sports superstars

RobC · All-time great

sports superstars

Count Zero · Tennis legend

good one rob, updated.

Sheddie · administrator

Hey, chess should count, it's a sport

We chessplayers have been campaigning against this segregation for some time !

It will be included in the Winter Olympics sometime next decade I believe

Nathan Robertson and Gail Emms in badminton

Sheddie · administrator

Robertson and Emms are reigning world champions, european champions, commonwealth champions and won Olympic silver in 2004 btw

What about Shirley Robertson in sailing, 2 olympic gold medals as part of the "three blondes in a boat"

Count Zero · Tennis legend

the problem with a lot of these other sports is that they segreated off into many differnt classes so 1 'sport' can have several stars. I guess boxing is a good example ahd this makes it more difficult.

i have heard of ellen mcarther and ben ainsly, but none of the other sailers.

we could add that woman who was good at curling too,

no chess is purely tactical, i think sports ahve to have at least some physical element, otherwsue we can add computer games winners in their too.

imoen · Admin: Moderator+Tennis Legend

Just out of curiousity why the winter olympics Sheddie?

As for sporting superstarts from Britain, Tennis and Formula 1 are the only sports I know much about so I can't really contribute any more names. I do think that pretty much all sports in the UK suffer from the same problem, that being the press coverage, the heights we build them up to and then the swiftness with which we pull them down when they fail the achieve the impossible. I'm not saying it's entirely the press's fault, it's a chicken and egg question of who came first this style of reporting or the consumers who lap it up? And actually it's a sympton of the whole British press that has its advantages as well as disadvantages. Having said that it's not helping with our sporting successes.

(A names to throw out there: Beth Tweddle in gymnastics a gold medalist in teh worlds I believe)

mkkreuk · Admin:Moderator + ATP qualifying

If radcliffe is in there Sanders and Pavey should be! Yes we know radcliffe was one of our best athletes in recent years, but whether she will be as good as she was before having her baby is debateable, plus she has grabbed defeat from the jaws of victory many times.

(p.s. for the record i think she'll be back to her best next year)

johnnylad · Tennis legend

The mens coxless 4 in rowing have been nigh on peerless this year

RobC · All-time great

Just to back up my Ben Ainslie nomination:

They're holding a sailing regatta in Quingdao in China which is where the Olympic sailing will be next year: All the prospective Olympic competitors are there, as a dress rehearsal for the Olympics next year. You'll be glad to know that Great Britain won five golds and a silver

Anyway, Ainslie's spent the last two years pretty much full time working with the Team New Zealand Americas Cup team: very big boats, teams of 20 people working the boat, and Ainslie in a very specialist role managing strategy and being the back- up helmsman. And he's now gone back to the Finn class (a one man dinghy, where he's doing everything: steering, managing the sails, hefting his weight around, making sure the boat's set up correctly and working out the best strategy (where to sail) and tactics (who to beat) against a fleet of guys who've been doing nothing but training for this event and raacing each other while he's been hob-nobbing with the Americas Cup billionaires in Spain.

And what does he do? brings home the gold by a MASSIVE margin

- here's what one of the top sailing blogs had to say:

"Twelve months out of the Finn and Big Ben steps back in at one of the most difficult places on the earth to sail in and scores a straight bullet and a second. Now, if you were a Finn sailor who's been slogging their guts out on the circuit all year trying to improve and get up to race pace, wouldn't you be just furious? Ben is a generation ahead of his rivals and to be honest looking at the Finn class it has to be said that they're dead ducks as far as the Olympics is concerned. In any other Olympic discipline if you take a year out, you've got no chance but not the Finn. How can someone just step back in and totally dominate like this? Either Ben is super-human (which I tend to believe) or the competition are just muppets...You decide..."

http://www.rule69blog.com/archive/2007/august/761

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Great article in todays gruniard by Marina Hyde on the most influential player in the NFL who doesnt actually play in the NFL; an absolute bollock drop by the owners ; Colin Kapernick.

He must be the only present Superstar so called and an inspiration to all Colins out there.

Obviously there is a much more nuanced discussion to be had around Nikes commercialisation of the anti-racism debate but at the very least it gives this Colin an equivalent platform within the US and a solid fiscal base from which to continue to debate and drive change.

Incidentally he was the type of athlete one could only dream of seeing on a tennis court, if his physical literacy translates to politics Nike may have just made an extremely astute move. Given the precedents of a B Movie actor and a reality TV star it probably doesnt matter too much in American politics. We have a Ronald, a McDonald (its important to give a nod to his Scottish heritage) will we see a Colin as the most powerful man in the world, surely a step too far.

paulisi · Tennis legend

Interesting thread to resurrect and if we did it again, you would probably see a big swing with a more even ratio of male to female athletes and a few different sports. Cycling may be the front runner with Thomas, Froome and the Kenny's.
Murray and Hamilton would still be up there, plus Kane, Anderson and Cook. Also Mo (with Dina and Laura Muir in a couple of years time)

JonH · All-time great

Interesting as I hadnt seen this thread before - the sport missing from the first list was of course golf and I see Paulisi didnt mention it either. As a sport GB has several players at the top of the game - indeed, Justin Rose is now World #1 , Rory McIlroy has won 4 of golfs slams since the initial list was made and, with a lot of effort from the BBC to promote his superstardom, he probably would be a contender for recognition. Several other names could make and are indeed top 20 in the world right now. But it is strange that even though golf is possibly the biggest or second biggest individual sport in the world (maybe biggest in the USA and Asia, with tennis biggest in Europe?) it is hard for me to really say that the man at the top of that sport (as of this week an Englishman Justin Rose) isnt what i would call a superstar. And I am probably only begrudgingly going to say Rory McIlroy is as well.

I would also add Anthony Joshua into the superstar mix - a GB heavyweight champion of the world is hard to ignore really.

If we look back since 2007, the other sport I would point to is squash and suggest that 3 time World Champion Nick Matthew from England should be recognised as well, although he has just retired of course.

Oakland2002 · All-time great

Oakland2002 wrote:
Great article in todays gruniard by Marina Hyde on the most influential player in the NFL who doesnt actually play in the NFL; an absolute bollock drop by the owners ; Colin Kapernick.

He must be the only present Superstar so called and an inspiration to all Colins out there.

Obviously there is a much more nuanced discussion to be had around Nikes commercialisation of the anti-racism debate but at the very least it gives this Colin an equivalent platform within the US and a solid fiscal base from which to continue to debate and drive change.

Incidentally he was the type of athlete one could only dream of seeing on a tennis court, if his physical literacy translates to politics Nike may have just made an extremely astute move. Given the precedents of a B Movie actor and a reality TV star it probably doesnt matter too much in American politics. We have a Ronald, a McDonald (its important to give a nod to his Scottish heritage) will we see a Colin as the most powerful man in the world, surely a step too far.

NIKE shares are now at all time high!!! $83 a share. Kapernick the air (sic) to Jordan?? An athlete who has transcended the world of sport, surely that is the definition of superstar. I cant think we have any although Imran Khan did go to school briefly in the U.K. Seb Coe? and of course Sir Rodger Bannister died this year. I would say a number of those mentioned have potential but I think you are talking about candidates for the best ever who continue to have an influence.... Joshua is mighty impressive but not fit to lace Alis boots ..... as yet. Tiger Woods...... Justin Rose naaar ...... Rory perhaps in 15 yrs but more likely Speith. Murray is Probably the 4th of the big 4 but I feel will have a big influence on retiremen.

-- Edited by Oakland2002 on Friday 14th of September 2018 04:58:39 AM