We are living through the golden generations of sports and we don’t even know it

[the valiant effort]

You guys watching the golden age of the NFL tonight?

 

[ElLeetch]

I think you missed the second part. You know, the part about there being a 'winner' but not determined by a judge. Work on that reading comprehension, bud.

so by your definition, gymnastics isn't a sport? figure skating? diving? boxing?

 

[Grifter3511]

so by your definition, gymnastics isn't a sport? figure skating? diving? boxing?

Correct....except boxing and mma have the caveat that they can be decided without judges in lots of cases, so a grey area. But gymnastics, diving, figure skating are all athletic arts. You need to be athletic, but it's an art. And like the academy awards, regardless of how much criteria they fit into their judging standards, it's subjective. So I don't consider them true sports.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Not going to comment on the NBA/MLB as I don't follow either league, though I personally stopped watching the NBA because I don't like the product. But I agree about the NHL, but the NFL might be the worst product ever. There are two elite QBs in the league.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

There isn't a player living or dead who could make players like Orr , Johnston , Montana , Rose , Pele or Borg look like bozos and it will still be true in fifty years .

Pete Rose doesn’t need anyone else to make him look like a bozo, he did a great job of that all by himself

 

[joestevens29]

You’re covering like 40 years of sports in that list. You may as well just say you’ve enjoyed sports during your lifetime.

This is kind of where I'm at. Read the thread a few days back and was trying to think, but there's always been goats in my lifetime.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

Correct....except boxing and mma have the caveat that they can be decided without judges in lots of cases, so a grey area. But gymnastics, diving, figure skating are all athletic arts. You need to be athletic, but it's an art. And like the academy awards, regardless of how much criteria they fit into their judging standards, it's subjective. So I don't consider them true sports.

So if a hockey game was decided by a subjective call based on whether a puck was kicked into the net, then that specific game was not a sports game but a game of art?

Also what if a team gets a game winning goal on the power play after a controversial penalty based on a subjective decision by the referee, is that game now also not a sports game?


I think we can all agree that there are a lot controversial calls being made all the time so maybe hockey isn't a sport, maybe we're all just fans of the dark arts?

 

[habsfan44]

Pete Rose doesn’t need anyone else to make him look like a bozo, he did a great job of that all by himself

I was referring to his performance on the playing field only .

 

[Nogatco Rd]

I was picturing LeBron James and Pat Mahomes machine gunning Nazis on a beach but then I realized that’s the Greatest Generation not the Golden generation

 

[Grifter3511]

So if a hockey game was decided by a subjective call based on whether a puck was kicked into the net, then that specific game was not a sports game but a game of art?

Also what if a team gets a game winning goal on the power play after a controversial penalty based on a subjective decision by the referee, is that game now also not a sports game?


I think we can all agree that there are a lot controversial calls being made all the time so maybe hockey isn't a sport, maybe we're all just fans of the dark arts?

Sure, make up all the ridiculous hypotheticals you want. At the end of the day, one team scored more than the other. Goalies can stop pucks and teams can kill 'subjective' penalties.

 

[MoneyManny]

First, driving a car isnt a sport.

Second, there are like 10 better baseball players (that didnt use drugs) than the three you listed from prior generations.

Name me 10 baseball players better than Ohtani please?

 

[DingerMcSlapshot]

No. In the Golden Age you shouldn't have to sell a kidney. To take the family a game.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

Sure, make up all the ridiculous hypotheticals you want. At the end of the day, one team scored more than the other. Goalies can stop pucks and teams can kill 'subjective' penalties.

How are they ridiculous? subjective calls affecting the outcome of a game isn't unheard of.

 

[Cas]

Name me 10 baseball players better than Ohtani please?

Right now, there's no one.

Historically, there are plenty (as of right now - it'll be a very tall order to change, and it remains to be see if Ohtani has the longevity to do it).

 

[Nogatco Rd]

I was referring to his performance on the playing field only .

Me too. Full blown degen who gambled on games he was playing in/managing

And not just limited to hockey.

In the last 25 years we’ve had

Schumaker
Hamilton
Verstappen

Agassi
Sampras
Federer
Nadal
Djokovic

Jordan
LeBron

Brady
Manning
Mahomes

Woods

Phelps
Bolt

Messi
Ronaldo

Bonds
Trout
Ohtani

Gretzky
Lemieux
Crosby
McDavid

Basically we’ve seen the GOAT in every sport (sometimes one upped by the next guy) or Top 5 players of all time all in the last 25 years.

