GOAT or GOTE? Maybe We've Been Having the Wrong Debate

By Joe “Big House” Kenn, VP of Performance Education

There are few topics in sports that ignite debate quite like the question, "Who's the GOAT?" Whether it's Michael Jordan versus LeBron James, Tom Brady versus Joe Montana, or Brian Shaw versus Žydrūnas Savickas, everyone has an opinion. Sports radio thrives on it. Social media feeds are flooded with it. Fans passionately defend their favorite athlete as the undisputed Greatest of All Time.

But what if we've been asking the wrong question all along?

Instead of immediately labeling someone the GOAT, perhaps we should first ask whether they're actually the Greatest of Their Era.

That distinction may seem small, but I believe it's an important one.

The term GOAT has become so common that we've almost watered down its meaning. Every exceptional athlete seems to earn the title these days. Yet if we're being honest, there can only be one Greatest of All Time. Everyone else deserves to be evaluated within the context of the era in which they competed before we place them into that all-time conversation.

That's where I believe the concept of GOTE—Greatest of Their Era—belongs.

Every era presents its own unique challenges. Rules evolve. Equipment changes. Training methodologies advance. Sports science improves. Competition deepens. Media exposure grows. Comparing athletes from different generations is rarely as simple as counting championships or statistics.

Take basketball as an example. If championships alone determine the GOAT, then Bill Russell's eleven NBA titles should end the discussion. Yet most debates focus on Michael Jordan and LeBron James because their influence extends far beyond championship rings. They changed how the game was played, marketed, and viewed across the globe.

The same conversation exists in football. Tom Brady's seven Super Bowl victories make an incredible case for being the GOAT. But every era has produced transformational players who dominated under completely different circumstances. Jim Brown revolutionized the running back position. Joe Montana defined quarterback excellence for an entire generation. Patrick Mahomes is now rewriting expectations for modern quarterbacks. Each athlete represents greatness within his own competitive landscape.

Strength sports may illustrate this concept even better.

Within strongman, the debate often centers around Žydrūnas "Big Z" Savickas and Brian Shaw. Big Z accumulated an astonishing list of international victories that may never be matched. Brian Shaw not only collected championships but helped elevate the visibility of strongman worldwide through media, education, and fan engagement. Both have compelling cases, yet their impact extends beyond simply standing atop podiums.

Now the discussion shifts again with athletes like Mitch Hooper and Tom Stoltman. One has accomplished feats no one else has achieved through the modern Grand Slam events, while the other continues to dominate the World's Strongest Man stage. Rather than forcing one into the GOAT conversation immediately, perhaps they should first be recognized as defining athletes of the current era.

Powerlifting presents an even greater challenge.

How do we compare today's athletes to legends like Eddie Coan when nearly every aspect of the sport has changed? Equipment has evolved. Bars have changed. Rules governing depth, -----weigh-ins, and judging continue to shift. Modern performances deserve tremendous respect, but they exist within a completely different competitive environment than previous generations experienced.

The same discussion unfolds in tennis. Jimmy Connors, Björn Borg, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, and Margaret Court all dominated their respective eras. Only after recognizing each generation's defining athletes can we begin debating who truly deserves to stand alone as the Greatest of All Time.

Winning certainly matters.

Championships matter.

Longevity matters.

Statistical dominance matters.

But influence matters too.

Some athletes change the trajectory of an entire sport. They create new audiences, inspire future generations, alter training philosophies, or elevate the sport to levels it had never previously reached. Those contributions deserve consideration alongside championship and records.

Perhaps that's why these conversations remain so fascinating.

There may never be a universally accepted GOAT because greatness is measured through multiple lenses. Statistics tell one story. Championships tell another. Influence tells yet another.

That's why I believe we should start with the GOTE discussion.

Let's identify the athletes who truly defined their generation. Then let those legends compete in the much more difficult conversation surrounding the Greatest of All Time.

Maybe we'll never settle the debate.

And maybe that's exactly what makes sports so much fun.

Until next time, remember...

#WordsWin

— Coach Joe “Big House” Kenn