Funny though, how you know of what sports they play, so technically they're not someone you could not recognized, better yet the logic behind it.
---------- Post added at 02:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:18 PM ----------
O btw, I'm a troll, I had voted WB before I started on Shanks > WB, only a few people came up with good points to defend WB, none tried to insist WB is greater in overall strength. Seriously, a lot may have doubted WB. And as I say, I would not be surprised if Shanks win. I seriously don't think Shanks could win.
A few seemed to understand the nature of the war, it was a battle royale, tides turn just from a simple distraction. 1 on 1 fights, are the strongest characters bread and butter, their forte and what not. WB in his condition, showed he had the ability to take them all strong guys by himself, but it was too much for him, due mainly to his condition. The war afterall was made and pre determined by Sengoku, not to mention all the advantages the Marines+Shichibukai had. WB had to worry for his crew, for Ace even Luffy. He faced marines like alone, without ordering support.
Now imagine a worry free environment, where you can fight out to your hearts content, I don't see Shanks winning against WB, even if his heart aches at times, and no there's in no way Shanks strength is lowered with him having one arm, just saying that 1on1 there's no one who could take on WB/Roger.
Google is incredible :P
Now, as promised, let's look at WB's strength shown in the Manga. With Evidence.
First of all,
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v56/c550/9.html claims that the marines summoned their ENTIRE might. Remember when the marines were worried about 11 pirates, all of whom had bounties of over 100 million, AND were going in to avenge the beating up of the World Nobles - people who were descended from those who first created the World Government, and people who are all fantastically wealthy - and so sent in one admiral, a couple of pacifistas, and some marines, and were surprised so many escaped? To beat Whitebeard, they sent Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral. They sent all 3 Admirals, 13 (I think, I may have counted wrong) Vice Admirals - bearing in mind Virgo was a rear admiral, and even post-timeskip he was considered pretty strong by the Strawhats. Smoker also serves to back up the power of vice admirals - being able to easily beat Luffy who had not long before beaten the likes of Rob Lucci. There were an army of Pacifistas. There were over 100,000 marines present, Garp, Hero of the Marines, and 5 of the Shikibukai - although Sengoku was so worried that when Jinbe refused to participate he was thrown into Impel Down. That alone should stand in testament to WB's strength.
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v57/c552/16.html - Sengoku, fleet admiral of the Marines and therefore incredibly strong, warning all 100,000 men there that the opponent could potentially destroy the world.
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v57/c553/4.html shows Aokiji, an admiral and no slouch in combat, taken out in one move without Whitebeard even looking at him.
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v57/c556/3.html Vice Admiral Ronse, one step below Admiral, and a giant, attacks WB from behind. It doesn't end well. Just a surprise attack alone isn't enough to even damage Whitebeard.
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v57/c562/15.html shows the first bit of damage WB receives. It's a massive sword through the chest, in an attack from an ally so surprising it breaks the OP world colour. Big-ass sword stab through the stomach, liver, and what looks like up into the heart. By someone who can hold off Marco the Phoenix. Rather than getting weaker, it makes WB angry. Something I only just noticed, too, is here (
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c563/7.html) Squard is saying 'It's a miracle
you allowed me to get a blow in. Not 'It's a miracle I hit you.' He specifically states WB ALLOWED him to get the stab.
Here (
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c563/13.html) WB basically states he's going to die for the next generation. He was old and dying, like Gol D. Roger. He died so others could take over, not because he was weak.
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c564/8.html - Whitebeard finds he has a giant in his way. Rather than OHKO the vice captain (not exactly weak), he
flips the freaking island just to throw the giant off balance before OHKOing him. With a hole in his chest, and a terminal illness, he still manages it with no signs of effort.
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c567/6.html Whitebeard gets frozen by Aokiji, but instantly frees himself. Everybody else that was frozen was either dead or incapacitated for ages, and helpless. WB just broke out like it was nothing.
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c567/13.html shows WB stopping a speed-of-light blow on Luffy. Rayleigh reacted. WB reacted. Marco managed to tank the blow, rather than dodging it. WB, having been stabbed and frozen, managed to do that.
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c568/8.html - Whitebeard vs Akainu - he, after being stabbed and frozen, fights evenly with Akainu - although by the looks of this (
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c568/2.html) page, Akainu was putting a lot more effort into it. Even badly injured, it took his illness to stop him curbstomping Akainu, so he gets hit.
Then the fight for a bit, WB gets more injured while recovering from his illness - he's already been stabbed once and frozen, then punched by a mad Akainu. Apparently, there's no kill like overkill to the marines, so they stab and shoot him some more (
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c569/8.html), then shot by Kizaru. Then, his comrades do something WB doesn't want. So WB stops them (
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c572/10.html)
The WB gets really angry. Akainu, the guy that had killed Firefist Ace, was stronger than the likes of Marco or Jinbe, and is one of the strongest OP characters we've seen, had this (
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c575/5.html) happen to him.
Then WB does this (
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c575/7.html).
Then this: (
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c576/8.html). Two of the strongest characters in the OP world, taken out in back-to-back succession,
easily, by WB after he'd been
stabbed 267 times, shot by just under 152 bullets and 46 cannonballs, frozen, hit with Akainu's fist, and shot with lasers
Now, for manga proof of the reasons why I think Shanks - while undoubtably strong - is inferior.
Shanks was said to spar with Mihawk, right? Well,
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v57/c562/10.html, it looks like people of Vista's Calibre can spar with Mihawk. Not both going all out, Mihawk does have the strongest swordsman title for a reason, but just sparring with Mihawk doesn't instantly mean he's as talented with a sword.
Secondly, I've seen the argument 'Shanks blocked Akainu's fist, WB couldn't.'
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c567/16.html. WB not only blocks it, he blocks it without touching it and still manages to get an awesome fistbump out of it. 'Nuff said.
Thirdly, when shanks does arrive Marineford looks like this (
http://www.mangahere.com/manga/one_piece/v58/c580/9.html). A hell of a lot of marines are either dead or unconcious (remember, there have been 2 massive Conquorer Haki blasts so far). Akainu was beaten up. Kizaru had just finished a series of battles. Aokiji too. Garp had been headbutted by Luffy and pinned to the ground by Sengoku. The Pacifistas were mostly gone. Boa, Doflamingo and Croc were running around causing mayhem. Mihawk left since he was there to fight WB, not Shanks. BB was fleeing, having gotten the Gura Gura no mi. Marco was leaving, with the remains of the WB pirates. The marines mobilised to fight WB. WB had died. Another Yonkou would have, if Shanks is anywhere near as strong as WB, easily wiped out the last of the Marines. And Sengoku isn't an idiot, he knew this. So yes, when Shanks arrived, the war stopped. But were Kaidou to arrive, the war would stop. Were Big Mom to arrive, the war would stop. Heck, I reckon that if the Fishmen Army that the strawhats fought were to arrive, Sengoku would call a truce.
Shanks may potentially have better Stamina and Haki than WB, but WB has better endurance for tanking blows, and his destructive power is unmatched.
I'm not implying Shanks is weak, because he isn't. But what I am saying is that based on what we've seen, and the circumstances behind the WB war, there is a lot of evidence of WB being incredibly strong and nothing comparable that Shanks has done. Yes, I know Shanks would beat most other people in the world - I'm not denying that there are maybe 1 or 2 people in the world who can compete with him. But when WB was alive, he was top dog. And based on what we've seen, with good reason...
TL
R - WB Kicks ass
EDIT: I have a lot of other things I'm doing IRL, but if you guys want non-marineford evidence for either the strength of WB or why I think Shanks wouldn't win, please ask and I shall deliver.