In sports, there are some incredible records in place. There are records for goals scored in a season and in a game, records for the fastest athlete, records for most wins, and many, many more. While all the records currently held are impressive we know that many are just waiting to be broken. There is always someone great waiting around the corner to defeat a record and even those that are incredibly impressive never look too secure. Yet there are some that are so impressive that they may never be defeated. Let’s take a look.
Lance Armstrong
It is worth starting with the controversial figure that is Lance Armstrong. His career was one of incredible inspiration and glory. Not only did he battle cancer but he won a record number of Tour de France competitions that means he is likely to never be bested. Sadly these records are overshadowed by the fact that Lance Armstrong was found guilty to have been using performance-enhancing drugs throughout his career. The man that was an inspiration to all came crashing down as he was found to have cheated his way to the top. However, when you do look at the athletes that compete in cycling during the Armstrong era, it is difficult to find anyone in the top ranks that was not found guilty of using steroids. While Armstrong is a cheater he may be the best cheater of them all. While no one is likely to beat his Tour de France record it is also likely that no one comes close to the incredible records of drug performance that he set, a record no one would want to hold.
Michael Phelps
One athlete that has never been found taking performance-enhancing drugs although whose records suggest he is superhuman, is Michael Phelps. Phelps holds an incredible record in the Olympics that may never be beaten. He competed in the Olympics from 2000 to 2016 and won a total of 28 Olympic medals. Phelps likely could have won more medals if he had chosen to compete in the Olympics in 2020 but instead wanted to focus on family, a decision that turned out to be a very good one as the Olympics have been delayed due to coronavirus.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Not all records are good ones, Lance Armstrong is proof of that. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold the record for the highest number of losses in an NFL season. They lost 26 games out of a total of 32 in the 76/77 season. The record has not come close to being defeated despite some awful teams in the years since. The Detroit Lions lost an abysmal 19 games in 08/09 but still were seven games short of this awful record.
Richard Petty
Sometimes a record is only truly understood when it is compared to those in second place. Richard Petty holds the record for most NASCAR wins at 200. That sounds impressive but when you realize that he has raced over 1,000 times it starts to look achievable. Yet the second-place record holder only has 105 wins to his name which shows how competitive the sport of NASCAR is and how much Petty dominated it.
Cal Ripken Junior
One record that needs no comparison to understand is held by the baseball shortstop Cal Ripken Junior. Mr. Consistent or the Iron Man competed in every game of every season from 1982 to 1998 meaning he played in a total number of consecutive games that added up to 2,362 games! An incredible record that meant he was never injured, never sick, never rested, he was simply unstoppable.
