Overrated Athletes

Last time I used a book called Overrated that was just a collection of overrated random stuff. I thought I can get into that. First, here are overrated sports people. All of these athletes are pretty good. You've got to be pretty good to be overrated in the first place. I think these have gotten more than their share, though.

• Muhammed Ali - I think some magazine voted him athlete of the last century. I don't think so. I'm not sure he was the best boxer or even the best boxer of his time. He lost several fights. Joe Frazier was as good or maybe better. Same for George Foreman. And did Ali come up with grill that makes delicious food? I don't think so. He avoided the draft because it was against his religion, but he didn't mind beating people up. Also, I hate trash talking and boasting and didn't Ali start that? I think so. He was the first. And it got him a lot of notoriety. More than he should have gotten.
• John Elway - A pretty good quarterback that some try to say is one of the best all-time. He won his last two Super Bowls. One because of him and one in spite of him. Before that he got trounced in two or three others. Some of the worst Super Bowl losses of all time. He is lauded for having a bunch of come from behind victories. To come from behind means you must have let your team get behind to begin with. Not a great stat.
• Rhonda Rousey - I'm not that familiar with her, but I hear her name all the time. How do you become a superstar athlete while doing a sport I didn't even know existed until a year or two ago. Its a non-sport. Its like being the best tether ball player in the world.
• Joe Namath - He had a couple good years and was flashy and won a Super Bowl. For most of his career he was awful. He barely completed half his passes. He threw way more interceptions than touchdowns. I like Joe, but he wasn't very good.
• Magic Johnson - He got a lot of triple doubles. That means having ten or more rebounds, assists, and points in a game. That is a lame statistic. Getting double figures in points is no big deal. Lots of players do that every game. If you are tall and you're the one that brings the ball down the court, you have the inside edge in getting a triple double. It's also estimated he gave AIDS to a couple thousand women. Another less that stellar statistic.
• Cal Ripken Jr. - He was good, but his main claim to fame is playing a bunch of games in a row. I could play a bunch of games in a row. What is the skill in that? Again, I like him and he was a good player, but he's gotten a lot of mileage out of a stat that isn't that impressive.

I was going to do underrated also, but I've said plenty here. That will be for another time.