Athletes of the Past compared to the Present

Because of these advancements, sports have revolutionized our society as we rely so heavily on the sports world. We have all been known to root for athletes and teams as we watch them compete in their respective sports. While it is understandable to compare current athletes to former athletes, the situations would never be reciprocated the same way. Almost everyone knows about the legendary days of Babe Ruth, Michael Jordan, Diego Maradona, and so many others. They excelled during their time period and with the competition at that time. You can not argue that athletes of the past are comparable to athletes of the present simply because of stats like touchdowns, goals scored, three point shots, and more. 

Stephanie Filbay, Tej Pandya, Bryn Thomas, Carly McKay, Jo Adams, and Nigel Arden conducted a study regarding the “Quality of Life and Life Satisfaction in Former Athletes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis” The study focused on comparing both the physical and mental components of each person, they took poles on almost 7000 different athletes. They looked at their overall quality of life as well as their lifespan and focused on people from the ages of twenty one to sixty six. In the study, they looked at the different aspects that sports can impact like a high contact sport versus a low contact sport. The results showed that former athletes had generally similar physical and mental components to one another. Yet, ranked much lower than athletes of today. Their lower quality of life rating was because they were not treated as effectively and efficiently as injured athletes of the present. This resulted in some athletes needing to retire earlier than they would have liked to. Athletes’ mental stability and strength determines how they perform, and overcome problems that occur during their seasons and lives. When athletes are forced to retire because of an injury, they often go into dark, mental states. 

So, the question being asked is, are athletes better than they were in the past or are they simply more challenged and managed, so they think they can do more? In an article with David Epstein, titled “Are Athletes Getting Better or Are We Learning How to Push Human Limits?”, a study showed that four time olympic gold medalist, Jesse Owens had to run a wood ash surface while Usain Bolt had an engineered carpet below him while he ran. He was also given a starting block while Owens had to dig himself a hole to start his race with. Things like this put previous athletes at a disadvantage because it takes them much longer and much more time to press themselves out of a sand hole as opposed to a sturdy block. If Owens had the same equipment and ran in the same race as Bolt, “it is estimated that Owen’s would have been within a stride of Bolt instead of 14 ft behind him.” 

Another example was from the 100m freestyle record. Here, they found that drops in swimming times can be “directly correlated to the introduction of flip turns, the gutters surrounding the pool that absorb ripples and the addition of full body swimsuits.” Things like this are the reason that we can never compare former athletes. It is not fair to say that Usain Bolt is better than Jesse Owens when they raced in the 1936 olympics compared to the 2018 olympics. 

    David Epstein asked the question, are people getting better or are they more successful because of their “specialized bodies being fit into specific niches?” What he means by this is, specific body types allow athletes to be more successful in certain sports. For example, one in seven people who are over 7 feet tall play basketball. Those who play basketball tend to have a wingspan that is three feet bigger than the average person. Height does not have as large of an impact in sports like baseball, tennis, or soccer. Of course, there are perks to certain heights, as there are with most things in life, but being taller, you are encouraged to play certain sports. 

    It is also extremely interesting that the longest cycling record in an hour was in 1972. This changed in 1996 when a highly efficient, engineered bike was used to break the record. A rule was enforced to make sure that in all competitions, competitors have a similar, if not identical cycle to ride with. This way, the level of advantages are much lower than being able to use any kind of bike at all. 

Epstein argued that people’s bodies have not changed or evolved, they have simply been pushed to limits further than ever before. Like the equipment advancements, technology has played a huge role in this. For example, if you have an injury, you can very quickly get x-rays, mris, cat scans, whatever is needed to help the athlete as quickly as possible. There are also tests like the MaxV02 test that can show you very specifically how you can increase your endurance and specific exercises that can help you. 

With technology advancements constantly on the rise, it only makes sense that athletes appear to be getting bigger, faster, stronger, and better. Because of this, we can never compare athletes from different generations. While you can compare people’s stats and numbers, any situation could be handled differently if even the slightest change would have happened. David Epstein does a great job at explaining how much of a difference technology can play in the success of athletes. Doctors have become more specialized in areas than ever before. Equipment developments are at an all time high. It only makes sense for the athletes to consistently break records and accomplish goals that are pretty much impossible. It is times like these that we must appreciate athletes for who they are and their incredible work ethic and dedication to shatter world records. 

Filbay, S., Pandya, T., Thomas, B., McKay, C., Adams, J., & Arden, N. (2019, August 19). Quality of life and life satisfaction in former athletes: A systematic review and meta-analysis – sports medicine. SpringerLink. Retrieved April 18, 2022, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-019-01163-0

Norton, K., & Olds, T. (2012, November 2). Morphological evolution of athletes over the 20th Century – Sports Medicine. SpringerLink. Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://link.springer.com/article/10.2165/00007256-200131110-00001

Are athletes getting better or are we learning how to push human limits? Infofit. (2017, February 7). Retrieved April 19, 2022, from https://www.infofit.ca/athletes-getting-better/