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[shinobi602]

 

[Loakum]

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

Wasn't this from an exhibition match?

 

[Whitechocolatekrispies]

Neil Armstrong was pretty incredible.

 

[Represent.]

.

 

[terrisus]

Well, I see Donald Bradman has already been mentioned numerous times.

Another consideration is Walter Johnson.

And, for dominence over a short period of time, Pedro Martinez.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

 

[injurai]

 

[hydruxo]

The Big Shaqtus

 

[michaelius]

Isinbajewa

 

[Glitchfire]

I'm a big football and basketball fan so it would easy for me to say Sanders or Jordan. But, absolutely 100% the most dominating figure of mainstream sports is Wayne Gretzky.

Just read this excerpt from TBR:

He was the greatest scorer in the history of hockey, and, by far, the best assist man in the history of the game.

He has 93 more goals than anybody in hockey history, he has the two highest goal scoring seasons in NHL history, he has over 700 more assists than anybody else in NHL history, he is the all-time NHL leader in assists per game and points per game, he had so many points in his career that had he not scored a single goal in his entire career he would still be the NHL all-time points leader.

Do you understand how great of an achievement that is? That means that he had more assists in his career than any other NHL player had assists plus goals.

He has 10 of the top 12 single seasons of all time in points scored, 11 of the top 12 seasons of all time in assists, and four of the top 10 seasons in goals scored.

He led the league in assists a remarkable 13 straight times, and points eight straight times.He is the only player in NHL history to top 200 points in a season, and he did it four times. His number has been retired by every team throughout hockey, not to mention he won nine Hart Trophies and four Stanley Cups.

There was never a player in the history of team sports like Gretzky. He could have scored 1,500 goals if he wanted, but he didn't want to, he wanted to get his whole team involved which shows with his ridiculous assist totals and his Stanley Cup total.

 

[Gustav]

It's gotta be Gretzky.

 

[GaimeGuy]

The Great One, Wayne Gretzky. Had Cus D'Amato not died Tyson probably could have been. Watching his speed and ferocity scares the shit out of me.

 

[CREMSteve]

Gretzky, without question.

 

[vas_a_morir]

Matt Brown

I'm okay, but I wouldn't say I'm dominant.

 

[RangersFan]

It's Gretzky. If he never scored a single goal ever, he'd still be the all-time leading points leader... (he's the all-time leader in goals too if you didn't know).

 

[BigJonsson]

Gretzky

 

[TheListener]

Shaq in his prime could not be answered by anyone in the NBA.

Except the foul line.

 

[FOOTE]

#99

 

[SocksAndShoes]

Jahangir Khan

Dude won 555 straight matches of Squash.

 

[Dee Dah Dave]

Phil "The Power" Taylor

 

[params7]

Don Bradman dominated his sport phenomonally. 99 batting average in the days where they didn't wear helmets and bodyline bowling was exploited.

 

[Mr Croft]

Except the foul line.

-
this thread has so many good picks its really hard to decide. I wish we could consolidate this into a top 5 or top 10

 

[Jezbollah]

If Gretzky was as good as some here says he was, he would have won a Stanley Cup while at the LA Kings.

 

[Joni]

-
this thread has so many good picks its really hard to decide. I wish we could consolidate this into a top 5 or top 10

Maybe it has to be consolidated into one pick per sport.

 

[ComputerMKII]

Michael Schumacher
Sébastien Loeb

I would have added Lance Amstrong, but he cheated, so...

 

[delta25]

Gretzky hands down, the man was an anomaly in the game of hockey.

 

[revolverjgw]

If Gretzky was as good as some here says he was, he would have won a Stanley Cup while at the LA Kings.

Hockey isn't like basketball or football, the best players are only on the ice for about a third of the game. They can only influence a game so much if their d-men, goalie or linemates aren't up to snuff. In his most successful run with the Kings, Gretzky scored 43 points (only he and Lemieux have ever done that) when he carried them to the finals with Kelly Hrudey in goal and Alexei Zhitnik as the number one d-man. That's not a great situation, and he carried them as far as any one player possibly could. Nobody can hold a loss like that against him.

Orr, not Gretzky, was the best hockey player ever, and he only won the Cup twice because the Montreal Canadiens were by far the best team in that era, the biggest difference being they had a far better goalie than the Bruins and THREE dominant defensemen. One guy can only do so much against that.

