1. Standard memberRed Night
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    19 Jul '07 20:10
    Originally posted by rhb
    You're not much of a sports fan then!
    ovett was an olympian, but I forget what sport...the rest didn't ring a bell. what did they play?

    I'm a huge sports fan...I can tell you about athletes from all over the world...you have to remember that your massachussetts sized island is more than a little isolated from the rest of the world and not just by the fog.
  2. Standard memberrhb
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    19 Jul '07 20:18
    Originally posted by Red Night
    ovett was an olympian, but I forget what sport...the rest didn't ring a bell. what did they play?

    I'm a huge sports fan...I can tell you about athletes from all over the world...you have to remember that your massachussetts sized island is more than a little isolated from the rest of the world and not just by the fog.
    Keep in mind you're asking for famous English athletes, these are all famous for their acheivements:

    Coe / Cram / Ovett - 3 x Middle Distance Runners - untouchable between them in the 80's.

    Linford Christie - Olympic gold Medal - 100m (later banned for drug use)

    Roger Black - awesome 400m runner

    Females -

    Sally Gunnell - 400m Hurdles gold medalist
    Paula Radcliffe - Marathon Runner - female WR holder, 10k track world champ.
    might aswell add Kelly Holmes - double olympic champion - 800 / 1500 metres

    Away from athletics:

    Sir Steven Redgrave - 5 x Olympic gold medalist
    Beefy - Ian Botham - Legendary Cricketer
    Adrian Moorhouse / Duncan Goodhew - Swimmers - Olympic Gold & very bald respectively.

    Longshot outsiders

    The crafty cockney? Eric Bristow - Darts legend wherever darts is played
    The nugget - Steve Davis - multi world snooker champion, also well regarded in Pool - beating Efan Reyes at one time - known.
    Bob "the rock" Cooper? RPS world champ.
  3. Standard memberRed Night
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    19 Jul '07 20:22
    Originally posted by rhb
    Keep in mind you're asking for famous English athletes, these are all famous for their acheivements:

    Coe / Cram / Ovett - 3 x Middle Distance Runners - untouchable between them in the 80's.

    Linford Christie - Olympic gold Medal - 100m (later banned for drug use)

    Roger Black - awesome 400m runner

    Females -

    Sally Gunnell - 400m Hurdles gold medalis ...[text shortened]... d in Pool - beating Efan Reyes at one time - known.
    Bob "the rock" Cooper? RPS world champ.
    christie I have heard of.

    what is RPS?
  4. Standard memberrhb
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    19 Jul '07 20:27
    Originally posted by Red Night
    christie I have heard of.

    what is RPS?
    If you haven't heard of the others, then you're in no position to judge how "famous" English athletes are, as per your initial post.

    RPS = Rock Paper Scissors. he won it on your side of the pond. Pay attention next time.
  5. Standard memberRed Night
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    19 Jul '07 20:31
    Originally posted by rhb
    If you haven't heard of the others, then you're in no position to judge how "famous" English athletes are, as per your initial post.

    RPS = Rock Paper Scissors. he won it on your side of the pond. Pay attention next time.
    Rock, Paper, Scissors?

    Rock, Paper, Scissors?

    Are you honestly talking about Rock, Paper, Scissors?

    Good god already

    Rock, Paper, Scissors?

    the fog that surrounds you fellows over there in the New Zealand of the northern hemisphere is impenetrable.
  6. Standard memberrhb
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    19 Jul '07 20:37
    Originally posted by Red Night
    Rock, Paper, Scissors?

    Rock, Paper, Scissors?

    Are you honestly talking about Rock, Paper, Scissors?

    Good god already

    Rock, Paper, Scissors?

    the fog that surrounds you fellows over there in the New Zealand of the northern hemisphere is impenetrable.
    You are a hypocrite.

    If you can name Chess players as Athletes in the Eastern European thread, then RPS (as well as Dart and Snooker) legends are perfectly acceptable here.

    Couple more:

    Shirley Crabtree
    Martin Ruane
    Mick McManus
  7. Standard memberRed Night
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    19 Jul '07 20:40
    Originally posted by rhb
    You are a hypocrite.

    If you can name Chess players as Athletes in the Eastern European thread, then RPS (as well as Dart and Snooker) legends are perfectly acceptable here.

    Couple more:

    Shirley Crabtree
    Martin Ruane
    Mick McManus
    How long are your arms? Because you are really reaching.

    But, of course, you are right; Bob "the rock" Cooper is just as famous as alexander alekhine. LOL
  8. Standard memberrhb
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    19 Jul '07 20:46
    Originally posted by Red Night
    How long are your arms? Because you are really reaching.

    But, of course, you are right; Bob "the rock" Cooper is just as famous as alexander alekhine. LOL
    I'm taking the michael.

    Originally posted by Red Night
    I was thinking this morning on the drive to work, who is the most famous English athlete of all time?

    It is actually a real stumper.

    I thought of Gordon Banks, and then Harold Abrahams, and finally Daly Thompson.

