V2 Greatest of All Time Awards

First topic message reminder :

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages V2 proudly presents its inaugural greatest of all time awards, the competition pits 64 titans of sporting history against each other in a world cup style event. With Giants from the worlds of Golf, Boxing, Football, Cricket, track and field, tennis and many more this competition will prove who really is the greatest of all time!

Forget the Jules Rimet, the Ryder Cup, Wimbledon, the World Heavyweight Title or even Olympic Gold this is the one they all want and it’s up to you who takes the title. The competition starts with the group stages, 16 groups consisting of 4 competitors with the top two progressing from each round, the next stage goes straight into a knockout format pitting the final 32 in one on one contest, all the way to the final where V2’s G.O.A.T will be crowned.

The 64 competitors have been chosen by the admin and moderator team and will be drawn randomly into the 16 groups.
It’s really easy for you to get involved and have your say, simply vote for the sporting great that you believe deserves your vote in each group/round based on their achievements, medals, honours, skills, personality etc. etc. it’s all down to personal preference, however what we do ask is that you leave a comment as to why you voted and tell us exactly why your chosen participant deserves your vote and progress to the next round.

Voting for each poll starts in the morning and ends at midnight so you have one day to cast your vote before the next poll starts the following day.

The participants will be revealed each day when the group is posted up and the tournament will run between Mondays-Fridays.
There’s going to be lots of ways to get involved on the site and on twitter, we will be looking for posters to champion some of the participants come the later stages and promote their competitor to the rest of the site, so make your posts throughout the tournament interesting, opinionated and thought provoking and you may be asked to champion a finalist.

The competition will begin on Monday 7th January so make sure your online and ready to debate on who gets your vote and progresses on the road to become V2’s Greatest of All Time.

Stella wrote:

Olly wrote:Just reading up on Montana's stats on some of them are pretty incredible, especially his Super Bowl ones!

Looking forward to writing this piece

Montana was the main man when I watched Gridiron but I was more of a Marino fan.

For me though, Rice is the greatest player in NFL history, although with different positions, it's hard to tell.

Marino was undoubtedly a great player but he never won the big one.

Rice I would agree with but for me Montana plays is the best player in the most important position and played the best on the biggest stage. It's really hard to call because you could make a case for numerous players; Walter Peyton, Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Deion Sanders, Lawrence Taylor the list goes on and on!

Olly wrote:

Stella wrote:

Olly wrote:Just reading up on Montana's stats on some of them are pretty incredible, especially his Super Bowl ones!

Looking forward to writing this piece

Montana was the main man when I watched Gridiron but I was more of a Marino fan.

For me though, Rice is the greatest player in NFL history, although with different positions, it's hard to tell.

Marino was undoubtedly a great player but he never won the big one.

Rice I would agree with but for me Montana plays is the best player in the most important position and played the best on the biggest stage. It's really hard to call because you could make a case for numerous players; Walter Peyton, Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Deion Sanders, Lawrence Taylor the list goes on and on!

I agree with regards to Marino.

Reggie White as well. Great player. So many, hey.

Stella wrote:

Olly wrote:

Stella wrote:

Olly wrote:Just reading up on Montana's stats on some of them are pretty incredible, especially his Super Bowl ones!

Looking forward to writing this piece

Montana was the main man when I watched Gridiron but I was more of a Marino fan.

For me though, Rice is the greatest player in NFL history, although with different positions, it's hard to tell.

Marino was undoubtedly a great player but he never won the big one.

Rice I would agree with but for me Montana plays is the best player in the most important position and played the best on the biggest stage. It's really hard to call because you could make a case for numerous players; Walter Peyton, Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Deion Sanders, Lawrence Taylor the list goes on and on!

I agree with regards to Marino.

Reggie White as well. Great player. So many, hey.

We're not even including the ones playing right now, your Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed people of the world! So so many

I don't watch it any more

Stella wrote:I don't watch it any more

You should it's pretty good at the moment! Unless of course you have reasons or you just don't want to!

Olly wrote:

Stella wrote:

Olly wrote:

Stella wrote:

Olly wrote:Just reading up on Montana's stats on some of them are pretty incredible, especially his Super Bowl ones!

