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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
Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and the 20 Greatest Scorers in NBA Playoff History
The Best Scorers in NBA Playoff History: Michael Jordan and, a distant second, Allen Iverson (Yes, That’s Iverson Pre-Mega Ink)
Oh man. It’s NBA playoff time. Awesome. Here’s the 2013 NBA Postseason schedule.
And here are the top 20 players with the highest career postseason scoring averages, led by the GOAT, Michael Jordan. He’s the only player to post more than 30 points a playoff game, 33.45 in 179 games.
Allen Iverson has the second-best average. Is he a Hall of Famer?
Iverson is closely followed by the L.A. Lakers’ Jerry West.
Then, look at this, it’s LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Sure, Durant needs a few more playoff games under his belt, but is there any doubt he’ll remain on this list until the end?
James is already at 115 postseason games played, and the way he’s been playing, who would be surprised to see him up his average over the next few seasons, at least?
Carmelo Anthony (15th) is playing at such a clip right now as well (and just won his first NBA scoring title). Expect him to rise in the rankings after this postseason.
Kobe Bryant places 10th, beaten out by Dirk Nowitzki even, but hold on – Kobe’s played 220 playoff games, almost 100 more than Dirk (and almost 50 more than Jordan). You have to account for these sorts of things.
Follow @VinGetz| PLAYER | PPG | POSTSEASON GP | |
| 1. | Michael Jordan | 33.45 | 179 |
| 2. | Allen Iverson | 29.73 | 71 |
| 3. | Jerry West | 29.13 | 153 |
| 4. | LeBron James | 28.48 | 115 |
| 5. | Kevin Durant | 28.07 | 43 |
| 6. | Elgin Baylor | 27.04 | 134 |
| 7. | George Gervin | 26.98 | 59 |
| 8. | Dirk Nowitzki | 25.95 | 128 |
| 9. | Hakeem Olajuwon | 25.90 | 145 |
| 10. | Kobe Bryant | 25.64 | 220 |
| 11. | Bob Pettit | 25.45 | 88 |
| 12. | Dominique Wilkins | 25.41 | 56 |
| 13. | Dwyane Wade | 25.24 | 110 |
| 14. | Tracy McGrady | 25.20 | 44 |
| 15. | Carmelo Anthony | 24.94 | 54 |
| 16. | Rick Barry | 24.77 | 74 |
| 17. | Karl Malone | 24.67 | 193 |
| 18. | Alex English | 24.43 | 68 |
| 19. | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 24.31 | 237 |
| 19. | Shaquille O’Neal | 24.31 | 216 |
Thanks to basketball-reference.com.
Photo: live.drjays.com
NFL: The Closest Super Bowls in History
The New York Giants Won Super Bowl XXV By One Point When Scott Norwood’s Field Goal Attempt Went Right
Four of the last five Super Bowls have been decided by a possession – seven points or less (well, eight if you want to be technical, but “8″ just doesn’t have that ring, and the two-point conversion is not as much a “given” as the PAT).
The game wasn’t always so thrilling. Many were no-contests, particularly through the late 1970s and 1980s. Take a look at the 20 Biggest Blowouts in Super Bowl History to confirm.
All together, 16 of the 46 Super Bowls played have been decided by a possession, listed below. These examples exemplify a recent fact about the NFL – an increase in parity between teams and conferences over the past two decades.
Ten of the 16 closest Super Bowls occurred after 1990, including five of the top six.
Follow @VinGetzCHART UPDATED: February 3, 2013 to include the Baltimore Ravens 34-31 win over the San Francisco 49ers. What a game that was!
| SB | SEASON | DIFF | WINNER | PTS | LOSER | PTS | |
| 1. | XXV | 1990 | 1 | New York Giants | 20 | Buffalo Bills | 19 |
| 2. | XLVII | 2012 | 3 | Baltimore Ravens | 34 | San Francisco 49ers | 31 |
| 2. | XLII | 2007 | 3 | New York Giants | 17 | New England Patriots | 14 |
| 2. | XXXIX | 2004 | 3 | New England Patriots | 24 | Philadelphia Eagles | 21 |
| 2. | XXXVIII | 2003 | 3 | New England Patriots | 32 | Carolina Panthers | 29 |
| 2. | XXXVI | 2001 | 3 | New England Patriots | 20 | St. Louis Rams | 17 |
| 2. | V | 1970 | 3 | Baltimore Colts | 16 | Dallas Cowboys | 13 |
| 8. | XLVI | 2011 | 4 | New York Giants | 21 | New England Patriots | 17 |
| 8. | XLIII | 2008 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 27 | Arizona Cardinals | 23 |
| 8. | XXIII | 1988 | 4 | San Francisco 49ers | 20 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16 |
| 8. | XIII | 1978 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 35 | Dallas Cowboys | 31 |
| 8. | X | 1975 | 4 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 21 | Dallas Cowboys | 17 |
| 13. | XVI | 1981 | 5 | San Francisco 49ers | 26 | Cincinnati Bengals | 21 |
| 14. | XLV | 2010 | 6 | Green Bay Packers | 31 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 25 |
| 15. | XXXIV | 1999 | 7 | St. Louis Rams | 23 | Tennessee Titans | 16 |
| 15. | XXXII | 1997 | 7 | Denver Broncos | 31 | Green Bay Packers | 24 |
| 15. | VII | 1972 | 7 | Miami Dolphins | 14 | Washington Redskins | 7 |
Photo: nydailynews.com
