"The definition of the decathlon is just as arbitrary as any other sport. It in no way defines the "World's Best Athlete" anymore than another sport. Put it this way-if 1 sprint, 1 throw and 1 jump were subtracted and the marathon, 10k and steeple were added, would the current elite still be the best?
Some of us simply judge this stuff on common sense. Essentially zero percent of the world's population has or will ever have a chance to pole vault, high jump or throw a javelin in any type of competition. That's before money is factored into the equation. For being the 'world's best athlete' Eaton sure is poor and unknown. If you had a son tomorrow and the doctor told you 'This kid can either set the WR in the decathlon or start on a team that wins the World Cup or NBA title, which woud you honestly choose? What do you think the majority of the world's population would choose? That ought to tell you the priority of T&F and the relative amount of elite athletes it siphons from major sports.
I played on a team with a guy who high jumped 7 feet in high school. He was unremarkable at other sports and didn't care about high jump or even like T&F very much-never even trained outside of track season. He wasn't a freakish athlete or remarkable at any other sport. At least half the NBA could high jump 7 Feet at their peak athleticism if they trained for the event.
For all the doubters of in game speed of LBJ, half the court including a dunk in ~2 sec flat:
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Saying you can't call the best decathlete the world's greatest athlete is like saying you can't call the NBA championship team the world's greatest basketball team because the rules are arbitrary. The sport of ATHLETICS chooses the ten events that will define the world's greatest athlete. The winner is the world's greatest athlete. The record holder is the best ever.
Basketball players are basketball players, footballers are footballers, and people in athletics are athletes. Anyone wants to contend for the title of world's greatest athlete, they are welcome to compete in athletics and put up a real, verifiable mark.