Still great, but overrated athletes

[Jaydumo20]

Which athletes, all sports, are overrated for some reason other than their individual performances.

If you're on this list it doesnt mean you weren't great, it just means you weren't as great as history may remember you.

Maybe you won a dunk contest, or made some acrobatic plays, or were on really good teams.

 

[Jaydumo20]

I'll start with Lynn Swan.
Although he was a member of those great steelers teams, and is in the hall of fame and was also playing at a time where the passing game wasn't as open as it is now, his acrobatic play, and rings overshadow his numbers:
He isn't nearly in the top 300 of receiving yards, or receptions. Only ranks 153rd all time in TDs with 51.

Bone Yarders in their mid to late 60s will crush me for this. I'm sorry.

 

[Lafayette]

The poster boy for overrated other than individual performances has got to be Carmelo Anthony: the epitome of "me first" stats (points, rebounds), cannot be bothered to play D, not a team player and was considered an amazing player despite the selfishness.

I'll start with Lynn Swan.
Although he was a member of those great steelers teams, and is in the hall of fame and was also playing at a time where the passing game wasn't as open as it is now, his acrobatic play overshadow his numbers:
He isn't in the top 300 of receiving yards, or receptions. Only ranks 153rd all time in TDs with 51.

Bone Yarders in their mid to late 60s will crush me for this but there it is

Swanny had a great second life as a pitch man in Miller Lite ads etc....

 

[Hunt for 7]

As a Rams fan who lost a Super Bowl because we could not cover Swan or Stalworth when it mattered, I have to take issue with your take on Swan.

He made some very acrobatic catches and he was very clutch. Also not sure you can use TD catches as a comparison. In the 70’s and early 80’s teams very rarely passed the ball inside the 10 yard line. Fade routes were just not as prevalent and I think Swan would have been a monster on those routes because when he was in the air he had incredible body control.

 

[Jaydumo20]

As a Rams fan who lost a Super Bowl because we could not cover Swan or Stalworth when it mattered, I have to take issue with your take on Swan.

He made some very acrobatic catches and he was very clutch. Also not sure you can use TD catches as a comparison. In the 70’s and early 80’s teams very rarely passed the ball inside the 10 yard line. Fade routes were just not as prevalent and I think Swan would have been a monster on those routes because when he was in the air he had incredible body control.

Don Maynard, Don Hutson and Lance Alworth are top 20 all time in receiving TDs. None of them are as famous as Swan but all 3 were better receivers. I think the acrobatics are responsible for the inflated assessment.

But this is all subjective, and i wasn't alive to see him play so I'm not getting the full picture . Thanks for the input!

 

[Lafayette]

1. Big Shot Rob - geez the rings, and was clutch but not as good as 7 rings.
2. Scottie Pippen - I mean great stats but under the umbrella of playing with the GOAT of shooting guards, yeah.
3. Sorry Celtics fans - KC Jones - 8 rings in 9 years with the general thought he was a great player but avg 7 pts, 3.5 reb, 4.5 assits per game - on any other team no rings. Teammates were Russel, Havilcek, Heinsohn, and Sam Jones.

 

[Mr. French]

I got some hot takes here…

 

[Lefty2one]

Reggie Miller is always the first one that comes to mind.

 

[Jaydumo20]

1. Big Shot Rob - geez the rings, and was clutch but not as good as 7 rings.
2. Scottie Pippen - I mean great stats but under the umbrella of playing with the GOAT of shooting guards, yeah.
3. Sorry Celtics fans - KC Jones - 8 rings in 9 years with the general thought he was a great player but avg 7 pts, 3.5 reb, 4.5 assits per game - on any other team no rings. Teammates were Russel, Havilcek, Heinsohn, and Sam Jones.

Robert Horry is an especially good one

 

[TheRealKBuks]

LeBron James

 

[upstater]

Overrated: Indy Colts Peyton Manning.

Underrated: Denver Broncos Peyton Manning destroyed the Colts Peyton Manning (up until he couldn't throw anymore).

