The world's greatest
Andrew Dodson
Issue date: 1/29/09 Section: Sports
The pinnacle of sporting events will be played this Sunday, but today I focus on the pinnacle of all athletes -- Jim Thorpe. On this day 95 years ago, Thorpe wrote to the chairman of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) and revealed that he played professional baseball in 1909 and 1910 -- two years before winning two gold medals at the 1912 Olympic games in Stockholm, Sweden. Thorpe returned both his heptathlon and pentathlon gold medals which labeled him as the world's greatest athlete.
Since its renaissance in 1888, the AAU placed large constraints on its athletes, doing everything in their power to keep them at the amateur level. Athletes struggled to compete at high profile events with elite competition and received minimal stipend pay. All of this was sacrificed to compete in the most sacred of sporting events, the Olympic games. Most athletes would compete professionally under an alias back then. Thorpe, however, honestly competed under his own name.
Thorpe may have forfeited the title of world's greatest athlete at the time, but in no way did the world forget his rightful place. What Thorpe did then - playing football, basketball and baseball all at the professional level - is unheard of today. While in college at Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Thorpe competed in those three sports in addition to track, lacrosse and golf. He even won the 1912 national inter-collegiate ballroom dancing competition.
Competing and a paycheck wasn't enough for Thorpe. He sought to dominate all of his sports, and he did. In his final baseball season as an outfielder, he batted .327 for the Boston Braves.
Earning an amount well beyond his time of $250 a game for the Canton Bulldogs football organization in 1915, Thorpe literally brought in six-times the amount of fans to Canton and carried them to three championships. Thorpe, the team's running back and receiver, reportedly ended the 1919 Championship Game by kicking a wind-assisted 95-yard punt from his team's own 5-yard line, effectively putting the game out of reach.
We saw Michael Jordan attempt baseball - a flop. NFL defensive tackle Warren Sapp nearly won ABC's Dancing with the Stars title, a close accomplishment to Thorpe's ballroom dancing title. But in reality who out of all professional athletes today could double up in two or more sports. Lebron James may daydream about playing for the Browns in commercials, but we know this is far from reality.
Sixty years after the Stockholm Olympic games and 20 years after Thorpe's death, the AAU and International Olympic Committee restored his amateur standing and the Olympic gold medals he won. Today he continues to be recognized as one of the world's greatest athletes.
Since its renaissance in 1888, the AAU placed large constraints on its athletes, doing everything in their power to keep them at the amateur level. Athletes struggled to compete at high profile events with elite competition and received minimal stipend pay. All of this was sacrificed to compete in the most sacred of sporting events, the Olympic games. Most athletes would compete professionally under an alias back then. Thorpe, however, honestly competed under his own name.
Thorpe may have forfeited the title of world's greatest athlete at the time, but in no way did the world forget his rightful place. What Thorpe did then - playing football, basketball and baseball all at the professional level - is unheard of today. While in college at Carlisle Indian Industrial School, Thorpe competed in those three sports in addition to track, lacrosse and golf. He even won the 1912 national inter-collegiate ballroom dancing competition.
Competing and a paycheck wasn't enough for Thorpe. He sought to dominate all of his sports, and he did. In his final baseball season as an outfielder, he batted .327 for the Boston Braves.
Earning an amount well beyond his time of $250 a game for the Canton Bulldogs football organization in 1915, Thorpe literally brought in six-times the amount of fans to Canton and carried them to three championships. Thorpe, the team's running back and receiver, reportedly ended the 1919 Championship Game by kicking a wind-assisted 95-yard punt from his team's own 5-yard line, effectively putting the game out of reach.
We saw Michael Jordan attempt baseball - a flop. NFL defensive tackle Warren Sapp nearly won ABC's Dancing with the Stars title, a close accomplishment to Thorpe's ballroom dancing title. But in reality who out of all professional athletes today could double up in two or more sports. Lebron James may daydream about playing for the Browns in commercials, but we know this is far from reality.
Sixty years after the Stockholm Olympic games and 20 years after Thorpe's death, the AAU and International Olympic Committee restored his amateur standing and the Olympic gold medals he won. Today he continues to be recognized as one of the world's greatest athletes.
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