Looking forward to writing this piece

Montana was the main man when I watched Gridiron but I was more of a Marino fan.

For me though, Rice is the greatest player in NFL history, although with different positions, it's hard to tell.

Marino was undoubtedly a great player but he never won the big one.

Rice I would agree with but for me Montana plays is the best player in the most important position and played the best on the biggest stage. It's really hard to call because you could make a case for numerous players; Walter Peyton, Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Deion Sanders, Lawrence Taylor the list goes on and on!

I agree with regards to Marino.

Reggie White as well. Great player. So many, hey.

We're not even including the ones playing right now, your Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed people of the world! So so many

Tebow?

Hero wrote:

Olly wrote:

Stella wrote:

Olly wrote:

Stella wrote:

Olly wrote:Just reading up on Montana's stats on some of them are pretty incredible, especially his Super Bowl ones!

Looking forward to writing this piece

Montana was the main man when I watched Gridiron but I was more of a Marino fan.

For me though, Rice is the greatest player in NFL history, although with different positions, it's hard to tell.

Marino was undoubtedly a great player but he never won the big one.

Rice I would agree with but for me Montana plays is the best player in the most important position and played the best on the biggest stage. It's really hard to call because you could make a case for numerous players; Walter Peyton, Barry Sanders, Jim Brown, Otto Graham, Deion Sanders, Lawrence Taylor the list goes on and on!

I agree with regards to Marino.

Reggie White as well. Great player. So many, hey.

We're not even including the ones playing right now, your Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed people of the world! So so many

Tebow?

Don't even go there.

Olly wrote:

Stella wrote:I don't watch it any more

You should it's pretty good at the moment! Unless of course you have reasons or you just don't want to!

Time really. I use to support the LA Rams (yes LA, back then). Played a bit as well but lost interest and went back to watching our Football, once SKY came on board.
So, SKY are to blame

Stella wrote:

Olly wrote:

Stella wrote:I don't watch it any more

You should it's pretty good at the moment! Unless of course you have reasons or you just don't want to!

Time really. I use to support the LA Rams (yes LA, back then). Played a bit as well but lost interest and went back to watching our Football, once SKY came on board.
So, SKY are to blame

SKY are to blame for a lot of things! Yeah it takes a lot of sleep away from you to stay up and watch it through the night! The Rams (now of ST Louis) improved this season and with a decent offseason could be a so called, "sleeper" for next year!

William the Refridgerator Perry. That is all.

MtotheC if I don't get my piece to you today it'll be with you at some point tomorrow

Any sort of limits word wise?

That's great olly, no limit but try to keep to the main points would be nice to fit it in one article

Is equal representation from each sport really that fair?
Comparing sprinting or soccer to say rowing or cricket as equal can't be right.

I apologise if this is not the case - it's just what I've picked up from skimming through the comments.

P.S. Especially with what is to come from him surely Lionel Messi is a contender - there will be nobody like him for years (by the looks of things). I know it's easy to hype the present but by the same token we often take a nostalgic view of the past.

theslosty wrote:Is equal representation from each sport really that fair?
Comparing sprinting or soccer to say rowing or cricket as equal can't be right.

I apologise if this is not the case - it's just what I've picked up from skimming through the comments.

P.S. Especially with what is to come from him surely Lionel Messi is a contender - there will be nobody like him for years (by the looks of things). I know it's easy to hype the present but by the same token we often take a nostalgic view of the past.

There's a fair amount more of certain sports than there is of others. Quite a number have a solitary candidate in their field.

Agree to some extent, the panel picking the 64 have tried to find a happy medium between the modern era and past with a representation of differing sports. Should a football legends accolades or history be valued higher than a rowing legend? well that's for the tournament to tells us and the site to decide.

I don't think there should be too much pressure on them to pick the 64. Yes someone's favourite might miss out or someone really good might not be in there. But I'd be willing to bet whoever isn't in the 64 isn't the greatest of all time. And thats what we're looking for at the end of the day.

If that makes sense...

