[DrDune]

Why are you going by such a narrow definition of the word "athlete"?

Because he is an moron.

Woody1975 logic - The ONLY athlete on the entire list is Usain Bolt. Lebron James? Not an athlete. Lionel Messi? Not an athlete. Phelps, most medals in Olympic history? Not an athlete. Qatar's Noor Hussain Al-Malki, the first female to compete for her country at the Olympics and is a 100m sprinter, finishes last....ATHLETE.

And with that, I'm spent. The rest of you guys have fun wallowing in Woody1975's delusional logic.

 

[justblaze717]

anthony davis at #9? WTF?

Lol yea man. Makes no sense.

 

[BelieveInChael]

In the biggest sport in the world where he broke record after record. A sport that has been around a lot longer than the nba and is played professionally by a whole lot more people. So yea, if you count the world including everything outside of the US, it's that world.

Americans think you can't be a good athlete unless you are 6'4+ and weigh over 300 pounds.

 

[Skydome]

Americans think you can't be a good athlete unless you are 6'4+ and weigh over 300 pounds.

Took the words out of my mouth. Messi is one of the best ATHLETES in the world. Just because he's like 5'7, white and plays a sport you don't watch doesn't make his accomplishments any less significant

 

[aker2703]

might as well give my opinion.

#15 keselowski - please, Vettel is ten times the driver
#12 manziel - wow, is he another tebow? good college will be crap in pros
#10 griner - are you fucking serious?
#9 davis - wow again
#4 manning - too high, around 17-20 is o.k

bolt at #11 is BS needs to be around 5-7
serena at #7 is also bad, needs to be at 3-4

#1,#2 are fine.

Lastly, AP at 20 is a joke, dude is a fucking beast.

 

[eyepokeU]

You keep spouting BS. A bunch of the people on that list aren't that popular in the US. Nobody really cares that much for women's basketball for one thing.



You could only say 1 name when pressed for what other non-Americans should be on the list. You're only spouting nonsense about non-Americans because you "are trying to be global" yourself. Token foreigner? 2 of the top 5 people on the list are foreigners and 4 of the top 11 are, as well.

Yeah, a list from ESPN is going to be more American-oriented, but if you don't like it, then go make your own stupid list.

My point was that American media always a bias towards American popular sports and their own athletes. They will always make claims of list of the worlds best athletes or he or she is the best athlete in the world rather than just limiting to a national thing. So American media being such a powerful thing is very brainwashing on the general public.
Years and years of this causes the population to believe they are chosen ones

 

[eyepokeU]

Serena Williams won 2 majors and 2 Olympic gold medals this year, Novak only won one major and zero Olympic medals. He has not played that well in 2012. 2011 was his shining year. Serena, on the other hand, dominated 2012.

American sports leagues (aside from MLS) are the most global and dominant. They attract the best from around the world because they have the most money to lure them. All the best basketball players in the world play in the NBA. All the best hockey players in the NHL. All the best baseball players in the MLB. All the best mixed martial artists in the UFC. All the best golfers on the PGA Tour. All the best boxers fight on U.S. soil (mostly in Las Vegas). So the best competitors in American sports leagues are often the best competitors period.

Golf tournaments are played around the world and nobody considers America the mecca of golf.
Basketball is a main sport in the US not most other countries.
American football? Ice hockey? neither are popular outside the US or Canada.