A Sport of One

[IrishCanadian25]

I was thinking today about some sports that have an existance predicated on only one athlete. The neat thing about baseball, hockey, basketball, and football is that if the best player goes out, it's no big deal. Even if Jordan had gone out in the early 90's, Pippen and Olajuwan were there to pick up the slack.

But three sports are basically hinging on one person so significantly, that the loss of this individual can cost millions.

3. Tennis, Roger Federer. Yes, they have Nadal, but Federer is the draw. A gentleman in every sense, and an ambassador for the sport, the man will stand as the greatest ever ten years from now and will eclipse most major records.

2. Golf, Tiger Woods. With Phil Mickelson tending to his wife, golf is teetering on the fact that Tiger is back from his knee injury. When he went down after the US Open last year, the sport took a MAJOR hit. Guys like Padraig Harrington and Kenny Perry get attention, but the only reason we know who they are is because we tuned in to see Tiger first.

1. Cycling, Lance Armstrong. Controversy aside, nobody gave a shit about the Tour de France - or cycling as a whole - until Capt. Livestrong and his one nut. He is making a comeback this year, and as a result, cycling is back on the map for something other than failed doping tests.

Honorable mention - Swimming, Michael Phelps ; Ping-Pong, Biba Golic ; Volleyball, Misty May Treanor ; Softball, Jennie Finch.

 

[Thriller Ant]

Does Jennie Finch even play anymore?

I have to disagree with you on two of these IC. First, I'd say Nadal is just as important as Federer right now. Federer is a huge name and may go down as the best ever, but if you watch SportsCenter they focus on Federer, Nadal, and of course Roddick since he is American. Federer vs. Nadal = ratings. Federer vs. anyone else = not so much.

The other is beach volleyball. Misty May-Treanor is a big name, but you can't say her without Kerri Walsh. As a former volleyball player, I can say for sure that both indoor and beach volleyball are hugely team-oriented. Think basketball: You can have a superstar like LeBron, but if they don't have help they can't win. Same case here. Misty is very, very good, but you can't mention her without Walsh.

 

[jmt225]

3. Tennis, Roger Federer. Yes, they have Nadal, but Federer is the draw. A gentleman in every sense, and an ambassador for the sport, the man will stand as the greatest ever ten years from now and will eclipse most major records.

Andy Roddick not living up to his potential really fucked that sport up. Imagine if he turned out to be as good as everyone thought... Tennis would be HUGE right now.

Also, Maria Sharapova being injured is also hurting the sport. The Williams sisters are decent draws, but are absolutely nothing compared to the love and attention Sharapove receives. Her poor play at the French Open and Wimbledon this year have left a lot of people disappointed, and if she doesn't rebound from it, Women's Tennis is going to be on a huge decline.

Also IC, what about boxing? For the past year, Manny Pacquiao is literally the only boxer who gains any attention. When Floyd Mayweather retired, Manny was the only person the sport had left since Kelly Pavlik will never be able to defeat guys like Hopkins. And with Floyd's return, then injury, it remains to be Manny Pacquiao and everyone else, especially if Floyd loses upon his return.

 

[NSL]

Very good thread. I'll post now, but I'm about to leave work, and will have to amend this later.

Off thew top of my head, tennis and golf are the first two sports I think of. Obviously Tiger Woods, and Roger Federer are the first two that would kill their sports if they fell apart. Nadal is good on clay, and nowhere else, so he alone cannot save men's tennis. Mickelson would be the last big name in golf, and look how much he didn't help when Tiger was hurt.

As far as other sports, I can go with horse racing, if you want to count the jockeys. Yes, the horses are the "real" athletes, but the jockeys are the ones that mostly end up deciding winners and losers. I also like the honorable mention of Biba Golic. Table tennis may not be the most famous sport ever, but she's head and shoulders above the rest, and the sport would really have no name if she stopped playing, or got hurt...Although, I don't see how you can suffer a severe injury playing ping pong.

 

[The Todd]

The biggest one, aside from the three you have spot on, is Darts. I'm not sure how much it is known of outside of the UK and Holland, but if Phil "The Power" Taylor retired from Darts the sport would suffer greatly. The PDC is Phil Taylor. He is a 12 time PDC World Champion and a two time BDO Champion. He has surpassed Eric Bristow as the most famous Darts player. If someone was stopped in the street and asked to name a darts player nine times out of ten the name mentioned would be Taylor's. He is the only box office draw in the whole sport. In Tennis there is Nadal and Murray who could take the headlines if Federer left but in Darts there is no one who could possibly do it. Not even van Barneveld.

 

[Richard]

Roger Federer IS tennis. His name is synonymous with the word "Grand Slam" and "Champion". The 14 time Grand Slam champion who is also one of only six men ever to say he's won all 4 Grand Slams in their career. He's proven his versatility on all surfaces. He's a true gentleman with class who is the best possible ambassador for the tennis world, being able to speak a few languages fluently can do interviews anywhere. Also his ability to keep the world number 1 ranking for close to 4 years I believe it was was very, very impressive and it's only a matter of time before he's number 1 again.