When discussing the greatest athlete of all time, it all comes down to individual perspective.
Some believe code hoppers, such as Anthony Mundine, should be considered the greatest.
But crossing codes does not necessarily make someone a great sportsperson – Israel Folau in AFL, anyone?
While it’s hard to argue that Israel’s AFL journey was a bit of a gee up, the same cannot be said of his venture into rugby union – he has certainly done well there.
But for me, it’s about their impact on a sport: from notoriety and acclaim around the world, to how many kids you find emulating their feats.
When I was a kid, everyone wanted to be Allan Border, Wally Lewis or Gary Ablett, which speaks volumes about the esteem they were held in here in Australia, but did that translate across borders?
No doubt the Poms knew who AB was (1989 Ashes!) and a lot of them would have been familiar with ‘The King’ during the Kangaroo tours of the 1980s, but Ablett? It’s doubtful many outside of Victoria had heard of him in the 1980s.
So we then have to look at the bigger picture.
Tim Cahill will go down in history as one of our if not our greatest ever sportsperson.
For one, there would very few football supporters around the world who haven’t heard of him. His exploits over the past 15 years are the stuff of legend, both at club and international level.
Secondly, he has done for football in this country what very few others have (with the exception of maybe Harry Kewell) and that is to create a national conversation about the sport. He polarises people and everyone has an opinion.
Lastly, it has to be Cahill, because whether you’re a kid lacing up the boots for the first time or you’ve followed the game for decades, Tim is someone you can admire both as a professional athlete and role model. The amount of work he does off the pitch in assisting others makes him a true ambassador of the game and our amazing country. He is our greatest ever.
Robert Menhenick
Guest
Heather MacKay
pacman
Guest
Wow! 285 comments as I make my second. Excuse me if I duplicate any points raised by others. I repeat, Heather McKay. Won 14 Australian Open Squash titles 1960-73; Won 16 British Open (unofficial world open) titles 1962-77; Won the first World title held in 1976; Won it again in 1979. Heather lost two matches in this period - a NSW quarter final in 1960, and a Scottish semi final in 1962! She turned professional in 1975, so the majority of her playing days were as a rank amateur, with amateurism being strictly enforced by sports bodies. So Heather didn't make the equivalent of one "duck", just a couple of "sub century" efforts over 19 years! Honestly, I find it difficult to favourably compare any other Australian sporting record.
Peebo
Guest
That's 2014
c
Guest
Top 20 Sports and Activities by regular participation rate http://www.roymorgan.com/findings/6123-australian-sports-participation-rates-among-children-and-adults-december-2014-201503182151 cricket total is 8
Peebo
Guest
I know? How did an article like this even get past the process where a writer thinks to himself, 'Nah, people will think I'm a raving loony having an opinion like this?'
Peebo
Guest
"To any person except you, Aussie Rules is a chaotic, messy game with no tactics and few rules." Chaotic, messy, with no tactics and few rules .. hmm, kind of sums up your logic ( and sentence structures, I might add!)
Peebo
Guest
Ever heard of 'alternative facts"? Google Australias highest participation sports, and you'll find cricket tops most lists. And besides, cricket absolutely trounces soccer in every other regard (TV, cultural significance, attendances etc etc etc.) Might be time for Soccer to go back to winter, because it found out it couldn't cut it in summer as well.
BrainsTrust
Guest
That list is a joke, baseball is no 2 easily, double the revenue of the NBA, and JApan is the biggest professional non football league outside of the US. Population wise you have the USA,Japan,Mexico,Korea, Venezuala,Canada. Basketball is widespread but its not like its a top sport in any country apart from the US. The US easily dominates basketball with a full strength team, has yet to win a baseball world classic. AUstralia has produced quite a few MLB baseballers as well. Ice Hockey is quite big in the USA/Canada economically much bigger than cricket. Its pretty wide spread population wise. Cricket was a high class pursuit in India, and Pakistan which explains the jelly like bodies of a lot of their players. You have to question how highly developed and professional cricket is when you see the Pakistan team in action and the crowd has got them covered in catching ability. Bradman would be as good these days easily.
Ben
Roar Guru
You live a very sad life... Sorry to hear. ?
Ben
Roar Guru
I'll just assume that's not "Greg" Norman you're speaking of... ?
BrainsTrust
Guest
How many of you have actually watched billiards its a rare sport these days. They actually showed it on the ABC. It involved three balls, two white and one red, and I can;t even remember what the rules where but you didn't need to pot a ball every time.. I would be guessing this guy got good enough to bore everyone to death with the old rules hence the need to change the rules. Bradman also played billiards but then he was obsessive compulsive to do what he with his cricket stump and golf ball. Snooker is professional, why consider billiards at all, how popular was it during that era.
Floyd Calhoun
Guest
"Australia's greatest sportsperson"? & the writer suggests Timmy Cahill! Immediately plunging this article into the mire in which it belongs. "Nemesis", as expected, shoved it down further. What the hells wrong with that kook?
BrainsTrust
Guest
Bradman played some competive golf and tennis, and squash and billiards. He has got the multi sport aspect covered easily.
Martyn50
Roar Rookie
The author was pushing for Cahill. Seems that most found that suggestion wrong.
BrainsTrust
Guest
The goakkeepers spend as much time training on catching the ball as anyone else I would say. A thousand other sports where they don't catch a ball.
BrainsTrust
Guest
Kewell was a world class player for a few years before injuries not when Liverpool won the Champions League. Cahilll was world class in his own particular way when he was younger certainly not recently when he can hardly run, he was a very hardworking midfielder which by itself was nothing special, but then he could score goals in so many ways, he was not only a decent long ranger shooter like most midfielders, he was also a poacher in the box, and most importantly was his incredible aerial ability. It was like having an extra player in the team, and Cahill was as good defending set pieces as he was scoring from them. Lavers era was in between the current open era and the pro era, the pro era was in somes way a lot better than the current era in term of professionalism, imagine if you took the top players and instead of playing a few times over many years, they not onlly played themselves in smaller tournaments but in series of matches. Imagine if Federer and Nadal met about 200 times. Would they have become even better players when the standard of each match was so much more difficult. ROsewall spent more time as a pro and won a lot more pro titles than Laver ever did. Then ironically he also lasted a lot longer in the open era. So I would nominate Rosewall above Laver. Basketball Bogut is clearly the best ever Australian so far, he spent the previous four seasons playing a role in a top team, rather then displaying the full range of his abilities, and now he is washed up physically. There have not been too many big men that can pass the ball better than Bogut and his field goal percentage is one of the highest recently. Simmons and Maker have got to do a lot to do before they can take the mantle off him.
qwetzen
Guest
You're mad. Bradman is so far ahead in the race for Oz's 'Greatest' that you need the Hubble to see him.
Mad Dog
Guest
100% agree on Brabham. The man actually won things and did as both driver and team owner. Doesnt get nearly enough credit in these debates
Bfc
Guest
Current "best all round" sportsperson...Ellyse Perry. Lindrum's record will never be matched, but for his legacy...Peter Norman
punter
Guest
Did he deserved the most hated man in RL when there were far far worse behaviour issues.