What individual dominated their sport more than any other dominated theirs?

[The Baron]

Valentino Rossi.

[arbboy]

While Phil Taylor has obviously been amazing in his chosen career, to put him a list with people like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps ect etc seems completely incongruous.

Darts isn't any more of a sport as poker or chess.

All 3 take alot of skill to be a champion, but that doesn't make them sports.

Why is golf any more of a sport than darts?  

I'm not saaying it is or isn't.

But Taylor dominating darts was more akin to that fella who lost 4 games of draughts in 30 years than Usain Bolt smashing every sprint record imagineable.

Tiger dominating golf could easily have the same thing aimed at him.  Doing a casual 4 mile walk every day hitting a small ball around a field more efficiently than your fellow out of shape players with your heart rate never moving.

The statement made is purely a snob factor of golf being a 'sport' that the best in the world earn 25 times more than Taylor.  If Taylor made £50m a year from sponsors because he played a sport which super rich people paid fortunes to play we wouldn't be having this discussion.

[The Camel]

While Phil Taylor has obviously been amazing in his chosen career, to put him a list with people like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps ect etc seems completely incongruous.

Darts isn't any more of a sport as poker or chess.

All 3 take alot of skill to be a champion, but that doesn't make them sports.

Why is golf any more of a sport than darts?  

I'm not saaying it is or isn't.

But Taylor dominating darts was more akin to that fella who lost 4 games of draughts in 30 years than Usain Bolt smashing every sprint record imagineable.

Tiger dominating golf could easily have the same thing aimed at him.  Doing a casual 4 mile walk every day hitting a small ball around a field more efficiently than your fellow out of shape players with your heart rate never moving.

The statement made is purely a snob factor of golf being a 'sport' that the best in the world earn 25 times more than Taylor.  If Taylor made £50m a year from sponsors because he played a sport which super rich people paid fortunes to play we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Absolutely not a snobbish remark. I love darts with a passion. It's great televsion and I'd rather watch a game of darts I didn't have a bet on than a Premier League football match.

I admire Taylor's work ethic and longevity as a darts player.

When you've won everything there is to win, it must be easy to lessen your desire to be the best. Taylor has never done that.

But one simple action of your arm, repeated many hundreds of thousands of times until you perfect it does not make a darts player a sportsman.

[arbboy]

While Phil Taylor has obviously been amazing in his chosen career, to put him a list with people like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps ect etc seems completely incongruous.

Darts isn't any more of a sport as poker or chess.

All 3 take alot of skill to be a champion, but that doesn't make them sports.

Why is golf any more of a sport than darts?  

I'm not saaying it is or isn't.

But Taylor dominating darts was more akin to that fella who lost 4 games of draughts in 30 years than Usain Bolt smashing every sprint record imagineable.

Tiger dominating golf could easily have the same thing aimed at him.  Doing a casual 4 mile walk every day hitting a small ball around a field more efficiently than your fellow out of shape players with your heart rate never moving.

The statement made is purely a snob factor of golf being a 'sport' that the best in the world earn 25 times more than Taylor.  If Taylor made £50m a year from sponsors because he played a sport which super rich people paid fortunes to play we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Absolutely not a snobbish remark. I love darts with a passion. It's great televsion and I'd rather watch a game of darts I didn't have a bet on than a Premier League football match.

I admire Taylor's work ethic and longevity as a darts player.

When you've won everything there is to win, it must be easy to lessen your desire to be the best. Taylor has never done that.

But one simple action of your arm, repeated many hundreds of thousands of times until you perfect it does not make a darts player a sportsman.

But one simple action of your arm, repeated many hundreds of thousands of times until you perfect it does not make a golfer a sportsman.

Sorry to sound argumentative!  I find it really annoying as a non golf fan why golf is considered a sport in these type of discussions but snooker and darts are not. 

[Tal]

To me, the biggest argument for Woods over most of the names discussed here is that he dominated in a sport that millions of people play, where money is pummelled into it all over the place and where a lot of people get the chance to reach their potential. And Tiger crushed them all. 

