Imagine All Of The "Normal" People Who Weren't Interested In & Didn't Play Sports Who Could Have Been Stars

HacheMan · Apr 16, 2009

Sorry if this sounds ridiculous but I've always found this interesting when I think or talk about it with someone, and no better place than here with you guys!

Is it possible that we have missed out on the TRUE greatest athletes in sports because someone that could have been, who had all of the ability, never played sports for one reason or another?

Compare the small percentage of the population who play sports compared to those who don't.
Those who don't far outweigh those that do.

So when you take that into account, imagine all of those people who were born with the talents to dominate in a sport, yet never played!

Do you think names like Michael Jordan, for example, who is arguably the best player in the history of his sport, could have been considered 2nd best to.....someone out there.......somewhere......at some time....That NEVER gave sports a 2nd thought but had all of the ability?

viking611 · Apr 16, 2009

because they're in prison.

Kruser6 · Apr 16, 2009

Hache Man said:
Sorry if this sounds ridiculous but I've always found this interesting when I think or talk about it with someone, and no better place than here with you guys!

Is it possible that we have missed out on the TRUE greatest athletes in sports because someone that could have been, who had all of the ability, never played sports for one reason or another?

Compare the small percentage of the population who play sports compared to those who don't.
Those who don't far outweigh those that do.

So when you take that into account, imagine all of those people who were born with the talents to dominate in a sport, yet never played!

Do you think names like Michael Jordan, for example, who is arguably the best player in the history of his sport, could have been considered 2nd best to.....someone out there.......somewhere......at some time....That NEVER gave sports a 2nd thought but had all of the ability?

I don't know, I think that anybody who has the talent just naturally finds a way to sports. I don't think there are that many people out there that could be superstars that already aren't

whalewager · Apr 16, 2009

Some people who played in their childhood and didn't play on a high school level...lot of great athletes in that group also.

whalewager · Apr 16, 2009

This is true for golf especially...I've met many people who could have, with the focus and discipline, been great on the tour.

M.Saracen · Apr 16, 2009

whalewager said:
This is true for golf especially...I've met many people who could have, with the focus and discipline, been great on the tour.

there are a ton of potentially great golfers out there because, for the most part, it doesn't take any incredible amount of athleticism.

hell, i hit golf shots sometimes that would make tiger woods look average - a lot of us do - the difference is that i only get one or two per round, whereas tiger gets it done nearly everytime he goes out.

as for the "real" sports, i think the greatest found their way to the sport. at least in the major sports like football and basketball.

BernieKozar · Apr 16, 2009

In high school I hung out with a kid who possessed UNBELIEVABLE athletic talent. Could throw a football further, faster and more accurately than anyone in school. Probably could have made a college team on his punting abilities alone. Was probably one of the top two or three basketball players in the school.....But it was a complete struggle to get him to participate in any sport. Never played at any level....we'd play pickup games and no one would want to pick him, then they would be shocked when they saw him perform.

It was soooo very odd to see someone with his talent not have the interest to participate. Just wasn't his idea of fun, even though it all came so naturally.

Guys like this though....they are one in a million.

VIEJODINOSAUR · Apr 17, 2009

viking611 said:
because they're in prison.

Not only funny, but true...

Or how about the inner city basketball playgrounds?

$tinky · Apr 17, 2009

I've often thought along the same lines for things like playing the guitar or piano or any musical instrument. Many more out there who never give things like that a shot and who know's they could be the next Lenny Kravitz.

TomGshotput · Apr 17, 2009

Much of being a truly great athlete is a complete dedication to your sport. If that doesn't exist, there is no skill

Of course when billions of people are born into extreme poverty, a few of them the right biology to be extrodinarily strong and fast and big and well-coordinated. No one really denies that. But we always end up back at the first point above, very small chance of anyone dedicated themselves to basketball more than Micheal Jordan did

louisvillekid · Apr 17, 2009

i've known some great athletes also in HS. Grew up with a dude who was a white Barry Sanders, small but had strong legs and unbelievable upper body strength, ran a 4.4 40, could stop on a dime and change directions, only played till his sophomore year and then started doing roids and coke and smoking weed and hustling and stealing, last i heard he was supposed to be getting out of the pen for being the getaway driver in a bank robbery.

also played parks basketball with a dude who was only around 5'11 and had gym class with him a few times in HS, he was a country boy but could ball and had hops, he always tried out for the HS team and always got cut, all the players in my HS were always preppy and hung out and talked with all the coaches and even faculty, like principles and stuff. This dude just came to school in his worn out jeans and cheap ragged out sneakers and then went on home to do farm work.
In gym we would play hoops alot, and sometimes we had jocks and/or players from the basketball team in class with us. That dude used to school them. He tore up our parks league, he was like the only good player on his team, yet they would still win, he would drop 30+ all the time.