Their names are more recognizable to most Americans than the names of the presidents. Their posters still grace walls, even though the freshness of their feats have passed. They've been called heroes, they've been called winners, but really they all thought of themselves as one thing: athletes.
So, just what makes an athlete great? When do they cross-over that ambiguous line between "good" and "great"? Or between "great" and "greatest"? For Babe Ruth, it was revolutionizing the entire sport of baseball. For Jim Thorpe and Babe Didrikson, it was the ability to perform many sports at an exceptional level. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Nadia Comaneci took the sports basketball, golf, and gymnastics into public notoriety. Ty Cobb and Martina Navratilova hold records that still stand today. Lance Armstrong and Wilma Rudolph overcame career threatening diseases and disabilities. Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens showed strength and courage in the face of hideous discrimination. The 1980 US Hockey team shocked the world.
Greatness cannot be measured by a formula. How will the athletes of today measure up? Will Michael Phelps be remembered for his glorious record-breaking eight gold medals, or will the scandal of his marijuana partying overshadow his feats, a la "Shoeless" Joe Jackson or O.J. Simpson? Will popular stars Peyton and Eli Manning be remembered? Will the US soccer team's snap of Spain's 34-game winning streak be talked of generations from now? Only time will tell if these athletes have crossed the indeterminable line that separates the good from the great. But at least for now, we will cheer their names as if they were.
So, just what makes an athlete great? When do they cross-over that ambiguous line between "good" and "great"? Or between "great" and "greatest"? For Babe Ruth, it was revolutionizing the entire sport of baseball. For Jim Thorpe and Babe Didrikson, it was the ability to perform many sports at an exceptional level. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Nadia Comaneci took the sports basketball, golf, and gymnastics into public notoriety. Ty Cobb and Martina Navratilova hold records that still stand today. Lance Armstrong and Wilma Rudolph overcame career threatening diseases and disabilities. Jackie Robinson and Jesse Owens showed strength and courage in the face of hideous discrimination. The 1980 US Hockey team shocked the world.
Greatness cannot be measured by a formula. How will the athletes of today measure up? Will Michael Phelps be remembered for his glorious record-breaking eight gold medals, or will the scandal of his marijuana partying overshadow his feats, a la "Shoeless" Joe Jackson or O.J. Simpson? Will popular stars Peyton and Eli Manning be remembered? Will the US soccer team's snap of Spain's 34-game winning streak be talked of generations from now? Only time will tell if these athletes have crossed the indeterminable line that separates the good from the great. But at least for now, we will cheer their names as if they were.
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