5 biggest waste of talent in sports history

[hector]

Barry Sanders was close to breaking Payton's rushing record, and if he decided to play longer, he would. The Detroit Lions were not, or are not, ever going to win the Super Bowl. But at least with Barry Sanders on their team they made the playoffs. Barry Sanders ran the Silver Dome turf like no other player in NFL history. He was never a waste, his became a first ballot Hall of Famer, he came close to many records, records he could have broke if he'd play even one more year, and had he ever went to say the 49ers, he'd have a Super Bowl ring, and more than likely a MVP award too. How is he a waste of talent.

try reading other posts and you will find reasons.  He never used his full potential of talent, and I already explained why.  I could go the same way with many of the players named on here.  Mike Tyson had a great career before he went to prison, better than most every boxer ever, so how is that a waste of talent?  Darryl strawberry and Dwight gooden had some great years in their career, so did bo jackson, jose canseco, Griffey, shawn kemp, and more listed on here.  the point is, they never reached their full potential.  Just like Barry Sanders.  C'mon, how the hell you gonna say barry sanders reached his full potential?  He only played 10 years, and like I said, he never won a championship.

[.:DayGoStyLz:.]

Barry Sanders was close to breaking Payton's rushing record, and if he decided to play longer, he would. The Detroit Lions were not, or are not, ever going to win the Super Bowl. But at least with Barry Sanders on their team they made the playoffs. Barry Sanders ran the Silver Dome turf like no other player in NFL history. He was never a waste, his became a first ballot Hall of Famer, he came close to many records, records he could have broke if he'd play even one more year, and had he ever went to say the 49ers, he'd have a Super Bowl ring, and more than likely a MVP award too. How is he a waste of talent.

try reading other posts and you will find reasons.  He never used his full potential of talent, and I already explained why.  I could go the same way with many of the players named on here.  Mike Tyson had a great career before he went to prison, better than most every boxer ever, so how is that a waste of talent?  Darryl strawberry and Dwight gooden had some great years in their career, so did bo jackson, jose canseco, Griffey, shawn kemp, and more listed on here.  the point is, they never reached their full potential.  Just like Barry Sanders.  C'mon, how the hell you gonna say barry sanders reached his full potential?  He only played 10 years, and like I said, he never won a championship.

i think he reached his full potential as a player, just not statistically. Yeah he retired after 10 seasons, but do u think he was going to be BETTER at the end of his career, then at the middle of it? You dont have to break all the records to be the best. Emmitt has a ton of records, but still no one would consider him better then Payton. Put it like this, id rather be a great runner...play 6 yrs, and run for 10,000 yards...then a runner that plays for 12 yrs...and runs for 15,000.

[akaDRooPY]

Grant Hill, Griffey Jr.

[hector]

Barry Sanders was close to breaking Payton's rushing record, and if he decided to play longer, he would. The Detroit Lions were not, or are not, ever going to win the Super Bowl. But at least with Barry Sanders on their team they made the playoffs. Barry Sanders ran the Silver Dome turf like no other player in NFL history. He was never a waste, his became a first ballot Hall of Famer, he came close to many records, records he could have broke if he'd play even one more year, and had he ever went to say the 49ers, he'd have a Super Bowl ring, and more than likely a MVP award too. How is he a waste of talent.

try reading other posts and you will find reasons.  He never used his full potential of talent, and I already explained why.  I could go the same way with many of the players named on here.  Mike Tyson had a great career before he went to prison, better than most every boxer ever, so how is that a waste of talent?  Darryl strawberry and Dwight gooden had some great years in their career, so did bo jackson, jose canseco, Griffey, shawn kemp, and more listed on here.  the point is, they never reached their full potential.  Just like Barry Sanders.  C'mon, how the hell you gonna say barry sanders reached his full potential?  He only played 10 years, and like I said, he never won a championship.

i think he reached his full potential as a player, just not statistically. Yeah he retired after 10 seasons, but do u think he was going to be BETTER at the end of his career, then at the middle of it? You dont have to break all the records to be the best. Emmitt has a ton of records, but still no one would consider him better then Payton. Put it like this, id rather be a great runner...play 6 yrs, and run for 10,000 yards...then a runner that plays for 12 yrs...and runs for 15,000.

10 years is not a very long career at all.  the greatest athletes are the ones who play for long careers, and still are able to compete at the end of their careers.  Like I said, how you not gonna put barry sanders in this category, but you will put alll these other guys.  What about Mike Tyson?  According to your logic, how did he not reach his full potential before he went to prison?  He was like 30 and 1.  Griffey had a great part of his career on the Mariners, almost 10 years.  Canseco had a great early part of his career, and he even has a ring.