Taylor, for example, plays a game/sport where the majority of the top 32 have been British for the entire time he's dominated. Astonishing longevity, sure, and you can only beat what's in front of you, but it's hard to argue that he's one of the all-time greats for what is a minority pursuit. 

Same problem for Squash, wrestling, Table Tennis and so on. How can you equate that success to be above a multi-billion dollar sport that is played around the world, where the talent pool is enormous and one bloke swept all before him for a decade. 

To take Camel's lead, I'd put Kasparov above Taylor. He was unpopular in the USSR and, in the 90s era where the world was starting to compete better with the demise of the Soviet Union, he soared to the highest rating ever and consistently proved too good for his opponents.  

Beating the competition is what all these people have in common, but the competition is vastly different in breadth, ability and depth.

[kinboshi]

If any of these dead-ball games are sports, then they all have to be, surely?

[kinboshi]

To me, the biggest argument for Woods over most of the names discussed here is that he dominated in a sport that millions of people play, where money is pummelled into it all over the place and where a lot of people get the chance to reach their potential. And Tiger crushed them all.

Taylor, for example, plays a game/sport where the majority of the top 32 have been British for the entire time he's dominated. Astonishing longevity, sure, and you can only beat what's in front of you, but it's hard to argue that he's one of the all-time greats for what is a minority pursuit.

Same problem for Squash, wrestling, Table Tennis and so on. How can you equate that success to be above a multi-billion dollar sport that is played around the world, where the talent pool is enormous and one bloke swept all before him for a decade.

To take Camel's lead, I'd put Kasparov above Taylor. He was unpopular in the USSR and, in the 90s era where the world was starting to compete better with the demise of the Soviet Union, he soared to the highest rating ever and consistently proved too good for his opponents. 

Beating the competition is what all these people have in common, but the competition is vastly different in breadth, ability and depth.

Chess is a game though. For me a sport has to have some physical element to it that requires some dexterity, physical technique and/or strength.

Some will argue that the dead-ball games aren't sport, but for me and my understanding of the definition, they are.

[The Camel]

While Phil Taylor has obviously been amazing in his chosen career, to put him a list with people like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps ect etc seems completely incongruous.

Darts isn't any more of a sport as poker or chess.

All 3 take alot of skill to be a champion, but that doesn't make them sports.

Why is golf any more of a sport than darts?  

I'm not saaying it is or isn't.

But Taylor dominating darts was more akin to that fella who lost 4 games of draughts in 30 years than Usain Bolt smashing every sprint record imagineable.

Tiger dominating golf could easily have the same thing aimed at him.  Doing a casual 4 mile walk every day hitting a small ball around a field more efficiently than your fellow out of shape players with your heart rate never moving.

The statement made is purely a snob factor of golf being a 'sport' that the best in the world earn 25 times more than Taylor.  If Taylor made £50m a year from sponsors because he played a sport which super rich people paid fortunes to play we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Absolutely not a snobbish remark. I love darts with a passion. It's great televsion and I'd rather watch a game of darts I didn't have a bet on than a Premier League football match.

I admire Taylor's work ethic and longevity as a darts player.

When you've won everything there is to win, it must be easy to lessen your desire to be the best. Taylor has never done that.

But one simple action of your arm, repeated many hundreds of thousands of times until you perfect it does not make a darts player a sportsman.

But one simple action of your arm, repeated many hundreds of thousands of times until you perfect it does not make a golfer a sportsman.

Sorry to sound argumentative!  I find it really annoying as a non golf fan why golf is considered a sport in these type of discussions but snooker and darts are not. 

Power to drive the ball 320 yards at one end of the hole, followed by the delicate touch of a surgeon when putting and chipping on greens as fast as ice.

That's before you put the ability to move the ball 60 yards from left to right (or vice versa) in the air in order to curl the ball round a dogleg or to avoid a water hazard.

I'll take any golfer in the top 1000 in the world in a arm wrestling match v any top 32 darts player.

Golfers are strong, flexible and graceful. Darts players are flabby.

Zero comparison IMO.

