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Greatest Genius v Greatest Ever

Postby Snooker-Fan2016

The Stephen Hendry v Ronnie O'Sullivan is arguably the most mundane argument you'll find anywhere on snooker forums. I can honestly say it does my head in. Both are quite rightly proclaimed as the two best players of all time, and I don't see the need to argue for either case, but at the same time I'd like to try and separate both in terms of greatness and genius.

The factors I would use to decide the greatest in every sport are as follows

*success
*ability to perform under pressure
*records
*dominance
*to raise the bar in their profession to new levels
*consistency

Using these factors, I would rate the following as the best at their respective sports:

Snooker: Stephen Hendry
Athletics: Usain Bolt
Boxing: Sugar Ray Robinson or Muhammad Ali
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Cricket: Don Bradman or Muttiah Muralitharan
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Darts: Phil Taylor
Formula One: Michael Schumacher
Football: Pele
Gaelic Football: Mick O'Connell
Golf: Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods
Horseracing: Tony McCoy
Hurling: Henry Shefflin or Christy Ring
Rugby: David Campese
Tennis: Roger Federer

My factors for genius:

*The ability to do the right things on instinct, speed does perhaps have quite a bit to do with this. It's doing the right things without needing to think about it, rather than doing it because you have to. Natural ability.
*To have played their sport to a higher standard than anybody else before or since
*The ability to appear at one with your profession. O'Sullivan on form, switching between left and right so seamlessly is poetry in motion.

Snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan
Athletics: Usain Bolt
Boxing: Roy Jones
Cricket: Shane Warne
Basketball: Stephen Curry
Darts: Michael van Gerwen
Football: Maradonna or Lionel Messi
Formula One: Ayrton Senna
Gaelic Football: Maurice Fitzgerald
Golf: Rory McIlroy or Seve Ballesteros
Horseracing: Ruby Walsh
Hurling: DJ Carey
Rugby: Serge Blanco
Tennis: John McEnroe

This thread will probably turn into chaos, but I wanted to give my take on this.

Re: Greatest Genius v Greatest Ever

Postby Pink Ball

Snooker-Fan2016 wrote:The Stephen Hendry v Ronnie O'Sullivan is arguably the most mundane argument you'll find anywhere on snooker forums. I can honestly say it does my head in. Both are quite rightly proclaimed as the two best players of all time, and I don't see the need to argue for either case, but at the same time I'd like to try and separate both in terms of greatness and genius.

The factors I would use to decide the greatest in every sport are as follows

*success
*ability to perform under pressure
*records
*dominance
*to raise the bar in their profession to new levels
*consistency

Using these factors, I would rate the following as the best at their respective sports:

Snooker: Stephen Hendry
Athletics: Usain Bolt
Boxing: Sugar Ray Robinson or Muhammad Ali
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Cricket: Don Bradman or Muttiah Muralitharan
Basketball: Michael Jordan
Darts: Phil Taylor
Formula One: Michael Schumacher
Football: Pele
Gaelic Football: Mick O'Connell
Golf: Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods
Horseracing: Tony McCoy
Hurling: Henry Shefflin or Christy Ring
Rugby: David Campese
Tennis: Roger Federer

My factors for genius:

*The ability to do the right things on instinct, speed does perhaps have quite a bit to do with this. It's doing the right things without needing to think about it, rather than doing it because you have to. Natural ability.
*To have played their sport to a higher standard than anybody else before or since
*The ability to appear at one with your profession. O'Sullivan on form, switching between left and right so seamlessly is poetry in motion.

Snooker: Ronnie O'Sullivan
Athletics: Usain Bolt
Boxing: Roy Jones
Cricket: Shane Warne
Basketball: Stephen Curry
Darts: Michael van Gerwen
Football: Maradonna or Lionel Messi
Formula One: Ayrton Senna
Gaelic Football: Maurice Fitzgerald
Golf: Rory McIlroy or Seve Ballesteros
Horseracing: Ruby Walsh
Hurling: DJ Carey
Rugby: Serge Blanco
Tennis: John McEnroe

This thread will probably turn into chaos, but I wanted to give my take on this.


Irish? Sound enough judgement. But I'd like to put forward a good Galway man as the most genius hurler, Joe Canning.

Re: Greatest Genius v Greatest Ever

Postby Alex0paul

sas6789 wrote:
Alex0paul wrote:How does running 100 metres constitute genius?

I don't know but a non-snooker fan would probably say 'how could a snooker player be a genius'


i say that whilst being a snooker fan. Sports people are not geniuses.