I'd have thought Brett Favre was easier to make an argument for considering he did the business with more than one team and without the services of someone generally considered to be the greatest ever receiver.

imho pele is the best footballer ever

IMO a GOAT has to transcend their sport in a significant way. Greatness is how we touch other people

Ali has to win this hands down.

ChequeredJersey wrote:IMO a GOAT has to transcend their sport in a significant way. Greatness is how we touch other people

for me this is it in a nutshell.

ChequeredJersey wrote:IMO a GOAT has to transcend their sport in a significant way. Greatness is how we touch other people

Agreed. I'm not a boxing expert, so maybe other boxers were technically better than Ali, maybe even did more in the ring - but he was the Greatest - of all sportsmen.

ChequeredJersey wrote:IMO a GOAT has to transcend their sport in a significant way. Greatness is how we touch other people

Jimmy Saville to win then!

ooooo too soon?

We now have 20 particpants championed by posters but still need people who are pasionate about or have good knowledge of:

Basketball
Rugby Union
Golf
Athletics
F1

Hero wrote:

ChequeredJersey wrote:IMO a GOAT has to transcend their sport in a significant way. Greatness is how we touch other people

Jimmy Saville to win then!

It crossed my mind but I thought i'd be careful - then a mod goes and does it!!

As a reminder, I'm still all for helping out on athletics if you need me, MtotheC.

What'll be interesting is that, already, I'm seeing plenty of different opinions on what makes a sportsperson 'great' - which is just what we need. Some, no doubt, will give Ali absolutely no extra credit at all for his ability to transcend, whereas others will be swayed by this, for instance.

Maybe one of the 'obvious' candidates will still end up winning it, but I hope that some slightly unexpected names get to the latter stages. That way, we'd all (and I mean all) end up with a greater appreciation of certain sports / stars of them, and all learn a few things from the process.

Only seen a few comments but can't say I would consider Bradman a serious contender, cricket isn't the most global of sports and was even less so back in the day, to me he isn't a big enough name to even start contemplating much like the rugby guys (either code). They are great sportsmen and possibly greater in their respective sport but to be the greatest you have to have competed in a global sport.

Bolt, Federer, Woods, Maradona, Pele, Owens, Sampras, Nicklaus, Ali, Robinson etc. would be the names at the forefront of my thinking when I think of 'greatest of all time'.

Depending on who the athletics ones are, I'll happily do one.

If it's Bolt and only Bolt, I'm unlikely to be the most suitable person for the job mind you.

djlovesyou wrote:Depending on who the athletics ones are, I'll happily do one.

If it's Bolt and only Bolt, I'm unlikely to be the most suitable person for the job mind you.

I'll send you a PM with details

is it the great Bulls legend Micheal Jordan as the basketballer?

yes im a Bulls fan.

MtotheC

How comes I haven't received a pm? aye? aye?

I did put my hat in the ring to be the Federer champion first and as all members of the tennis board will attest, I am the universe's foremost tennis correspondent and historical expert.

My knowledge is limitless.

Send it sharpish



emancipator

I will comply! 1 PM on its way to you!

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Only seen a few comments but can't say I would consider Bradman a serious contender, cricket isn't the most global of sports and was even less so back in the day, to me he isn't a big enough name to even start contemplating much like the rugby guys (either code). They are great sportsmen and possibly greater in their respective sport but to be the greatest you have to have competed in a global sport.

Bolt, Federer, Woods, Maradona, Pele, Owens, Sampras, Nicklaus, Ali, Robinson etc. would be the names at the forefront of my thinking when I think of 'greatest of all time'.

From that list, you'd have to take out Woods and Nicklaus for Golf, as it's barely a sport and devoid of a requirement for athleticism and fitness, You might as well include Kasparov in there for chess if you let a golfer in.
Owens would have to be taken out because his influence is more symbolic and political than long lived and others have surpassed him like Carl Lewis.
I wonder if there is a case to split this up into periods. Can anyone really make a valid comparison between the sportsmen of today and those of 50 years ago?
Also people need to be clear whether they are considering their sporting greatness, or whether they are including them from a social/political/charisma point of view.

super_realist wrote:Also people need to be clear whether they are considering their sporting greatness, or whether they are including them from a social/political/charisma point of view.

