Michael phelps is NOT greatest olympian ever b/c....
Former Member
This is not my opinion, but have heard this argued multiple times the past few days
He is swimming in a upper class white dominated sport. If swimming were more accessible to inner city black kids then he would have more competition and a deeper talent pool To compete against and he would not come close to his medal count.
Everyone can run, so usain bolt or carl Lewis are the best Olympians ever bc they accomplished what they did against the unquestionable best the world could possible throw at them
What say you?
Swimming is a global sport, though. There were medalists from all six populated continents in London.
I'm a bit of a baseball stat fanatic and there's always a debate about who the greatest baseball players in history are. One of the points of contention is how much weight peak value should have compared to career value. How does a guy like Sandy Koufax who had a short career compare with Cy Young, for example? If we look at Olympians in those term I think Phelps really shines. Not only did he win eight medals in a single Olympics, but he also has the most total Olympic medals ever amassed. I don't think there's any way you can successfully argue for anyone being a greater Olympian than Michael Phelps. The only people that do are those who think, for whatever reason, that swimming isn't a "real" sport.
Swimming is a global sport, though. There were medalists from all six populated continents in London.
I'm a bit of a baseball stat fanatic and there's always a debate about who the greatest baseball players in history are. One of the points of contention is how much weight peak value should have compared to career value. How does a guy like Sandy Koufax who had a short career compare with Cy Young, for example? If we look at Olympians in those term I think Phelps really shines. Not only did he win eight medals in a single Olympics, but he also has the most total Olympic medals ever amassed. I don't think there's any way you can successfully argue for anyone being a greater Olympian than Michael Phelps. The only people that do are those who think, for whatever reason, that swimming isn't a "real" sport.
