20 Athletes Who Made The Biggest Impact On Their Sports

By Yoshiki Matsunaga

20 Athletes Who Made The Biggest Impact On Their Sports

Michael Jordan: Chicago Bulls — Athletes have captivated fans all around the world. Here is a list of 20 players who have impacted their sport by greatness or by changing the way the game is played entirely. In no particular order.

20. Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth Full Swing

20. Babe Ruth

Babe Ruth Full Swing — Ruth is considered the greatest baseball player of all time. The baseball legend’s impact on American culture is so great that the term “Ruthian” is synonymous to colossal and with great power.

19. Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson

19. Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson — Jackson is the only athlete to be selected as an All-Star in both MLB and NFL. The former Raiders running back dominated both pro baseball and pro football and is often considered the greatest athlete of all-time.

18. Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee

18. Bruce Lee

Bruce Lee — Although Lee might be known more as a film star than an athlete, Lee is undoubtedly the greatest martial artist of our time. His speed was capable of beating fighters in high weight classes. Lee also created his own martial arts technique because he felt existing skills were inferior.

17. David Beckham

David Beckham of England

17. David Beckham

David Beckham of England — The former Real Madrid superstar was a great player, but by no means is he one of the greatest. However, Beckham’s marketability introduced soccer to a worldwide audience further popularizing the world’s most popular sport.

16. Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders

16. Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders — Sanders is the only athlete to have played in both the World Series and Super Bowl. The NFL Hall of Famer is also the only player to hit a home run and score a touchdown in the same week.

15. Diego Maradona

Diego Maradonae: Scotland v Argentina 1979

15. Diego Maradona

Diego Maradonae: Scotland v Argentina 1979 — Maradona is Argentina’s answer to the world’s greatest soccer player question. The Argentine captained his country in 1986 to lift the World Cup. Maradona is one of the most controversial figures in sports, but his skill was unreal.

14. Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson: Dodger's Infielder

14. Jackie Robinson

Jackie Robinson: Dodger's Infielder — Only baseball player to have his jersey retired by every franchise in the MLB. Robinson was not only the first baseball player to break the color barrier, but one of the greatest athletes to play the game.

13. Jerry Rice

Jerry Rice

13. Jerry Rice

Jerry Rice — A twenty season veteran in the NFL as a wide receiver, Rice is the all-time leader in most statistical category for his position, including yardage, reception and touchdown receptions. Rice is considered the greatest wide receiver to play in the NFL.

12. Jim Thorpe

Jim Thorpe At Bat

12. Jim Thorpe

Jim Thorpe At Bat — Thorpe won Olympic medals in the pentathlon and the decathlon before he played professional baseball, football and basketball. Thorpe’s record in both the pentathlon and decathlon stood for nearly two decades.

11. Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong

11. Lance Armstrong

Lance Armstrong — Although Armstrong is disgraced today with his admitted doping, the Livestrong athlete peaked American interest into cycling and the Tour de France. The former seven-time Tour winner also for a period gave courage to cancer patients.

10. Mark McGwire

Mark McGwire

10. Mark McGwire

Mark McGwire — McGwire averaged a homerun every 10.61 at bats, which was better than Babe Ruths 11.76. The Dodgers first base coach was at the heart of the single season home run record race in the late 90s along with Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds.

9. Michael Jordan

Jordan Slam Dunk Competition

9. Michael Jordan

Jordan Slam Dunk Competition — America’s greatest contribution to the world of sports. Second only to Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers in terms of basketball skills, Jordan was the first global superstar. His Airness singlehandedly put basketball on the map.

8. Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps

8. Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps — Phelps has won a record 18 gold medals in the Olympic Games. The Flying Fish has dominated the world of swimming in the past three Olympic Games winning a total of 22 medals.

7. Michael Vick

Michael Vicks: New York Giants v Philadelphia Eagles

7. Michael Vick

Michael Vicks: New York Giants v Philadelphia Eagles — Although there has been a number of dual-threat quarterbacks, Vick was the one to truly revolutionize the “athletic quarterback.” It would have been interesting to see what kind of records Vick would have left behind without his imprisonment.

6. Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali Knocks Out Liston

6. Muhammad Ali

Muhammad Ali Knocks Out Liston — Ali was one of the most incredible boxers. He was a heavy weight with the moves of a middle weight. A three-time world heavy-weight champion, Ali showed the world how much influence an athlete can have on the world outside of sports.

5. Pele

Pele: World Cup 1966: Brazil V Hungary

5. Pele

Pele: World Cup 1966: Brazil V Hungary — Pele is the greatest soccer player to have ever played. The King of Soccer won three FIFA World Cups in his career and went on to score 1281 goals in 1363 games. Without Pele Brazil might not be synonymous to World Cup greatness.

4. Roger Federer

Roger Federer: The Championships - Wimbledon 2012: Day Thirteen

4. Roger Federer

Roger Federer: The Championships - Wimbledon 2012: Day Thirteen — Federer is has won more grand slam titles than any other male tennis player with 17 championships. He is also considered the greatest tennis player (male or female) and held the world No. 1 spot for a record 302 weeks.

3. Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant: Nets V Lakers

3. Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant: Nets V Lakers — Shaq is arguably the greatest center to play the game of basketball. The Lakers legend was so unstoppable that the strategy to stop him was to foul him.

2. Tiger Wood

Tiger Wood: 141st Open Championship - Round Two

2. Tiger Wood

Tiger Wood: 141st Open Championship - Round Two — Woods has long been considered one of the most dominant golfers of all-time and one of the highest paid in sports. Woods is credited for introducing a higher level of athleticism in the sport of golf. The “Cablinasian” golfer was so good he was hitting long drives with inferior equipment compared to his fellow pros in 2003.

1. Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky

1. Wayne Gretzky

Wayne Gretzky — Gretzky is the greatest ice hockey player. The former LA Kings center revolutionized the game of hockey by incorporating a more team-centric approach to the game. Gretzky is also the leading point scorer in NHL history.

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