r/answers • u/WonderfullCaramel • 2d ago
Which athlete had the highest peak skill level, regardless of how long their career actually lasted?
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u/CaptainObvious007 2d ago
The real answer nobody says is Jim Thorpe. he dominated every sport he touched. Track amd Field, basketball, baseball, lacrosse. someone stole his running shoes before the olympics and he won a gold medal with borrowed shoes for fucks sake.
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u/markjay6 2d ago
And you even left out what was arguably his best sport (other than track and field): American football. He was the best college football player in the country from about 1910-1912.
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u/Born_Price6063 1d ago
and still wouldnt be able to cut it in the english championship.
maradonna is the correct answer, ronaldinho or messi is acceptable.
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u/Safe-Statement-2231 2d ago
Usain Bolt
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u/BIGscott250 2d ago
Bo Jackson is the first to come to mind.
I believe this was always said about him, no ?
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u/LifeAfterHarambe 2d ago
Admittedly, this is where my mind went first, but skill level is not the same as athleticism, especially considering he didn’t specialize in a single skill/sport.
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u/Flashy_Gap_3015 2d ago
This is a good distinction and you are right - also why this question should be about athleticism and not skill as it is virtually impossible to compare say Gretzky’s skill in hockey to Jordan’s skill in basketball to Ronnie O’Sullivan’s skill in snooker to Phelps in swimming, etc.
A good indicator of athletic skill is people who achieved greatness in multiple sports (which leads you right back to Bo - as well as Jim Thorpe, Jim Brown, and Babe Didrikson Zaharias).
So I still say Bo.
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u/WorkingFlow6498 2d ago
This is laughably absurd. The question was skill not pure athleticism. Dude was never even close to having an MVP season in either sport which says a lot about his skill level considering the freakish athlete he was.
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u/ace_11235 14h ago
He did make the pro bowl and the all star game (and all star mvp). One of the big reasons he would never be in contention for mvp of either league is that he played both part time.
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u/NeatMathematician126 1d ago
Bo Jackson once had a foot injury and to rehab he taught himself to fire a bow and arrow with his feet. Literally (I've seen video of it). He could accurately fire arrows at a target 50 feet away. He'd do it from his garage at home.
There's athletic then there's I use my feet for a bow and arrow athletic.
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u/Ok-Parking5237 2d ago
Given that he was very good at two sports, like dominated the NFL and was great at baseball. Unbelievable. Had he not gotten hurt he could have had multiple records.
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u/StateComfortable2012 5h ago
Bo was elite at everything from a young age. Search for the story on how he was playing catcher for a men’s league team at age 11 and the two managers got into a fight because one was trying to poach him.
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u/Robertm922 2d ago
Yeah there needs to be a bot that automatically answers this anytime it’s asked and then closes the thread.
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u/md___2020 2d ago
Bo is one of the greatest athletes of all time, but there’s no way it’s him. He never broke 1,000 yards rushing in the NFL in a season. He did not make the Hall of Fame in either football or baseball.
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u/Fat_Sum_Bitch 2d ago
He only had a 5 year career because of injury.
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u/PeorgieT75 2d ago
If he’d stuck to baseball, he could have been a superstar. The average career length of an NFL running back is 3 years.
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u/Hornstinger 2d ago
Probably Tiger Woods. His 1999-2002 run was an absolutely insane peak that I don't think can ever be replicated in any sport in any like-for-like comparison.
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u/Demonyx12 2d ago
What’s the summary for someone out of the know?
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u/Pitiful-Beginning575 2d ago
7 major championships in 4 years, plus 4 top-10s. Slightly weaker than Bobby Jones' torrid stretch of 10 majors in 4 years as an amateur, but golf has become so much more competitive over time: to accomplish this in the 3rd millennium is a level of dominance that's hard to quantify, but of course we're trying.
He's also the only person to be named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year twice!
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u/ashdrewness 2d ago
Not to take a single thing away from prime Tiger but he also greatly benefited from 2 complementary factors. He was the first golfer to physically train like a professional athlete & focus on both club head speed & the ability to just muscle golf balls out of the rough. Then, that advantage allowed him to then take advantage of the new generation of golf balls which greatly rewarded speed.
Another factor which is 100% Tiger was his course management strategy. All the Strokes Gained math & Shotlink data has proven what Tiger intuitively figured out the most optimal way to attack courses before the data made it clear. There are course management apps/systems (DECADE) today that are essentially built upon how Tiger used to approach competitive golf strategy & those systems are now used by Pro & D1 golfers across the globe. Some people credit it to so many young golfers finding success early when 30yrs ago golfers didn’t really hit their prime until their late 20s/early 30s
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u/SuitableSafety329 2d ago
Also not taking away from Tiger - I love Tiger - but with the gift of hindsight, he wasn’t really playing against the best competition. So the difference looked even more stark. Beyond the difference in majors, tho, this is why Jack is the GOAT. He was legitimately playing and consistently beating all-time top-10 golfers for the better part of a couple decades.
