Is Tom Brady the greatest football player of all time? Who would you choose, Michael Jordan or LeBron James? Is Serena Williams the greatest athlete of all time? Or is it Mohammed Ali?
Jesse Owens won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, broke or tied nine Olympic records, also set three world records, and single-handedly shattered Adolf Hitler’s myth of Aryan superiority; yet its record mark of 10.3 seconds in the 100 meters today would be 21 feet behind Usain Bolt’s record of 9.58. Would it be fairer to incorporate broader cultural achievements? Or should the greatest of all time just focus on the numbers?
Student Challenge: Make Your Case for the GOAT
First, ask your students to decide which aspect of the GOAT debate they would like to address: best game, best season, best match, coach, athlete, et cetera.
Next, they need to define their standards for greatness: Does greatest mean the player you want to see batting in Game 7 of the World Series, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth? Is it rather the number of victories of an athlete? Its longevity? The relative strength of competition? The impact of the athlete within and beyond sport?
Advancing evidence-based arguments and tackling counterarguments
Use one or two model texts to help students move from a simple statement or opinion to a rigorous evidence-based argument. Here are some excerpts to highlight how the authors support their claims with evidence and anticipate counterarguments:
In “Is Russell Westbrook’s season the best ever? Some apples and oranges to choose from“, Jeré Longman supports his claims with evidence using sports statistics:
Westbrook’s season, while great, is not the best in NBA history. This belongs to none other than Wilt Chamberlain in 1961-62 with the Philadelphia Warriors. Chamberlain averaged 50.4 points and 25.7 rebounds that season and (this may be the best stat in all of sports) played 48.5 minutes per game. Regulation games last 48 minutes, but the Warriors have played seven games that went to at least one overtime period. During that 80-game regular season, Chamberlain played 3,882 of Philadelphia’s possible 3,890 minutes.
On March 2, 1962, Chamberlain scored 100 points against the Knicks, but that was just the highlight of a four-game stretch in which he scored 67, 65 and 61 points in the previous three games, according to Basketball -reference.com. In total, he scored at least 60 points 15 times this season, including a stunning performance on December 8, 1961 against the Lakers, in which Chamberlain delivered 78 points and 43 rebounds.
In “It’s time to appreciate the greatness of Serena Williams», Christopher Clarey anticipates counter-arguments:
In light of this and Williams’ enduring excellence, there is momentum behind considering her the greatest female player of all time. This is a subjective process, in which it is always tempting to give too much weight to the great champion in front of you, the one whose victory under pressure is freshest in your mind.
What is indisputable is that Williams has not been as consistent in regular tour events over the course of her career as players like Navratilova, Chris Evert and Graf.
Navratilova won 167 singles titles as well as 177 doubles titles at a time when doubles was much more prestigious than it is today. Evert has won 154 singles titles. Graf, who hasn’t played as long as Williams, has won 107. Williams, at the moment, has 67, which places her tied for sixth on the career list with Billie Jean King. …
But if “greatest” means the player who would have beaten everyone else in their prime, it’s hard not to feel a strong pull in Williams’ direction. His powerful serve and under-pressure serve are weapons that no other great player possesses to the same degree. Modern equipment is certainly a factor, but she is also complete off the field and, guided by her coach Patrick Mouratoglou, she is improving her volleys, aerial passes and tactical variations.
Together, the class could analyze how these authors develop their arguments for GOAT, for example, by defining their terms for greatness, providing evidence to support the claims, and anticipating and then considering potential counterclaims.
