Has anybody ever dominated their sport the way Wayne Gretzky dominated hockey?
By Methodless
@Methodless (882)
Canada
March 4, 2007 11:12pm CST
Simple, has anybody ever dominated their sport the way Wayne Gretzky dominated NHL Hockey in the 80s?
A lot of players have been extremely prolific in their times and dominated a stretch of time, rather than just a year or two. Some that come to mind are Micheal Jordan, Bobby Orr, Babe Ruth, Tiger Woods, Billie Jean King, Pele, Gordie Howe, Wilt Chamberlain, Bobby Hull, etc.
I'm not talking about the guys like Sidney Crosby (who may become part of the first list), Roger Maris, Hank Aaron, Barry Bonds, Steve Nash, Brett Hull, Lebron James or other players like that. These are all guys who are truly superstars, and the best in their time, but the first list contains names that EVERYBODY has heard, fan or not, because those people re-defined their sports in many cases.
I'm not talking about guys who hit 61 home runs in a season, breaking the record of 60, and having that record stand for an impressively long time; nor am I talking about the guys who average 30-32 points a game, when nobody else can break the 28 mark. (Not to take anything away from these players)
I'm talking about guys who hit more home runs than the rest of the league combined, or guys who win the scoring title as a defenseman.
Has anybody dominated their sport the way Wayne Gretzky dominated his sport?
In my opinion, the ones that come closest are Tiger Woods and Babe Ruth.
Any differing opinions? Any I have overlooked?
1 person likes this
1 response
@AmbiePam (120630)
• United States
5 Mar 07
I think Michael Jordan dominated his sport more than Babe Ruth even. As much as I am a Yankee fan, I have to give credit where credit is due. Wayne Gretzky and Michael Jordan are far and above better at their sport than anyone else has ever even thought about being in their own designated sport.
@Methodless (882)
• Canada
5 Mar 07
Giving credit where it's due despite being a fan of somebody or something else is a very tough thing to do, so I must applaud you for that. I hesitate sometimes to compare Jordan to Gretzky because I don't know how much he dominated. I am a hardcore hockey fan and I know all of hockey history. I follow basketball, but know little about what happened before I was born.
There are certain records that I don't believe are held by Jordan which make me wonder, was he truly the greatest? I do believe so, but then I wonder why he doesn't show it in the record books as well. I guess 30.1 points per game over his whole career is remarkable, especially given how broken it was, but Chamberlain did the same while averaging 22.9 rebounds per game.
@AmbiePam (120630)
• United States
5 Mar 07
I think what made Jordan admired so much, is that in the fourth quarter, no matter the score, he thought he could win the game, and most of the time he did. He won 6 championships with arguably some of the best competition NBA basketball had ever seen. The Pistons back in Isiah's day, the Blazer's, the list goes on. But yes, I would concede Gretzy had more individual goal achievements. I think there were so may variables with Jordan, but Gretzy... I mean, even if a person had never seen hockey, they KNEW the name of Wayne Gretzy. That's a universal accomplishment.
@Methodless (882)
• Canada
6 Mar 07
Jordan did have the same thing going for him. Knew basketball or not, you knew Jordan. I guess you're right. Comparing Chamberlain to Jordan is like comparing one-eyed McGee to Gretzky. They dominated their era, but only because they were ahead of their times.
