Is it just me, or is 12 not 10?
Sampras never even won all 4 major championships in his career, never mind in 1 season, so surely Maureen Connelly, Steffi Graf et al rank higher. To be honest, take Wimbledon (for which his game was perfectly suited) out of his portfolio, and you have a very good tennis player, nothing more (Agbutti, Laver and others shine out more in this regard).
Carl Lewis did what Jesse Owens did, but in his own back yard - Owens achievements were better IMHO.
Jack Nicklaus was the greatest golfer...until Tiger Woods? We'll see, history will tell. As for golf being a sport? I think it is.
Pele - greatest footballer ever, no doubt. Why isn't he number 1? Probably because each sport has a "Pele" figure, and you end up just listing the sports in order of your favourites.
Schumacher? Undoubtedly the best F1 driver ever. However, if you put him in a Ford Transit he'd plant - F1 (and other motorsports) also rely heavily upon the car, not a true sport IMHO.
Ingemaar Stenmark? Surely you joke. He was a great slalom skier, but how may super-G and downhill did he win? Wasn't an all-rounder, and to qualify in a minority sport, I think you need to be.
Mara? Not for me, but that just opinion. Too flawed.
Borg? Again, take away Wimbledon and you have a player who is possibly slightly better than Sampras, no more. Retired at 26, so no longevity.
Surge Bubal? Again, a 1 discipline performer, and one who consistently failed at Olympic level, when he ought to have won easily with his talent. Performance under ultimate pressure is a must for our greats, surely.
Norma? But then how about Stupak? Ands we all know how often the Fins used performance enhancers, even back then? Who knows?
Ali? An average boxer, but an outstanding personality. The 2 are different. He lost world championship bouts to the likes of Leon Spinks, but could rap a little. I think I'll take a boxer that said less and lost less. I'll also take a boxer who won with boxing rather that by waiting for his oppose to get bored and tired of pummelling his brain. As I said elsewhere, give me a boxer who lit up the ring, rather than one that waited for his opponent to turn out the lights.
Nicene? Not sure. Isn't there a bloke about this year who won 3 of the 4 hills? Is that him, if not, that's not a bad record.
Graybags