Besides, Gretzky was past his prime right after joining the Kings anyway, he was tired and beat up by the 9 years of nonstop long playoff runs and international hockey, and had back problems. His legacy is based on his prime years with the Oilers.

 

[MetatronM]

The Big Shaqtus

I was actually at that game. Shit was RIDICULOUS.

 

[NeoGarrison]

This question is easy to answer. The most dominating athlete of all time is John Brzenk.

John here was undefeated in armwresting for MFING 25 YEARS.

25 YEARS.

And just in case you are wondering he went against people of every class and weight, no one could beat him period.

 

[JABEE]

In sheer hindsight, Wayne Gretzky kind of puts people from other major team sports to shame.

Dude owns at least 65 records. You take away every goal he ever scored and he would still have more points than any other player ever.



This I have a problem with.

Crosby is a generational talent. He is, most definitely, the best player of the last 10 years of NHL hockey. He could very easily be the second highest scorer in league history should he avoid significant injuries. He will be top-10 with a bullet, EASILY.

He will most definitely be an all-time great by the end of his career, likely exceeding names like Yzerman, Sakic, Forsberg, etc from the generation before him.

You're right, but he isn't Gretzky, Orr, Lemieux, or Howe. He won't be better than Jagr. He's an outstanding player that will be remembered as a great Hall of Famer. Sidney Crosby isn't the Michael Jordan of hockey. He isn't Gretzky. I erred in saying he wasn't an all-time great, but he doesn't deserve to be in the discussion with the players I mentioned above.

 

[Big-E]

It can't be Wilt because he played so long ago and the game was so different. Gretzky is the better choice as he played in modern times against players in a league with players from all over the world.

For anyone who would say that the age the player played doesn't matter, it absolutely does. Cy Young may have by far the most wins in baseball but he probably wouldn't be able to make an A ball team now.

 

[H.Cornerstone]

For fun, I'm just going to go with players I've seen since the classic greats have been mentioned. (Wilt and Barry Sanders)

Baseball - Randy Johnson and Mariano Rivera: tie between the greatest closer of all time and a guy who had a 100mph fastball and deadly slider.
Football: Peyton Manning : I know he's only won one ring but watching him play QB is such a treat.
Basketball: I'm too young to really remember MJ so I'm going Shaquille. When motivated at 7 1 300 lbs was just so athletic and hard to stop

Side note. Lebron may be the biggest freak of nature I've ever seen. The things the dude can do at 6 8 260 aren't natural:

 

[terrisus]

For anyone who would say that the age the player played doesn't matter, it absolutely does. Cy Young may have by far the most wins in baseball but he probably wouldn't be able to make an A ball team now.

Wins isn't very meaningful - being primarily a team-based stat, a longevity stat, and a stat based on usage - and he definitely isn't the "most dominating" Baseball player of all time, certainly... But...

ERA+ of 138 (17th all-time) and a career WAR of 170 (2nd all-time), and he "wouldn't be able to make an A ball team now?" Really?

Nonsense.

 

[FStop7]

Out of the major sports?

Probably Schumacher and Gretzky. Maybe Valentino Rossi. Rossi left the dominant Repsol Honda team as a champion for the laughing stock Yamaha team and rode the inferior Yamaha straight to another championship. His talent overcame all.

 

[JasonUresti]

This question is easy to answer. The most dominating athlete of all time is John Brzenk.

John here was undefeated in armwresting for MFING 25 YEARS.

25 YEARS.

And just in case you are wondering he went against people of every class and weight, no one could beat him period.

When was his 25 year period? Because he lost many times.

 

[M.W.]

Pete Maravich in college. Boom.

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

Pete Maravich in college. Boom.

45ppg is nice, but weren't his teams .500 at best?

 

[SlipperySlope]

Either of the Klitschko brothers. One could say they had no worthwhile competition, but this thread isn't about that. This thread is about dominating their particular league, and nobody does it better than them.

 

[Scarphace]

Jordan or Ali

 

[OpinionatedCyborg]

If we go with a baller, it'd have to be someone like George Mikan who forced the creation of new rules -- goaltending, wider lanes, 3 second rule, etc. -- to curtail his dominance.

 

[A More Normal Bird]

It's impossible to name just one, but as others have mentioned if you're looking outside of North American sports (and football) Bradman and Karelin are definitely up there.

can't say that without mentioning Anderson Silva. He held the belt for over 10 years. Thats unreal

No he didn't, it was a little shy of seven. Fedor was undefeated for around ten years but he wasn't holding a belt that entire time.