Bruce Lee is Overated

== Pro's Sources == Pro's first source is a list of eight "facts" about Bruce Lee. The only one Pro refers to is the "fact" that "Lee trained on a 300 lb. heavy bag to improve his kicking power." Pro says there's a "false rumor" that "Bruce can kick a 300 pound punching bag to mid-air." But if you look at what Pro's source says, it doesn't say that Bruce Lee kicked 300 lb. bags to "mid-air"; the source just says that Lee "trained" with such bags. Note that Pro's source says nothing about the science behind kicking 300 lb. bags to mid-air, so Pro's claim that it's impossible is entirely unsubstantiated. I googled Pro's claim and was unable to find a single source -- scientific or otherwise -- that says kicking a 300 lb. bag to mid-air is impossible. Pro's second source is a link to a Yahoo Answer comparing Bruce Lee to Rampage Jackson. Pro cites this source to support his claim that Bruce Lee wins "every poll" comparing him to other fighters. But if you look at Pro's source, and you scroll through the answers given, you'll notice that some people think Rampage Jackson would win while others think Bruce Lee would win. Also note that this is hardly evidence of "every poll"; it's not even a poll. Many of the answers aren't serious answers. The few that are say that a hypothetical fight between the two can't be predicted, because Bruce Lee was a teacher whereas Rampage Jackson is a professional fighter. Both of Pro's sources are extremely unreliable sources for any of the points they're cited for. More telling, Pro's sources don't show what Pro cited them for. Neither of them say anything bad about Bruce Lee. Nor do they say anything outlandish about Bruce Lee. They offer facts -- not "false rumors" as Pro claims -- about Bruce Lee, and they offer different opinions on who would win a hypothetical fight between Lee and Rampage Jackson. Note that the rest of Pro's claims about Bruce Lee are unsubstantiated and should be given no weight. == Resolution == Pro's argument boils down to this: "Bruce Lee wasn't the greatest martial artist that ever lived." But that's not what the debate's about. It seems that Pro misunderstands the nature of this debate (ironic given the fact that he wrote up the resolution). The debate's about whether Bruce Lee is overrated. The debate's not about whether Bruce Lee is the "best martial artist ever." The meaning of overrated is to "have a higher opinion of (someone or something) than is deserved." [1] Under even a generous interpretation of the resolution, Pro must prove that people have a higher opinion of Bruce Lee than he deserves. Pro hasn't even come close to meeting that burden. First, Pro hasn't shown that people think Bruce Lee is the "best martial artist ever." Arguing that Bruce Lee isn't the greatest martial artist ever doesn't get Pro further to meeting his burden unless Pro first proves that most people think Bruce Lee is actually the greatest martial artist ever. Very few people think that, as I argued in the first round. In response, Pro cites a Yahoo Answer, but as discussed above, that source isn't helpful. Pro simply hasn't shown that a majority of people think Bruce Lee is the best martial artist ever. Second, as I noted in the first round, the overwhelming consensus on the Internet, at least among commentators, critics, the media, and other martial artists, is that Bruce Lee wasn't the best fighter ever; rather, the consensus seems to be that he was "one of the most influential martial artists of all time," and "often credited with helping to change the way Asians were presented in American films." Pro never disputes that evidence, so he should be held to it unless he finds a legitimate source that proves otherwise. == Bruce Lee's Influence == Pro drops my points about Bruce Lee's influence. I explained in the first round that Bruce Lee changed the face of martial arts with his analytic approach to the art. I think Bruce Lee is underrated, because people don't realize how much of an influence he had on the development of martial arts to where it's come today. He changed everything about it. He also changed the history of film; there have been probably 200 movies made following in Bruce Lee's footsteps. == Other Points == Pro makes a bunch of incoherent comments. For example, Pro states: "Even though Bruce is a great martial artist ... he shouldn't even be called a martial artist." I'm not sure how to make sense of that statement. My guess is that Pro hates Bruce Lee so much that he thinks he shouldn't be "called" (emphasis on what people "call" Lee) a martial artist even though he's a great one. Pro admits that Bruce Lee brought "martial arts to the west," but "he only did it through his films and not actual fighting." However, in 1964, Bruce Lee started teaching martial arts in California. He was the first person to ever teach martial arts to non-Chinese students. While teaching, there are many stories (and many witnesses, many of whom were his students) of times that Lee fought. But he only fought in the context of teaching. Bruce Lee was a teacher. He could fight, but that's not why he practiced martial arts. His goal wasn't to fight people professionally, like a Rampage Jackson -- his goal was to analyze martial arts, try to understand it and bring it to new heights, through his teaching and films. [1] https://www.google.com...