This guy seams to think that you are only a great athlete if your sport involves a ball.

https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/ore...4962289110.xml

I just read the article, I would think this guy has never seriously ridden or knows what the sport of cycling is about anyhow... I think that there are many people with this opinion. look at the lack of coverage of the TDF, and other bicycle races in the US. Untill cycling is as big a sport in the US as it is in Europe, we will have to hear these types of comments.

I first saw this on another forum I frequent. Several of us sent him emails in an attempt to "educate" him. His standard response was, "sorry you disagree".

i don't think he's ever tried doing a mountain descent at 70mph. that takes a LOT of technical skill.. taking the most aggressive lines going down turns, banking your bike 30 degrees to the surface of the road...

Using his argument, I’m afraid that the Babe wasn’t exactly an athlete. He could hit a ball, but his physical conditioning was appalling. Has a baseball player ever done anything that puts them at or above their lactate threshold for hours?

This guy exemplifies the American sports attitude. If it’s not sponsored by Budweiser, it’s not a sport.

i think my IQ just dropped several points because i bothered to read the article.

This guy has really infuriated me. I know he majored in sports journalism because he wanted to be reminded of his high school glory days, but baseball being more athletic then cycling. I would imagine Bonds could not ride a TT bike 50 feet. Assuming it could support his weight. I imagine this guy believes Dale Earnhardt was a better athelete. This guy is suppose to be a professional sports writer. He actually believes that a 3 week race across france requires less athleticism that hitting a ball with a stick or running 60 yards. Well this Buds for you. :irritated

I'm be curious to hear a professional ballplayer's opinion on the matter. What is the old John Kruk quote? "I'm not an athlete. I'm a baseball player."

Have you seen this follow up article?

https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/ore...6918250251.xml

Just because he has an article published in The Oregonian doesn't mean he's not an idiot. Don't waste your time.

there goes 5 more points off my IQ.
the guy doesnt seem to understand that the problem isnt with him saying that LA isnt the greatest athelete of all time. its the fact that he thinks riding a bike isnt very atheletic.
people could argue intelegently over who they think the greatest athelete is.

I've just read both articles - seem reasonable, intelligent and consitently argued. I agree to some extent, too.

He isn't saying Lance isn't an athlete, or that cycling is non-athletic, he is saying that it takes more skills (particularly hand-eye coordination) combined with Lance's other attributes (stamina, "clutch" etc) to make the world's greatest. Do I necessarily agree with all his other contenders? No.

I think some of you should take a little more pause and read the articles carefully before trying to jump down his throat.

************ takes a lot of hand eye cordination. does that make me an athlete?

He's simply a troll.

Video games also takes incredible hand-eye coordination.
Um, So does bike racing.

hehe that reminds me, when lance fell, he didn't clip in properly, he almost fell again but his arms and balance helped him not to fall again.


ALso. in the resent mag of Bicycling, they show you how to grab a water botle from hte grown on a bike!

Have patience with the ignorant. John Canzano does not consider Armstrong an athlete because "he rides a bicycle." After all, Canzano considers himself a writer, even though he doesn't know the definition of the word, "athlete."

If Canzano were to be more honest, he would have said something like, "I thought I knew everything about sports until I watched the Tour de France. That's when I discovered I didn't know enough about the sport of cycling to make any intelligent comments."

The really sad thing about the article is that is isn't really original. It is almost the same article as one published last year in USA Today.

He made a lot about comparing Lance to Barry Bonds.

Has Barry won any World Series rings at all? No less five?

Nuff said.

ath·lete ( P ) Pronunciation Key (thlt)
n.
A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts.

hehehehehe

The email I sent him:

Let me start by saying I’m a cyclist and I agree with you; Lance Armstrong in
not the greatest athlete ever. Neither is Bonds, Ruth, Ali, etc. The truth is
no one is “the greatest athlete ever”. No one ever has been and no one ever
will be. How can you compare different athletes from different sports and
different eras? It can’t realistically be done. Titles like that are created
by people like you; sports journalists. They make for good headlines, create
discussion, controversy, etc.

That being said, when you say Lance cannot be the greatest athlete ever
because “he rides a bicycle” you are attempting to diminish his (an all other
cyclist’s) accomplishments by saying it is some how less of a sport when
compared to baseball, football, or basketball. What you fail to realize is
that similar arguments can be made for all three of the major sports:

Baseball: How can a baseball player be the greatest athlete ever when players
spend more time standing around or sitting than anything else?

Football: How can a football player be the greatest athlete ever when they
only play half of the game?

How can a basketball player be the greatest athlete ever when they can come out
of the game whenever they are tired?

You mentioned Muhammad Ali in your article. How can he be the greatest athlete
ever when he was able to take a break every 3 minutes?

As you can see, these arguments are flawed. They assume that endurance is the
most important trait of an athlete. This is very similar to your argument,
which seams to put hand-eye coordination above all else.

As you can see, comparing athletes from different sports is comparing apples to
oranges. Each sport requires different skills and attributes in order to
excel. Saying that one skill or attribute is more important than another is
just being bias towards the sports that you feel are more important.

His responce:

Thanks for the note.

I appreciate it.

john

well, here is his email.

JohnCanzano@aol.com

lets send him some "nice" emails about what we think an athlete really is.

This guy needs a frame pump jammed in his spokes... Team Cinzano style !

Jeff

This Canzano guy didn't read Lance's title correctly. It's "World's Greatest Athlete", not "America's Greatest Athlete." Gosh, he actually thinks that no one else live in this world except Americans.

Since I imagine he doesn't ride a bicyle...The only other logical and possibly a more deserving place to shove the frame pump would be in his...well, you know

Well, the sports he mentioned I don't really consider true sports..I consider them games.

Baseball, football, basketball, hockey....They are games. Not that they aren't coolio.

I see sport as a test of the limits of human capability..Cycling, swimming, running, gymnastics...that sort of thing.

I betcha none of the games I mentioned would be so popular if there was no TV, I bet cycling would be more popular.