A CENTLI RvY" CENTURY'S GREATEST .J. 4 I7)AATI-ILETrE 5. Wayne Gretzky 4. Jesse Owens 3. Muhammed Ali 2. Babe Ruth 1. Michael Jordan by Jason Snyder editor-In-chief A lifelong question that sports fans ask themselves, yet never find an answer to is, "how do you measure greatness?" If there were some magical equation that would give a unanimous decision as to who is the great est athlete of the century, the job of sports analysts, broadcasters and spectators would be much easier. However, the pleasure of coming up with your opinion of the greatest athlete would be much less interesting. The reason this question comes up so much is be cause no one really has the "right" answer. Yet everyone knows that their decision is the most accurate. The definition of "the greatest athlete" isn't a consistent idea for everyone. Everyone de fines their greatest athlete in different ways. Whether it be through the athlete's impact, talent, or various skills, people have their idea of what exemplifies the word "greatness." MOST MEMORABLE Lou Gehrig Day: "Today, I consider myself..." Ice Bowl: Green Bay defeats Dallas in the "Frozen Tundra" U.S. hockey team defeats USSR on way to Olympic Gold in McGwire vs. Sosa : Homerun chase of 1998 1. Jesse Owens wins 4 gold medals in Hitler's presence by Craig Hazelwood assistant sports editor The 1936 Olympics will always be remem bered around the world as one of the greatest sporting events in history. Traditional Olym pics games display competitiveness, sports manship and fellowship of the athletes. The '36 games were very different. They were held in Berlin while Germany was under the rule of Adolf Hitler. Hitler, known for his Many athletes in the history of competitive sports have been very influential to their peers or to people in their society. Others just go far and beyond any other athlete that has com peted in their sport. Some defy odds, and oth ers present themselves in a respectable man ner so society can see them as role models. In the Beacon's top five countdown of the greatest athletes of this century, every athlete falls into one of these categories. Gretzky is an athlete that went far beyond any other hockey player in the history of the sport. Jesse Owens defied the odds in the 1936 Olympics, winning gold medals much to the dismay of Adolf Hitler. Muhammed Ali spoke of his greatness in great detail, becoming very in fluential to the black Americans of the time. Babe Ruth was the first and most storied base ball player of all-time. He set the standard of greatness that all baseball players would at tempt to meet. None have. But one athlete that meets all these stan dards of greatness is a man very recognizable proclamation of Ayran supremacy, expected to dominate the Olympics and show the world his "superior" German athletes. Der Fuhrer had not planned on the emergence of a young black athlete from Alabama, Jesse Owens. Owens played a huge role in putting Der Fuhrer in his place. Days before Owens' first event, Hitler publicly congratulated the Finns, the Germans and other white European gold medalists. When Owens won his first gold medal, in the 100 meters, Hitler was nowhere ROES, DOMINANCE, AND A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC A tribute to the greatest athletes, dynasties and moments of 20th century sports EVENT to everyone in the human race. Michael Jor dan is the hero we can all remember. We on the Beacon never witnessed the days of Ali and Ruth, so it is difficult to see the impact that they made in society. Jordan's impact is immeasurable. He gave the youth of America a hero. Someone they can look at hope to be like. He consistently poured out relentless effort to he the best, as a team player and a person. The stats will give you an idea of his talent in his sport. His video tapes will give you a sense of his creativity and desire to win. No one in the history of sports has had the com petitive desire of "His Airness." People say that Babe Ruth dominated the early 1900 s. Ali, the middle of the century and Jordan the last. We believe, they saved the best for last. Michael Jordan is this century's greatest athlete, in every sense of the word. to be seen. The sprinter would win a total of four gold medals. He set a world record in the 200 meters, jumped over 26 feet for the Olympic record, and he ran the opening leg of America's world record 4 x 100 meter re lay team. He was sensational. Der Fuhrer was stunned and silenced. Owens was so great everyone was pulling for him. This marked the first time that Ameri can whites rooted for blacks in sports history. It led to the breaking down of the color-bar- 1980 rier of athletes. This was a long pro cess in America, but this was the first step. Owens even won the support of the German fans. Owens became a world hero and an American legend. Jesse Owens put on his spectacular dis play at such a crucial time that the '36 Olympics became known as the Jesse Owens Olympics. I'OOs
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