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Top Ten Athletes Frank DiPatri 07/16/07
Keeping in the theme of top…whatever, here is my list of top ten athletes in their sport. Here again is a case of far too many to put all the greats on one short list, but here are my choices.
10. David Beckham-Football (Soccer): Without David Beckham, Americans wouldn’t even know that soccer was called football outside the states. He is the face of soccer worldwide, but he is so for a reason. He was the England national team’s captain for six years, has won championships in each league, and has the off-field presence to keep in the limelight.
9. Walter Payton-Football: This humble Mississippi boy became the National Football Leagues leading rusher, a record that stood for almost twenty years. Every running back since Payton has paid him homage for being their inspiration form Emmit Smith to Ladanian Tomlinson. He went to nine Pro Bowls and was named MVP in 1977. To this day, upcoming running backs always aspire to be like the great Walter Payton.
8. Roger Federer-Tennis: The number one player in the world has won three Australian Opens, two French Opens, three U.S. Opens, and oh yeah the past five Wimbledon titles. His record is a stunning 519-130. Federer absolutely owns grass courts, and in 2004 did not lose to anyone ranked in the top ten. He’s accomplished all of this in only a seven years career and is showing no signs of slowing down.
7. Mickey Mantle-Baseball: Centerfielder for the New York Yankees, Mickey Mantle was a smart, power hitting, fast baseball player. Playing injured most of his life, Mantle still ended up with over 500 home runs, and 16 all-star appearances. He was a first ballot hall-of-famer in 1974 and remains the hero of many baseball players and fans alike.
6. Tiger Woods-Golf: Tiger Woods is the number one ranked golfer in the world and rightfully so. He’s dominated the sport for ten years now and is still playing as well as anyone ever has. He’s got 12 major championships under his belt and has led the money list for seven years. Ever since childhood, he’s won event after event, and now, he’s constantly heavily favored in any tournament he enters.
5. Babe Ruth-Baseball: The Great Bambino was the larger than life epitome of baseball. Not only an outstanding hitter for the Yankees and the Red Sox, he was a very accomplished pitcher. But enough about that, Babe Ruth led the Yankees to four World Series titles including one in 1927 when he hit 60 home runs (More than any other team that season). In 1923, “The house that Ruth built” lived up to its name. He hit .393 that season with 41 home runs and led the Yankees to a World Series championship in which he had a slugging percentage of 1.000. Babe Ruth’s legend lives on to this day, and he is still the only player to ever have an 84 year curse named for him.
4. Muhammad Ali-Boxing: Born Cassius clay, he changed his name to Muhammad Ali in 1964 after joining the nation of Islam. The three time world heavyweight champion boasted a 56-5 record, and he was an imposing figure in and out of the ring. Renowned for his charismatic personality, Ali was a showboat for the press and a beast in the ring. Everyone has seen the immortalized picture of Ali standing over Sonny Liston after knocking him out just further embodies the spirit that is Muhammad Ali.
3. Lance Armstrong: An unbelievable athlete, Lance Armstrong won seven consecutive Tour De France titles from 1999-2005 before retiring from the event. He became an inspiration for the world when he won the Tour after overcoming cancer of the testicles, lungs, abdomen, and brain. Throughout the next few years, Armstrong was an icon for anyone who was faced with a challenge, and showed that they could overcome and dominate with enough hard work and determination.
2. Wayne Gretzky-Hockey: Commonly known as “the great one,” Gretzky dominated every aspect of the NHL. He won nine Hart trophies (MVP), and eight of those were in consecutive years. Gretzky owns every major record by a landslide including his unthinkable 51 straight games with a point, comparable to DiMaggio’s 56-game hit streak. Gretzky is to this day the most admired hockey player in history.
1. Michael Jordan-Basketball: The most infamous name in all of sports, Jordan defined domination in the 1990’s. After a great career at the University of North Carolina, Jordan went to the Chicago Bulls. He led the Bulls to six NBA championships as well as winning five MVP awards and attending fourteen all-star games. He has been acclaimed the world over and was voted by ESPN the athlete of the century. Jordan was the star when he played, and he is still the most impersonated basketball player around (it’s the tongue thing).
As I say, there are too many choices. I could name the top 100 athletes if I had the time. Those are my top ten and why. There are of course honorable mentions, Johnny Unitas, Pete Sampras, Pele, Jack Nicklaus, Ted Williams, etc. And there are “not yet” names like Peyton Manning and LeBron James. This list is not only for dominant players, but they have to be an outstanding representation of the sport. Each athlete is not only a great athlete, but also a hero and icon all over the world. |