[duderon]

didn't some team try taking a top track guy and turn him into a wide receiver and fail miserably?

Gatlin tried when he was serving his doping ban, but didn't make the cut.

[Log4Girlz]

Nope, it's this man. Pete Knight. On October 3, 1967 Knight flew the X-15 rocket plane to a speed of 4,520 mph, a record that still holds as the fastest manned aircraft flight ever (not to be confused with SR-71 records which are for fastest sustained flight).

The Apollo astronauts traveled faster than any other human beings ever.

[woodchuck]

didn't some team try taking a top track guy and turn him into a wide receiver and fail miserably?

Bob Hayes? I think he worked out pretty well for the Cowboys...

[Pimpwerx]

Adjust it then, 11 seconds is fast enough to give up on track and try out for the NFL or NBA and make those millions. Deion Sanders ran 10.26 100m dashes, not great for Olympic times but he didn't have people fixing his running technique.

If you're in the upper-echelon of sprint speed, you WILL run track in college, which is where you have to play for football or basketball anyway. You can't skip straight to the pros in either sport unless you're from a foreign country. So if you run it in track (Santana Moss was an all-american in track IIRC) then you will be noticed. Santana Moss went to football because despite being incredibly fast on track, he probably wasn't going to be an Olympic contender. There's a wide-gulf between speed burners in other sports and the elite in track. There's a reason they train so hard. You don't just get it on natural ability. Long story short, there's no one faster than Bolt. PEACE.

[Big-E]

It is like people think there are 1000s of Jerry Seinfelds out there who choose not to run.

[-COOLIO-]

That's what I'm saying. Bolt has no other avenue to use his athletic skills. The Americans who are in track are likely not good enough to be playing any other sports, that's why they are in track and field. Same goes for Michael Phelps, he's a swimmer because he literally has no other skills to be elite in anything else. ESPN did a profile on him and he basically admitted that on land, he couldn't even dribble a basketball.

failed athletes don't pursue track, that's an insulting and ridiculous derivation. if phelps said that about himself than power to him but so what?

[-COOLIO-]

But what I'm saying is that anyone with the potential to run sub-10 times would be an idiot to pursue a track and field career over the NFL or NBA if there was a chance they could make it.

what? why? is life about money and fame?

[PastorOfMuppets]

what? why? is life about money and fame?

Yes.

[duderon]

Yes.

Usain Bolt is arguably more famous than any other athlete in the world.

[-COOLIO-]

I suppose it's implied, but the way the OP stated it was if they were saying, and meaning that he is the fastest man. Or maybe I'm just looking too much into it I dunno.

yeah the op was taking the statement a little too literally i guess.

miss universe isnt actually the most objectively beautiful female creature in the universe.

Yes.

then nba players should strive to be a blockbuster movie stars.

[Oxirane]

Slightly off-topic
Say there are 2 tests:

-Who can travel 100m in the lowest time of anyone(measured) on the planet (speed averaged over 100m)

-Who has the highest 'instantaneous' speed measured by a speed gun or better instrument (basically ignoring reaction time and starting technique)

Which of these properties would you use to declare the fastest man in the world with?
(Bolt seems to satisfy both, but I haven't really checked)

For example, a runner can't start well at all and is always 2 seconds slower out of the blocks than anyone else, but finishes 2/10 of a second slower than the world record and finishes second.

[Nemo]

He is as far as we know. But I'm going to put this theory out. The best athletes in the world do not compete in track and field unless they are women. Reason being is if you can run a sub 10.00 in the 100m without any pro training like Usain Bolt, it makes much more financial sense for you to be playing baseball, basketball, football or soccer where you will have a much more lucrative career. The guys in track you see now are in track because they have no other avenues of making money on their athletic abilities. Women don't have this issue since there are no lucrative avenues for female pro sports so the fastest woman in the world likely competes in the 100m dash.

