Greatest athlete ever - Choose one.

[PeterDragon]

I should have been more specific and said greatest sports figure in terms of how they dominated their sport

Well, Ruth dominated his sport most. He hit more home runs than teams, and changed the way the game is played.

Ali wasn't so dominant as an Athlete (that is what made his bouts with Frazier & Forman so good), but he was a dominant personality. There probably wasn't anyone on earth who didn't know who Ali was.

It seems that other than agreeing with Gonzo there isn't much more to add here......