After Slater won the Hurley Pro at Trestles nearly 20 years to to the day after his debut win as a pro, I wondered whether Slater belongs in the conversation as the best athlete of all time or not?
The response I got to my post on the matter was pretty astounding.
The story took on a life of its own, and the debate actually spilled over into the mainstream press across the globe. Whether or not the question was ever answered is still up for debate, but with Kelly about about to lock down his 10th world title, it's likely to be revisited.
Naturally, mainstream sports pundits struggle with anything that's not stick and ball related. This includes Dan Patrick, a man who helped make ESPN the sports powerhouse it is before leaving the "mother ship" to start his own radio show in collaboration with Sports Illustrated and spread his television broadcasting wings to other networks. The Dan Patrick Show is already the best sports show on the radio.
After spotting the story on Slater, Patrick posed the whole surfer question to his morning crew. "Can a surfer be considered the best athlete ever?"
While Patrick himself sounds hesitant about such a notion, he gives Slater some thought, and plays both sides of the argument well as their conversation unfolds. Slater wasn't there to defend himself (which he's unlikely to do anyway) but he likely will be joining Patrick for an interview after he clinches. We're looking forward to that exchange. In the meantime, have a listen to how one of the most authoritative voices in sports addressed the Slater question back in September.
20 Comments
1-20 of 20
Posted by ehawk7 November 1, 2010 05:39pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
uh...he may or may not be the greatest athlete, but he's the athlete I'd most like to be.
Reply by kevin hagerty November 3, 2010 08:28am PDTReport Abuse
He's not only the greatest athlete, he's the greatest in a sport that only a small percentage of people in the world even have the guts to try!
Posted by rick smith November 1, 2010 06:10pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
Yes, surfing is a sport. Therefore, Kelly is an athlete and most likely will be one of, if not "the" best at what he does. The best athlete ever? That will always be up for debate..... I'd cast a vote for him.
And whoever is in the radio conversation that says you need a ball for a sport?????? What an idiot!
Reply by yugwen November 2, 2010 06:36pm PDTReport Abuse
MMA, Boxing, Iron Man, Racing, and Surfing... I guess you could agree to the "Ball" for a sport idea, except of course for all of these other "Ball" sports... it actually requires a SET OF TWO!
Posted by rick gremillion November 2, 2010 09:18am PDTReply | Report Abuse
I am not sure about the ball and bat idea, certainly makes a point, however, Kelly Slater is a God in his sport period. Best athlete of all time YES obviously none of these folks have ever tried surfing a 2 foot wave much less Wiamea Bay at 30 feet. Kelly has won in every kind of condition 2 feet to 30 feet.....I would love to see anyone in their sport last for 2 decades at the top and win 10 world Titles at anything...C'mon Patrick calling Laird a God and not putting Slater in that same sentence is absurd. I do not have a man crush I just look at stats. Kelly is the best of all time much like his predecessors Shaun Tomson, Mark Richards, and Rabbitt Bartholmew..from the 70's and who could ever forget Gerry Lopez Pipeline King..............RG
Reply by yugwen November 2, 2010 06:39pm PDTReport Abuse
Anyone who diminishes the difficulty and danger of anything that takes place on the ocean is probably too stupid to understand just how stupid they are...
Posted by boardrecycler November 2, 2010 12:17pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
I heard this commentary live on radio and I remember how they fumbled over their words trying to find a way to argue against Kelly and surfing as a sport. These people have been so conditioned to think a certain way that not even clubbing them over the head with logic will change their views.
For those that say surfing is not a sport because it has no ball; Your argument would remove about 80% of sports from the Olympics, say goodbye to skiiing, much of track and field, triathlons, boxing, mma, gymnastics, racing, etc, etc...
For those that say since surfing is judged it is not a sport; Again many Olympic sports would not make the cut, many ski events, figure skating, and even boxing. I would also argue that major sports are also judged to a degree. They just use names like "referee" and "umpire," but they are just making judgment calls during a game. What's a foul? A strike? out of bounds? And we all know how refs can the affect the outcome of games.
