In English, this word now appears frequently. The GOAT doesn't mean goat... But what does it mean? Here is the new meaning of goat in English:
Right now, wherever we throw our hands, it hits GOAT, someone called the greatest of his business. But when we say the greatest, shouldn't we be talking about a single athlete?
If you're a star like LeBron James, Serena Williams, or Nikola Jokic, you already know you're the Greatest of All Time as GOAT stands for English. Because everyone calls you GOAT.
GOAT, when used as a word, not an abbreviation, of course, means “goat”. That's exactly why when LeBron James enters the Los Angeles Lakers locker room, his teammates bleat like goats. GOAT praises are the background music of LeBron's life.
Seeing the widespread use of the term in the sports world, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary included the word "GOAT" as an abbreviation and noun five years ago.
There were many reasons for the formal inclusion of the term in the glossary, according to the editor of Merriam-Webster, who defined it as “the most talented or successful individual in the history of a particular sport, performance, or activity category.”
If there's anything worse than the overuse of this abbreviation, it's its stupid simplicity. It ignores the nuances. Instead of emphasizing overcoming things, it just focuses directly on winning.
Perhaps, like Lake Superior State University, we should ban the term from being used in sports. The university put this vague and lazy acronym at the top of its list of banned words in 2023.
The term “goat” was once a regular word, not an abbreviation, and “goat” was an insulting expression in sports: Athletes who lost a clear lead were called “goats”. Golfer Greg Norman, nicknamed the shark, was "goat" in the final leg of the 1996 Masters when he was six strokes ahead and lost by five strokes.
Is Muhammad Ali's invention a concept?
Muhammad Ali is generally considered to be the first to introduce the term "The Greatest of All Time" into our lives. In the early 1960s, while still carrying the name Cassius Clay, he released a parody music album called "I Am the Greatest".
After his unexpected win against George Foreman in 1974, Ali added a new layer to his claim and brushed off his critics, reminding him of his status: "I told you I was the greatest of all time!" But was this extremely egoistic boasting really Ali's invention?
There are also those who say that the origin of GOAT actually goes back to the famous wrestler of the 1940s and 50s, George Wagner. Known for his blond curls, the athlete, nicknamed Gorgeous George, made a lot of money by making fighting with his opponents an art.
Before an important fight, George said, “If I lose, I'll crawl into the ring and cut my hair. But that will not happen because I am the greatest wrestler in the world.”
One day they met by chance and told George Ali, “A lot of people will buy tickets just to see someone show up and shut your mouth. So keep boasting, keep talking down, and always go beyond your limits.”