GOATS and gloats

In the last couple of weeks, a couple of school records have been broken in track and field at the high school and the middle school. 

Adalyn Olson broke a 46-year-old record in the 100 Meter Hurdles a week ago, then broke her own record on Friday, and then Madi Derifield broke Deb Sylte’s middle school record that she set in 1975 in the long jump at the district track meet this past weekend. 

I was thinking that having these young ladies earn a place on the record board for each school was pretty cool, and that each of them have legitimately become the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) in these events, until someone knocks them off the pedestal.

With GOATs on the brain, I also came across a couple of posts on Facebook regarding GOATs in the NBA. The first had the best professional basketball players pictured in a hierarchy with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant sharing the pinnacle of that pyramid.

I have always been firm in my opinion that Michael Jordan is the true GOAT, especially when the fight is between him and LeBron (I still stand by that), but I am willing to let Kobe share the spotlight with Michael because … KOBE!

Shortly after I saw this post, I saw another one that attempted to discount the competition against whom Michael played in the 1980s. The claim is that Michael was able to bring about his monumental achievements because athletes in the ‘80s were not the huge physical specimens that they are today.

After my initial response of irritation that no one can leave poor Michael alone and just let his records stand and his title remain until it’s clear that someone is better. My next thought was that it didn’t matter that his opponents weren’t as beefy when he played, because they were all still competing on the same level.

What I mean is that, yes, today’s professional athletes are huge. They are powerful. They are massive. But they are all that way. There’s no scrawny NBA players, so they are competing against their peers. Those who shine in that arena deserve accolades. 

However, we can’t take away from past athletes’ accomplishments simply because they aren’t competing against today’s athletes.

When Michael played, his opponents were also in their physical prime and he had to work just as hard against them as LeBron has to work against his opponents today. 

Would LeBron’s brawn give him an upper hand if we could magically transport him to the ‘80s to play? Probably! Would Michael struggle a little if he were to go up against the hulks of today, maybe? 

But, neither of those scenarios would ever happen (besides the impossibility of time travel) because both of those elite players would prepare themselves to compete within the parameters of the professionals around them. LeBron wouldn’t be as beefy if he had played in the ‘80s, and Michael would have worked to be as massive as athletes are today if he played today.

My point is, when you have the receipts to prove it, a GOAT is a GOAT until someone definitively takes the title from them.