Competitive surfing is not only a sport, but quite possible the most difficult of all sports. It takes high levels of skill, athleticism, and endurance. In other sports the playing field is always the same. Same regulation field or court specs, same ball/puck, same goal size. There is a constant that makes it much easier to practice and master certain aspects of the game. The ocean is constantly changing and morphing. Every surf spot is different, every day is different, every hour is different, every wave is different due to the dynamic variables like wind, swell direction, tide, bottom fabrication, and the very nature of water. This makes it extremely difficult to practice the same maneuver over and over again, surfers are constantly reading, reacting, and evolving to the change. A two year old can catch and throw a ball, hit a ball with a bat or hockey stick, and shoot a ball into a (mini) hoop. Throw a 2 year old on a surfboard in the ocean and they will drown.
Reply by yugwen November 2, 2010 06:40pm PDTReport Abuse
Exactly!
Reply by richard william lord November 2, 2010 06:47pm PDTReport Abuse
20 year career, 10 world championships.. Took the sport from "Giget and Beach Bums" to global recognition.. And as "boardrecycler" mentioned above, in detail, every wave around the world, whether waist high or 20 feet overhead, is truly "one of a kind", no wave ever the same.. Hense----no "common playing field" with the same demensions on which to practise and "master your craft"..(read: football, baseball, basketball, tennis, track and field, swimming, etc.)..
Lyaird Hamilton..?? Taking nothing away from him but----did he compete globally, blowing the global competition away 10 out of the last 20 years..?? In a sport that's recognised around the world..?? Did he endure the rigors of competing against the "best of the best" from countries around the world, month after month, country after country..?? Always being in the "gunsights" of every surfer on the tour, year after year..?? Let me answer that for you----no... No, he hasn't..
So, "Mr. DJ Announcer Dick Wad"----Yeah, I guess as you say, Lyaird would be "tha man" (----when your on your knees while he "reams your mouth").. But, from a "Competition Proven, Global Champion of 10 World Championships" (out of the past 20 years), there ain't an athlete (man, woman or child)-----or DJ, on this planet, in any sport, worthy of "waxing Kelly Slater's gun"..
Who else is even "worthy" to stand before him..?? Cal Ripken..?? Because of his "string" of consecutive "games played"..?? Please, all of you "Blah-Blah Money Makers"----pull your heads out of your asses... Go swimming on your 2 week yearly vacation in "Acapulco 5 foot, 82 degree, beach break vacation wave"----then think of Kelly getting barrelled in surf 25 feet higher on a monthly occasion.. Year after year after year in surf on every continent around the world.. Water temp 46 degrees and up..
"Radio Boys"----was a bunch of pussy's..
Posted by claudie holstein November 2, 2010 05:50pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
I'm always amazed when "best ever" conversations are so loaded with currently active names. Babe Ruth has to enter this conversation, but even the Babe is only a pretender compared to an athlete of my grandfather's generation (and I'm not young). Jim Thorpe is the greatest athlete I might propose based on actual fact as opposed to legend. The word "ever" looms large when discussing "best ever," and in the history of mankind there is every chance someone may have been better than Thorpe, but until historians discover the man behind the Hercules myth; Jim Thorpe gets my vote for best ever.
Posted by jack olson November 2, 2010 06:29pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
One of the best, I don't think there can be one person singled out as the greatest athlete of all time. My personal vote would go towards Michael Schumacher but there are so many others that I truly can't believe there is one athlete better than the rest.
Posted by yugwen November 2, 2010 06:30pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
You would have to pay me to sit and watch surfing... or golf, or tennis, or racing... However, none of the sports I do enjoy watching are ANYWHERE close to surfing in difficulty. I am on the ocean often as a sport fisherman. An NFL field in the snow with 400lb players running around in armor is not even close to 10ft rollers with 2ft wind waves 8 seconds apart. I'd be happy to take each and every one of those NFL kids along for the ride and watch them barf until they curl up in a fetal postition and cry like a baby.
