2017: year of the GOAT?
Even-numbered years tend to be the most exciting in sport, as Olympic Games and major football championships dominate attention. But though…
Even-numbered years tend to be the most exciting in sport, as Olympic Games and major football championships dominate attention. But though barely a month old, 2017 has already delivered outsized sporting stories. More unusually still, several of these events have provoked, and in some cases settled, debates over the “Greatest of All Time” — or GOAT, as it has been abbreviated for the meme era — in various sports.
First, watching the Australian Open felt almost like stepping into a tennis-themed time machine programmed to a decade ago, as the four finalists in the men’s and women’s competition were each iconic players, mostly past their prime. On the men’s side, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal improbably resumed their legendary rivalry, which culminated with Federer’s win in a five-set thriller. This took his total title count to 18, to Nadal’s 13. With Novak Djokovic experiencing a mid-career dip, Federer’s record — and reputation — seem set. In the women’s final, Serena Williams beat sister Venus to secure her 23rd title, putting her above Steffi Graf to mirror Federer’s record of most titles in the Open Era.
Second, last weekend saw the New England Patriots mount a seemingly impossible comeback late in the game to win their fifth Super Bowl since 2001. Each title has been won by the combination of coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, and the GOAT status of both is increasingly inarguable — both secured the record for Super Bowl titles in their respective roles on Sunday.
What else might 2017 have in store? Usain Bolt has won everything it’s possible to win in athletics, capped by an unprecedented three gold medals at three successive Olympic Games (one of which, a relay title, he has since been stripped of following allegations of doping against a colleague.) The World Championships in London in August, then, will mark a victory lap for Bolt, who has said he will retire following the tournament. While Bolt’s status as the greatest sprinter of all time is beyond question, the Worlds offer the chance for Bolt to sign off in customary style.
After Bolt, the bench for GOATs-elect gets a bit thin. At 32, basketball’s LeBron James is at the peak of his powers, and another title with his Cleveland Cavaliers this May would put him in touching distance of Michael Jordan in some fans’ eyes — though it would take another two or three years of his physically improbable prowess to truly compete. In cycling, meanwhile Chris Froome could take another step towards road race immortality with a fourth Tour de France title, even as his team’s leadership is dogged by doping questions.
Yet the relative scarcity of GOAT-candidates on the horizon only serves to underscore how difficult, by definition, the title is to obtain. The success stories of Federer, Williams, Brady, and Bolt weren’t written overnight — in fact, at age 35, 35, 39 and 30 respectively, their legendary status rests in part on their staying power at the top of their respective sports for a dozen or more years. Yet for all the importance of longevity, sporting superstardom depends just as much on the split-second reactions and flashes of insight that win games and torment opponents. The greatest, then, are those that have found a way to consistently confound.