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http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ys-forbesolyathlete072008&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Every athlete strives for perfection, whether he or she is trying to land a flawless back flip or throw an un-hittable fastball. But can it actually be obtained?
No chance, according to former Olympic volleyball player Karch Kiraly, who won gold medals with Team USA in the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul games. “It’s the quest for perfection that makes athletes great,” says Kiraly. “When I think of those who were the greatest in their respective sports, it was their drive for perfection that made them the best.”
So maybe perfection is impossible. But who has come closest? Forbes.com asked more than 30 past and present Olympic athletes to answer the question “If you had to choose one person as the perfect athlete, who would it be, and why?”
We talked to champions from all sorts of summer sports, from swimming to running to boxing to gymnastics. But despite their disparate backgrounds, the most popular pick was someone who plays a sport that doesn’t even appear in the Olympics: professional golfer Tiger Woods.
“I really like Tiger Woods,” says Carly Patterson, winner of a gold medal for all-around gymnastics in the 2004 Athens Games. “It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. If the odds are against him or if he has an injury, he comes through. He always does his best. He can always perform under pressure and pull through.”
You can’t argue with Woods’ success. He’s won 14 major golf championships and 65 PGA Tour events. In June, he won the U.S. Open for the third time, despite the fact that he was playing with a broken leg.
“Just winning the U.S. Open in pain shows the greatness and guts of a true champion,” says Jackie Joyner-Kersee, an American track and field athlete who won six Olympic medals in four consecutive games, beginning in 1984. “He has the ability, he’s humble and he’s very good at what he does.”
And he’s paid well for doing it. Last month, Woods ranked No. 2 on our Celebrity 100 list of the world’s most powerful and best-paid celebrities. He got there, in part, for earning over $115 million over the last year, thanks to big endorsement contracts with, Accenture, Buick and Gillette. He even signed a five-year agreement to release his own line of Gatorade drinks.
“[Tiger Woods is] the one person I most respect right now,” says American swimmer Matt Biondi, who won eight gold medals over the course of the 1984, 1988 and 1992 games. “He’s made an impact on the world and has transcended his sport. … Tiger has captured a global audience and gained a mental and physical advantage over his opponents.”
Michael Jordan, the Olympians’ second most popular choice, is generally accepted to be the greatest basketball player in the game’s history, and he’s widely respected by other athletes for his dedication.
“Michael Jordan is as close to the perfect athlete as one can get,” says Kerri Strug, an American gymnast who won a bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games and a gold in 1996 at Atlanta. “He was clearly physically gifted, but he never rested on that. … He still trained and practiced harder than anybody else, mastering a sport and dominating a league in which every player demonstrated exceptional ability.”
Jordan’s list of accomplishments includes six National Basketball Association championships, six NBA Finals MVP awards and 14 NBA All-Star Game appearances. He holds NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average, most seasons leading the league in scoring (10) and most consecutive games scoring in double digits (842). He’s even got two Olympic gold medals of his own, from the 1984 and 1992 U.S. men’s basketball team.
Jordan retired from competition in 2003. But five years later, he’s still as powerful as ever, ranking at No. 18 on this year’s Celebrity 100 list. The Jordan brand is worth $800 million a year in sales for Nike, and he made $45 million over the last year from his various endorsement deals. He’s currently working as head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats.
You can’t argue with Jordan’s and Woods’ list of accomplishments. Is either one the perfect athlete? Maybe not. But they do embody a characteristic – one shared by the 13 other athletes nominated by our Olympians – that defines all champions: an unceasing will to win.
“The perfect athlete is any athlete who has the drive, the desire to participate and the will to achieve and succeed,” says gymnast Olga Korbut, who won four Olympic gold medals and two silver medals for the Soviet Union at the 1972 Munich Games and the 1976 Montreal Games. “Everyone who has ever tried out for their school team, was lucky enough to put on a uniform, participated in intramural activities, or just went onto the field, the court or the arena and gave it their all – no matter the outcome – is the perfect athlete.”
So, you are telling me a golfer is the perfect athlete? Bull frickin shit. Michael Jordan definitely is number one in my book, and Deon Sanders and Bo Jackson should go in there too. Tiger Woods is WAY down on my list.
MJ can play baseball at a high level, was the biggest phenom basketball player to ever walk the earth, can play a damn good round of golf, would have been a fantastic wide receiver in football given his amazing quickness, agility and height.
Tiger woods can play golf like nobody's business, but could he hit a 90 MPH fastball, drain a bunch of 3's in peoples faces while being guarded by pros, and effectively recieve football passes and take a tackle? Hell no, what a gay-ass article. It's almost offensive that we have olympic athletes telling us that a golfer is the perfect athlete. Purely pathetic.
http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ys-forbesolyathlete072008&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
Every athlete strives for perfection, whether he or she is trying to land a flawless back flip or throw an un-hittable fastball. But can it actually be obtained?