[M Dogg™]

Barry Sanders was close to breaking Payton's rushing record, and if he decided to play longer, he would. The Detroit Lions were not, or are not, ever going to win the Super Bowl. But at least with Barry Sanders on their team they made the playoffs. Barry Sanders ran the Silver Dome turf like no other player in NFL history. He was never a waste, his became a first ballot Hall of Famer, he came close to many records, records he could have broke if he'd play even one more year, and had he ever went to say the 49ers, he'd have a Super Bowl ring, and more than likely a MVP award too. How is he a waste of talent.

try reading other posts and you will find reasons.  He never used his full potential of talent, and I already explained why.  I could go the same way with many of the players named on here.  Mike Tyson had a great career before he went to prison, better than most every boxer ever, so how is that a waste of talent?  Darryl strawberry and Dwight gooden had some great years in their career, so did bo jackson, jose canseco, Griffey, shawn kemp, and more listed on here.  the point is, they never reached their full potential.  Just like Barry Sanders.  C'mon, how the hell you gonna say barry sanders reached his full potential?  He only played 10 years, and like I said, he never won a championship.

How much more can you ask for than first ballot Hall of Fame from Barry Sanders. Sanders took a shitty team, with only himself, and made them into yearly playoff contenders. There was no way in hell he'd win a Super Bowl unless he ever got traded to the 49ers, or the Green Bay Packers, or some other team back then that wanted to win using more than Barry. The average NFL career last only 2 or 3 years, that man was in the NFL for 10. He retired at the top of his game, and just short of Walter Payton's record, a record everyone knows he can beat. But if the Lions were not going to use him to the best of his ablities, then why continue if your not going to win the title?

Tyson isn't a waste, because he won the world title, and dominated the heavyweight division for 5 years before going to jail. 5 years to dominated the heavyweight division is actually really impressive. He went to jail, cameback and dominated another 3, so 8 years of Tyson dominance. Ali dominated 4 years before getting stripped of the title, then cameback to dominate another 4 years, for 8 years also, Joe Louis dominated for I think 12 years, Rocky Marciano didn't dominate long. Tyson had a career that even legendary boxers would kill for.

What y ou expect from these player is greedy, because we want our favorites to do all the things that no one else can. I use to love it when Nick Van Exle would shot for threes as a Laker, hoping one day he'd break some records, or Garrett Anderson on the Angels would break the game hitting streak. Stats are a very hard way to judge players, Eric Dickerson holds the single season rushing record, and there are many running backs that are/were better than him. Because they never broke his record, does that mean they never reached their full potential. Everyone named, most I don't consider a waste. A waste to me is someone like a Len Bias, someone that never had a chance to make it, someone who we never got to see play. Bo Jackson too I'd call a waste because injury prevented a great career to end before it got a chance to take off. I wouldn't call Ken Griffey Jr. a waste because in Seattle, he chased records, and he has over 500 home runs. How is that a waste. He had a team with A-Rod and The Big Unit, and they still never won a World Series, infact in 1994 when the strike ended the season, the Mariners were under .500 with that great lineup. He had the stats though. What more can you ask of Griffey, he could win, but he had stats. Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden won, they had great careers. Liek Tyson, they made some bad choices, but didn't waste their talent. There will always be 1986, and they are on ESPN Classics, they are still talked about, what more can you ask. Through out history, sports follows the same pattern. If that's the case, Muhammad Ali (banned from boxing), Joe Di Maggio(injury), Michael Jordan(2 years in Minor League Baseball), Magic Johnson (orginally retired at the age of 31 because of HIV), Sandy Koufax (early retirement like Barry Sanders) are all waste of talent. Unless you had a Len Bias type of deal, then there is no real waste of talent.

[hector]

dude you don't understand.  I'm not calling these players bad.  I'm saying they had unexpected surprising endings or shortcommings of their career.  and I would never call a player the best without a championship.  playoffs don't mean shit, only thing that matters is winning it all.

[.:DayGoStyLz:.]

Barry Sanders was close to breaking Payton's rushing record, and if he decided to play longer, he would. The Detroit Lions were not, or are not, ever going to win the Super Bowl. But at least with Barry Sanders on their team they made the playoffs. Barry Sanders ran the Silver Dome turf like no other player in NFL history. He was never a waste, his became a first ballot Hall of Famer, he came close to many records, records he could have broke if he'd play even one more year, and had he ever went to say the 49ers, he'd have a Super Bowl ring, and more than likely a MVP award too. How is he a waste of talent.

try reading other posts and you will find reasons.  He never used his full potential of talent, and I already explained why.  I could go the same way with many of the players named on here.  Mike Tyson had a great career before he went to prison, better than most every boxer ever, so how is that a waste of talent?  Darryl strawberry and Dwight gooden had some great years in their career, so did bo jackson, jose canseco, Griffey, shawn kemp, and more listed on here.  the point is, they never reached their full potential.  Just like Barry Sanders.  C'mon, how the hell you gonna say barry sanders reached his full potential?  He only played 10 years, and like I said, he never won a championship.

i think he reached his full potential as a player, just not statistically. Yeah he retired after 10 seasons, but do u think he was going to be BETTER at the end of his career, then at the middle of it? You dont have to break all the records to be the best. Emmitt has a ton of records, but still no one would consider him better then Payton. Put it like this, id rather be a great runner...play 6 yrs, and run for 10,000 yards...then a runner that plays for 12 yrs...and runs for 15,000.

