Most important athlete of all-time?

There was an interesting read in playboy's june issue where they interviewed Lance Armstrong, mentioning him as possibly being the most important athlete of all-time. I guess I never really thought of him like that before, but after reading through, this guy overcame 12 tumors, goes on to win the Tour de France 6 times in a row, and helped raise close to $40 million for cancer by selling those simple yellow bracelets for $1 each...he has my vote.

Just wondering what everyone else's opinion is?

Chris P.

I know it's not just one athlete but how about the women from five different countries who were the first women to take part in the olympics in Paris (1900) USA, France, Great Britain, Switzerland and Bohemia. Where would we all be without them?

I'd say definitely the most "publically" recognized. Certainly having overcome cancer to have the career he has had is extraordinary.

As big a fan as I am, I'd still be hard pressed to deem him "most important of all time".

Jesse Owens the African-American sprinter/long jumper that destroyed Hitlers "ideal" at the 1936 Olympics.

Babe Didricksen Zaharias the female athlete that broke almost every record in every sport she touched.

These are the 1st two that come to mind for "most important". Their fight was not only in competition, but in society and the world at large... a society that considerd them "less than" by virtue of their race and gender.

my 2 cents...

spazz

Well said, spazz ! :)

I think he has been most inspirational athlete... for athletes and people who are going through recovering from diseases.

He have given lots of people hope.


Then again... I don't keep up with sports and all that... so maybe someone can refute this statement????

I was going to say Babe and Jesse Owens.

Major Taylor

http://www.majortaylorassociation.org/who.htm

Lance brought cycling to the American public, that's for sure. But now that he is nearing the end of his professional career who will carry on for the United States? After Lance retires I can see the "fad" and "interest" in cycling, that he has inspired, dying unless we find a young talented cyclist out there to carry on the torch, so to speak. Cycling is so big in Europe no problem finding cycling heroes there. Until Lance, we had our football, baseball, and basketball heroes (I do enjoy baseball and football myself). Lance gave cycling a niche here, let's not lose it!

I hope we do have a young, talented, mesmerizing cyclist out there ready to fill Lance's nike bike shoes! And I hope Lance stays some how connected to cycling . . . whether coaching, training, or in some other way. He has a lot to pass on!

Sue . . . a Lance fan who does not want to see cycling enthusiam disappear

ok... gotta ask... what were you doing reading playboy????? :p :p :p

Spazz...you read my mind...I do however consider to think Lance is a champ in all arena's. The money he has raised has elevated awareness of cancer and some wonderful research and treatment centers. If I had to vote for who was most influential in my life it was Billie Jean King. I was just a little kid when she smacked Bobby Riggs around the court, but I remember the match like it was yesterday. I also remember her saying women have the power to compete in this mans world. Her words and actions clearly left a deep impression on me as a woman and a young athlete.

karen

How about Jackie Robinson? Or Joan Benoit?

V.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by massbikebabe

If I had to vote for who was most influential in my life it was Billie Jean King. I was just a little kid when she smacked Bobby Riggs around the court, but I remember the match like it was yesterday. I also remember her saying women have the power to compete in this mans world. Her words and actions clearly left a deep impression on me as a woman and a young athlete.

karen

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You must be a Title 9 baby also! I can remember when our highschool girls tennis team had to use the used balls leftover from the boys' team. We rarely got to use the school vans because any and all boys' teams received preference. The one year I played on a college team was the first year the women's team received equipment. We received shoes from Nike. They didn't fit worth a darn but it was the first time the women's team had been sponsored by anyone, unlike the mens'.

Additionally, since we were on this topic elsewhere, Renee Richards made a huge impression on me. She is the first transgender athlete that I can recall receiving a lot of media coverage, though this may have been because women's tennis was hugely popular at the time. The two of them made me really start to think about individual rights from a legal viewpoint and not just a gut reaction based on ignorance.

caligurl "ok... gotta ask... what were you doing reading playboy????? :p :p :p"

for the interviews....really! ;)

I aparently need to explain myself and quote from an email since my previous post was removed.

Here is the message that has just been posted:
***************
huh???
spam is unsolicited advertising.
discussion about this artivle is making the rounds, that doesnt' make it spam, that makes
it the item of the moment.
***************

I believe the original posting was an example of spam because the exact post was place on other biking sites by an individual that aparently joined those forums for the sole purpose of placing that one and only post. To me, that means, an agenda - therefore defined spam. Possibly posted by the magazine or the author of the article looking for responses to further their plan. Only my opinion and thought I might mention my opnion.

I get late so most topics on this site are pretty well covered and I don't have much to add of substance - so I'm mostly a reader. I simply thought this was an opportunity to mention something different to a topic. Aparently not as my post was removed. Had I been rude I could have understood a removal but I was not.

Divscotty

In a moderator's context, spam is unsolicited commercial posting. That is the definition of spam. If an individual wishes to join to post relevant discussion, that is not spam. If any members feels there is a problem with a post/poster, they can report it to the moderators by using the "bad post" button ( looks like ! in a triangle) on the left of the screen.

taking the moderator hat off now...

irulan

Um * little coff from Down Under* I vote for Lance being one of the most inspirational and motivational atheletes in our history

Perhaps not the "most important" but I would need to be clear about what qualified the 'importance'

But he wins the yellow jersey for the athelete who has given the most hope and heart to countless sick people - and perhaps a new lease on life (how many cancer victims become survivors just because they change their mind and choose to defy doctor's advice?)

He wins the yellow jersey for inspiring thousands across who knows how many countries, people of so many ages, to get on a bike and have a go

He wins the yellow jersey for proving that if you can set your mind to tough it out, just about anything is possible