Before the hate mail comes in I’d first like to clarify that I greatly respect Bo Jackson and think he’s an incredible athlete. However, sometimes pure athleticism doesn’t directly translate on the field or in the stat sheet. I always enjoyed watching Jackson play and marveled at his strength and speed, but sometimes there’s more to becoming an all-around player at your sport.
Somewhere along the way Bo turned into a mythic hero, instead of simply a gifted athlete. ESPN went so far as to crown him with the Greatest Athlete of All Time award. Pretty surprising considering he only played 8 seasons in the MLB and 4 in the NFL.