The "Goat" in sport
Capitalism as a system that governs the world, is characterized by individual reward, due to performance. As a result, personal accomplishment is perceived as a mark of success, and high social standard, in an elitist society. The best are therefore acclaimed, and recognized as being the reference in their field of expertise.
Excellence is a value conveyed and encouraged in our societies, encouraging human beings to show the best of themselves, according to their innate abilities, their talent, and the work accomplished, to achieve a personal, and collective goal.
The concept of "Goat" is seen in almost all fields of activity, but more particularly in the fields of sport, and music, where the establishment of the best of all time as a "benchmark" fuels debates. Competition which breeds performance, is created to determine the best, hence winners are celebrated, and honoured. Since to be perceived as the best you have to outperform, or "beat" your opponents, this is the very essence of any elitist society. The competition establishes, and categorizes the talents, and determine their ranking, is the greatest of all time the one who wins or the one who is the best or both?
The notion of "Goat" is more debated in the field of sport, whether in team sports or individual sports. From the performances, distinctions and successes recorded throughout their careers, sportsmen are therefore compared to determine the best of all time, by the experts of the sport, and the fans. The 3 criteria that take precedence in the judgments for the attribution of the title of "Goat" are, the individual performances (statistics and intrinsic talent), the trophies obtained, and the impact on their sport (and the fans).
When it comes to performance, statistics are an essential barometer to determine the level of excellence, and efficiency of a champion, when one is very good at a sport, the results are noticeable in a line of statistics. Distinctions such as the best scorers, assists, etc. are established to reward the quality of an athlete, this coronation is therefore objective, given the level of performance displayed, but the intrinsic, and physical qualities are not taken into account. In addition, they allow to determine how good a player is, which in the eyes of the followers of a sport establishes a recognition of the level of excellence - Cruiff, Garrincha, Iniesta, etc. were exceptional technicians, with a level of play that would make more than one pale, but they are not mentioned in the debate of "Goat" in soccer. And, one more injustice can be perceived, if we take into account the position occupied - in soccer, defenders are less recognized than strickers who score goals. In this case a basketball player like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, a center, who is the all-time top scorer in the NBA, with a long career (he played until the age of 42), is overtaken by Michael Jordan, for the "Goat" title.
In tennis, Rodger Federer, whose game is of unprecedented quality, hence his nickname “the master”, has less Grand Slam than Rafael Nadal, and Djokovic; The statistical performances allow a first selection in the choice of the "Goat", to this is added the intrinsic qualities of the sportsman, while also taking into account the position where one evolves - sport is an entertainment, this is why those put in front are the forwards; an example in basketball, Michael Jordan, Kobe, and Lebron James, are spectacular players.
To remedy this, another criterion in choosing the best of all time appears, which are the victories recorded, and the trophies won - Federer is therefore out of the running, since Nadal, and Djokovic have more Grand Slam than him. In team sports, the subjectivity is more palpable, because all players contribute to the success of their team. Dennis Rodman, an exceptional defender, who often scores less than 5 points per game, contributed enormously to the success of the Chicago Bulls of Michael Jordan, we can also point out Draymond Green's prominence in the Golden States Warriors titles. To be in the race for the greatest player of all time, you have to be on a team that wins titles - which comes at the expense of Lebron James, who only has 4 championship rings (without three peat, a physical monster , with a consistency, longevity and versatility in his carreer), compared to Michael Jordan, who had 6 champion rings (including 2 three peats) - don't forget about Bill Russell, who had 11 rings. Being in a team that wins, in a collective sport can be essential for the awarding of the title of best player of all time, but, what about Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo, who have never won a world cup, compare to Pelé, who won 3 world cups?
Whether in team sports, or individual sports, winning trophies is a key element to being seated in the pantheon of the best in one's sport, which is a paradox in itself, with many cases of extraordinary athletes who could not be part of a winning team. That is why the impact criterion enters in sport, as a perfect example we have, Messi, and Ronaldo, who for years have monopolized the "golden ball". Michael Jordan is a reference in the matter, because, contributing to the development of the NBA, and basketball around the world, for how many years we were looking for the new Michael Jordan? We also have Steph Curry, who has changed the current NBA, with his 3-point play. In Formula 1, we had geniuses like Lewis Hamilton, Ayrton Senna, and Michael Schumacher, who set a benchmark, so what about Tiger Woods? Mike Tyson? To name a few.
Sport, is an entertainment industry, a big business that generates billions of dollars in revenue, having an audience is very important, for the popularity, and production of exceptional athletes. It's not just about winning trophies, it's about producing a show that appeals to fans. Credit must be given to precursors, who through their performances propel their sport into a new dimension, and change the way of practicing it. We remember the Brazilians, Ronaldo Nazzario, who redefined the position of number 9, and Roberto Carlos, the position of full-back in soccer. The impact that athletes can have in their sport creates a revolution, and increases their popularity. This impact can come from the game, and the personality of the athlete - we speak in reference to Kobe Bryant with his "mamba mentality" - hence the notion of superstar attributed to an athlete that Americans adore, who define the impact of an athlete in his/her sport, and beyond.