The ocean has NO SYMPATHY. There are no time outs on the ocean, there is no medical team to run out on the field if you get a booboo while you lay there whinning, and there are many wild creatures perfectly capable of killing you ON ACCIDENT or on purpose.
Also, as we have sadly been reminded, surfing requires a lot more global travel and exposure to potential injuries and illnesses than any of the "ball" sports. Ball sports are for divas, and most of those divas look and act the part... That's half of the reason they are so much more entertaining for me to watch than real sports like surfing!
Posted by dianna cat November 2, 2010 06:43pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
Of course he's the greatest athlete who ever lived, and one of the finest human beings the world has known.
Posted by emilygoodall November 2, 2010 10:48pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
Hey Patrick, get your ass in the water and try surfing, and then come back and tell me about how much athleticism is involved in this sport.
Your so out of your league with this topic. You should stick to bat and ball sports. Comparing Kelly Slater to the NFL? The NFL is first and foremost a money making machine that employs a collection of great athletes. Surfing is an individual sport, like track and field, but unlike tracks and football fields, waves are unpredictable, not artificial, and regularly kill even the best of surfers. To be where Kelly Slater is means that you have surfed it all, right along side Great Whites and Tigers (sharks), in rip currents that would frighten the best swimmers in the world, and in conditions that would be called marginal for human participation by most ocean scientists, and consistently won not just one, but ten world championships against the best competition from nations around the world..
If you're having a difficult time understanding the subject matter, move on to another topic. How hard is this?
Posted by eric collier November 3, 2010 03:25am PDTReply | Report Abuse
Wayne Gretzky is the only other athlete I know besides Kelly Slater that has dominated their sports for 2 decades. Just because surfing isn't shown on T.V. doesn't mean he isn't an athlete. Give the man his props, because he sure as hell deserves it.
Posted by william shanahan November 3, 2010 04:32am PDTReply | Report Abuse
I always like reading these debates on who is better and why, and hands down if there are that many variables instead of constants like ball and bat sports, which i prefer watching, but still. Surfing is hands down easily more complex, and to accomplish what he has in his respective field is remarkable. Eric Collier your posts seem to make the most sense on saying what is and isn't right. I have never been surfing, honestly dunno if i could, but just being in a wave pool and being moved so much let alone getting slammed by some 20 ought wave man. That surfer is a legend, and in his art form, or sport the accolades he piled up,vs any one vs *something*,instead of team vs *something*, and competing the with worlds leet, not just in one country. Thats crazy, hes beyond the Micheal Jordan of his sport, hes a different animal. Just IMO, no one really that i can think of can come close to that, short of Hercules, or the guy from 300, Leonidas .
Posted by cgeorge327 November 3, 2010 09:01am PDTReply | Report Abuse
surfing is a lifestyle, a connection, an artform, a religion, where uncertainty is embraced and faith is only derived from the purest forms of energy. Therefore, I declare this debate ridiculous! Its like trying to explain what blue looks like in a different dimension.
The mechanics, skills, poise, and strength needed to surf a wave as critically as Kelly (or any other ASP surfer for that matter) far surpasses that of any other sport. Want to talk about balls figuratively or literally? Keep in mind that a gallon of saltwater weighs 8.556 pounds and a typical wave moves at 18-36 mph in the open ocean. OHHH AND THOSE RIPTIDES! (said in an elderly, cnn watching tone of voice)
Reply by cgeorge327 November 3, 2010 09:07am PDTReport Abuse
R.I.P Andy Irons (the only man who dethroned the King)
Posted by victor fox November 3, 2010 09:45am PDTReply | Report Abuse
KS is without question the greatest athlete this planet has ever seen. Endurance, innovative, intuitive, timeless, progressive, etc. To be on top of your game and have to not only adapt as younger generations come along, but reinvent the sport over and over is just awesome and amazing. He is king!
