Is Michael Phelps really the greatest Olympian of all time?

Question

To put him over Jim Thorpe, Jesse Owens, Carl Lewis, and all the other greats is pretty far out of proportion to me. I agree with Chad Johnson (what he said about Phelps yesterday on PTI) to an extent, but don't get me wrong, Phelps is great, but not above Jim Thorpe, one of the greatest, if not, the greatest athlete of all time.

Answer 1

You can't really compare a swimmer and lets say, a runner like Carl Lewis. They do completely different things and the training they go trough before is different.

In my opinion he is the greatest Olympic SWIMMER of all time. =)

Answer 2

Yes Phelps is a great swimmer and he might have won the most medals but it doesn't make him the greatest he has all the facilities and sponsorship to help with his preparation.

Olympians like Jim Thorpe and Jesse Owens had a real job and then trained in their spare time I bet they weren't given uniforms or shoes they a were also in a minority group that were treated like second class citizens.

Answer 3

I agree with you, Dewayne.  Michael Phelps is a great swimmer and has become the most decorated Olympian in history, but for the media to equate that with the title "Greatest Olympian Ever" is really myopic.  The Olympics are about the human spirit even more than they are about winning.  That's why I believe Jesse Owens was the greatest Olympic athlete to ever live.

And for that person who didn't know about Jim Thorpe:  he won gold medals in both the decathlon and pentathlon in 1912.  He then went on to play football, baseball, AND basketball professionally.  He is considered one of the most versatile athletes in history.  All due respect to Michael Phelps (and I have a lot for him), but it is ridiculous to compare him to Thorpe.

Answer 4

award wise: yes.

but come on, swimming? it's easy to get a bunch of medals in that area because there are a lot of activities to participate in. but wrestling, you're ONE weight class...ya know....

Answer 5

If he wins five more golds...but until then Mark Spitz who set a world record winning seven gold medals in the 1972 Olympics held in Munich, West Germany. This was the most gold medals won by anyone in a single Olympiad, and each of his medal-winning performances broke a world swimming record.

Answer 6

Hes just a swimmer, thats it, he cant shot put, wrestle, long jump, or probably anything else.  Hes not really the greatest, maybe the greatest swimmer, but not the greatest athlete, not by a long shot.  Hes just a one trick pony.

Answer 7

I personally think that there is no greatest olympian of all time. i think that anyone who makes an olympic team is a great athlete.i don't think it matters how many gold medals you have, i think it matters if you are a great athlete, and Michael Phelps is.

Answer 8

yes

Answer 9

I agree with you, he's good but no the best in my opinion.

Answer 10

NO, he is simply the winningest olympian of all time.

The greatest Olympian is almost a matter of merit and opinion and winning a bunch of swimming gold medals is great but... not a very diverse portfolio.

He is an amazing athlete, swimming is an amazing sport, but I think the greatest olympian of all time, as a matter of merit, must be a pentathalon, heptathlon or some variation of the marathon. Even the swimming marathon is worth more merit than the 100m freestyle. However mastering all four swimming strokes does warrant praise, he has yet to compete independently in the breaststroke.

I mean, I do hate on everybody jock riding Phelps, but I still respect his accomplishment becoming winningest olympian of all time.

Answer 11

I don't know the other names you've listed....but based on the commentary he seems to  be really great....I just hope he isn't on drugs...i really do....because I think he is awesome.....plus it was his DREAM to be an Olympian, so he clearly has the URGE!

Good luck to him, plus he is so young! GREAT!

Answer 12

How many medals has Jim Thorpe won?

How many medals has Phelps won, and he hasn't even retired yet?

Theres your answer.

Answer 13

This is a good question. I don't think there is a way to measure the greatest Olympian or athlete of all time, so we rely on a false measure - the number of medals.

A swimmer can win 17 medals. If a swimmer is the best freestyle swimmer, he or she has eight chances, not including open water, to win medals.

If volleyball had 17 events that required a different number of players, a different technique or a different size court, maybe a volleyball player would earn more medals.

What if floor exercises had eight different competitions based on various mat sizes or various lengths in routines? And then there were eight ways to win balance beam or horse?  

Answer 14

Yes and no. Yes he is a great athlete in his sport. No, only because there are certain sports where you can only win one gold medal and not multiple. He would, no doubt, be the best in the world if he would receive a gold medal in a different sport.  

Answer 15

Watch Michael Phelps videos at Beijing 2008 Olympic swimming finals below

http://www.freakncool.com

Complete collection of 8 Gold Medals Videos

http://www.freakncool.com