Who had the greater influence on young athletes coming up, Michael Jordan or Muhammad Ali?

M. Jordan for Basketball

Ali / Tyson for Boxing

J. Montana / W. Peyton for Football

J. Di Maggio / Babe Ruth for Baseball

A. Senna / M. Fangio for F1

B. Borg / J. McEnroe for Tennis

C. Lewis / J. Owens for Athletics

M. Spitz for Swimming

E. Merckx / F. Coppi for Cyclism

Pelè / D. Maradona for Soccer

K. Kiraly for Volleyball

 

Pelé today would not play even in 2°division in the spanish league lmao

 

Replace Spitz with Phelps, Tyson was more influential on fans than boxers, replace Borg and McEnroe and replace them with Federer/Sampras and replace Owens with Bolt.

 

Fangio replaced by Schumacher. Jesus man are you in a time machine?

 

More generations inspired to them. Unfortunately today many young athletes dont know who were Spitz, Pelè, Montana, etc. Its a pity

 

They were great for their time but the current icons have outshone them. That's how it goes.

 

No disrespect to either but Ali's times, as in, civil rights, the war, the enormous cultural shifts, largely ensures that it has to be Ali. And what boxing was at the time, compared to what basketball ever has been, it's not much contest there. Arguably, no one is much contest there, if Michael isn't.

 

True, but still not bad for a man in ill health in his 80th year.


In his pomp, with today's rules, equipment and training/nutrition, he would be head and shoulders above everyone as both Messi and Rolando have slipped from their very best, and although one or two are knocking, nobody yet has knocked Messrs Messi and Rolando off their very high perch.

 

Ronaldo and Messi never won a World Championship with their national teams. Pelè instead won three titles (unbeaten record). Maradona won one title scoring memorable goals and making memorable assists to his mates.

 

If we are talking about influencing athletes in regards to sports alone it's MJ and it's not even close. Ali had a greater influence on the world as a whole obviously

 

Good point, but in this era (where I placed Pele, to make the point), the World Cup, although important, is not as challenging as winning the European Champions League; for this era, this means more.


Pele would not be playing in Brazil, he would be over here in Europe.

 

Pelè had all...he was a complete player. He was charismatic, very resistant when hit by the opponents, able to dribble, to kick with both feet, to hit with the head, to score acrobatically, to assist his mates. He won three World Championships (unbeaten record) the first of them when he was 17 years old (unbeaten record). In his career has scored more than 1000 goals.

The others lack something.

Maradona scored few with the head and used little the right foot.

Messi is not charismatic with his national team and scores few with the head or acrobatically.

Ronaldo never been an assistman.

 

In Pele's era, the Brazilians played in their Brazilian leagues, competing against each other on numerous occassions.

Pele stood head and shoulders above his peers and was recognised as the best of his era - when you realise that his era runs from the late 1950s to the 1970s and then you realise that the likes of Charlton, Law, Best. Cruyff, Eusebio, Beckenbauer, Moore, Di Stefano, Puskas, Yashin, Garrincha et. al plied their trade when he was playing, you realise the greatness of the man.

The Champions League thing is redundant to me - when Santos played the best teams in Europe, they came out on top and Pele and his teammates thrashed the best that Europe had to offer. Brazil was the stand out international team from 1958 - 1970, Pele and his teammates beat everyone worth beating.

If he were born in the modern era, with his inherent pace, power, strength, agility combined with growth hormones in food, steroids (cough *Messi and HGH* cough), superior football boots, superior training equipment, football pitches, training grounds, superior nutrition, superior sports science and so on and so on, I am convinced that he would destroy today's defenders.

 

Get a grip.