Best Athlete of all time

[rolandd]

Is Wayne Gretzky the best athlete of all times? Does he beat Barry Bonds, Michael Jordan, and Tiger Woods?

I've posted a poll about it on polls boutique, would love to get some serious sports fans' opinion about this poll (http://www.pollsb.com/polls/poll/10808/who-is-a-better-athlete).

[charlio lemieux]

For an all-round athlete...
Lionel Pretoria Conacher (May 24, 1900 – May 26, 1954), nicknamed The Big Train, was Canada's top all-around athlete in the 1920s, excelling in Canadian football, ice hockey, lacrosse, baseball, boxing and wrestling.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, Conacher played for the Toronto Argonauts, and was part of the 1921 Grey Cup winning team. From 1925 to 1937, he played in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Americans, Chicago Blackhawks, and Montreal Maroons. Winning the Stanley Cup in 1934 with the Chicago Blackhawks, and 1935 with the Montreal Maroons.

On May 26, 1954, Conacher was playing softball when he suddenly suffered a heart attack and died. He was named Canada's Greatest Male Athlete of the Half-Century (1950). He is a member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame (1955), the Canadian Football Hall of Fame (1955), the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1966), and Hockey Hall of Fame (1994).

The award for the Canadian Press Canadian male athlete of the year is called the Lionel Conacher Award.

[KB in Kelowna]

For an all-round athlete...
Have to agree with Charlio, but I am sure that some American's might go with Jim Thorpe: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Thorpe

The individuals in this poll might be the best modern(post 1975) athltes in thier sport, I don't think they are the best "athletes".