Ali, Tiger, Michael, Pele ... and now Lance. There exists an elite group of athletes who people refer to by simply a first name. No full name is needed to identify which Tiger you mean. When kids say they want to be like Mike, they aren't referring to Mike Tyson. It seems we can all agree that Lance is recognized well enough in the sports community that a single name does him justice. But is he the greatest athlete of all time? A cyclist, not a 'baller, the greatest of all time?
First off, it appears relatively clear-cut that Mr. Armstrong has separated himself from any other endurance competitor. He has won the Super Bowl of his sport, the Tour-de-France, for the last seven years. Seven Years. Pete Gillen could not even survive a contract that long. The Steel Curtain, Montana's Niners, and George Steinbrenner's wealth could not stay on the top of the competition for seven straight years.
Despite Lance's dominance at an unprecedented level in competitive sports, the naysayers exist. The French press has decided to smear Lance's image by asserting doping allegations against the only man to be drug tested more than Ricky Williams. From my roommates to Steven A. Smith, there appears to be a belief that Lance is not in the same elite athlete stratosphere as the top players in America's most popular sports. Here's a sampling of some of the arguments:
"Lance only has to ride a bike, requiring little skill, talent or athleticism."
Sixty MPH, zigzagging down an Alp that doesn't have guard rails, 200 other bikers trying to take the corner faster. When A-Rod screws up, it's an error. When a cyclist screws up, it's three broken vertebrae and a new set of teeth. Anyone who thinks cyclists don't require skill needs a tutorial in cycling.
"Lance never had to make a game-winning shot to win Game 7 to clinch the championship."
It's 2004. Lance leads his archrival, Jan Ullrich, by a mere 50 seconds heading into the final time-trial. There is no team or coach around to help, mono e mono, each man riding alone against the clock. This is game 7, bases loaded with a full count. What does Lance do under the pressure of a final time trial against the only competitor to come close to stopping Lance? He beats him by 11 seconds to clinch his sixth straight Tour de France victory. Don't tell Lance that cyclists don't overcome pressure.
"Bikers aren't even athletes, they are just stupid."
I agree; it isn't easy to be the best of all time. In fact, it might even take a bout with cancer when the doctors leave little chance of survival to realize how precious life really is. To claim bikers aren't athletes displays an ignorance of what defines an athlete.
The best definition of an athlete I can find comes from the Webster's Online Dictionary -- athlete: A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts.
Are Bobby Fisher (chess prodigy), Kobayashi (hot-dog eater) and Chris Moneymaker (poker champion) athletes? I'll leave that for a debate by the Jefferson Scholars, but there can be no debate of the classification of cyclists. According to the above definition, cyclists such as Lance are the quintessential athletes who possess the highest levels of strength, agility and endurance in the toughest competition in sports, a 21-day race covering over 2,000 grueling miles.
"Armstrong hasn't had to battle the quality or depth of competition in his sport that baseball, basketball or football superstars have risen above in theirs."
If that is a valid argument, forget any football player because football is only played competitively in two countries in the whole world (Australian Rules Football does not count, sorry). While cycling is not as prominent a sport in America (yet) as baseball, basketball or football, throughout the world it ranks second to only soccer in popularity. The total depth of competition for cyclists is actually greater due to the global presence of cycling.
From what I can gather, there exists no reasonable argument to stop the assertion that Lance is the greatest athlete of all time. What separates Lance from the rest of the field is his ability to dominate the competition as both a leader and an individual in his sport's supreme event over the course of seven straight years. The next time you want to try to knock Mr. Armstrong, a first name of Lance will do just fine.
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