The Bull Pen

I don't believe Michael Phelps should be called the Greatest Olympian of All-Time.

Of course, I believe Phelps is a marvellous, one-of-a-kind athlete.  He is dominant in the pool.  He's won 19 Olympics medals, surpassing the previous record of 18 held by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina.

Now, winning even one Olympic medal is a great feat.  Winning 18 or 19 is incredible.  It's not easy.  But it's a little easier if your discipline involves multiple events.

Latynina won medals in the vault, floor exercise, balance beam, and vault.  She also earned medals in the team event.  So while no doubt she was excellent, she also benefitted from the work of others.

Phelps is simply amazing.  He's more than just a butterfly specialist, having hit the podium in the freestyle and the individual medley.  But again, his medal count is boosted by using the same stroke at different distances.  He has also won relay medals, so like Latynina, he's been helped at least somewhat by the performance of teammates.  And why is there even a 4x200m relay?  That's an arbitrary distance that lends itself to repeat winners from the 4x100m relay.  

What is there was full-length javelin and half-length?  What if they used different weights of shot puts?  Certainly the same athletes would often medal in both.

What if Sydney Crosby played on the Canadian hockey team, and also competed in accuracy shooting, the breakaway shootout, and fastest skater?  Certainly his medals would pile up.

I recognize Phelps' greatness.  I also recognize his sport gives him more chances to be great than others.