By Adrian Musolino
October 5th 2008 @ 12:12am
Is Rossi the world’s best sportsman?
Few athletes have dominated their sports, enthralled fans worldwide, and attained cult status like Valentino Rossi. Having sown up his eighth world title a week ago in Japan, his sixth premier class crown, there are few within the sport that question his right to the title of world’s greatest ever rider.
But can he also be considered the best sportsman currently competing worldwide?
Here at Phillip Island, Rossi is free of concerns over wrapping up the title and he can concentrate on what he does best – having fun by winning races, playing to the fans and hanging with his entourage.
His fall during qualifying yesterday demonstrated there is no backing off with him. Rossi rides to put on a show for the fans, despite the championship being his already.
After losing the crown that once seemed reserved for him in 2006, and again in 2007, Rossi overcame bike issues, got himself onto the right tyres, and dominated once again, proving too strong for the opposition this season.
He now owns the majority of records of any real significance, and at only 29 years of age, he has years left to rack up more wins and championships.
But the Rossi story is so much more than just on track achievements.
Despite being the home ground of main rival Casey Stoner, the crowd waiting outside Rossi’s garage after each session far outnumbered those waiting for Stoner.
It is his personality that endears him to millions worldwide, his post race celebrations almost as famous as his victories – from running into a trackside side toilet after a victory, and carrying a blow up doll, to getting on the podium in boxer shorts.
Few, if any, sports star at that level take it on themselves to entertain the masses in that way.
Like Michael Jordan or Ali, Rossi also transcends the popularity of his own sport, to the point where there is a genuine concern about how MotoGP will continue its worldwide popularity without ‘the Doctor.’
Little wonder then that his yellow ‘46’ merchandise far outnumbers other riders and teams combined.
His name, even racing number, has recognition beyond just motorsport fans.
He has been winning at the Grand Prix level consistently for eleven years now. In a sport known for its brutality, Rossi has brilliantly combined self-preservation with his blinding speed, rarely succumbing to injury.
So who are his main challenges for the title of world’s best?
Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, the stars of the Beijing Games?
Perhaps contenders, but since they can only compete in front of a global audience every four years, they cannot command the spotlight as often.
Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal?
While they continue to battle each other for supremacy within their own game, until one emerges as the clear victor in their civil war, there is no clear candidate here at present.
Tiger Woods?
His knee injury and subsequent lay off rules him out for the time being.
While such exercises can seem futile, when you consider sporting records, fan adoration and worldwide notoriety, at moment at least, Valentino Rossi is deserving of the title of best current sportsman.
Like this content? Buzz it up!
Free Email updates:
Our daily emails are only sent if there is content for the sport or that author. You can subscribe to multiple daily emails; or get the daily Roar email with all our content in it. We value privacy. More...
(20)
James Ward said | October 5th 2008 @ 11:32am | Report comment
There aren’t too many contenders at the minute but rossi has to be up there especially if you consider entertainment value. Some of those antics are brilliant. Imagine tiger woods carrying around a blow up doll after winning the us open
Rabbitz said | October 5th 2008 @ 11:57am | Report comment
Kelly Slater has nine world championships, Layne Beachley eight. I would contend either of these are as good if not better.
Or maybe Phillip Adams (no not the journo) the farmer from Forbes. The most successful Commonwealth Games athlete with 17 medals? He competed in the very demanding Air Pistol event. I will admit he ended his career in controversy, cleared of a positive drug test – it turned out to be his blood pressure medication was a diuretic.
Rabz
spiro zavos said | October 6th 2008 @ 7:21am | Report comment
Michael Phelps surely must be a candidate.
Adrian Musolino said | October 6th 2008 @ 1:58pm | Report comment
Should media exposure be a determining factor in such a debate?
For example while Phelps was a star of the Olympics, he has fallen off the radar and will not be competing on the global stage for another four years.
Same with Slater and Beachley – surfing just doesn’t have a big enough profile.
David said | October 6th 2008 @ 2:34pm | Report comment
It’s near impossible to compare achievements in different sports.
I reckon Rossi’s media exposure puts him way ahead of Phelps and the like in terms of marketability, popularity, earning power, and influence. I mean, what VR does on the track has huge implications for Yamaha, Bridgestone, all his sponsors (helmets, leathers etc)…the flow-on effect in dollars is enormous. So his commercial influence is worldwide and unmatched.
But look at his achievements. The only rider to win world titles on all classes of machinery: 125cc, 250cc, 500cc, 990cc and now 800cc. Most top class wins. Only rider to change bike manufacturer and win at first attempt (?); wins 2008 title in first year with Bridgestone rubber.
People who aren’t interested in bikes may not think these last two are a big deal, but believe me they are huge.
His technical understanding, physical skill and mental strength are simply amazing.
One by one his rivals have their 15 minutes of fame, then fall away, yet Rossi is still there.
Finishing 2nd from 12th on the grid yesterday after that heavy fall in qualifying says it all.