[Boba Fett]

Bill Goldberg started out 173-0 in his professional wrestling career in WCW which included winning a US title and vacating it as he won the world title with multiple defenses of the title within that streak.  He defeated legends of the sport on that streak including Hulk Hogan, Sting, Lex Luger, Diamond Dallas Page and Brett Hart.  Arguably his reign of dominance wouldve been much longer as he lost the title due to these shenanigans at 15m 39s

[kinboshi]

Bill Goldberg started out 173-0 in his professional wrestling career in WCW which included winning a US title and vacating it as he won the world title with multiple defenses of the title within that streak.  He defeated legends of the sport on that streak including Hulk Hogan, Sting, Lex Luger, Diamond Dallas Page and Brett Hart.  Arguably his reign of dominance wouldve been much longer as he lost the title due to these shenanigans at 15m 39s

Not sport.

[Horneris]

I'll take any golfer in the top 1000 in the world in a arm wrestling match v any top 32 darts player.

Ok, I'll take Painter vs Na in the battle of the Kevins...

Click to see full-size image.

[neeko]

Valentino Rossi.

+1 and Senna for genius and Schumacher for ruthless efficiency

[arbboy]

I'll take any golfer in the top 1000 in the world in a arm wrestling match v any top 32 darts player.

Ok, I'll take Painter vs Na in the battle of the Kevins...

Click to see full-size image.

Try to think of a golfer who wouldn't be 10/1 or bigger in an arm wrestle with Andy Hamilton!  Could easily add Painter/Merv King/Winstanley and Dolan to this list without much thought or worry.

Hamilton v furyk would be 1/100 25/1 surely!

[BigAdz]

While Phil Taylor has obviously been amazing in his chosen career, to put him a list with people like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Michael Phelps ect etc seems completely incongruous.

Darts isn't any more of a sport as poker or chess.

All 3 take alot of skill to be a champion, but that doesn't make them sports.

Why is golf any more of a sport than darts?  

I'm not saaying it is or isn't.

But Taylor dominating darts was more akin to that fella who lost 4 games of draughts in 30 years than Usain Bolt smashing every sprint record imagineable.

Tiger dominating golf could easily have the same thing aimed at him.  Doing a casual 4 mile walk every day hitting a small ball around a field more efficiently than your fellow out of shape players with your heart rate never moving.

The statement made is purely a snob factor of golf being a 'sport' that the best in the world earn 25 times more than Taylor.  If Taylor made £50m a year from sponsors because he played a sport which super rich people paid fortunes to play we wouldn't be having this discussion.

Absolutely not a snobbish remark. I love darts with a passion. It's great televsion and I'd rather watch a game of darts I didn't have a bet on than a Premier League football match.

I admire Taylor's work ethic and longevity as a darts player.

When you've won everything there is to win, it must be easy to lessen your desire to be the best. Taylor has never done that.

But one simple action of your arm, repeated many hundreds of thousands of times until you perfect it does not make a darts player a sportsman.

But one simple action of your arm, repeated many hundreds of thousands of times until you perfect it does not make a golfer a sportsman.

Sorry to sound argumentative!  I find it really annoying as a non golf fan why golf is considered a sport in these type of discussions but snooker and darts are not. 

Power to drive the ball 320 yards at one end of the hole, followed by the delicate touch of a surgeon when putting and chipping on greens as fast as ice.

That's before you put the ability to move the ball 60 yards from left to right (or vice versa) in the air in order to curl the ball round a dogleg or to avoid a water hazard.

I'll take any golfer in the top 1000 in the world in a arm wrestling match v any top 32 darts player.

Golfers are strong, flexible and graceful. Darts players are flabby.

Zero comparison IMO.

Golfers have to walk 4-6m round a course every day, then stick a few hours on the practice range, a couple in the gym( a few exceptions natch!), they adhere to nutrional programmes etc etc. I don't see too many darts and snooker players doing that...

I consider both sports, but no comparison in the "which is more of a sport" debate.

[Waz1892]

not in an overly passionately way, but putting it out there,

Sport or game / pastime - always considered If i can play it and in essence all it took was practice to become a "champion", it is a game/pastime.....if it need nature talent it is a sport.

flame away.