Feel the tumult of black emotions, chagrin, rage, hatred, toward the once beloved sports broadcaster!
Shock might be too flimsy of a word to describe the reaction from surf fans this morning after it was revealed Kelly Slater had failed to make ESPN’s 100 best athletes of the 21st century list.
Kelly Slater, nearing sixty and who is still competing at the highest level of surfing including at next month’s Fiji Pro, couldn’t get near the list which included Australian netballer Lauren Jackson, Spanish soccer player Xavi Hernandez and hard-partying NFL player Charles Woodson.
The methodology for the list was simple as ESPN explains:
Experts in individual sports were asked to vote to rank the top athletes in their sport since Jan. 1, 2000 (no accomplishments before this date were to be considered). Those votes pared down pools in each sport to lists of 10 to 25 athletes each, which constituted the overall candidate pool for the top athletes of the 21st century so far. Each voter was presented two randomly selected names and asked to pick which one has had the better career in the 21st century. Across repeated, randomized head-to-head matchups, more than 70,000 votes were cast at this stage, and using an Elo rating system, the list was pared down from 262 to 100. That list was then evaluated by a panel of experts for any inconsistencies or oversights, resulting in the top 100 ranking seen here.
And, while some might argue, and with authority, that Slater’s best years were 92 through 99, his feats through the 21st century will set any surf fan’s ganglia aquiver
Five world titles, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011.
Pipe wins, 2008, 2013 and 2022.
Quik Pro wins, 2006, 2008, 2011, 201
Tahiti wins, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2011, 2016.
J-Bay, 2005 and 2008.
Bells, 2006, 2008, 2010.
Fiji, 2005, 2008, 2012, 2013.
US Open, 2011.
And a sweet late-season Triple Crown win in 2019.
Wonder if he gives a fk..its not a sport its a pastime for misfits like us..or use to be.
Wtf are you on? You’re confirming what I just said above. How are you going rank an “athlete” in the pastime he’s been dominant in is not really a “sport” like I said. duh.
To be fair, it’s pretty hard to include an “athlete” from a “sport” that can only be held in certain coastal locations around the world or does not include a standardized playing field/course. It’s also pretty hard to consider surfing a “true” sport when you have Elite participants who can be “professional” without entering a single competition ala Freesurfers. If you can find one basketball, soccer, football, baseball player 0r golfer who gets paid to just do a sport recreationally and is considered amongst the “best to do ever do it”… I’d like to hear some names. “Good or skilled” participants in sports/activities/hobbies who make a living and tons of money online are called “influencers” not athletes. In which case, JOB, Nate Florence, Ben Gravy and Koa Rothman would be greater than Slater.
Wtf are u on ?
Oh stop being fucktards. Everyone knows the World Series is played in America only by American (and like 2 Canadian) professional teams. And everyone also knows the best professional baseball players in the world play in America regardless of where they’re from. Just like the best footballers play professionally in Europe regardless of where they’re from. Why? That’s where the $€£ is.
“Those votes pared down pools
in each sport to lists of 10-
25 athletes”*
*Clearly these pools did not include Lemoore, thus placing Mr Slater at a significant disadvantage.
Congrats to Anastasia Ashley at 69 on the list
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
A whole new layer could be added to baseball, albeit if there was any money to make it happen, by adding in countries like Cuba and Japan to the MLB.
Anyone can play baseball and various foootyballz, but few have any idea what sufferingboarding is, beyond seeing it on the TV as an ‘exotic’ pastime. It ain’t “sport”.
How many of those wannabes on that list hooked up with Middle East money, and built a tub? Yeah, “mic drop”!**
At least he was in the beer commercial and hooked up with prime Pam Anderson
Cmon man she’s always had shit tits
I dunno … young Sup Braj was was a young hormonal boy in the late 90’s. My priorities were skewed to the bimbo look.
Loving your reports and corrections
Someone has to do it
Kelly Slater is a loser.
Yeah..says stickman from the obscurity of his parents basement…maaa..meatloaf maaa..we need some meatloaf…you really showed them 🐅
Whoa serious guy…Meatloafs ready!
No respect from their newest broadcast partner. WSL would cut ties if they had any dignity, but we all know the answer to that, ha … better to suck up to no respect espn and cut off all the actual surfers who sort of care and keep turning off the YouTube feed at the quarters
Because everyone not connected or vested in it knows that professional surfing is a corrupt hoax.
Maybe surfing is right up there with greco Roman wrestling in the public’s attention.
No, I think up there with Curling would be more accurate.
Mmmmmmmm… loving Rosie’s grip
According to some reports he’s up there in the running for ‘Worst Son, Brother, Ex, Father’ award though…
Kelly who?
Clarkson
Elo did the rating system?
Coz everyone knows surfing is a giant jerkoff and not a true sport, Dez.