10 years is not a very long career at all.  the greatest athletes are the ones who play for long careers, and still are able to compete at the end of their careers.  Like I said, how you not gonna put barry sanders in this category, but you will put alll these other guys.  What about Mike Tyson?  According to your logic, how did he not reach his full potential before he went to prison?  He was like 30 and 1.  Griffey had a great part of his career on the Mariners, almost 10 years.  Canseco had a great early part of his career, and he even has a ring.

U have a point with Griffey, cus i put him on my list. The others u mentioned, i didnt. Tyson i think already saw his prime before prison...and i dont believe was going to get any better. Canseco shouldnt even be mentioned lol. Griffey to me tho, could have still been on the rise. Even from as great as he was...he could have gotten better. Look at Bonds and McGwire. He could have lost some speed towards the end of his career...but his swing would have stayed the same. He probably would have even gained power towards the end if anything. So he was still on the rise when all his injuries took place. I didnt think Barry Sanders was "on the rise" like Griffey. Barry's production would have started slipping. Like i said, he's my favorite runner...and probably favorite player of all time. But the type of back he was, he would have slowed down. Think about it. he wasnt a strait ahead, power type of back. he relied solely on quickness and athletism, which will slowly start to disappear the longer u play. Barry wasnt gonna run over people. If his quickness starts to fade...then what? Youre right, he could have broken every record out there...but i dont think that would have made hime a better back. Just one that played longer. A back with 10 amazing years...2 good years...and 2-3 average ones.

[.:DayGoStyLz:.]

and I would never call a player the best without a championship.  playoffs don't mean shit, only thing that matters is winning it all.

naw thats bullshit tho man. How can a player control who lines up with him? Put Barry Sanders behind Emmitt's O'line for his whole career...and see how many yards he racks up lol. Barry was getting hit in the backfield time and time again while Emitt would gain 4 yards before getting touched. Emmitt had Aikman, Irvin, Sanders....and all kinds of talent surrounding him to win championships. So i dont see him as better then Sanders. Payton played for a championship team that had one of, if not the best defense of all time. Easy to rack up the yards as a runner...when the other teams offense never has the lead. So i dont see how "winning it all" makes u greater then anyone who hasnt. In that case....i take Steve Kerr over John Stockton anyday...he's got like 5 more rings then him.

[mauzip]

Barry van Galen

He could have played 50 times for the national team.

[Throwback]

van basten; his ankles, man, that sucked.
Ayrton senna

[Throwback]

btw what the fuck happend to Winston Bogarde?? does he even play soccer now? last time i've seen him he played for chelsea

[mauzip]

yeah, he still has a contract with chelsea but i believe he doesn't even do anything anymore for that club at all

[ARYC]

"van basten; his ankles, man, that sucked."

I think Van Basten is the same as Cantonna , they did A LOT but they could've done so much more ...

oh and does anyone remember Anelka?

[Da WCC Hopar!]

agree with all. acouple more.

- Darius Miles = Wasn't he supposed to be the Next KG?
- Eric Lindros = Was the Next Great Player in the NHL, Concussions fucked him up
- Grant Hill = Dude is still getting paid mad cash for sitting on the bench.
- David Boston

o man fuck this i just saw dis

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[M Dogg™]

dude you don't understand.  I'm not calling these players bad.  I'm saying they had unexpected surprising endings or shortcommings of their career.  and I would never call a player the best without a championship.  playoffs don't mean shit, only thing that matters is winning it all.

As I said, in that case, Sandy, Magic and all the rest of them I named were waste.

As for winning it all, which starting NBA 5 would you want

John Stockton
Dominik Wilkins
Charles Barkley
Karl Malone
Patrick Ewing

or

Derek Fisher
Veron Maxell
Tayshaun Prince
A.C. Green
Luc Longley

It's all up to you. Who would you rather lead your team, in football, Trent Green or Dan Marino. Champions are hard to win for a player for a reason, they need good teams. Without Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan is Dominik Wilkins, or Clyde Drexler before he went to Houston. Wilt Champerland only had one title for a reason, his teams were not as good as the teams of Bill Russell's Boston Celtics. Champerland was the best player of his day, but his teams couldn't match the Celtics. Marino's Dolphin's could never be better than Montana's 49ers, or even Trent Green's Baltimore Ravens. Barry Bonds is the best player of his era, and has no World Series ring to show. Hell, his team lost to the Angels in the World Series, a team that used small ball, and not a single superstar. So I guess you'd draft Adam Kennedy before you'd draft Barry Bonds to your team. Teams win, not players. Remember that.