The performances, the trophies, and the impact of the athletes in their sport, establish their popularity which makes them the idols of a whole generation, which is why the debate on the “Goat” arouses so much passion. David Beckham was not an extraordinary soccer player compared to Zinedine Zidane, but his media impact was such that after his sports career, he is an adored celebrity. This highlighted the very important role of the media in an athlete's career; Samuel Eto'o Fils had said "if I had made a career in France, I would have won the Ballon d'Or". Several elements outside the talent can influence the carreer of an athlete, especially the media stature, being acclaimed by the media contributes to establish the notoriety of an athlete - despite his silence on the social issues of his community, Michael Jordan is recognized, and proclaimed by the media as the best basketball player of all time.
For example, could Ali beat Mike Tyson at their respective prime? Also, are Ali's opponents of the same caliber as those faced by Mike Tyson? What would be the outcome of a fight at their prime, between Manu Pacquiao versus Floyd Meawhether? Would Messi have had the same impact without Guardiola? Kobe Bryant could have won 5 rings without Phil Jackson? Could Lewis Hamilton beat Shumacher, or Ayrton Senna? And so forth do on. We will always have these endless debates, but we must be proud to be able to have exceptional athletes in each generation, for the happiness of the fans that we are.
The notion of "Goat" seems to establish the preponderance of an individual in a specific field. Those who have impacted their profession, and reached a high level of excellence compared to their predecessors, and their contemporaries, establish a new level of performance never reached before. They are therefore seen as the ultimate reference in their chosen field, often subjectively, or objectively, depending on each person's considerations. So, we all agree that, the "Goat" must be the best ever.
The concept of "Goat" is seen in almost all fields of activity, but more particularly in the fields of sport, and music, where the establishment of the best of all time as a "benchmark" fuels debates. Competition which breeds performance, is created to determine the best, hence winners are celebrated, and honoured. Since to be perceived as the best you have to outperform, or "beat" your opponents, this is the very essence of any elitist society. The competition establishes, and categorizes the talents, and determine their ranking, is the greatest of all time the one who wins or the one who is the best or both?
To be perceived as the best of all time (goat), wins, performances, and the impact in their field were chosen as the mode of selection. We find that almost every sport defines their "Goat", sports and music enthusiasts engage in debates, according to their own criteria to establish their "Goat". This observation on the notion of the best of all time accumulates today, given the performances achieved, and the level of excellence displayed by athletes. In the most popular team sports like basketball, the debate over Michael Jordan, Karim Abdul Jabbar, Kobe, Lebron, as the "Goat" is topical, in football we had the debate between Pelé/Maradonna, then Messi/Ronaldo. Individual sports are more unanimous, like boxing where everyone recognizes Muhammad Ali as the best of all time, in golf everyone agrees on Tiger Woods, in athletics Usain Bolt is acclaimed in 100m which is not the case in tennis, where we have Federer / Nadal /Djokovic.
In music particularly rap, the 2pac/Biggie Small/Jay Z/Eminem/Lil Wayne debate is raging. As it is necessary to establish the best of all time, out of respect and consideration of a competitive world, the criteria of victories, performance, and impact of those exceptional talents have been established to choose the "Goat".
When it comes to performance, statistics are an essential barometer to determine the level of excellence, and efficiency of a champion, when one is very good at a sport, the results are noticeable in a line of statistics. Distinctions such as the best scorers, assists, etc. are established to reward the quality of an athlete, this coronation is therefore objective, given the level of performance displayed, but the intrinsic, and physical qualities are not taken into account. In addition, they allow to determine how good a player is, which in the eyes of the followers of a sport establishes a recognition of the level of excellence - Cruiff, Garrincha, Iniesta, etc. were exceptional technicians, with a level of play that would make more than one pale, but they are not mentioned in the debate of "Goat" in soccer. And, one more injustice can be perceived, if we take into account the position occupied - in soccer, defenders are less recognized than strickers who score goals. In this case a basketball player like Kareem Abdul Jabbar, a center, who is the all-time top scorer in the NBA, with a long career (he played until the age of 42), is overtaken by Michael Jordan, for the "Goat" title.
Sport, is an entertainment industry, a big business that generates billions of dollars in revenue, having an audience is very important, for the popularity, and production of exceptional athletes. It's not just about winning trophies, it's about producing a show that appeals to fans. Credit must be given to precursors, who through their performances propel their sport into a new dimension, and change the way of practicing it. We remember the Brazilians, Ronaldo Nazzario, who redefined the position of number 9, and Roberto Carlos, the position of full-back in soccer. The impact that athletes can have in their sport creates a revolution, and increases their popularity. This impact can come from the game, and the personality of the athlete - we speak in reference to Kobe Bryant with his "mamba mentality" - hence the notion of superstar attributed to an athlete that Americans adore, who define the impact of an athlete in his/her sport, and beyond.
With regard to the philosophy of professional sport, we can affirm that the notion of "Goat" is subjective, because the criteria mentioned (performance, trophies and impact), are used according to the appreciation of each one. We don't take into account the coaching, the teams in which the athletes are, and, especially the era where they play. The rules of the game are different, and changing, particularly in team sports, but in individual sports such as, boxing, tennis, athletics, talent begets results, the comparison of athletes through the ages can be established objectively, but remains an assumption.
Marius C. Oula
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