GOAT

The GOATs · Tiger Woods and Lionel Messi · Jack Nicklaus and Diego Maradona · Bobby Jones and Pelé.

Arnold Palmer and David Beckham were the rare champions who caught the attention of people who didn’t follow sports. Tiger and Messi are the GOATs of golf and soccer, respectively. Palmer’s place in golf is cemented forever and extends beyond his greatness as a player. Pelé never played in the great European leagues of his era for political reasons. In 2000, Pelé was named the FIFA co-Player of the Century (alongside Maradona) as a nod to his importance. The final players who can enter the GOAT discussion are Bobby Jones and Pelé. Let me start by pointing out that both Bobby Jones and Pelé played in an era when athletes would cross the Atlantic Ocean by boat. There are still people who feel Jones and Pelé are GOATs. They are two of the most popular and important athletes of our time. There are only three men in the discussion for both golf and soccer, so that makes this a fairly clean exercise. And let me say this: Amateur golf at the absolute highest level matters. It’s always fun to throw around opinions on who the GOATs (greatest of all time) are for our many passions.