You often hear writers claiming a particular athlete is the greatest sportsman in the world.

I have often wondered about such claims and came to the conclusion that its almost impossible to judge such achievements. Believe me i have tried, but there are too many variables to give any sportsman this title.

I however put together my own criteria, and attempted to figure it out. My results showed how difficult this task is and how its just too hard to judge. I used 10 athletes (obviously i would of left some greats out, but i cant cover every sport.), and ranked them on a points system out of 35. Here is how i've done it;

RANKING;

Fitness required.... out of 5

Skill of individual........  out of 5  (including skill level required in the particular sport)

Brutality or risk of harm in the sport... out of 5 (important because instead of just a fear of losing, a fear of Death or serious injury adds a lot more pressure to a contest.)

Achievements and dominance... out of 5

Individual impact on their sport... out of 5

Longevity............. out of 5 (marks deducted for short career's, long spells between contests, or time out of the sport.)

Persona, and public image ....... out of 3

And weather their sport is on a world stage.. out of 2

Total Marks 35.

Here we go, in no particular order;

Wayne Gretsky (Ice hockey), born in Ontario Canada, won 4 Stanley Cups, 9 Hart Trophies as MVP, and 10 Art Ross trophies for most points in a season. Known as the Greatest Ice hockey player of all time

.... SCORES.... Fitness 3.5, Skill 4.0, Brutality or Risk of harm 4.0, achievements 4, Individual impact on their sport 4.5, Longevity 4.5, Image 2.5/3, Sport on a world stage 0.5/2. TOTAL.. 27.5

Muhammad Ali (Boxing), born in Louisville, Kentucky USA. Won Olympic light-heavyweight gold medal, former 3 time Heavyweight champion of the world. One of the most recognised athletes in the world, a true immortal of boxing

....SCORES.... Fitness 5.0, Skill 4.5, Brutality or ROH 5.0,Achievements and Dominance 4.5, Impact on their sport 5.0, Longevity 4.5, Public image 3/3, sport on a world stage 2/2. TOTAL.. 33.5

Jack Nicklaus (golf), born in Columbus, Ohio USA. The Goldern Bear won a record 18 professional majors in a career lasting 25 years. Recognised as the greatest Golfer of all time.

....SCORES.... Fitness 1.0, Skill 4.5, Brutality or ROH 0.5, Achievements and dominance 4.5, Impact on their sport 5.0, Longevity 5.0, Public image 3/3, Sport on a world stage 2/2 TOTAL.. 25.5

Donald Bradman (cricket), born in Cootamundra, NSW Australia. Bradmans achievements can not be listed here, there is simply too many.To name just two; His test batting average was 99.94 runs each time he batted, more than thirty runs better than any other batsman in the history of the game. 14 times he scored over 200 runs in a single innings, two of those over 300. The greatest Cricket player to ever play the game.

....SCORES.... Fitness 2.0, Skill 5.0, Brutality or ROH 2.0, Achievements and dominance 5.0, Impact on their sport 5.0, Longevity 4.5, public image 3/3, Sport on a world stage 1.5/2. TOTAL.. 28.0

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