics was for me, although Simone Biles has gone to a higher level now.
Also, Usain Bolt, he is an icon around the world in Athletics. I would say world class Olympians are more well known around the world as well than a top American Footballer. I mean it in a good way.
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Surely they do, it’s that big glass thing they put goldfish in isn’t it? 
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@Flobs
I didn’t know what superbowl was until I went to America and I happen to be there during the final. I was in a restaurant and everyone was watching the tv. Intently. I had no clue about the game, I thought it was abit like rugby, but with blokes in leggings, shoulder pads and helmets.
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People say Americans are insular and ignorant.
But if you don’t know what the Super Bowl is, in 2021, and you live in any country with a news agency…
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It’s like the hipster claiming they’ve never heard a song by Justin Bieber or something
Yeah, sure mate…
It’s a limited spot for pumped up guys the most of them would not survive 10 minutes of proper rugby. Designed for TV so the can go to a commercial break after almost ever play, boring as hell where the cheerleaders are the only interesting thing from that ‘sport’. Why do they call it football anyhow, 99% of the time they the ball in their hands or trow it.
BTW, did I mention I hate American football… 
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I’ve never heard a song by him.
And I am most definitely not a hipster.
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