In 2011, former NBA star Reggie Miller summed it up by taking the last hit in games as « you’re gonna be either the hero or the goat »
Whether it was an abbreviation of scapegoat, a rejection of pagan idolatry, or just a good old-fashioned slander of forked-hoofed animals, it still wasn’t too desirable
But between social media posts designed to prick the part of readers’ brains that have all the exclamation marks and the opinion-screaming shows in the vein of ESPN’s (un) famous first take , the GOAT conversation in all caps is never- end and inevitable
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are both the GOAT depending on who scored the last World Cup or who failed in a major competition Serena Williams and Roger Federer are almost unanimously accepted as GOATs, but the former did still not caught up with Margaret Court and the last one has just been joined by Rafael Nadal on a record of 20 majors with Novak Djokovic only one back
And then, of course, we have Nathan Lyon, the GOAT of Australian cricket, whose semi-ironic-and-kind-of-legitimate nickname came about after he passed Australia’s relatively meager ranks of spinners to fingers a few years after his career
But long before the moniker became less of a joke, comfortably becoming the real GAOSOAT and being among the top three test-kiosk takers of all time in Australia, the capra-esque measuring stick had become an oversized part of the Australian sports discourse
Which brings us to the big last week, where Cameron Smith’s status as « the greatest of all time » was called not only evil, but insulting to the sport
In the same 24-hour period, his GOAT status was reaffirmed by former player representing Matthew Johns, who placed him above his own brother in this debate.
And while a journalist’s or player’s claim is aggregated over and over on the internet isn’t necessarily worth foaming up, it does raise questions about how we talk about athletes during their careers.
Some of the media coverage of Cameron Smith’s career seems to bow to the innate biases of opposition supporters, whose dim prospect of the great Storm is magnified by their team’s inability to tame him, writes Richard Hinds
Given its prevalence, it’s alarming how ridiculous it is to judge athletes on an « all-time » scale
DeLorean, spa or phone booth; choose your time machine Does anyone really think Team of the Century players Clive Churchill or Brian Bevan would match him with James Tedesco or Josh Addo-Carr?
This is not a slanderous hot take; simply a recognition of the advancement of science and the growth of the sport from something made by steelworkers between packs of Winfield Reds to a hugely lucrative professional business
Sports stars can only realistically be judged against something akin to their contemporaries, and for Smith, going back beyond the 1990s is a futile exercise
Presumably, which is why Andrew Johns, another goat presence of recent years, is still so safe to say that Smith is the greatest player he’s seen
Even if they spend their lives digging through car sales for old VHS tapes (and a VHS player), someone born in the 90s isn’t really going to know how awesome Wally Lewis was. An X-er generation will struggle to sum up what made Graeme Langlands a superstar, other than flashy white boots No one is alive today who can attest to Dally Messenger’s impact on the pitch But we we all agree they were great
Once you’ve gotten some distance from their playing days, the majority of gamers’ legacy is hearsay, reading books (often written by people who weren’t there neither) or sitting in pubs listening to stories about the strength, or speed of players of yesteryear
So why do we place so much importance on these debates? Well, because they’re fun.But when that fun becomes part of a tale that a gaming legend like Smith is actually just a guy who’s been hanging around for a long time, it tarnishes the reputation of one of the biggest names in sport, which deserves to be celebrated
Smith’s brilliance and ability to break the record for the most number of records is not just due to his longevity
Selectors in Queensland and Australia don’t just hand out representative hats for service rendered, and no matter how many PM posts you’ve won, linesmen don’t raise their flag unless the ball goes between the sticks
Score all the points he’s scored, create all the tries he’s been on, make all the tackles he has, win all the matches he’s won… it’s all part of a tapestry
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Does winning all the Premierships, State of Origin series and test matches make him the best of all time? Reach four major finals in five years? Will playing at an elite level for an unprecedented 18 years or breaking countless records?
But once Smith’s career is over and his legacy recorded in books and bar conversations, it will be hard to explain why the sport has spent the last few years of his career pounding him for contract baffles, with a bit too cheeky smile and disregarding our timeline of when he should stop playing the game he still dominates
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News from around the world – AU – The nickname ‘GOAT’ was always a little bit funny, but it’s almost lost its meaning now