There's no rule to be clear on there, SR, as that's entirely down to the individual opinion of anyone who wishes to vote or comment. If you want to take in to account purely what each individual achieved from a physical perspective and nothing else, then that's cool. Likewise, adding a load of extra emphasis to other factors (helping the popularity of a sport to grow, having a lasting legacy in the way the sport is now played / administered, their popularity transceding their sport etc), then that's fine and dandy, too. Or you could strike a balance between the two, if you so wish. It's really up to you.

It's also up to the individual when voting how worthy they consider the sport on both a global stage or its merit as a sport itself. Whether its an individual sport or team event that they excelled in, whether the sport is heavily based on physical exertion or hand eye coordination, the level of competition etc. It's all down to each and everyone on the board how they vote.

Seems to be a distinct lack of Grant Holt in the discussion peoples

The term 'greatest' suggests to me a focus on sporting achievement primarily (as supposed to a Hall of Fame entrant perhaps being boosted by character).

But of course the context of their achievements and the nature of their sport are significant. Meanwhile, a serious negative side to the character would have to be an issue (Woods, Maradona).

Finally, it would be unwise to judge people in absolute terms (i.e. to say that Bolt is better than Jesse Owens because he ran faster shouldn't be relevant). You can only look at how much better people were than their contemporaries (though the merits of their contemporaries do come into consideration of course).

Olly wrote:Seems to be a distinct lack of Grant Holt in the discussion peoples

Can't think why

Who's that?

So difficult, this exercise, but would want to make a case for Heather McKay, greatest of all female squash players, unbeaten in the sport for more than 16 years (1960-77). She retired, took up racketball, I think, and wiped the floor with everyone at that too. A worthy counterpart to Jahangir Khan, who also gets into my top 10, I think.

My possible ten, in no order: Ed Moses, Michael Johnson and Usain Bolt from track and field; Rod Laver and Martina Navratilova from tennis, Heather McKay and Jahangir Khan from squash; Don Bradman from cricket; Jack Nicklaus from golf and Eddy Merckx from cycling.

MtotheC wrote:The 'championing' is open to all site contributors not just v2 writters, if you feel passionately about a sport or one of the personalities involved then your more than welcome to get involved.

The list of sports involved are:

Boxing
Rugby Union
Rugby League
Cricket
Tennis
Golf
Darts
American Football
Football (soccer)
Swimming
Motor Racing
Athletics
Cycling
Snooker
Baseball
Basketball
Ice Hockey
Rowing

If you want to put your name down for one of the above then comment on here and I'll inbox you with details. I know I'm being quite cloak and dagger but the tournament works a lot better with that element of surprise each day seeing who gets drawn against who.

Realise I've gotten here too late but think its a bit of a joke that a "sport" like darts is included and there's no sign of horse racing. I understand that Phil Taylor probably deserves a mention due to his dominance, consistency etc but why no horse racing? The racing forum on here is a bit dead but if you're gonna include the likes of darts, snooker and motor racing then racing should get a mention. Tony McCoy would be a more than worthy inclusion for a place in the 64. Before anyone states that its the horse that does all of the work its no different to including an F1 driver..

Darts? Really? Comparing Phil Taylor to someboday like Ali (easily the greatest by the way) is plain ridiculous.

Gordy wrote:Darts? Really? Comparing Phil Taylor to someboday like Ali (easily the greatest by the way) is plain ridiculous.

Why?

So the two sports have different skill sets? Get over it.

Its not even worth debating whether Ali was greater than Taylor. A pub game versus one of the sports on earth. Thanks for the chuckle though!

Ali wasn't even the best boxer ever, so why not Taylor over him?

The Klitschkos are better than Ali.

Adam D wrote:The Klitschkos are better than Ali.

I can't wait for Haye to give Vitali this spring.

Then he will be the GOAT

And the showing against wlad will be forgotten?

ShahenshahG wrote:And the showing against wlad will be forgotten?

He was severely injured during that