James Ward said | October 6th 2008 @ 2:40pm | Report comment
The more popular the sport the easier for the star to get attention. But Rossi has gone the other way by lifting his sport with his talent and flair
Adrian Musolino said | October 6th 2008 @ 2:49pm | Report comment
Longevity is an often underrated achievement of his – winning races for a decade now in all classes. Especially in a sport that has killed off not just careers but also lives.
At the track yesterday I spotted some Aussie fans wearing a shirt that said – “Better an hour with Rossi than a lifetime with Stoner”
For an athlete to turn some Australians against one of their own says a lot in my opinion.
Greg Russell said | October 7th 2008 @ 11:19am | Report comment
I am not even convinced that Rossi is the best motorsportsman, let alone the best sportsman. Can anyone convince me why I should regard Rossi more highly than Sèbastien Loeb? As far as I am aware there is not a significant rallying record that he either does not own or will not soon own (when he wins his record 5th world title). During Loeb’s era of dominance he has not been headed by another driver (ditto Mick Doohan), whereas Rossi’s record is blighted by Stoner being clearly better than him in 2007, and actually being faster than him for most of 2008.
I find it difficult to compare across different motorsports, let alone to compare motorsports with other sports. So I’m not saying that Loeb is better than Rossi. But what I am saying is that I can’t see any reason to regard Rossi as being better than Loeb.
And for the record I am not a rallying nut, in fact I don’t have any allegiance to any particular motorsport.
Andrew Logan said | October 7th 2008 @ 12:14pm | Report comment
I’m with Rabbitz…….it is Slater for sure.
He has 9 World Titles, and is both the youngest and oldest to win a title. The WCT demands a level of consistency and courage that few other sports can match. Every wave is different, and every competitor surfs differently in each wave. Add to this the incredible levels of courage required to surf 10 foot Pipeline, and 15 foot Teahupoo, where death is a very real risk, and you have the most challenging environment in world sport.
To win 9 World Titles in this arena against surfers like Andy and Bruce Irons, Mick Fanning, Mark Occhilupo, Sunny Garcia and Taj Burrow is beyond amazing.
Adrian Musolino said | October 7th 2008 @ 12:31pm | Report comment
Greg, while I don’t deny Loeb is one of the greats of rallying, his success has come at a time when the World Rally Championship lacks depth in terms of manufacturer support and therefore drivers with the right equipment.
It’s a shame he missed out on the McRae, Burns era of the late nineties.
True Tah said | October 7th 2008 @ 12:49pm | Report comment
Andrew + Rabbitz,
Kelly Slater would have to be the man, not only is he an unreal surfer with unbeatable track record in a sport where he could get turned into sharkbait, he’s a real gentlemen and besides he has Gisele Bundchen as his girlfriend.
Mick of Newie said | October 7th 2008 @ 1:47pm | Report comment
Is long term dominance of individual sports more prevalent in the last 15 – 20 years? and if so Why?
Lance Armstrong 7 x Tour winner (then retired), Slater 8 x World Champ(only broken by semi retirement), Schumacher mulit x WC (then retired), Sampras then Federer record number of grand slams, Rossi 8 x WC, Tiger (on course for grand slam record). I am sure there are more although womens sport and particularly tennis the domination is shorter.
Is the why, more money and therefore better teams (arguable for Rossi, Schumacher, and Armstrong) but doesn’t explain Slater, Sampras, Federer or Tiger.
Adrian Musolino said | October 7th 2008 @ 2:15pm | Report comment
Mick, professionalism is the key in my opinion – better preparation, sports science, training, medical treatment, more commitment etc.
Tom said | October 8th 2008 @ 11:04am | Report comment
Of course all of these measures exclude Beaver Menzies, that just wouldn’t be fair to anyone else. He is head and shoulders above.
Greg Russell said | October 14th 2008 @ 12:30pm | Report comment
Something has been bugging me about all this enthusiasm for Kelly Slater being the world’s best sportsman. I think I can encapsulate my point by the following: surfing is such a minor world sport that Hawaii competes in it as a separate “country”. The list of (male) world surfing champions reveals that all but two come from just 3 “countries”: Australia, Hawaii and California (i.e., USA). While most people in the world would have a knowledge of what surfing is, I would wager that the majority do not realize it is a sport. This is hard for Australians to understand. And even in Australia, how widely practised is surfing as a sport? It is a bit like, say, sumo-wrestling in being a sport with publicity that is way, way beyond the level of participation, which is actually miniscule by world standards. In view of this I find it very hard to argue for Kelly Slater being the world’s best sportsman.
On the other hand, on a holiday in Spain in 1996 I was surprised to find that every second petrol station had a life-sized cardboard cutout of Mick Doohan advertising a particular product. That rather makes a point about the international popularity of motor-bike riding. In other words, it’s an argument in favor of Rossi.
Incidentally, the two surfing exceptions are Martin Potter (GB, 1989) and Shaun Tomson (SAf, 1977). According to his wikipedia entry, Potter was born in GB but grew up in South Africa. So that is really only one extra country to add to the very small list. Surfing is probably even less of a world sport than rugby league. How many of the Kelly Slater enthusiasts would like to argue that Andrew Johns preceded him as the world’s greatest sportsman?
