ESPN: Why Lionel Messi is the best male athlete of all time

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aTmAg
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9:53a, 12/19/22
AG
Note to ESPN: Somebody being the best male athlete of all time automatically means they are the best athlete of all time.

https://www.espn.com/sports/insider/soccer/insider/story/_/id/35259622/lionel-messi-world-cup-proves-best-male-athlete-ever

(This is not meant to be a soccer vs NFL vs NBA thread.. just a mocking libs at ESPN thread)

Edit: does somebody already pay ESPN to read full article? I am not going to pay them anything, but am interested if they try to compare Messi to a Williams sister after the paywall. As if they remotely in the same ballpark.
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45-70Ag
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9:56a, 12/19/22
AG
Tomorrow headline: Brittany griner is the best female athlete of all time.
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In reply to aTmAg • 9:57a, 12/19/22
Tom Kazansky 2012
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In reply to aTmAg • 9:57a, 12/19/22
AG
aTmAg said:
Note to ESPN: Somebody being the best male athlete of all time automatically means they are the best athlete of all time.

https://www.espn.com/sports/insider/soccer/insider/story/_/id/35259622/lionel-messi-world-cup-proves-best-male-athlete-ever

(This is not meant to be a soccer vs NFL vs NBA thread.. just a mocking libs at ESPN thread)
Wasn't Secretariat a male athlete?
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CDUB98
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9:59a, 12/19/22
AG
Nah.

Bo Jackson is arguable the best...until his freak injury.
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aTmAg
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In reply to [removed post] • 9:59a, 12/19/22
AG
Bregxit said:
aTmAg said:
Note to ESPN: Somebody being the best male athlete of all time automatically means they are the best athlete of all time.

https://www.espn.com/sports/insider/soccer/insider/story/_/id/35259622/lionel-messi-world-cup-proves-best-male-athlete-ever

(This is not meant to be a soccer vs NFL vs NBA thread.. just a mocking libs at ESPN thread)


Yet you pay to read their articles.
See my edit. I didn't pay anything.
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HollywoodBQ
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10:00a, 12/19/22
AG
Guess there aren't any Black athletes who measure up?

Jesse Owens
Carl Lewis
Bo Jackson
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Whirligigs
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10:01a, 12/19/22
If he lost then there wouldn't be any article about him.
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In reply to aTmAg • 10:01a, 12/19/22
aTmAg
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In reply to [removed post] • 10:02a, 12/19/22
AG
Bregxit said:
aTmAg said:
Bregxit said:
aTmAg said:
Note to ESPN: Somebody being the best male athlete of all time automatically means they are the best athlete of all time.

https://www.espn.com/sports/insider/soccer/insider/story/_/id/35259622/lionel-messi-world-cup-proves-best-male-athlete-ever

(This is not meant to be a soccer vs NFL vs NBA thread.. just a mocking libs at ESPN thread)


Yet you pay to read their articles.
See my edit. I didn't pay anything.


So you're ripping something you haven't even read. Even better!
I'm ripping the headline. Which I did read.

Is this really that confusing for you?
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evestor1
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10:04a, 12/19/22
I am surprised that it was not given to Bruce Jenner.
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43rd Street Posse
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10:06a, 12/19/22
LOL, Jim Thorpe is by far the greatest athlete of all time and no one will ever touch him.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CkrrZOzqGDN/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY
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TXAG 05
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10:06a, 12/19/22
AG
Jordan or Bo. Not some guy that plays soccer. I never knew what Messi even looked like until I clicked on that link.
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Get Off My Lawn
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In reply to aTmAg • 10:08a, 12/19/22
A soccer player… as the best athlete of all time!?! In the sea of stupid, let me point out that Soccer is a sport where you literally ignore the most important of tools that the human body has available to interact with the world around it.

As far as being a capable athlete, I'll take any "Ninja Warrior" contestant over a guy who simply runs on perfectly manicured grass.
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Tex117
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10:08a, 12/19/22
AG
Easily one of the best of all time.

THE best, no one can know that. Up there, absolutely.
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43rd Street Posse
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In reply to CDUB98 • 10:08a, 12/19/22
CDUB98 said:
Nah.

Bo Jackson is arguable the best...until his freak injury.
Bo Jackson definitely the best of my lifetime, but what Jim Thorpe did, across numerous sports, against the best of his time, is simply astounding.
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43rd Street Posse
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In reply to Tex117 • 10:09a, 12/19/22
Tex117 said:
Easily one of the best of all time.

THE best, no one can know that. Up there, absolutely.
if he has ever flopped once with zero contact, this completely rules him out of the discussion altogether imo. The greatest athletes of all time don't play like that.
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rgt99
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In reply to 43rd Street Posse • 10:12a, 12/19/22
I guess LeBron James can not be included in the discussion with that argument
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CDUB98
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In reply to 43rd Street Posse • 10:13a, 12/19/22
AG
43rd Street Posse said:
CDUB98 said:
Nah.

Bo Jackson is arguable the best...until his freak injury.
Bo Jackson definitely the best of my lifetime, but what Jim Thorpe did, across numerous sports, against the best of his time, is simply astounding.


