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