Usain Bolt beat Asafa Powell and everyone else in Rome today, running the 100 meters in 9.91 seconds, and solidifying his title as the world's fastest man one more time. And even when the races are close, he makes it all look so easy. That's part of the legend, of course. But it's also part of the problem.
Because when you really think about Usain Bolt's legacy, what's he leaving behind? He's the greatest sprinter of his generation, but it seems like he's more than that. There's a pretty good chance that's he one of the three or four most impressive athletes on the planet right now. It's not to say there's no glory in sprinting, but right now, Bolt's like dominant heavyweight without a challenger.
How many times can one man beat Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell before it gets old? You can watch his race over here, and it's impressive, but it still seems like we could have a cooler story here.
Plenty of people have talked about him jumping to the NFL, but that'd be insane. We want more Usain Bolt, we don't want dead Usain Bolt. Soccer, though? Bolt says he's interested. Just this week, he told reporters "I am a football fan for a lot of years now so for me I watch these guys playing, I think I can do a pretty good job. I think I could step up to the Rooneys, I think I could do well."
So maybe that's the answer. Even if he'd be awful, it'd be pretty amazing to watch him play soccer for a year. Just look at how dominant Thierry Henry's speed made him during his prime.
