Good point. I guess my question would be (unfortunately we'll never be able to find out) is whether the training alone would provide superior performance to the athletes of the past. For example, Tiger Woods and the Williams Sisters. Obvious powerhouses in their sports in terms of strength, but would they have the accuracy using old equipment that wasn't designed to increase accuracy in off-hits? Tiger is known to hit "off" shots as it is, although he pulls out some remarkable recoveries. Would his power be a hindrance with wood woods and hickory shafts? Same with the Williams sisters. Would their power mean more missed shots with wooden racquets? Or would they still be dominant? No doubt any of the 3 would be still be considered great, but would they completely blow away the competition like they did in recent modern times? We can only speculate.
I will concede that training/dieticians today would give modern athletes in track/field events, swimming, etc. a definite strength/stamina edge over past athletes. Would strength alone be enough to overcome the greats of the past in football (soccer) and basketball? I don't know. Again, we could only speculate.
I'd like to see each sport put on an exhibition tournament where everyone played with equipment made to the specs of the old days just to see how they would do in comparison. That would be cool, I think.
9~ Internet Tough Guy and
Cyberspace Sheep Lover