 

[Lafayette]

Michael Vick, Joe Namath, Terry Bradshaw, Conor McGregor, heck even Derek Jeter if you go by "lore vs stats"

 

[Deepster]

Joe Namath - Coming from a lifelong Jets fan. Horrible passing numbers.

50.1% pass completion
173 TD's vs 220 INT's
His TD/INT's in his four best seasons? 19/27, 26/28, 20/22 and 19/21.
His performance in the famed Super Bowl he predicted a win? 17 for 28 for 206 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Joe Namath - Coming from a lifelong Jets fan. Horrible passing numbers.

50.1% pass completion
173 TD's vs 220 INT's
His TD/INT's in his four best seasons? 19/27, 26/28, 20/22 and 19/21.
His performance in the famed Super Bowl he predicted a win? 17 for 28 for 206 yds, 0 TD, 0 INT.

Yes. I think this has to be the standard by which all others are measured. Good call

 

[Scoe]

I got some hot takes here…

Spit it out show some courage.

 

[Scoe]

Caitlyn Clark

 

[RJScootin]

Derek Jeter

 

[RuffRuff]

Yes. I think this has to be the standard by which all others are measured. Good call

Really good one - more sizzle than substance. On that note, would Bradshaw qualify?

Feels like candidate will fit one of a few these categories:

Big flashy personalities who were entertaining, but who’s on field results didn’t match

Stat compilers but not winners

Individually great but didn’t make those around them better

Players who had epic highlight moments but not consistent or great on the aggregate

Secondary athletes who won on coat tails

 

[Rasputin]

Nolan Ryan and Derek Jeter

 

[RuffRuff]

Was gonna bring up Ryan, classic compiler.

Jeter is hard - one of the all time great leaders, clutch when it mattered and part of a dynasty in a sport very hard to do it in. Not a Yanks fan but he was the core of that team culture and rebuilding that franchise from the ash. If you haven’t watched Bronx is Burning, great watch as to the early 90s Yanks all time worst season. The story around Mel Hall is specially wild.

Nolan Ryan and Derek Jeter

 

[StllH8L8ner]

The poster boy for overrated other than individual performances has got to be Carmelo Anthony: the epitome of "me first" stats (points, rebounds), cannot be bothered to play D, not a team player and was considered an amazing player despite the selfishness.

Was going to be my answer. He’s a guy who should have been beloved in NY but true fans in the Big Apple know he’s a fraud.

 

[Lafayette]

Was gonna bring up Ryan, classic compiler. Jeter is hard - one of the all time great leaders, clutch when it mattered and part of a dynasty in a sport very hard to do it in.

Ryan - still has the record for most KOs in a season (1973, 383) - also with 7 no hitters. Compiler for all time KOs (yes, still owns that record) but usually on terrible teams. When a Yankees legend like Reggie Jackson admits he was afraid of Ryan because he could kill you, that is high praise. Norm Cash trying to bat with a table leg speaks to Ryan's ability to KO anyone. No one says he's among the best pitchers ever, but in the next tier, he is tops.

Jeter - post season compiler for sure - playoffs expanded when the Yankees cruised. Wasn't even the best SS in the AL (Tejada). 3 rounds of 7 games is exactly why he got more ABs, H, HRs, etc. than guys like Mantle, Mays, etc. Limited range at SS, but really good players, but generally his "legend" is > his game.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Really good one - more sizzle than substance. On that note, would Bradshaw qualify?

Feels like candidate will fit one of a few these categories:

Big flashy personalities who were entertaining, but who’s on field results didn’t match

Stat compilers but not winners

Individually great but didn’t make those around them better

Players who had epic highlight moments but not consistent or great on the aggregate

Secondary athletes who won on coat tails

I'd put Bradshaw there, personally.

That steelers teams is tough to correctly judge. They seemed to have completely captivated every K-12 sports fan from that era. I doubt if even the big red machine or the Jordan Bulls enjoyed that kind of countrywide conversion.

 

[RuffRuff]

I'd put Bradshaw there, personally.

That steelers teams is tough to correctly judge. They seemed to have completely captivated every K-12 sports fan from that era. Not even the big red machine or the Jordan Bulls enjoyed that kind of countrywide conversion.