We’re living through the golden generation of sports and we don’t even know it.

missing Tony Romo but otherwise a great list

 

[Grifter3511]

How are they ridiculous? subjective calls affecting the outcome of a game isn't unheard of.

You equating a referee missing a call with a judge deciding whose turns were sharper and whose dancing was more rhythmic and in time with the music is ridiculous. A ref missing a call doesn't decide the game. The players have the ability to overcome a missed or phantom call. You can't overcome a judge's scorecard.

 

[SettlementRichie10]

First, driving a car isnt a sport.

Second, there are like 10 better baseball players (that didnt use drugs) than the three you listed from prior generations.

Absolute clown post.

F1 is an extraordinarily physical activity. You have no clue.

And there is no one better than Ohtani in any era. He is a statistical 1 of 1. And he plays in a much more competitive era than Mantle or Aaron or whatever boomer you’re about to mention.

 

[Fantomas]

Maybe, but we're also living in by far the worst age of gladiators and gladiator-related athletics.

 

[TKB]

Maybe, but we're also living in by far the worst age of gladiators and gladiator-related athletics.

Hockey has been by far my life long favorite sport, but if there is a definition of golden era applied to sports - 70's heavy weight and 80's welter/ middle weight boxing were a fleeting "moments" in time that featured such drama, goats and epic matches that will never ever be repeated in a similar way.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

You equating a referee missing a call with a judge deciding whose turns were sharper and whose dancing was more rhythmic and in time with the music is ridiculous. A ref missing a call doesn't decide the game. The players have the ability to overcome a missed or phantom call. You can't overcome a judge's scorecard.

I'm not equating anything to anything I'm trying to use hypothetical scenarios to figure out where you would draw the line.

Thought it would be a fun excercise but I guess not.

Hockey has been by far my life long favorite sport, but if there is a definition of golden era applied to sports - 70's heavy weight and 80's welter/ middle weight boxing were a fleeting "moments" in time that featured such drama, goats and epic matches that will never ever be repeated in a similar way.

Boxing was more entertaining back then but it's a lot more internationally competitive now.

 

[Peltz]

I feel like a "generation" in the sports world is about 5 years. 25 years is like 5 generations. I should hope some cool stuff happens in that span of time.

And a lot has. No arguments here.

But I also think that there is no "best" generation in a given sport. People who think that just aren't living in the present.

 

[BraveCanadian]

Is that because there were actually more stars, or because Messi and Ronaldo have made the rest of the star players from this generation look worse in comparison?

How could they do that when everyone trains so hard and learns systems from a young age and blah blah blah and the gap between the best athletes and the pack is smaller because they are all so gooooood..

or so these boards claim when it suits their recency bias.

 

[Score08]

And not just limited to hockey.

In the last 25 years we’ve had

Schumaker
Hamilton
Verstappen

Agassi
Sampras
Federer
Nadal
Djokovic

Jordan
LeBron

Brady
Manning
Mahomes

Woods

Phelps
Bolt

Messi
Ronaldo

Bonds
Trout
Ohtani

Gretzky
Lemieux
Crosby
McDavid

Basically we’ve seen the GOAT in every sport (sometimes one upped by the next guy) or Top 5 players of all time all in the last 25 years.

We’re living through the golden generation of sports and we don’t even know it.

Larry bird better than leflop.

 

[Score08]

Haven't heard of 3 of those guys (Johnston, Montana, and Rose – perhaps they are darts or snooker players?), but I'm willing to believe you.

You just disqualified yourself from this conversation

 

[Overrated]

And not just limited to hockey.

In the last 25 years we’ve had

Schumaker
Hamilton
Verstappen

Agassi
Sampras
Federer
Nadal
Djokovic

Jordan
LeBron

Brady
Manning
Mahomes

Woods

Phelps
Bolt

Messi
Ronaldo

Bonds
Trout
Ohtani

Gretzky
Lemieux
Crosby
McDavid

Basically we’ve seen the GOAT in every sport (sometimes one upped by the next guy) or Top 5 players of all time all in the last 25 years.

We’re living through the golden generation of sports and we don’t even know it.

Gretzky, Lemieux, Jordan are 80s and 90s players. Yes some retired in the 00s but that doesn't really mean much. Schumacher and Woods are late 90s early 00s sportsmen too. There has been a general decline of sports quality in the past 10 years. That is to be expected when most kids don't do sports anymore.