    After a while I realized that the answer to this riddle wrapped inside an enigma is probably Beckham.

    David Beckham is the English Babe Ruth or Michael Jordan, the most famous athlete in English History. And he is certain to get even more famous now that he is playing in a major media market like Los Angeles.

    Did I miss anyone? Is there someone you Englanders consider more famous? (And don't try to slip in any Scots or Welshman.)


    So, on what basis are we judging fame here? Until you clarify that point this is an empty thread to which anyone can throw in names. Besides, is "fame" really a good measure of sporting attainment? No, 'cos fame is usually found in the present crop of living athletes, once dead they are soon forgotten in the most part (see W.G. grace / Steve Bloomer comments).
  9. Standard memberRed Night
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    19 Jul '07 20:53
    Originally posted by rhb
    I'm taking the michael.

    Originally posted by Red Night
    [b]I was thinking this morning on the drive to work, who is the most famous English athlete of all time?

    It is actually a real stumper.

    I thought of Gordon Banks, and then Harold Abrahams, and finally Daly Thompson.

    After a while I realized that the answer to this riddle wrapped inside an ...[text shortened]... ce dead they are soon forgotten in the most part (see W.G. grace / Steve Bloomer comments).
    Well, you are right. Fame is fleeting and you are also right that current athletes are going to be better known than former athletes.

    It makes it hard, impossible, to compare the two. Tiger Woods versus Arnold Palmer or bobby Jones for instance.

    The true test is whether an athlete's accomplishments stand the test of time and that usually requires more than great perfromance.

    Bannister is remembered for a great accomplishment, but also for representing the English ideal of a soft-spoken amateur. The guy was practicing during his lunch breaks from medical school!

    Ruth is remembered as much for his quintisentially Amercian flamboyance as his record-setting career.

    Jones was another amateur.

    Why is Palmer so much more famous than Nelson?

    Kournikova?
  10. Standard memberrhb
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    19 Jul '07 21:04
    Originally posted by Red Night
    Well, you are right. Fame is fleeting and you are also right that current athletes are going to be better known than former athletes.

    It makes it hard, impossible, to compare the two. Tiger Woods versus Arnold Palmer or bobby Jones for instance.

    The true test is whether an athlete's accomplishments stand the test of time and that usually requires m ...[text shortened]...

    Jones was another amateur.

    Why is Palmer so much more famous than Nelson?

    Kournikova?
    Kournikova isn't English, neither are a number of the others you discuss there. Pay attention please.

    It's more than impossible to compare the two, as everyone compares from their own standpoint (age, favourite sport, knowledge of sporting history).

    To labour a point, to all Cricketer fans, and many laymen sports fans W G Grace is a famous athlete. No disputes there.

    Only Derby County fans and Football Historians would name Steve Bloomer as famous though. In their time both were at the top of their game, yet due to media selection only one is remembered well.

    I'm obviously a keener fan of Athletics than you.

    Two more famous English athletes:

    Tony Allcock
    David Bryant

    I'm guessing you'll dismiss them as unheard of. Go ahead & whilst you're at it, ask site admin to rename this thread "English Athletes Red Night has heard of" - as that's where you've been taking it from the start.
  11. Standard memberRed Night
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    19 Jul '07 21:10
    Originally posted by rhb
    Kournikova isn't English, neither are a number of the others you discuss there. Pay attention please.

    It's more than impossible to compare the two, as everyone compares from their own standpoint (age, favourite sport, knowledge of sporting history).

    To labour a point, to all Cricketer fans, and many laymen sports fans W G Grace is a famous athlete. No disp ...[text shortened]... hletes Red Night has heard of" - as that's where you've been taking it from the start.
    Actually, I have heard of Grace.

    He was one of the cricketeers who feigned injury rather than suffer the humiliation of losing to that team of american baseball players that pounded the stuffing out of the best english cricket teams during the 1874 tour led by cap anson and the wright brothers.

    George and Harry Wright's father was apparently a pretty good English cricketeer.
  12. Standard memberrhb
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    19 Jul '07 21:16
    Originally posted by Red Night
    Actually, I have heard of Grace.
    Thanks for proving my point.
  13. Standard memberCrowley
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    19 Jul '07 21:48
    Originally posted by Red Night
    Actually, I have heard of Grace.

    He was one of the cricketeers who feigned injury rather than suffer the humiliation of losing to that team of american baseball players that pounded the stuffing out of the best english cricket teams during the 1874 tour led by cap anson and the wright brothers.

    George and Harry Wright's father was apparently a pretty good English cricketeer.
    What, in the name of Allah, is a 'cricketeer'?
  14. Standard memberrhb
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    19 Jul '07 21:49
    Originally posted by Crowley
    What, in the name of Allah, is a 'cricketeer'?
    Like a musketeer?
  15. Standard memberCrowley
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    19 Jul '07 21:55
    Originally posted by rhb
    Like a musketeer?
    Yeah, it's probably someone who struts around with a musket while making annoying screeching sounds which he believes attracts females...
    Come to to think of it - that's actually how I picture Red Night.
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