Most hyped phenoms

[MJD]

Stumbled across this while looking for something else. From a couple of years ago but kind of interesting:

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/hypedphenoms.html

[bad hammy]

"Back when people paid attention to track and field . . ."

Ouch!

[tandfman]

A better topic would be "most over-hyped phenoms." The hyping of guys like Alcindor, Tiger W, and Gretzky proved justified. The same turned out to be true of such young track phenoms as Mary Decker, Marion Jones, Pre, Carl L, and Nehemiah. To me, there's nothing very remarkable about superior athletes whose talents were noted when they were teenagers

But there is a longer list of hyped kids who never did much after their high school graduation. Michael Granville and Obea Moore are obvious examples; there are many others. That's a more interesting list.

[MJD]

Non T&F list:

http://espn.go.com/page2/s/list/phenomflops.html

[tandfman]

It occurs to me that if we're going to go down this road, we shouldn't be doing it on the Things Not T&F Board.

[MJD]

I was debating where to put it.

[gh]

and here I thought I was tuning into another Webb or Jennings thread!

[az2004]

well gotta put freddy on this list...

adu is just as good as gretzky was when he was 16...

any 12 year old who get offered $1 million by inter milan really can play...

everyone knew gretzky was gonna be the great one...

adu is already on that path too