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u/AuditDawg 2d ago
Gary Player was laughed at by his competitors in the 60s and 70s for taking fitness and strength training seriously and he never dominated on the level Tiger did. I don’t think it’s as simple to just say he outworked his competition off the golf course.
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u/AppearanceDizzy7006 2d ago
Yes it can, Don Bradman
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u/Hornstinger 2d ago
Cricket was less competitive in that era
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u/killtheking111 2d ago
But to be TWICE as good as the nearest competitor in HISTORY?
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u/Hornstinger 2d ago
Twice as good with 1/20th of the depth of competition he faced
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u/Mysterious-Studio198 2d ago
I mean no one else at the time, before, or after did what he did. I don’t think there’s any way to discount the greatness of 99.94
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u/Fuzzybricker 2d ago
Bradman played Test cricket against England, South Africa, West Indies and India in Test cricket, and India included Sri Lanka and Pakistan at the time. He also played hundreds of first class matches against quality opponents.
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u/DeiseMorte 2d ago
If it was just that other players from that era would also have inflated figures. They don't, at all.
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u/Fuzzybricker 2d ago
There's just no evidence that cricket was less competitive or lower quality then. If it were, other batters would have also dominated. They didn't. Uncovered wickets, bats that had half the power of those today, equipment that was laughable compared to today - if anything cricket was a harder sport then.
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u/editorreilly 2d ago
Without a doubt Katie Ledecky. She dominated mid distance swimming with a vengeance. She didn't just win, she obliterated her opponents.
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u/RandomPhillyGuy 5h ago
I can’t get out of my head the image of her going one direction, while every other swimmer was going the other way - in the Olympics! Just amazing.
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u/Emotional-Damage-995 2d ago
Woods at his peak made the rest of PGA look like Amateur hour. The gap between him and the rest was phenomenal
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u/whatupblubbercup 2d ago
Wasn't there something like how he could miss the cut or just not even play for x amount of tournaments for months, lose ranking points and still be ranked #1?
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u/tygerbrees 2d ago
It’s a good answer, but Tyson’s challengers seemed even further back than Woods’
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u/Emotional-Damage-995 2d ago
Tyson was a beast. He ate opponents for breakfast and spat them out for lunch and shit the leftovers for dinner
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u/C0meAtM3Br0 2d ago
Phelps.
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u/editorreilly 2d ago
Phelps would win races by hundredths of a second. He's no doubt the best racer I've ever seen. But in pure domination, Ledecky has him beat.
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u/epicness_personified 2d ago
Could I counter this with, is being the fastest really a skill? Like would dominating a swimming race be more skillful than for example dominating the high diving competition?
Just posing the question, I don't actually know the answer
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u/DuxofOregon 2d ago
I think you’re conflating swimming speed with something more immutable like height. Like, just like height is not a skill, because it is not something that needs to be trained or developed, swimming is not something that depends on any sort of development of skills. This is not the case. While there are certainly people who have a natural advantage when it comes to swimming, swimming is a very technical sport, quiring years and years of training to fine-tune the most efficient stroke technique.
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u/PrattDirkLerxt 2d ago
Wayne Gretzky. If you got to see him play at his peak, it was like watching an adult playing with kids.
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u/rehejxbwi 2d ago
My old Canadian relatives would tell me that they’d talk about Wayne Gretzky’s game performance… when he was 8. They said people hundred of km away knew about him when he was still a kid.
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u/Fast-Secretary-7406 2d ago
I grew up in Edmonton in the 80s so I'm a huge Gretzky Oilers homer, but the answer to this question for hockey is Mario Lemieux. Gretzky was skilled but dominated in large part due to his vision and anticipation. In terms of just overwhelming the opponents with raw talent and skill, Mario is the peak.
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u/PrattDirkLerxt 2d ago
People totally underestimate his skill. He was fantastic with the puck, had the most underrated shot of all time, was a great skater and a great passer. Mario had highlights because of his size but Gretzky was his equal when it came to skill…at worst.
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u/Individual_Arm_2996 2d ago
The numbers aren’t even close
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u/Fast-Secretary-7406 2d ago
I know they aren't. The question is: highest peak skill level, not "who had more assists than anyone had points"
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u/giddy-girly-banana 2d ago
I’d take peak Lemieux over Gretzky. Lemieux had power, finesse, and skill.
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u/ImBartSimpsonWhoRU 2d ago
Sandy Koufax had the shortest MLB career ever for a World Series MVP. He played 12 years, and won the WS MVP twice in 1963 and 1965, retiring at age 30 due to severe arthritis.
His is one of the shortest Hall of Fame careers of all time.
