Whenever I have a conversation with anyone, whenever I see a discussion online regarding the greatest baseball player of all time. Babe Ruth is brought up either right off the bat ( see what I did there? 🤣 ) or within the first 2 or 3 names mentioned. Ruth dominated, no doubt. Ruth won, no doubt. Ruth had video game numbers before there were video games, no doubt. Ruth transcended the game and reached heights never seen before. Zero freakin' doubt.
Back then baseball was by far the most popular sport in the U.S. It wasn't even close. Thousands of kids from every neighborhood, and every background were playing baseball....or stickball 🤣.....trying to play in the big leagues when they grew up.
Not all of them would ever even have a chance though. Ruth played in an all white league for pretty much his entire career. Competition watered down not by lack of participants, but by bigotry and oppression. So now, instead of having the best collection of non-white players integrated with the best collection of white players. You have the best collection of white players integrated with the best collection of 'shouldn't even be in the leagues.' This of course was not Ruth's fault, and I mean in no way to take anything away from what the man accomplished. I'm also not standing here saying he was playing against a complete collection of crap every night, but the fact of the matter is that, he wasn't necessarily playing against the best all the time when he was putting up those godly numbers.
When it comes to the same conversation revolving around basketballs greatest of all-time though, seldom is the name Wilt Chamberlain on the tip of anyone's tounge. Michael, Kobe, LeBron, Russell, Kareem, even Magic and Bird sometimes will get brought up before Wilt does. Why is that? Because he didn't win?
He dominated his sport, individually, every bit that Ruth did. If not more. His competition was limited by the leagues age, and the sports overall popularity, not segregation. He transcended the game and became well known outside the sport like Ruth did. He put up video game numbers when there were almost video games, but not quite yet.
......but the Celtics........
Ruth was playing WITH Lou Gehrig and a loaded Yankees team against farmers and bootleggers.
Wilt was playing AGAINST a loaded Celtics team. Most of the time by himself with a couple of hippies.
Is that why? Is that why Wilt Chamberlain is seldom mentioned in discussions about the greatest of all time, but Babe Ruth is, every single time? If so, I call bull shit.
Tldr....Ruth legacy far outweighs Chamberlain, even though individual domination was comparable. Why?
Had this on my brain for a while now.
The thing you mentioned about Ruth not playing against the best competition is really unfortunate. Ruth was actually a huge proponent of league integration. In fact, in the offseason he would go on barnstorming tours so he could play against and with Negro League stars until MLB banned their players barnstorming during the offseason.