Might be true for the average track and fielders but pretty sure Bolt made enough on sponsor stuff alone to make the sport fortune differences negligible. He can also do plenty of other things with his money after his career when he invests

[PastorOfMuppets]

Usain Bolt is arguably more famous than any other athlete in the world.

I think he's up there but because of his sport (track and field athletes don't have long career arcs) he doesn't have much staying power and a mid level NBA player will make more money in his career than Bolt does.

Might be true for the average track and fielders but pretty sure Bolt made enough on sponsor stuff alone to make the sport fortune differences negligible

That's probably true. Bolt's the exception to the rule though. The other 8 guys in the 100m dash finals this year are probably the only other 8 guys in the world that are able to generate a living off of that sport. It's such a niche profession - even more so than soccer or football or baseball, that financially it makes much more sense to try and parlay your speed in those sports than it does to try and become the next Usain Bolt.

[Lonely1]

So, does this devolved into another if "NY Giants played soccer they would win the Champions League" thread?

[Big-E]

I think he's up there but because of his sport (track and field athletes don't have long career arcs) he doesn't have much staying power and a mid level NBA player will make more money in his career than Bolt does.

Bolt is still young though. Sprinters peak late 20s, early 30s. He has one more Olympics in him for sure so he would be a star for 8 year which is plenty enough.

[KingKong]

I think he's up there but because of his sport (track and field athletes don't have long career arcs) he doesn't have much staying power and a mid level NBA player will make more money in his career than Bolt does.

He made like 20 mil last year

and if its all about the money, then these athletes should be playing baseball

[Sky Chief]

He made like 20 mil last year and if its all about the money, then these athletes should be playing baseball

And nobody would want to play in the NFL

[evilhomer]

After the 1996 olympics, The 100m race World Record Holder, Donovan Bailey, raced Michael Johnson(200m and 400m Olympic winner) in a 150m race to see who was the fastest man on the planet. Here is the result: At the olympic stadium in Montreal.

I remember this race and all that hype...man what a let down that was :/

[Pimpwerx]

I remember this race and all that hype...man what a let down that was :/

Yeah. Lame fake injury. I remember all the hype for that too. It's kind of ironic that Johnson looks a lot like McGriff in your avatar. PEACE.

[JABEE]

didn't some team try taking a top track guy and turn him into a wide receiver and fail miserably?

Carl Lewis was drafted in the NBA and NFL but didn't go out for those sports.

[Big-E]

Carl Lewis was drafted in the NBA and NFL but didn't go out for those sports.

After seeing him try to throw a baseball, I shutter to think what he could do on the court and on the field.

[JABEE]

After seeing him try to throw a baseball, I shutter to think what he could do on the court and on the field.

He'd make a great singer though. He has proved that.

[MWS Natural]

Usain Bolt CLASSIEST man in the world.

[ChanHuk]

You can't coach speed

[Brinbe]

I'll go with yes.

[yarden24]

Usain Bolt CLASSIEST man in the world.

bolt generally seems like a cocky asshole, but that really is classy

[PastorOfMuppets]

Carl Lewis was drafted in the NBA and NFL but didn't go out for those sports.

He was drafted in the 10th round of the NBA draft the same year as Michael Jordan. The modern NBA draft only has two rounds to give you an idea of how far of a longshot that was. He was drafted in the 12th round of the NFL draft - that's the last round. Not many guys who are drafted that low amount to anything - Tom Brady being a 1 in a million exception.

[Esiquio]

My ex-girlfriend would say that I'm the fastest man in the world. But don't you be listening to her foolishness.

Give this man a tag.

[Big-E]

You can't coach speed

Truth.

[Half and half]

Yes, Usain Bolt is the fastest man in the world, the solar system, galaxy and entire Universe. There is not an entity in any dimension or work of fiction that is faster.

The man is so fast he leaves the Matrix when he runs.

[xValentine]

Well he is the fastest man known to man. Not your imaginary human being.