RIP Andy
Posted by morqman November 3, 2010 11:32pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
THIS IS THE BEST SPORTS SHOW ON THE RADIO? Really?? ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz.... More excitement about sports from a stoned hippie! "McLovin'" is it?, what sport do you play? - Pocket Pool (oh yeah you need balls, or a least one, to make That a sport). So Carl Lewis or any other runner can't be an athlete without playing a "ball" sport on the side. What about Phelps? - not a real athlete? Lance Armstrong? - faker. Tyson - say THAT to his face (the tatted up one mind you). Must be fun saying stupid crap behind a mike AND a radio (or internet) station. I'll bet you think those dudes in gymnastics that do the rings (you know with only their arms) are NOT REAL ATHLETES either because there ain't no balls in that sport as well (insert Ball Joke here if you feel NEED TO). By the way if you do have the nerve to tell an MMA fighter that he isn't a real athlete will you do us all the favor of video taping and putting on youtube or stream it live. Maybe the fee to watch it will cover your medical costs. Just a thought...
Posted by james trier November 4, 2010 10:09am PDTReply | Report Abuse
There actually is a stick and ball in surfing...the foam ball and of course we all have our favorite stick in our quiver!
Posted by fatequalsflavor November 5, 2010 07:37am PDTReply | Report Abuse
Trying to explain what it feels like to surf critical waves to someone who doesn't surf is like a NFL player trying to explain how it feels to have just won the Super Bowl to someone who never played football. All I can say is that I have been in the ocean, fearing for my life, charging heavy surf, and sensed more adrenaline and sheer exhilaration than I ever thought possible. And I'm just one of the regular surfers. This argument is stupid....apples vs. oranges.
Posted by tifgigantes November 6, 2010 06:21pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
You try swimming with sharks!!
Posted by tifgigantes November 6, 2010 06:27pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
And one more thing, we play against Mother Nature. NOTHING more dangerous than she!!
Posted by surfer333 November 6, 2010 09:12pm PDTReply | Report Abuse
Laird in the same sentence with Kelly, that is a joke! Kelly is one of the best athletes of all time if not THE best, but most certainly the most decorated athlete of all time. Laird? Not even a top 50 surfer. Surfing is about more than catching the biggest wave, that is more about bravery.
Reply by makingthedrop November 7, 2010 10:42pm PSTReport Abuse
Easy there surfer333! While Laird is not as ASP Tour Legend, I would bet a tidy sum that you could not find any surfer on Tour (including Kelly or the late-great AI) who would say he is more of a "waterman" or has bigger cojones than Laird. Laird Hamilton has had and continues to have a major impact on the direction and scope of surfing, so do your homework!
Reply by kona November 5, 2011 01:01am PDTReport Abuse
Has Laird EVER Paddeled into any wave of Consequence over 10' ? I.e. Teahupoo, Ours, Shipsterns, Dungeons.
All the waves in the photos that made Laird famous was caught with the help of a jet ski, AND he was strapped in!
Google Shane Dorian, the Long brothers, Grant "twiggy" Baker.
Ke11y paddled into Cortez Bank. (has Laird even been there?) He has won at Huntington, as well as Waimea Bay.
Until I see Laird Paddle (and not that SUP bull$h!t) into the same surf that the pros were catching at this years(2011) Billabong pro at Teahupoo, (which was won by Ke11y Slater) He will be (to me) a surfer who needs help to catch a wave.
Posted by makingthedrop November 7, 2010 10:58pm PSTReply | Report Abuse
With 10 World Titles (including youngest and oldest title holder) and a pro career spanning 20 years, Kelly is obviously the best competitive surfer of all time. He has time and again defied the odds, breaking through physical, mental and emotional limits when it mattered most. Kelly has far exceeded the hopes of anyone involved in the "sport," as it relates to the surfing industry (boards, clothes, etc.). His dedication, passion and resolve have enabled fans to experience many a peak performance moment with him, just as he did again this week in Puerto Rico. Kelly is truly a great athlete, competitor and human being. Best Athlete discussions are dicey at best. Its all relative to one's visions and values as an athlete (what's "your" sport?).
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