We hear the acronym all the time when it comes to describing someone in the world of sports, “He (or she) is the G.O.A.T.,” meaning the greatest of all time. These statements make for good arguments at bar stools, cafes or in my case talk radio are always fun, but in reality there isn’t a definite answer.
With the different eras of competition throughout the 20th century until now it is hard to compare the athletes from yesteryear to the modern era and the same could be said for coaches and managers. With modern day technology, travel, and the talent pool being greater than ever many could argue it is easier to compete or coach. But with segregation being such a dark cloud over our country’s history it’s hard to know if we even saw the best athletes on the field or court until Jackie Robinson changes the United States forever by breaking the color barrier in America’s top sport at the time.
In my lifetime I was able to see the Pittsburgh Steelers win their fourth Super Bowl under Chuck Noll and the “Miracle on Ice” to kick off the 1980’s when I was in first grade. It began my addiction to sports and now a little over four decades a chance to watch some of the greatest moments, athletes and coaches preform.
I was thinking about this after watching the NFL playoffs in January. Tom Brady vs. Drew Brees leads to Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers the next weekend. I have watched those three, Joe Montana (and “The Catch” vs. Dallas), John Elway, Dan Marino, Brett Farve, Dan Fouts and Peyton Manning. Not to mention running backs like Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, Eric Dickerson and Barry Sanders.
Other position players that rank arguably at the top are Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Reggie White, Lawrence Taylor, Deion Sanders and many others I know I will fail to mention. The other sports include the likes of Jordan, Bird, Kobe, Magic, Shaq, Kareem, LeBron, Gretzky, Lemieux, Tiger, Nicklaus, Williams sisters, Djokovic, Nadal, Federer, Trout, Jeter, Rivera and my personal favorite Kirby. Some of the baseball players I’ve watched are harder to put in this category with the performance enhancing drugs controversy hanging over this era.
As far as coaches or managers go, Bill Belichick, Nick Saban, Scotty Bowman, Dan Gabel (Iowa wrestling) and Phil Jackson are indeed the best ever. So regardless how these arguments go, I feel greatful I was alive to see these greats perform, and I will tell my grandkids about them.
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