The two teams today had some of the best players in the world going at each other, perhaps even the best player in the world in Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored his first goal ever against Chelsea in the 26th minute.  Chelsea answered right before the half when Frank Lampard scored his goal in the 45th minute of the match.  Regulation ended with the teams still locked in a draw at 1-1.  Thirty minutes of extra time were then added to see if either team could manage a goal before going to the penalty kick shootout.  Chelsea got very close to taking a 2-1 lead but came up short when Frank Lampard’s shot hit off the crossbar of the goal and bounced away.  Extra time ended deadlocked at 1-1.  

Then came the penalty kick shootout to decide it all.  Both teams had made their first two PK shots.  Then stepped up Cristiano Ronaldo, who had scored Manchester United’s only goal of the game, and he missed his PK shot!    Both teams then went on to make their next two PKs, and it all came down to John Terry, the captain of Chelsea.  With both teams tied at 4-4 in the shootout, all Terry had to do was make his PK shot and Chelsea would win 5-4 and claim the Champions League title, the most prestigious soccer championship in all the world.  He ran up to kick his PK, and as he kicked the ball he slipped and fell to the ground, unable to control his kick, and he hit the post of the goal and missed!  Man U made their next PK, which Chelsea answered and made theirs as well.  Man U upped the pressure again by making the following PK. Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka had to answer to keep his team alive.  He ran up to take his shot, and Man U’s goalie Edwin Van der Sar predicted which way Anelka would shoot and blocked the shot, clinching Manchester United the Champions League title.  Chelsea had their opportunities to win.  They were so close, yet they just couldn’t finish the game off.  

This is the soccer game I experienced today.  The biggest soccer game on the biggest stage, and man was it exciting!  Now I have never been a huge soccer fan, but today may have changed my mind! 

I say absolutely not!  This is a completely legal strategy and i have no problem with it at all!  Think about it.  A professional basketball player has the opportunity to go to the free throw line almost every time down the court.  Most NBA players and coaches would love it if the other team did this because they would have the opportunity to get easy points without any time running off the clock.  However, since Shaq is such a terrible free throw shooter, some people are saying that this strategy is not fair and the NBA should make it illegal!?!  I don’t agree with that at all!  Plain and simple, Shaq should be able to make his free throws.  If he were to make 4 out of 5 or 5 out of 6, then the other team would probably stop fouling him.  It just comes down to the fact that this is a person who is getting paid millions of dollars to play basketball and he can’t make free throws.  That is not any other team’s problem!  That is Shaq’s problem and he needs to step up and make his free throws. 

So has Kobe never received the MVP award before this year because he didn’t have good enough players around him?  People certainly can not use the excuse that this year is the only year that he has made his teammates better.  Give me a break!  The only reason anyone knows about Walton, Farmar, Turiaf, and Vujacic is due to Kobe Bryant.  He hasn’t done anything differently this year than he has in the years past.  This year the Lakers were able to give Kobe the sidekick he has been asking for in  Pau Gasol, who can  make shots and take a little pressure off Kobe.  And due to that reason, voters think that he is a completely different player and deserving of the MVP award?

I am just arguing that Kobe is only being Kobe, and if he is deserving of the MVP award this year, then he has definitely been deserving in the years past.  But thankfully, the voters have got their heads screwed on straight this year and have given Kobe the award that he has deserved for so long!

In order to make a valid argument about which sport has the Worlds Greatest Athletes, we should first gain a better understanding of what defines an athlete… right?! (Look at your ceiling, then your lap, and repeat)…

Thanks for nodding!

Ok, now that you agree, lets get down to business. According to dictionary.com, an athlete is defined as, “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.” So really, by definition, Everybody and their dog qualifies to be an athlete…

This could be problematic.

But don’t worry, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Dictionary.com, also defines an athlete as, “A person trained to compete in sports.” Now isn’

t that much better! Well, ok, its not that much better but lets compromise and use this definition anyways. (By the way, what exactly defines a sport?)

So, yes while we may argue that basketball, football, baseball, soccer, tennis, etc., have the best athletes, in order to be just and fair, we must compare and defend them against athletes competing in NASCAR, golf, billiards, table tennis, fishing, and competitive hot-dog eating, etc. (Any underwater basket weaving champions out there?)

Alrighty then, in conclusion, an athlete is not strictly defined by their strength, agility, and endurance but rather, by their years, months, or days of training that enabled them to compete in a given sport. Make sure to keep this in mind when defending your choice of the Worlds Greatest Athletes.

(Somewhere neighborhood pizza eating champions, like me, smile!:)

Look at the facts:

Plain and simple, basketball players are quicker and can jump higher than other athletes from other sports.  These two qualities are very important in determining a player’s athletic ability.  And yes, i know that there are certain football and soccer players who are just as quick and can jump just as high, but overall, no other sport can compare.  

Every player on the court has to be a great athlete.  From point guard to center, each player has to be a great athlete.  This is not the case in most other sports.  Certain positions on the football field, baseball field, and soccer field have great athletes, but not every position.  You may be saying to yourself, “Well that’s not fair, because there are more positions to fill in football and soccer and baseball!”  That is a true statement, however, the athletic ability of every player must be taken into account to answer the question, “Which sport, as a whole, has the greatest athletes?”  

Now I am not saying that basketball requires more skill than other sports.  All sports require amazing skills and that is why there are professional athletes playing those sports.  Skill is not the same as athleticism.  And i know that all professional athletes from every sport have great athletic abilities.  I am only stating the facts that overall, the sport of BASKETBALL has the greatest athletes in the world.