First timer here so be gentle. 

My situation is that my favorite player of all time is Jack Tatum yet I'm only in my mid 30's.   I've been told he cannot be my favorite player since I was not alive when he was crushing dudes back in the day. I had the honor however to view old game tapes when I was about 10 years old and since that time I cannot say I've seen a player that brought what he did. 

In your opinion can he be my favorite player without seeing him in real time?  Are my haters wrong?