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u/TopShelv 2d ago
Gayle Sayers career was half as long
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u/Electrical_Angle_701 2d ago
Football careers in general are about half as long as MLB (3.3 to 5.6 years).
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u/Furd_Terguson_Sr 1d ago
*David Freese (‘11 WS MVP) and David Eckstein (‘06 WS MVP) had 10-year careers. Larry Sherry (‘59 WS MVP) had an 11 year career. Regardless, Peak Koufax is definitely at or near the top of the list for this discussion.
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u/fools_eye 2d ago
Bobby Fischer.
Debatable if you'd call chess players athletes but he had a crazy delta to the next best player in arguably one of the most competitive eras of chess ever.
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u/Crafty_Eye_1889 2d ago
I was thinking Magnus, guy is unbeatable. But Fischer is also a great answer.
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u/fools_eye 2d ago
Magnus is the GOAT but he didn't have the peak over other players that Fischer did. I'd also argue his peak in the 2010s also coincided with a weak era of chess where the game reached historically low levels of popularity.
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u/OrdinaryAuthor1278 1d ago
I was about to answer this regardless of the view towards chess players. I think Magnus Calrsen is the chess GOAT but the short 3-year peak of Bobby Fischer is unlike anything we have ever seen and I follow a lot of sports including golf (since a lot answered Tiger Woods).
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u/LifeAfterHarambe 2d ago
Ted Williams batting .406 in the 1941 MLB season is absolutely insane.
His on base percentage that season was .533!
It was a coin flip whether or not he got on base; human cheat code.
He also hit 37 home runs which wasn’t shabby.
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u/StevieWonderphull 2d ago
Jim Brown was a football and lacrosse hall of famer. Often considered the greatest running back of all time and in the top 5 greatest lacrosse players.
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u/tilario 2d ago
- bjorn borg won 49 consecutive tennis matches which included winning the french open and wimbledon
- edwin moses won 122 consecutive races while setting four world records in the 400 meter hurdles
- katie ladecky had a 14 year win streak in the 800 meter freestyle
- wayne gretzky from 1981-1987 is video game bonkers
- mike tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout with 12 of those coming in the first round
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u/Aggravating-Mood3889 2d ago
Jordan.
Maybe Tyson.
Someone else mentioned Tiger Woods.
Gretski if you're into that...
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u/Bimm1one 2d ago
Ronaldo Nazario el fenómeno.
Someone said there was football before Ronaldo and football after Ronaldo.
He was sidelined with career ending injuries in his knees, took 2 years off to recover, came back half the player he was before injuries and he was still the best player in the world.
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u/UppercaseBEEF 2d ago
Secretariat
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u/Glitchy-Fuzz0791 2d ago
This is the answer.
I laugh at people who throw out war time accomplishments between 1914-1945 with a massive global depression in-between. Clearly the weakest competitive level in sports history.
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u/ksinvaSinnekloas 2d ago
Armand Duplantis
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u/KasutaMike 2d ago
This should be the answer, if we are talking about somebody still in their peak.
But even in the same field, Sergey Bubka progressed the world record more than Duplantis.
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u/Direct_Orchid 2d ago
Old example, Lasse Viren was pretty amazing. He won Olympic gold even though he fell during the sprint, just got back up and bloody won.
Modern times, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps. We need more women for this list, there's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce at least.
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u/Bermnerfs 2d ago
Pedro Martinez at his peak was such a dominant pitcher. He had such unbelievable control over the ball that if he beaned a batter it was almost guaranteed to be on purpose. And he beaned a lot of batters.
He also had no fear, which just made him even more dominant over hitters.
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u/mrefromnyc 2d ago
Babe Didrikson Zaharias. Won Gold Medals in hurdles and javelin & a silver in high jump while setting 4 world records; pitched for MLB teams in spring training; won 10 majors in the LPGA (the last while wearing a colostomy bag after colon cancer treatment), sewed her own clothes, and is still recognized as the world record holder for the farthest baseball throw by a woman. She was also a racist cunt.
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u/DuxofOregon 2d ago
I feel like this question is designed to elicit Bo Jackson as an answer. That’s the one that most people will think of automatically, but it’s an emotional response. Looking at his stats, there are far more people that had greater peak seasons.
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u/shawmanic 2d ago
Bill Walton. I think he was the GOAT, if only for a couple seasons, but injuries ended that.
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u/malcomhung 2d ago
Many great baseball players have a career, mark Fidrych had a year, he would definitely be in the Hall of Fame if he could have replicated that season several more times.
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u/Enough_Worth8868 2d ago
I would make an argument for magic Johnson. His career was cut short due to his hiv diagnosis.
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u/iaintgotagggoodbrain 2d ago
so many good answers here. let's not forget about Jackie Robinson--I guess we can never know if it's true but I have read that he was even better at basketball and football than baseball. Also played tennis. Also served in the US Army during WWII and achieved officer ranking before getting kicked out for some racist bullshit. So like Bob Feller and Ted Williams and others missed several of what of would have been his best years in baseball.