Robert Hill said | November 4th 2008 @ 10:14am | Report comment
Kelly Slater without out a doubt.
pete said | May 1st 2009 @ 10:42am | Report comment
If you want world domination of a sport look no further than the squash career of our very own Heather Mc Kay.In a career of almost 20 years she only lost 2 games & should have been Australian athlete of the 20th century.
Adam said | May 19th 2009 @ 11:45pm | Report comment
I think we are all forgetting the little master Sachin Tendulkar that’s all I have to say on the matter.
neeraj jain said | July 25th 2009 @ 2:21am | Report comment
My personal favorite is “Valentino Rossi”. Greatest sportsperson should have the attributes of
1. exceptional talent
2. consistency
3. perform under adverse conditions
4. perform under pressure
5. perform at the highest level
6. perform throughout his carrier
7.never or very rarely lose
8. an aura of invincibility i.e. audience must be convinced that come whatever may he will emerge victor.
9. should command respect of rivals
10. should be loved by the audience.
Now i will discuss some sportsmen already being discussed here.
Michael Shumacher- In F1 a lot depends on the car package. ferrari is one of the top teams in F1 so it dilutes some greatness of Schumi. He lost to Mika 2 times and also to Alonso. So he may be the best F1 driver but not the best sportsman.
Federer- I think Fedex is the best tennis player ever. however he has ruled in an era of weak tennis players and he has lost to Nadal consistently.
Footballers can not be discussed objectively as it is a team game.
Lance armstrong but for the drugs shadow on him.
Tiger Woods is not consistent enough.
same if apply the above yardsticks for other sportspersons.
Now Rossi has dominated Motogp like no one has dominated any other sport. he has performed on different teams and won championships on these teams. he lost champioship only 2 times in the past 8 years that by only slimmest of margins. he is consistently defeating the guys he lost to.
In the past 12 years Rossi has been world champion 8 times, came second 3 times and came third one time. It is an unbelievable record considering that he raced in 4 different categories and rode 2 different teams. He lost 2007 championship due to his tires and switched tyres in 2008 and became world champion again. This year also he is leading the championship and is on course to win it.
he owns almost all the motogp records.
he has faced strong opponents like Max Biaggi, Sete Gibernau, Loris capirossi, Casey Stoner etc and has come on tops of them. One time he vowed that as long he is racing Sete Gibernau would not win another race and indeed Sete never won another race after that.
Rossi passes all the yardsticks above and also he is a big Showman so that is an extra for him.
Mark said | January 25th 2010 @ 7:50pm | Report comment
I know this is a late reply, and the replies above show that it is a complicated topic.
I am however a massive sports nut and keenly follow F1, MotoGP, Tennis and Surfing so I cant help myself….
Yes both Rossi and Slater have both won 9 world titles… Slater a record 42 WCT wins (versus 33 by Tom Curren), and while Rossi holds the record for 500cc at 77, his 103 race wins are overshadowed by Giacomo Agostini who won 122. And whilst there is little doubt Giacomo would win a race on the bikes of today, he clearly was well ahead of his league at the time he played. However I can’t help but feel that with the proffessional nature of todays sportsman, the heros of yesteryear have (possibly quite rightly) all but been forgotten.
Federer is hard to beat on the Tennis court as he is showing right now against L. Hewitt at the Aus Open, and as Courier has just said he is the most complete player…. and has probably earnt ten times more money in career prizemoney than Slater no doubt… However this is not an argument of richest sportsman, otherwise there wouldn’t be any arguments and as Tiger has shown us, it is more a measure of your marketability than your skill. Many would argue that he is a candidate for best sportsman of all time…. I however (no thanks to rceent events) would argue he is a dick with a big swing.
Then there is Schumacher who also dominated his sport winning 7 world titles and 91 wins and in terms of being a nice guy he has donated 10s of millions of his money to charity…. but i dont think he is the best sportsman of all time.
In terms of the dominance of teh sport on a world wide stage, yes surfing doesn’t attract the attention as clearly it is not a spectator sport, in the same way tennis, football or racing does. But you could easily argue that while there are alot of people who love to watch racing, not many actually take part in it beyond the t.v. and teh odd race. Mainly because it is far too expensive. I am sure many more people surf worldwide than race and more again play soccer (football), cricket and tennis than surf. So to make it in Soccer or Cricket you have to stand out in a much bigger pool of hopefuls, however they are team sports, and it makes it very hard to judge the effect of one player as opposed to the team.
In the end we need to take alot of things into account however I would judge this one purely on how far above average these guys are comared to everyone else in there sport… All the names mentioned above excel in there sport and I believe are the best of all time in there sport. However for me it is Kelly Slater without any doubt. He is so far beyond in the skill level of all the others in the water that it is as though he is 10-20 years ahead of his time. I have seen him do things that seem to defy possibility of physics…. if his surfing ability was looked at as being Holiness he would make the Dalai Lama look almost evil….. nuff said.