Remembering Oscar Pelé: The Soccer Hero who Made the Most Out Of His Father (and Who You Want to Play?). Remembering the Legend of the Soccer World

With Pelé’s death, that transfer of power is on hold, at least for the moment, giving us time not only to remember soccer’s original international superstar, the rare iconic athlete whose moniker is synonymous with the game he played, but to think a bit about what it means to be the greatest.

But as news of his death at 82 began to spread throughout the world, it seemed as though there was nothing to write that hadn’t been written; nothing to say that hadn’t been said.

Pelé learned the game from his father, who used a stuffed sock or a large fruit as a ball. In 1958, at just 17 years old, he erupted on the international pitch, becoming the youngest to score in a FIFA World Cup match and, with victory over host Sweden in the final, he put Brazil on the global sports map – an international icon born.

Pel, says historians, is a transcended national identity that embodies an image of Pan-African success, perhaps particularly when the team toured Nigeria in the 1960s. “That the leaders of the Brazilian team also came from impoverished neighborhoods and difficult circumstances,” argues Elsey, “created solidarity with players across the Global South.”

While committed to country and team — he stayed with Brazil’s Santos FC for some 19 years, scoring 643 goals in 659 games (despite lucrative offers coming from the likes of Paris St. Germain and Real Madrid, and a scrapped deal from Inter Milan because of fan protests in Brazil) — he also existed as a singular figure, the greatest of all time with his unparalleled record of three World Cup championships (1958, 1962, 1970) and, according to Guinness World Records (and let’s be clear: his goal tally has always been up for debate, with friendlies and exhibitions thrown in), 1,279 goals in 1,363 matches.

Rather than fully retire once his time with Santos and the national team was done, he brought his talents to New York, playing for the Cosmos from 1975 to 1977, his celebrity bringing new fans and huge crowds to North American Soccer League matches.

The best we can do is declare: life after the game is over, therefore, you are a GOAT. But Pelé, we must remember, was never “just” the GOAT. He was, and will always be, the King.

There are arguments about what it means to be the greatest after a huge victory, retirement, or death, at best, and criteria for GOAT is unclear. Is the GOAT the most decorated? The longest is at number one? Is it about stats? Brilliance? Creativity? The most titles over time? The most titles in a year? The most titles in one day? The biggest paycheck? The most influential people in the world?

Ali owned the rights toG.O.A.T., Inc., which his wife created, at one point. Ali then sold it for some $50 million to entertainment firm CKX in 2006, which bought an 80% interest in Ali’s name and likeness.

All Time: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly? What Do You Need to Know About Gene-Vector Seymour?

Gene Seymour is a critic who has written for The New York Times, Newsday, Entertainment Weekly and The Washington Post. Follow him on Twitter @GeneSeymour. The opinions expressed in this commentary are his own. More opinion on CNN can be found.

Had it with them. The past is done. I wish my arms were longer so that I could see where my right hand is, because it is six inches over my head.

I mean the acronym and not the barnyard animal, as you can tell from the capital letters. They can stay around for as long as they like, doing their part to clear excess trash and stuff.

Not in all of sports. James Corden made it official when he declared her to be the GOAT, because she had just become the first African-American to win a 32ndGRAMMY Award.

Is it the best-of-all-time? Really? Granted, Knowles has had a fabulous, even extraordinary career with more accomplishments likely to come. But “All Time” takes in a whole lot of territory, including, off the top of one’s head: Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Duke Ellington, Glenn Gould, Ella Fitzgerald, Joni Mitchell, The Beatles, Maria Callas, Prince, Sarah Vaughan, and yes, maestro Solti himself, whose 22-year stint as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s musical director made it all but preeminent among other such organizations all over the world.

All this GOAT talk with Bey was likely worsened by last week’s retirement of Tom Brady from his professional football job, after 23 years in the game.

He was often described as an escape artist by Sportscasters because of his ability to pull winning plays. He enabled the Patriots to be a dynasty for not just one, but two decades. Brady excelled at his work and was often impressive and entertaining while carrying it out.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/08/opinions/lebron-james-kareem-abdul-jabbar-fed-up-with-goat-seymour-ctrp/index.html

The GOATs, the Kardashians and the Alcindors: What do they teach us about [Bron James]? A gimlet-eyed assessment of his late success with the Los Angeles Lakers

Such hair-splitting will likely continue in the days, months and even years ahead – especially now that LeBron James of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers has surpassed previous Laker legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s career scoring total of 38,387 points. James broke the record late in a home game Tuesday, which ended in a loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder with Abdul-Jabbar, now a distinguished writer and cultural pundit, looking on with approval.

The GOAT chants are building to a fervent pitch around James’s name against those who believe Michael Jordan closed off the GOAT discussion in professional basketball with his six titles with the Chicago Bulls. Meanwhile, Abdul-Jabbar’s onetime Laker coach Pat Riley, now an executive with the Miami Heat, has felt compelled to promote the now-75-year-old Artist Formerly Known as Lew Alcindor for the latter’s title-laden career.

It’s a standard that turns “greatness” into nothing more than a “King of the Hill” game, a paraphrase of the sentiment, attributed to the late billionaire Malcolm Forbes, that “he who dies with the most toys wins,” one of those phrases that launched t-shirts, bumper stickers and, later, memes.

Having the most trophies should not be the only criteria for judging, enjoying or being inspired by an artist or athlete. Let’s go back to Brady. From the time he emerged from obscurity in 2001 as a second-year NFL player (and sixth-round draft pick) to lead the New England Patriots from longtime mediocrity into perennial playoff contenders and Super Bowl winners, Brady developed into a prolific passer and clutch scorer, holding every meaningful quarterbacking record in the NFL.

There was a lot of chemistry between Brady and GOAT-ness. Everything about Brady, from his private life to his health regimen, was geared toward the single-minded pursuit of victory and the enhancement of his reputation. As Dave Zirin, a sporstwriter for The Nation, put it in a gimlet-eyed assessment published before Brady’s last Super Bowl in 2021, “Brady is all about his brand. He is more brand than man.”

And fun is what one gets from watching certain players, whether they’re Jordan reinventing open space with each approach to the basket, Barry Sanders whirling around potential tacklers to find a seam in the defense wide enough to breach for big gains, Megan Rapinoe’s exuberant blend of slash-and-burn dynamics and precision passing in securing a goal for the American women’s national soccer team.

Source: https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/08/opinions/lebron-james-kareem-abdul-jabbar-fed-up-with-goat-seymour-ctrp/index.html

What has been going on with the Goat Optical Tailoring Technique (GOAT) at the LHC? What I’ve learned from them

I suppose, then, that if we’re going to have GOATs, they should exist in the context of history, their status dependent on what exactly we mean by “all time.”

Which is what I have had with GOATs. I am notgrudge a corner bar or barber shop arguing about who is or isn’t a GOAT. I just want to leave myself out of it. I feel very close to performers in many arenas because of how they do their work, play their games and sing their songs. They’re likely not all-time greats and have been superseded by newer, younger talent. But they’re great enough for me.