No chance, according to former Olympic volleyball player Karch Kiraly, who won gold medals with Team USA in the 1984 Los Angeles and 1988 Seoul games. “It’s the quest for perfection that makes athletes great,” says Kiraly. “When I think of those who were the greatest in their respective sports, it was their drive for perfection that made them the best.”
So maybe perfection is impossible. But who has come closest? Forbes.com asked more than 30 past and present Olympic athletes to answer the question “If you had to choose one person as the perfect athlete, who would it be, and why?”
We talked to champions from all sorts of summer sports, from swimming to running to boxing to gymnastics. But despite their disparate backgrounds, the most popular pick was someone who plays a sport that doesn’t even appear in the Olympics: professional golfer Tiger Woods.
“I really like Tiger Woods,” says Carly Patterson, winner of a gold medal for all-around gymnastics in the 2004 Athens Games. “It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are. If the odds are against him or if he has an injury, he comes through. He always does his best. He can always perform under pressure and pull through.”
You can’t argue with Woods’ success. He’s won 14 major golf championships and 65 PGA Tour events. In June, he won the U.S. Open for the third time, despite the fact that he was playing with a broken leg.
“Just winning the U.S. Open in pain shows the greatness and guts of a true champion,” says Jackie Joyner-Kersee, an American track and field athlete who won six Olympic medals in four consecutive games, beginning in 1984. “He has the ability, he’s humble and he’s very good at what he does.”
And he’s paid well for doing it. Last month, Woods ranked No. 2 on our Celebrity 100 list of the world’s most powerful and best-paid celebrities. He got there, in part, for earning over $115 million over the last year, thanks to big endorsement contracts with, Accenture, Buick and Gillette. He even signed a five-year agreement to release his own line of Gatorade drinks.
“[Tiger Woods is] the one person I most respect right now,” says American swimmer Matt Biondi, who won eight gold medals over the course of the 1984, 1988 and 1992 games. “He’s made an impact on the world and has transcended his sport. … Tiger has captured a global audience and gained a mental and physical advantage over his opponents.”
Michael Jordan, the Olympians’ second most popular choice, is generally accepted to be the greatest basketball player in the game’s history, and he’s widely respected by other athletes for his dedication.
“Michael Jordan is as close to the perfect athlete as one can get,” says Kerri Strug, an American gymnast who won a bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games and a gold in 1996 at Atlanta. “He was clearly physically gifted, but he never rested on that. … He still trained and practiced harder than anybody else, mastering a sport and dominating a league in which every player demonstrated exceptional ability.”
Jordan’s list of accomplishments includes six National Basketball Association championships, six NBA Finals MVP awards and 14 NBA All-Star Game appearances. He holds NBA records for highest career regular season scoring average, most seasons leading the league in scoring (10) and most consecutive games scoring in double digits (842). He’s even got two Olympic gold medals of his own, from the 1984 and 1992 U.S. men’s basketball team.
Jordan retired from competition in 2003. But five years later, he’s still as powerful as ever, ranking at No. 18 on this year’s Celebrity 100 list. The Jordan brand is worth $800 million a year in sales for Nike, and he made $45 million over the last year from his various endorsement deals. He’s currently working as head of basketball operations for the Charlotte Bobcats.
You can’t argue with Jordan’s and Woods’ list of accomplishments. Is either one the perfect athlete? Maybe not. But they do embody a characteristic – one shared by the 13 other athletes nominated by our Olympians – that defines all champions: an unceasing will to win.
“The perfect athlete is any athlete who has the drive, the desire to participate and the will to achieve and succeed,” says gymnast Olga Korbut, who won four Olympic gold medals and two silver medals for the Soviet Union at the 1972 Munich Games and the 1976 Montreal Games. “Everyone who has ever tried out for their school team, was lucky enough to put on a uniform, participated in intramural activities, or just went onto the field, the court or the arena and gave it their all – no matter the outcome – is the perfect athlete.”
So, you are telling me a golfer is the perfect athlete? Bull frickin shit. Michael Jordan definitely is number one in my book, and Deon Sanders and Bo Jackson should go in there too. Tiger Woods is WAY down on my list.
MJ can play baseball at a high level, was the biggest phenom basketball player to ever walk the earth, can play a damn good round of golf, would have been a fantastic wide receiver in football given his amazing quickness, agility and height.
Tiger woods can play golf like nobody's business, but could he hit a 90 MPH fastball, drain a bunch of 3's in peoples faces while being guarded by pros, and effectively recieve football passes and take a tackle? Hell no, what a gay-ass article. It's almost offensive that we have olympic athletes telling us that a golfer is the perfect athlete. Purely pathetic.
