Category Archives: Multiple Sports
The 20 Greatest Female Athletes of All Time
Jackie Joyner-Kersee. Greatest Female Athlete of All Time.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Let’s take a look at the greatest female athletes of all time today, according to Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and ESPN.
The rankings vary quite a bit. There are so many great athletes to choose from, and unlike the men whose greatest athletes usually represent just a handful of sports, the ladies’ greatest span 13 different games.
The ESPN rankings celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Title IX, so it’s a bit of a different look, making room for some of the better female athletes in recent times.
With more and more focus placed on women’s sports, the future looks bright. Hopefully we’ll enjoy the play of even greater women athletes as time rolls on.
Follow @VinGetz| SPORTS ILLUSTRATED | BLEACHER REPORT | ESPN (PAST 40 YEARS) | ||||
| 1. | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | TF | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | TF | Mia Hamm | WF |
| 2. | Babe Didrikson Zaharias | G | Babe Didrikson Zaharias | G | Martina Navratilova | T |
| 3. | Billie Jean King | T | Martina Navratilova | T | Jackie Joyner-Kersee | TF |
| 4. | Sonja Henie | FS | Florence Griffith Joyner | TF | Annika Sorenstam | G |
| 5. | Martina Navratilova | T | Mia Hamm | WF | Lisa Leslie | BB |
| 6. | Chris Evert | T | Annika Sorenstam | G | Bonnie Blair | SS |
| 7. | Bonnie Blair | SS | Bonnie Blair | SS | Chris Evert | T |
| 8. | Wilma Rudolph | TF | Tracy Caulkins | SW | Nadia Comaneci | GY |
| 9. | Nadia Comaneci | GY | Steffi Graf | T | Steffi Graf | T |
| 10. | Tracy Caulkins | SW | Billie Jean King | T | Serena Williams | T |
| 11. | Florence Griffith Joyner | TF | Lisa Leslie | BB | Billie Jean King | T |
| 12. | Mia Hamm | WF | Joan Benoit Samuelson | DR | Florence Griffith Joyner | TF |
| 13. | Nancy Lopez | Golf | Chris Evert | T | Cheryl Miller | BB |
| 14. | Steffi Graf | T | Cheryl Miller | BB | Katarina Witt | FS |
| 15. | Cheryl Miller | BB | Sheryl Swoopes | BB | Janet Evans | SW |
| 16. | Margaret Court | T | Ann Meyers | BB | Sheryl Swoopes | BB |
| 17. | Mary T. Meagher | SW | Julie Krone | J | Ann Meyers | BB |
| 18. | Olga Korbut | GY | Serena Williams | T | Lisa Fernandez | SB |
| 19. | Peggy Fleming | FS | Teresa Edwards | BB | Lindsey Vonn | AS |
| 20. | Joan Benoit Samuelson | DR | Dara Torres | SW | Michelle Kwan | FS |
KEY
| TF = Track & Field |
| T = Tennis |
| FS = Figure Skating |
| SS = Speed Skating |
| GY = Gymnastics |
| SW = Swimming |
| BB = Basketball |
| WF = World Football |
| DR = Distance Running |
| G = Golf |
| J = Jockeying |
| SB = Softball |
| AS = Alpine Skiing |
Photo: csmonitor.com
Forbes: America’s Most Influential Athletes of 2013
Tebow. Tim Tebow. The Man Currently Without a Team or Sport is America’s Most Influential Athlete of 2013.
Forbes has just published its annual rundown of the most influential athletes in American sports.
Tim Tebow – a man with no team and maybe not even a sport – tops the list.
“A unique set of QB strengths and weaknesses and an affinity for wearing his Christian faith on his sleeve combine to make Tebow a compelling public figure, even as an NFL backup.” (via Forbes)
Tebow was the second most influential athlete of 2012, behind Jimmie Johnson.
Johnson, who topped both the 2011 and 2012 lists, failed to crack the top 10 in 2013.
The 2012 Summer Olympics pushed America’s greatest Olympian (Michael Phelps), the world’s fastest man (Usain Bolt) and America’s latest gymnastics sweetheart and gold-medal winner (Gabby Douglas) into the top 10.
Only four of the top 10 were on last year’s list: Tebow, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers. All are American football players, demonstrating the reach of the sport that has become America’s Game.
LeBron James appears to have redeemed his image. He’s back to being influential again after the PR disaster that was “The Decision.” Winning a title sure helps.
