klunderbunker
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I saw this on ESPN and thought it could be cool to see some others' responses. The concept is very simple but I'm altering it a bit. All Americans and many non-Americans are familiar with Mt. Rushmore. It's a mountain with the faces of four of America's greatest leaders carved into it (if you've never been and you're ever near South Dakota, take the time to go see it. Really quite amazing). On ESPN, they had a competition to see who people would vote as their state's Mount Rushmore of sports. In this case though I'm going to ask for your all time Mount Rushmore of sports regardless of state or anything like that. What four athletes would you believe deserve to be honored on a mountain? No limits on each sport. You can have four different sports represented, all of the same, or any combination you'd like. Judge it by talent, impact, respect or favoritism, however you'd like to do it. These are my choices in no particular order.
Jackie Robinson-While we all know him as the man that broke the color line in major league baseball and team sports, his overall talent is largely forgotten. On his Hall of Fame plaque, not a word about his racial impact is mentioned. Along with being a pioneer, he was an amazing ball player. One of the best second basemen of all time, he was a career .300 hitter and a terror on the basepaths. Adding to that, he lettered in football, track and basketball at UCLA and that he was an amateur tennis champion, it's hard to not have him listed here.
Michael Jordan-This man has gotten all kinds of recognition and he's earned every bit of it. Never has one man been so dominant in a team sport. No one ever put up a legitimate challenge to him. With six titles that likely would have been eight had he not retired, the success speaks for itself. The all time leading points per game average in basketball history shows that he can score with anyone. Add in that he's second all time in steals and it's hard to argue with this one.
Jesse Owens-This is someone that sadly a lot of people haven't heard of. Jesse Owens was a track star ran in the Olympics in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. With Adolf Hitler himself looking on, Owens won four gold medals in the middle of country that was on the verge of beginning their conquest of Europe. To go into the enemies camp and beat the best in the world, Owens was under enormous pressure and he mroe than lived up to the hype.
John Wooden-This man here is someone that the more I hear about him the more I respect him. He was the epitome of a coach. Not only did he win an astonishing 10 national titles, but the stories that I've heard about him and the lessons that he would teach his players make me shake my head. He was a phenomenal coach and an even more amazing man. To not have him on thsi list would be a shame.
Jackie Robinson-While we all know him as the man that broke the color line in major league baseball and team sports, his overall talent is largely forgotten. On his Hall of Fame plaque, not a word about his racial impact is mentioned. Along with being a pioneer, he was an amazing ball player. One of the best second basemen of all time, he was a career .300 hitter and a terror on the basepaths. Adding to that, he lettered in football, track and basketball at UCLA and that he was an amateur tennis champion, it's hard to not have him listed here.
Michael Jordan-This man has gotten all kinds of recognition and he's earned every bit of it. Never has one man been so dominant in a team sport. No one ever put up a legitimate challenge to him. With six titles that likely would have been eight had he not retired, the success speaks for itself. The all time leading points per game average in basketball history shows that he can score with anyone. Add in that he's second all time in steals and it's hard to argue with this one.
Jesse Owens-This is someone that sadly a lot of people haven't heard of. Jesse Owens was a track star ran in the Olympics in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. With Adolf Hitler himself looking on, Owens won four gold medals in the middle of country that was on the verge of beginning their conquest of Europe. To go into the enemies camp and beat the best in the world, Owens was under enormous pressure and he mroe than lived up to the hype.
John Wooden-This man here is someone that the more I hear about him the more I respect him. He was the epitome of a coach. Not only did he win an astonishing 10 national titles, but the stories that I've heard about him and the lessons that he would teach his players make me shake my head. He was a phenomenal coach and an even more amazing man. To not have him on thsi list would be a shame.