That's why I said arguably. Jim Thorpe, indeed, is in the argument.
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Street Fighter
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In reply to Get Off My Lawn • 10:14a, 12/19/22
AG
Get Off My Lawn said:
As far as being a capable athlete, I'll take any "Ninja Warrior" contestant over a guy who simply runs on perfectly manicured grass.

I hope you're being sarcastic. Messi has been a bad ass since he was 6 and became a pro when he was 16.
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43rd Street Posse
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In reply to rgt99 • 10:16a, 12/19/22
rgt99 said:
I guess LeBron James can not be included in the discussion with that argument
Yep, and for other reasons.
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dmart90
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10:16a, 12/19/22
AG
The distain y'all show for soccer, the most popular sport in the world, is hilarious.

I don't know that Messi is the greatest male athlete ever; but he is certainly one of the best!
“Ambition is when you expect yourself to close the gap between what you have and what you want.

Entitlement is when you expect others to close the gap between what you have and what you want.”— James Clear
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Tony Franklins Other Shoe
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In reply to rgt99 • 10:19a, 12/19/22
AG
rgt99 said:
I guess LeBron James can not be included in the discussion with that argument


Lebrun is the greatest reader of all time.

Person Not Capable of Pregnancy
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43rd Street Posse
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In reply to CDUB98 • 10:20a, 12/19/22
CDUB98 said:
43rd Street Posse said:
CDUB98 said:
Nah.

Bo Jackson is arguable the best...until his freak injury.
Bo Jackson definitely the best of my lifetime, but what Jim Thorpe did, across numerous sports, against the best of his time, is simply astounding.


That's why I said arguably. Jim Thorpe, indeed, is in the argument.
As a physical specimen, I am not sure any professional athlete of any time period touches Bo Jackson...I remember being crushed that he got injured. He was borderline superhuman at times. To be great at two sports in the modern era is simply unheard of. And his highlights are FILTHY. He only lacks longevity, because of freak injury.

He may very well be the greatest athlete of all time with Jim Thorpe just being the greatest of his time, not to take anything away from him.

Wish I still has my old Bo Jackson posters.
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43rd Street Posse
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In reply to dmart90 • 10:22a, 12/19/22
dmart90 said:
The distain y'all show for soccer, the most popular sport in the world, is hilarious.

I don't know that Messi is the greatest male athlete ever; but he is certainly one of the best!
Tiger Woods is a better athlete. Jordan, Bird, Dale Earnhardt (RIP)...could go on and on...
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AgBandsman
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10:22a, 12/19/22
AG
I missed the World Cup. Why is Messi the best?
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Stressboy
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10:24a, 12/19/22
AG
To be the best athlete ever you would need to be competitive in more than one sport.
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agent-maroon
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In reply to CDUB98 • 10:26a, 12/19/22
AG
CDUB98 said:
Nah.

Bo Jackson is arguable the best...until his freak injury.
As long as you include those who were juicing. His "freak" hip injury was due to avascular necrosis of the femoral head, a common complication from chronic steroid abuse.
No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.
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The Fall Guy
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In reply to dmart90 • 10:27a, 12/19/22
AG
dmart90 said:
The distain y'all show for soccer, the most popular sport in the world, is hilarious.

I don't know that Messi is the greatest male athlete ever; but he is certainly one of the best!


The ones dissing soccer couldn't run half a mile without keeling over. Armchair athletes
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CDUB98
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10:27a, 12/19/22
AG
You guys dissing on futebol is funny though.

It does take a lot of athleticism, balance, and skill to play at the highest levels.
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mc_shipman
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10:28a, 12/19/22
It's hard to compare, but you'd think Michael Phelps should at least get a mention here.
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CDUB98
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In reply to agent-maroon • 10:28a, 12/19/22
AG
agent-maroon said:
CDUB98 said:
Nah.

Bo Jackson is arguable the best...until his freak injury.
As long as you include those who were juicing. His "freak" hip injury was due to avascular necrosis of the femoral head, a common complication from chronic steroid abuse.


Has he admitted to his use or are you just stating from your medical background?
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Get Off My Lawn
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In reply to Street Fighter • 10:29a, 12/19/22
Street Fighter said:
Get Off My Lawn said:
As far as being a capable athlete, I'll take any "Ninja Warrior" contestant over a guy who simply runs on perfectly manicured grass.

I hope you're being sarcastic. Messi has been a bad ass since he was 6.
Not sarcastic in the least! You've got to blow past every gymnast, strong man, fighter/wrestler, African endurance hunter, water polo player, triathlete, free climber, and rugby player, and more before you get to soccer.

Drawing eyeballs? Sure. Doing incredible stuff? Sure. Top of his field? I guess so. But being the highest performer in a hyper-specialized environment is far shy of "greatest athlete ever." In fact, it's the bare minimum requirement to be included in the conversation!
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doubledog
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In reply to 45-70Ag • 10:35a, 12/19/22
45-70Ag said:
Tomorrow headline: Brittany griner is the best female athlete of all time.
Wednesday's headline " Lia Thomas is the best trans-female athlete of all times"

Can't wait for Thursday's headline.
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Street Fighter
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In reply to Get Off My Lawn • 10:37a, 12/19/22
AG
Other than a triathelete, every sport you mentioned is highly specialized.
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