Who is the GOAT? This is a highly subjective question that all players, journalists, and fans often debate when the question is asked of who is the greatest of all time in any given sport. As we all know, there is obviously no way to perfectly answer this question, and it really just comes down to personal preference.
On the GameChange YouTube podcast McDonald & Sons, former USC All-American and NFL quarterback Paul McDonald discussed the question of GOATs with his three sons, Michael, Andrew, and Matthew (who all played quarterback in college also).
So, what did they believe made someone a candidate to be called a GOAT?
Leadership
You might be surprised that in a house filled with quarterbacks, only two of them voted for a quarterback, and one of those was Andrew’s nod to his pop, Paul. The other was Matthew, who chose Tom Brady as his GOAT. He explained his pick. “What I love about him is just the underdog story, six-rounder, (he) was always ready for his time to come, finally gets a shot, never looked back, and 40 years later, all the Super Bowls.”
The wonderful thing about Brady and his impressive tally of Super Bowl championships is that it was his leadership that helped propel his teams to those trophies. Matthew pointed out that when he stated, “Probably the thing that I respect him the most about is his leadership and how he held his teammates accountable. He wasn’t afraid to chew somebody out if that was necessary.”
Growth Mindset
The path to greatness starts with motivation, and if you had to create a Mount Rushmore of athletes who had the strongest inner drive, it would probably include Brady, Kobe Bryant, and Michael’s pick for his GOAT, Tiger Woods. Michael explained what he believed made Tiger special. “Tiger, all these guys, when they’re at the top seemingly, they’re still striving for more. He went and retooled his whole swing after he had just been through this massive ascent. He’s the best in the world. And here he is breaking down and starting from zero.”
A great lesson to be learned from the fact that Tiger started all over with creating a new swing after he was already at the peak of his career is that he had a growth mindset. Most people get very comfortable with where they are and stay fixed into habits that they have developed. It is those who are always striving to learn more and try new things that reach greatness. And, in Tiger’s case, when you are already great and are willing to start all over to get better, it definitely makes a strong case for him to be the GOAT of not just golf, but all of sports.
Character
Greatness on the field in achieving victories is one thing, but how do you conduct yourself while doing it? This is the criterion that Paul used when he picked Roger Federer as his GOAT. Paul explained, “He’s the Baryshnikov of tennis, obviously, the most graceful guy that’s ever played… But it’s really everything around it. The sportsman that he is, never says the wrong word, never reads anything negative about him. Everything’s positive. On the court, off the court.”
Paul pointed out that the class that Federer exhibited while playing tennis was compounded by his positive actions off the court in his charitable contributions that have helped so many. “He’s raised hundreds of millions of dollars for African missions and wells and villages and all kinds of things.” Paul concluded, “There’s a GOAT on the field, the court, whatever, but there’s also a GOAT off, and he’s a GOAT on and a GOAT off.”