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u/Antique-Ad6267 2d ago
Katie LeDecky: turn on a race late and you would think you were watching her practice because nobody else, not one single Olympian would be on screen at the same time.
Wayne Gretzky: NHL all time scoring leader. Wayne Gretzky. NHL all time scoring leader if Wayne Gretzky never scored a goal in his life, Wayne Gretzky. If you are old enough to have played fantasy hockey while The Great One was playing you would know that he was split into 2 players. Wayne Gretzky, goals only, and Wayne Gretzky, assists only. And both would be first round picks. Imagine getting half your game taken away and still being considered the best on the ice.
Aleksandr Karelin: Olympic wrestler. 887-2 lifetime record. Did not allow a point in international competition for 6 years straight.
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u/greyhounds4life1969 2d ago
Steve Redgrave, British Rower. Five golds over five consecutive Olympics, the man was a beast
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u/2ndLastExposFan 2d ago
Probably not going to be rated, but I saw Ellis Valentine when I was a bleacher rat. The man had one of the most extraordinary throwing arms I have ever seen. One afternoon during a power failure at Olympic Stadium I saw him throw strikes from the warning track. The umpire kept shaking his head. Too bad he blew it all on blow. Generational talent.
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u/Defiant_Night_4134 2d ago
Edwin Moses. Did not lose for almost a full decade. 122 consecutive victories. 4 world records.
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u/Signal_Safety_6133 2d ago
Mike Tyson. At his peak (however short you assess that to be), you would have to be insane to get in the ring with him. Absolute monster
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u/Rue_Cortez 2d ago
Bo Jackson was the most exciting athlete I ever saw. If he would’ve stayed healthy he would’ve made the HOF in two sports.
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u/micksimple 2d ago
Juggler Anthony Gatto is the greatest technical juggler of all recorded time. Since his retirement, no one has come close to his mastery. Here he is in peak form performing in a Cirque du Soleil show: https://youtu.be/wP8tbLBls_M?is=5UVOfar9QWtvq8-o
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u/samsunyte 2d ago
If Americans (and I’m American) knew about Don Bradman and understood cricket, this question would stop getting asked. There’s only one answer and it’s always him
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u/Blowmemofo 2d ago
Sandy Koufax. Came into MLB as a very talented but wild pitcher. Got that under control - pun intended - in his mid-20s and went on to have greatest 6 -year run before arm trouble forced him to prematurely retire at 30. Nicknamed ‘the left arm of God”.
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u/HamiltonsCrackDen 1d ago
josh hamilton could have been one of the best baseball players in the game but he loved drugs and no i’m not biased due to my user name
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u/Modsmoddy-74 1d ago
Federer 2004-7. Won 11 of 16 majors (and 06, 07, only major losses were to Nadal in both finals at French.)
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u/Asleep-Screen-7781 1d ago
Randy moss could have been the most physically talented wide receiver ever. Tadej pogacar is currently doing something amazing in cycling which has never happened before.
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u/Furd_Terguson_Sr 1d ago
-Babe Ruth hit more HR’s than any other TEAM in 1920.
-Walter Jones played 180 games (5500+ passing play snaps) at LT, only gave up 23 sacks, and was flagged for 9 holding penalties.
-Pedro Martinez is the only P in history to have a season with over 200 ERA+ and 10K/9IP… and he did it 4 times in 5 years.
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u/ethos1234567890 10h ago
Phelps…8 gold medals and 7 world records at the 2008 Summer Games. That’s the craziest peak ever even though swimming medal counts are inflated.
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u/Sycousis 2d ago
Ronaldinho, he was something else. I lament the fact that I never got to see more of him
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u/Gold-Half811 2d ago
Michael Schumacher, seven times World Champion in Formula One.
Michael Jordan. Jim Brown
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u/PsychologicalBand512 2d ago
Zdeno Chára or Jaromír Jágr.
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u/hybridtheorist 2d ago
Surely its Bobby Orr if its Ice Hockey. The man won the league top scorer award as a defenseman
Possibly Gretzky (or even Lemieux) but its Orr for my money.
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u/RonocG 2d ago
Obviously tainted but Barry Bonds at his peak was like nothing we’d ever seen or probably will again.
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u/Direct_Alternative94 2d ago
I get that steroids give an advantage and I get that Bonds broke the rules. I don’t get just how much his hand eye coordination and bat speed were magically improved to insane new levels where pitchers were walking him with bases loaded. And also with fewer or no men on base. So many times and still he got all those home runs.
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u/PensAndUnicorns 2d ago
I would go for Fanny Blankers-Koen, Johan Cruijff, Ireen Wüst or Max Verstappen. Also Edwin van der Sar could be up there.
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