Who Is The GOAT In Every Major Sport?

Ask a sports fan who the greatest of all time in each sport was, and you're likely to get a few different answers. Some fans prize individual stats, while others care most about championships and still others value intangibles.

Whatever your criteria is, you've probably got a favorite answer to this question in each sport you follow. These athletes certainly proved they belong in the conversation during their stellar careers!

Baseball: Babe Ruth

It's hard to argue with the Sultan of Swat. Most fans know about Ruth's 714 home runs, but Babe also drove hitters nuts on the mound with his skills as a pitcher. Ruth proved so skilled as a hurler that he could have made the Hall of Fame on that alone, but his hitting skills made him too valuable to play only twice a week. Once he moved to the outfield, his bat became the most feared weapon of his era.

Football: Tom Brady

Brady went from the quarterback nobody wanted to rewriting the NFL record book. He owns the NFL record for passing touchdowns, yards, completions, and games started, and that's before even touching his playoff prowess. Brady won seven Super Bowls and played in 10 total. Think about that: In 56 Super Bowls, 10 have featured Tom Brady as the starting quarterback. That's a number nobody will ever threaten.

Basketball: LeBron James

Michael Jordan fans love to point to his 6-0 record in the Finals and declare the debate over. But despite Jordan's greatness, he never won even a playoff series without Scottie Pippen and took seven years to find a way past the Detroit Pistons. LeBron reached the NBA Finals in his fourth year despite the Cavaliers never surrounding him with comparable talent. LeBron now owns four rings and four Finals MVPs, as well as the most points of all time. The lack of exceptional talent around him throughout his career gives him the edge.

Hockey: Wayne Gretzky

Basketball fans might have a debate, but almost nobody in hockey disputes the Great One's claim to being the best. Gretzky made the Edmonton Oilers a dynasty in the first act of his career, then put hockey on the map in Los Angeles after his trade to the Kings. Ironically, the only one who seems to disagree with Gretzky's four Stanley Cups, 894 goals, and 2,857 points is Gretzky himself, who would have voted for Bobby Orr or Gordie Howe.

Soccer: Pele

When one name says it all, that ends the debate. Pele scored 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches, making it rarer for him to not score than it was for him to find the mesh. Throw in three World Cup titles with Brazil — more than every other country except Italy and Germany — and there's not much to debate.