Shohei Ohtani - the most talented athlete ever?

Appreciate your comment is a throwaway joke, but treating it sincerely;

Baseball has no global unifier that brings in casual sports fans. In France, Australia and England, even the most casual sports watchers will just inherit the scoring system of tennis, for example. They’ll know the insanity of deuce and what a double fault is. Not just understand that tennis is two folks hitting a ball over a net inside the lines.

Adam Peaty, Mo Farah, Johnathan Edwards, et al, get wrapped into the Olympics and their sports are platformed and sent into peoples homes unbidden. Baseball has none of that.

Shit, Curling as part of the Winter Olympics sees everyone know what the sticks are for.

Baseball doesn't really extend beyond its own fan base. Outside of countries that it’s popular. To that very silly qualifier, it’s a minor sport. Albeit a major one for anyone that watches it.
But 9 out of 10 couldn't tell you the difference between 40 all and a deuce.

If it wasn't for Mo Farah I wouldn't know any of the bolded 3 and the olympics are for people that go to the pool to get some exercise. Not sure how they can play a role in determining popularity. I'm legitimately baffled how people get excited for stuff like the 100m.
 
But 9 out of 10 couldn't tell you the difference between 40 all and a deuce.

If it wasn't for Mo Farah I wouldn't know any of the bolded 3 and the olympics are for people that go to the pool to get some exercise. Not sure how they can play a role in determining popularity. I'm legitimately baffled how people get excited for stuff like the 100m.

9 out of 10 of people I described, wouldn’t know how to score Tennis? Definitely not true.

You can be baffled at The Olympics if you like, but the whole point is that most of the biggest events are just a test of athletic ability. Theres zero explanation available.

A baseball fan will tell you it’s getting tricky in the ready money round and a pop up bonk triple play from the pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth to go one up in the best of 7 series has changed their life… and you are well within your rights to tickle them to death.

‘Runners work out who’s fastest’ shouldn’t be that hard to onboard.
 
9 out of 10 of people I described, wouldn’t know how to score Tennis? Definitely not true.

You can be baffled at The Olympics if you like, but the whole point is that most of the biggest events are just a test of athletic ability. Theres zero explanation available.

A baseball fan will tell you it’s getting tricky in the ready money round and a pop up bonk triple play from the pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth to go one up in the best of 7 series has changed their life… and you are well within your rights to tickle them to death.

‘Runners work out who’s fastest’ shouldn’t be that hard to onboard.
Does look like you can not.

I do not need a explanation , I simply do not see the olympics as any kind of qualifier. They platform any weird shit that more than 7 europeans do on a regular basis. The point of running was lost with the invention of the wheel.
 
Probably not a household name, like some others mentioned, but some of the things he’s done are jaw dropping as regards the athletic endeavour required, and were so far beyond what others have done, it’s difficult to fully comprehend. So I’m going to throw one athlete, who has yet to be mentioned, into the mix, Alex Honnold. Entirely different as an ‘athlete’ than someone like Bradman or Messi, but you can’t tell me that as a one off feat of athleticism, that free soloing El Capitan isn’t up there somewhere as something truly extraordinary.
 
I don’t think any player who plays a minority sport (like squash or baseball) can ever be in the discussion for best athlete ever. Much easier to dominate a sport with a small talent pool. To be the very best at sports like football, boxing or athletics is on a whole other level.
Americans don't grasp this concept.

Not directed at OP.
 
Kelly Slater won the World Surf League championship 11 times and has 56 Championship Tour victories. This is a sport that can kill you. He’s the greatest surfer of all time.

Tony Hawk won 73 pro competitions and placed 2nd in 19 others. He invented over 100 skateboarding tricks.

Hard to define what an athlete truly means, but both of these guys dominated a sport for longer ham anyone else has, their sports are insanely dangerous, and require strength, dexterity, agility, aggression, and fearlessness.

Ohtani can throw and hit a baseball.
Rodney Mullen is more of a skateboarding legend than Tony Hawk is. He literally invented 90% of tricks including the Ollie.

It’s Nyjah Huston that is way out ahead of everyone in terms of competitive skating, he’s the athlete worth referencing in this thread
 
Rodney Mullen is more of a skateboarding legend than Tony Hawk is. He literally invented 90% of tricks including the Ollie.

It’s Nyjah Huston that is way out ahead of everyone in terms of competitive skating, he’s the athlete worth referencing in this thread
Sure, put them in the frame. I don't like street skating as much as vert, but Mullen was absolutely insane.
 
I have it on good authority that I am the most talented athlete ever in the sport of competitive sleeping.
 
The most talented athlete ever is such a far stretch considering how many athletes of different disciplines have gone before him.

Whilst I don't understand baseball fully and have barely watched any of it, the first 50/50 player is a gigantic achievement. What I find amazing is that doesn't having 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases contradict itself in a way that it's such a difficult achievement?

Like getting 50 goals and 50 assists?
 
The most talented athlete ever is such a far stretch considering how many athletes of different disciplines have gone before him.

Whilst I don't understand baseball fully and have barely watched any of it, the first 50/50 player is a gigantic achievement. What I find amazing is that doesn't having 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases contradict itself in a way that it's such a difficult achievement?

Like getting 50 goals and 50 assists?
Baseball’s very technical so the batters will adapt to the pitcher and the match situation. It means that Ohtani is powerful, has control over his swing and has excellent hand eye coordination. And he’s extremely fast over the ground and has great body control to steal so many bases in the MLB. And he’s an outstanding fielder. Oh, and when he’s not injured he’s also an elite pitcher in case you were wondering.
So I absolutely get the question about Ohtani being the most talented athlete due to all the athletic attributes he has.
 
The most talented athlete ever is such a far stretch considering how many athletes of different disciplines have gone before him.

Whilst I don't understand baseball fully and have barely watched any of it, the first 50/50 player is a gigantic achievement. What I find amazing is that doesn't having 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases contradict itself in a way that it's such a difficult achievement?

Like getting 50 goals and 50 assists?

To a degree... stolen bases require speed, home runs require power, plenty have had the capability of doing both, but it's very rare, but to add, stolen bases have simply been easier the past 2 years, making it feasibly easier to achieve the 50 in stolen bases, but obviously doesn't effect the HR number, the players I'd openly say would have been capable previous and have 40-40 seasons, in Bonds and Rodriquez.... didn't have 50 home runs in those seasons, so while their stolen base numbers would be up and likely pushing 60-70, there's no logic for their home run numbers to also be up..... until they did go up due to (almost certainly) steroids and stolen base numbers therefor plummeted.

No one has ever hit 50+ home runs while even stealing 30 bases.

The players I mentioned just then, Bonds, Rodriquez, and even Trout who's still active, could be debated as being better overall hitters than Ohtani.... but than Ohtani can also pitch at the ludicrous level on top of that, he delivered for Japan against while pitching the final winning moments, so also has the clutch gene.

Do I think he's the greatest athlete? I don't really care... he's an absolutely immense sportsman though. An utterly absurd skillset.