[tim.mbp]

didn't some team try taking a top track guy and turn him into a wide receiver and fail miserably?

Jets tried with gold medalist Lam Jones.

[MWS Natural]

bolt generally seems like a cocky asshole, but that really is classy

Eh I've always hated how the public expects superstars to be so humble. Fuck that if you are the greatest in the world at something I have no problems with you being cocky.

[spiderman123]

Fuck yall haters...don't hate on my country men. Just look at our bobsled team.

[Dreams-Visions]

You can't coach speed

Never ran track, did you.

You can absolutely coach speed. Coaching improves form and technique, starting reaction time, shoe/kleets selection, exercise and body building regimen.

All of which are fucking essential to your race times (or, speed).


What you can't coach are things like height and bodytype.

[Ydahs]

I think he's up there but because of his sport (track and field athletes don't have long career arcs) he doesn't have much staying power and a mid level NBA player will make more money in his career than Bolt does.

Don't forget about Bolt's sponsorship deals.

[ThanksVision]

You can't coach speed

lmao

Yes, Bolt is naturally that fast. His training didn't shave off any time at all!

[D.Lo]

I get what you're saying. Privilege and opportunity are 90% of achievement.

The potential greatest violinist who ever lived may have died of starvation in Somalia having never seen a violin etc.

[EVOL 100%]

There was a pretty extensive documentary on what makes Bolt so goddamn fast.

Apparently he has Scoliosis, and this condition causes him to move his body more rigorously, consequently making him even faster. The downside to this is that there's a really high probability that it'll mangle one of his legs, since excessive weight goes into it. Already happened before, actually.

[abuC]

He ran the second fastest time in history!!!

http://www.alltime-athletics.com/m_100ok.htm
1st, 2nd and 3rd fastest times ever belong to Bolt, he's a beast.

didn't some team try taking a top track guy and turn him into a wide receiver and fail miserably?

Bullet Bob Hayes had a hall of fame career as a WR, he won gold in the 100m at the 1964 Olympics and ran a 10.06. To this day he's still the fastest player in NFL history, there was a team that wanted to give Bolt a tryout too.

[Feature]

How much training is actually required to run 100m as fast as you can? I mean , it requires little to no endurance.

[The Faceless Master]

It won't be that long that augmentations will allow many to surpass what Usain Bolt could do. Although one could argue that we would become more than a man.

you mean like segways?

[crazy monkey]

My ex-girlfriend would say that I'm the fastest man in the world. But don't you be listening to her foolishness.

Aha ha

[toastyToast]

How much training is actually required to run 100m as fast as you can? I mean , it requires little to no endurance.

Since there are no reservations made towards pacing it's extremely difficult. That and the most minute slip up can drastically affect times

[Letters]

So, does this devolved into another if "NY Giants played soccer they would win the Champions League" thread?

bahahahahaha I gotta find this thread

[Major_Lazer]

bolt generally seems like a cocky asshole, but that really is classy

Ugh people like you piss me off, Bolt is a showman on the track but one of the most humble, lovable down to earth athletes after it. He doesn't denigrate his opponents or anything to that regard, seems like you want athletes to be boring robots. Get the fuck outta here with that shit

[The Incarnation]

Yes, yes he is.


What I will say is out of British track athletes, we have far better sprinters than them who officially make it.

I could clock 10.90 at sixteen, I didn't amount to shit.

[The Incarnation]

bolt generally seems like a cocky asshole, but that really is classy

Calling people an asshole is really classy.

Also I love this trend of black people having to behave a certain way to appease white people to be seen as being classy. Which in short is not existing or being invisible.

Lewis Hamilton, and Serena William seem to get a lot of stick. Two people who I actually think are dull personality wise.

[ajim]

Usain Bolt CLASSIEST man in the world.

Thats amazing. What a star.

[theignoramus]

not every athlete has to act like boring fucking robot.