Didn’t live those 70s Steelers to see it, but the amount of national Steelers fan there are to this day because it’s been passed down generationally mystifies me. Similar to the Cowboys, which were lucky enough to brand themselves as Americas team at their height. Raiders to a lesser extent, have the same thing going on. I think I saw a map of favorite NFL teams by state and Pitt had Maine of all places.

 

[Deepster]

Derek Jeter

Great call and one that really sparks very strong reactions.

If you want to go down the rathole? Start looking at the primes of Michael Young (Texas SS) and Jeter, then consider how each would have been perceived if they had both switched teams for their entire career.

(I'll also preface any future (predictable) posts that reference All Star appearances (fan popularity/market), World Series (team achievements) and "he's clutch" or any reference to "the flip play" which can't be proven as a factor.)

 

[superjohn]

Ryan - still has the record for most KOs in a season (1973, 383) - also with 7 no hitters. Compiler for all time KOs (yes, still owns that record) but usually on terrible teams. When a Yankees legend like Reggie Jackson admits he was afraid of Ryan because he could kill you, that is high praise. Norm Cash trying to bat with a table leg speaks to Ryan's ability to KO anyone. No one says he's among the best pitchers ever, but in the next tier, he is tops.

Jeter - post season compiler for sure - playoffs expanded when the Yankees cruised. Wasn't even the best SS in the AL (Tejada). 3 rounds of 7 games is exactly why he got more ABs, H, HRs, etc. than guys like Mantle, Mays, etc. Limited range at SS, but really good players, but generally his "legend" is > his game.

The Jeter one is said so often and is so silly that he's probably underrated at this point. No, Miguel Tejada wasn't better than Jeter despite juicing his entire career.

 

[RuffRuff]

The Jeter one is said so often and is so silly that he's probably underrated at this point. No, Miguel Tejada wasn't better than Jeter despite juicing his entire career.

Sometimes you just can’t overlook intangibles. To this day, when Jeter speaks, like EF Hutton, I listen. I would consider him a top 5 leader in all sports in my lifetime, especially in non QB roles. Those Yankee teams did all the little things well, and I’d be shocked if culturally it didn’t all start with Jeter in the clubhouse.

And I’m a Mets fan.

 

[Jaydumo20]

Sometimes you just can’t overlook intangibles. To this day, when Jeter speaks, like EF Hutton, I listen. I would consider him a top 5 leader in all sports in my lifetime, especially in non QB roles. Those Yankee teams did all the little things well, and I’d be shocked if culturally it didn’t all start with Jeter in the clubhouse.

And I’m a Mets fan.

Good point. I feel the same about Peyton manning. Even though his numbers were there the one intangible is what vaults him over nearly everyone: his ability to make entire coaching staffs look foolish. Jeter's intangibles are pretty tangible.

Somewhat unrelated but have you heard the goose gossage interview where he calls Mariano, among others, garbage? When asked what he's up to these days he said :"burning bridges"

 

[superjohn]

Sometimes you just can’t overlook intangibles. To this day, when Jeter speaks, like EF Hutton, I listen. I would consider him a top 5 leader in all sports in my lifetime, especially in non QB roles. Those Yankee teams did all the little things well, and I’d be shocked if culturally it didn’t all start with Jeter in the clubhouse.

And I’m a Mets fan.

Agreed but I could understand his detractors a lot more if he was all just intangibles/winning/leadership without the numbers. The dude raked for 15+ straight years.

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Sometimes you just can’t overlook intangibles. To this day, when Jeter speaks, like EF Hutton, I listen. I would consider him a top 5 leader in all sports in my lifetime, especially in non QB roles. Those Yankee teams did all the little things well, and I’d be shocked if culturally it didn’t all start with Jeter in the clubhouse.

And I’m a Mets fan.

We’ve seen plenty of examples of players who wilted when playing for the Yankees. While Jeter’s numbers weren’t off the charts astounding, he consistently did well for 20 years in a market where the fans and media will turn on you in a heartbeat. It’s a pressure cooker of expectations that no other team has to experience and IMO that should account for something which is why I’d never call him overrated.