“Who is the greatest athlete in the world?”

“Who is the greatest athlete in the world?”

That is the one question that has been asked since there has been this thing we call sports. Okay, maybe there are two eternal sports questions, the other being “where can I bet on that?”
This week people have been asking that question again due to a meeting in New York between perhaps the best player the game of golf has ever seen, and arguably the greatest tennis player of all time.

Watching Roger Federer decimate the field at the U.S. Open over the weekend was remarkable mostly due to the ease that he demonstrated in doing it. Seeing him collapse in what appeared to be relief as his final winner whizzed past a completely overmatched Andy Roddick, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was faking it. He had to be putting on a show there at the end, because it looked like he’d scarcely broken a sweat over the two weeks.

John McEnroe, who was calling the match on the tube, suggested that Tiger Woods be the one who should present the trophy, implying he was the only one in the world who was qualified.
Woods, who has struck up a recent friendship with Federer, was there watching from Federer’s box.

Since these two icons of the recent sports history were so perfectly juxtaposed, it is impossible for me not to try to make a case for whom I think really is the greatest athlete in the world today.

The two likeliest candidates are Woods and Federer.

Woods has had quite the summer run. After missing the cut in a major for the first time in his career at the golf’s version of the U.S. Open, he came back with a vengeance. Winning two majors and five straight tournaments, he’s so far ahead in the world rankings, dividing his 22.8 point total in two would give him both the first and second spots, with Jim Furyk a distant third with only 8.99. With 12 majors already in his career, Woods is second in the all-time list behind Jack Nicklaus' 18.

Most concede now that it’s a matter of “when,” not “if” that he catches the Golden Bear’s total.
Federer has been just as impressive. He’s won Wimbledon the past four years, the U.S. Open the past three, and the Australian Open twice for a total of nine majors. That puts Federer sixth in the career tennis major standings, needing five more slams to catch Pete Sampras. Sampras admitted his record is going to be not just broken, but smashed.

Woods has set the title bar so high, and at a remarkably early age. He’s reached his majors total three full years ahead of anyone else.

So – digesting all those numbers – who truly is the greatest?

Drum roll please….

Jim Toop

Jim Toop you say? Well this guy was a miracle soccer player up until grade 9 and than the beer started. Now he’s fat and milks cows.

Ok OK I’m kidding.

I have no idea who the greatest is and either should you…

But it is an interesting debate anyways huh?