This is (incredibly) Derek Jeter‘s first appearance on the list. What has Forbes been missing all these years?
Finally, David Beckham, an international player playing an international sport, apparently has the ability to sway Americans. I think the jury is out on that one, unless they are buying underpants.
Want to see Forbes’ 10 Most Influential Athletes for the years 2008-2012? Click it!
Follow @VinGetz| 1. | Tim Tebow | NFL |
| 2. | Michael Phelps | Swimming |
| 3. | Usain Bolt | Track |
| 4. | Derek Jeter | MLB |
| 5. | Peyton Manning | NFL |
| 6. | Drew Brees | NFL |
| 7. | Gabby Douglas | Gymnastics |
| 8. | Aaron Rodgers | NFL |
| 9. | LeBron James | NBA |
| 10. | David Beckham | World Football |
Photo: cbsnews.com
The Top-Selling NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL Jerseys
The New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony Has the Top-Selling NBA Jersey this Season
News was just released today that the New York Knicks‘ Carmelo Anthony has for the first time taken over the top slot for best-selling NBA jersey. He supplants the King, LeBron James, of the defending champion Miami Heat.
You can see who rounds out the top 10 below, along with the latest available rankings for the top-selling jerseys in the other major sports leagues: MLB, NFL and NHL.
The New York Yankees‘ Derek Jeter tops baseball’s list, followed by the now-Los Angeles Angels‘ Josh Hamilton (except his jersey sales were as a Texas Ranger. Tragic.).
The Washington Redskins‘ Robert Griffin III has topped all NFL jersey sales through March of this year. In fact, according to ESPN, he “set an all-time record for the number of jerseys sold by the NFL Shop in a year.”
For the NHL, I have two lists, since the first one is relatively stale – it reflects last season’s sales. The second list (of five) is the latest data through 2013. Look at Jonathan Toews. That Chicago Blackhawks‘ points streak put him on top.
Follow @VinGetzNBA (2012-13)
| 1. | Carmelo Anthony | New York Knicks |
| 2. | LeBron James | Miami Heat |
| 3. | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 4. | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 5. | Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls |
| 6. | Deron Williams | Brooklyn Nets |
| 7. | Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat |
| 8. | Rajon Rondo | Boston Celtics |
| 9. | Chris Paul | Los Angeles Clippers |
| 10. | Blake Griffin | Los Angeles Clippers |
MLB (2012 through 2013 Opening Day)
| 1. | Derek Jeter | New York Yankees |
| 2. | Josh Hamilton | Texas Rangers* |
| 3. | Ichiro Suzuki | New York Yankees |
| 4. | Bryce Harper | Washington Nationals |
| 5. | Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels |
| 6. | Andrew McCutchen | Pittsburgh Pirates |
| 7. | Yu Darvish | Texas Rangers |
| 8. | Chipper Jones | Atlanta Braves |
| 9. | Justin Verlander | Detroit Tigers |
| 10. | Robinson Cano | New York Yankees |
NFL (April 1, 2012 through March 31, 2013)
| 1. | Robert Griffin III | Washington Redskins |
| 2. | Peyton Manning | Denver Broncos |
| 3. | Ray Lewis | Baltimore Ravens |
| 4. | Colin Kaepernick | San Francisco 49ers |
| 5. | Tom Brady | New England Patriots |
| 6. | Andrew Luck | Indianapolis Colts |
| 7 | Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay Packers |
| 8. | Victor Cruz | New York Giants |
| 9. | Eli Manning | New York Giants |
| 10. | Patrick Willis | San Francisco 49ers |
NHL (2011-12)
| 1. | Claude Giroux | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 2. | Ryan Callahan | New York Rangers |
| 3. | Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 4. | Alexander Ovechkin | Washington Capitals |
| 5. | Henrik Lundqvist | New York Rangers |
| 6. | Jonathan Toews | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 7. | Tim Thomas | Boston Bruins* |
| 8. | Patrick Kane | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 9. | Pavel Datsyuk | Detroit Red Wings |
| 10. | Jaromir Jagr | Philadelphia Flyers* |
NHL (2013)
| 1. | Jonathan Toews | Chicago Blackhawks |
| 2. | Sidney Crosby | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 3. | Claude Giroux | Philadelphia Flyers |
| 4. | James Neal | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| 5. | Tyler Seguin | Boston Bruins |
Sources: NBA (usatoday.com) / MLB (forbes.com) / NFL (nflshop.com) / NHL (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com and twitter.com)
Photo: baltimoresun.com
