British Greatest of All Time Sportsperson

We are also the best at darts (with the Dutch a close second) it doesn't make it a sport. Not in the truest sense of the word, where men and women use not only great tactical thinking but also great physical strength and endurance to become the greatest.
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So motor racing requires no tactical thinking, physical stength or endurance?

Have you ever heard of a race called '24 Heure Du Le Mans'? No? How about the Mille Miglia, where in 1955 Sterling Moss drove a heavy car with drum brakes and no power steering flat out for a thousand miles on broken Italian public roads, over mountain ranges, and through narrow town streets without even stopping for a piss? It took over ten hours of intense concentration and huge physical effort, it was over 30 degrees outside of the car and his average speed was 99.5mph. He was also driving against the greatest drivers at the time so no cake walk.

You can hardly compare it to a bunch of fat blokes with mullets throwing darts at the walls of northern working mens clubs between necking pints can you?
 
Dr S":2ihw7ntz said:
We are also the best at darts (with the Dutch a close second) it doesn't make it a sport. Not in the truest sense of the word, where men and women use not only great tactical thinking but also great physical strength and endurance to become the greatest.
Click to expand...

So motor racing requires no tactical thinking, physical stength or endurance?

Have you ever heard of a race called '24 Heure Du Le Mans'? No? How about the Mille Miglia, where in 1955 Sterling Moss drove a heavy car with drum brakes and no power steering flat out for a thousand miles on broken Italian public roads, over mountain ranges, and through narrow town streets without even stopping for a piss? It took over ten hours of intense concentration and huge physical effort, it was over 30 degrees outside of the car and his average speed was 99.5mph. He was also driving against the greatest drivers at the time so no cake walk.

You can hardly compare it to a bunch of fat blokes with mullets throwing darts at the walls of northern working mens clubs between necking pints can you?
Click to expand...

Fair points. I still wouldn't include a racing driver/rider in this though, purely because of the team aspect. Yes, they may be good, but how much is the team and how much is the driver.
Oh and I would also point out Villeneuve (sp?) Mario Andretti and a certain Mr M. Schumacher in your list as I think they may be better than some you have mentioned.
 
Last time i checked, messrs Villenueve, Andretti and Schumacher were not British. Nor was the Tennis bloke you mentioned.

As for the cars. Most sportsmen and women need tools. Boardman would not win a cycle race on a BSO, Henman with a tennis raquet from Aldi would not fair so well and Giggs would certainly struggle in sandals. And all those sportsmen have a team bihind them- coaches, physio etc.
 
When the gun goes off - proper sportspeople do it on their own, no mechanical assistance, no team tactics, no best car or engine.

We have of course great drivers, engineers (sportsmen?) that is true. But strip them of their gear and what do they become?

Footballers, no one footballer won a game.

Chris Boardman would be closer to the front on a BSO than 95% on a team bike

Henman would be beat than 95% of the people in this country with a supermarket racket

Put Sterling Moss in my A class, exactly
 
I would have to say Sir Donald Bradman, as back in the 1930’s most Australians would have viewed themselves as British. So the best British sportsperson ever, was an Australian :wink:
 
Put Sterling Moss in an A class with a hundred other drivers and he would still beat them despite being in his 8th decade.
 
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