What players have fundamentally changed a sport?

[CyberJJJ]

For some alternative angles:

• Jimmy Connors - Tennis played with a metal racket against McEnroe still using wood at Wimbledon. Now all the wooden rackets are on local sports bar walls.
• Bruce Fordyce - Won the Comrades ultra Marathon (actually a double marathon!) in South Africa 9 times.
• Jackie Robinson - 1st African American baseball player in major league baseball.
• Jesse Owens - Track & Field who crushed Adolf Hitler’s hopes of proving that his Aryan athletes represented a global master race
• Nadia Comaneci - Gymnastics - her perfect 10 during the Olympics changed the sport of women's gymnastics
• Aleksandr Baryshnikov - Russian shot putter who used the spin technique
• Mark Spitz - 7 Gold medals in swimming created the opportunity for Michael Phelps to be great.

 

[CyberJJJ]

The GOAT, Cristiano Ronaldo

Re-wrote the books on flopping in soccer!

 

[NY Chicago Fan]

Belmonte for bowling. First person with great success bowling with two hands. Many to most of the youth coming up in the sport are two handed. He single handedly (I mean double handedly) changed the way people bowl. This would be comparable to a "happy gilmore" golfer

What, there is a method of bowling with two two hands?

 

[Cyclones8824]

On the NBA, in addition to Curry, I think you kind of have to throw James Harden in there. He certainly popularized the hunting for fouls game which resulted in some recent rule changes. The first time he jumped into a defender on a three pointer and didn't get the call was a thing of beauty.

I believe wade was doing that before Harden

 

[enisthemenace]

I’m on the Tiger Woods bus here, but I’ll be a contrarian and say, selfishly, what he did to/for golf was for the worse.

A LOT harder to find a tee time than it was before him.

 

[cyclone13]

I'd also add Bernard Hopkins who IMO is probably the best defensive boxer of all time.
roy Jones Jr. is another defensive master.
Money Mayweather perfected the defensive art too. Money wasn’t that way originally

 

[Gonzo]

I'd also add Bernard Hopkins who IMO is probably the best defensive boxer of all time.
roy Jones Jr. is another defensive master.
Money Mayweather perfected the defensive art too. Money wasn’t that way originally

Also didn't hurt dodging many of the top guys when they were in their prime... Money was a master at that.

 

[cyclone13]

Also didn't hurt dodging many of the top guys when they were in their prime... Money was a master at that.

Agree wholeheartedly. His perfect record is IMHO less than boxers with L on their records but faced the best available opponents.

Tommy Hearns was a legend despite losing to Hagler and Leonard. Hagler was still a legend despite 3 losses (2 in the beginning of his career). Duran was a legend too despite his losses.

 

[cyclone13]

I’m on the Tiger Woods bus here, but I’ll be a contrarian and say, selfishly, what he did to/for golf was for the worse.

A LOT harder to find a tee time than it was before him.

Tiger changed the sports in a sense that before him, it was mostly typical country club guys who played the sports. Tiger gave belief that “regular” people can do it too

 

[Gonzo]

Agree wholeheartedly. His perfect record is IMHO less than boxers with L on their records but faced the best available opponents.

Tommy Hearns was a legend despite losing to Hagler and Leonard. Hagler was still a legend despite 3 losses (2 in the beginning of his career). Duran was a legend too despite his losses.

Hearns was terrifying. That's what was great about that era, all those guys got in with each other while in their prime... Leonard, Hearns, Hagler, Duran. Sugar Ray was terrified of stepping in with Hearns. He did, so kudos to him. But man Hitman was so long and had so much power at that weight, he has some of the best knockout reels, his opponents literally needed to be shoveled out of the ring.

 

[fcclone]

**** Fosbury completely changed the high jump with the “Fosbury flop”.

 

[Gunnerclone]

Nobody has probably mentioned hockey yet so I’ll throw Wayne Gretzky out there. Look at the NHL now, every rule is geared toward playing basically Gretzky’s style of play. He would have had 200 point seasons in todays game. .

 

[Nococy]

kareem abdul jabbar because of him the ncaa made dunking illegal. so he developed the next most unstoppable move the sky hook

 

[cyatheart]

any list has to include Wilt.

 

[cytor]

Brian Ferentz.... brought college football offense to historic lows.

 

[HawaiiClone]

Tiger changed the sports in a sense that before him, it was mostly typical country club guys who played the sports. Tiger gave belief that “regular” people can do it too

There have been lots of people playing on municipal golf courses here in Honolulu/ on Oahu in Hawaii at least since the 80s.

 

[deadeyededric]

Barry Bonds hitting from 2000-2004 and Tiger Woods in his prime were the most unbelievable things I've ever seen in sports. Usain Bolt is right up there.

 

[keepngoal]

w

Michael Phelps

best swimmer all time. But what did he do that changed the sport?

 

[MugNight]

Dale Earnhardt. A legend before his death, with a brash style. His fatal accident changed safety regulations for drivers in NASCAR.

 

[JP4CY]

best swimmer all time. But what did he do that changed the sport?

I think he made it "cool" again and enhanced it thru the peripherals:
Hearing about his diet, mental health, alcohol use, relationship with his dad.
I think it made people realize not all GOATs have it easy. Gotta get thru a lot of adversity.

Also for extra credit he made me love Rowdy Gaines on the call.