The 10 Greatest Athletes Ever!

Not many people can claim to be the G.O.A.T., but those who can are the Greatest Of All Time in their field.  

10. Tom Brady - Football - Tom Brady has been playing in the NFL since 2000. He spent his first 20 seasons with the Patriots and His past 3 years with the Buccaneers. Tom Brady has won 7 Superbowls, He is a 5x Superbowl MVP, 3x NFL MVP, and a 15x Pro-Bowler. The Guy is arguably one of the greatest football players ever, and one of the greatest QBs ever.  "Football has so many elements of sports. It's strength, and it's speed, and it's quickness. It's endurance. It's toughness. It's so fast. It's a great game to watch. It's a great game to play."

9. Wayne Gretzky -  Hockey - Under coach Glen Sather, Gretzky and his Edmonton teammates (including NHL legends Mark Messier, Glenn Anderson, Jari Kurri, Paul Coffey, and Grant Fuhr) would go on to break virtually every scoring record imaginable, win four Stanley Cups, score 400 goals per season as a matter of routine, and set a precedent for NHL dominance the likes of which will probably never be seen again.  Gretzky’s personal accomplishments during the period include seven straight scoring titles, nine Hart Trophies, four 200-point seasons, NHL single-season records for goals, points, and assists, plus countless other records and trophies. 

8. Tiger Woods - Golf - Following an outstanding junior, college, and amateur golf career, Woods turned professional in 1996 at the age of 20. By the end of April 1997, he had won three PGA Tour events in addition to his first major, the 1997 Masters, which he won by 12 strokes in a record-breaking performance. He reached number one in the world rankings for the first time in June 1997, less than a year after turning pro. Throughout the first decade of the 21st century, Woods was the dominant force in golf. He was the top-ranked golfer in the world from August 1999 to September 2004 (264 consecutive weeks) and again from June 2005 to October 2010 (281 consecutive weeks). During this time, he won 13 of golf's major championships. 

7. Jim Thorpe - Olympic Athlete - Jim was an Olympic Gold Medalist, Played Major League Baseball, a professional football player, as well as a college football All American.  As an “All-American,” Thorpe had been a member of the nation’s original fantasy football team. It was with Major League Baseball, however, where Thorpe first made a living as a paid athlete. Beginning in 1913, Thorpe played six seasons with the New York Giants. In 1915, during the baseball off-season, he returned to football and helped establish the Canton Bulldogs and what became the National Football League, serving nominally as the first President of the NFL from 1920 to 1921. Jim is widely referred to as "The Legend".

6. George Herman Ruth - Baseball -  Babe Ruth put up monumental statistics during his playing career. But the Bambino was more than numbers – especially to those who knew him, like former teammate Joe Dugan, who once said: “To understand him you had to understand this: He wasn’t human.”  The Sultan of Swat would lead a powerful and renowned New York squad to seven American League pennants and four World Series titles during his 15 years in New York. He led the AL in home runs 12 times, including his record-setting 60 in 1927 – a mark that stood for 34 years. 

5. Michael Phelps - Swimming - Phelps has 28 Olympic medals in total: his 23 gold medals are more than double the count of his nearest rivals, and its not as if other swimmers have accrued silly numbers of medals, either. Apart from Spitz, Matt Biondi (USA, eight golds) and Jenny Thompson (USA, eight golds), no other swimmer worldwide has managed more than six gold medals in total. 23 is astonishing.

4. Usain Bolt - Track - Contrary to popular opinion, Bolt cannot fly. However, he does run extremely fast.  Bolt may have shown his best efforts at the 2008 Beijing Games with a 100-meter time of 9.69 seconds, but he crushed that time at the 2009 World Championships.  There, he set two world records with a 100-meter time of 9.58 and a 200-meter time of 19.19. From there, we can gauge how fast truly fast can be.

3. Serena Williams - Tennis - One of the most accomplished tennis players of all time. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles and has been ranked the No. 1 singles player by the Women's Tennis Association for 319 weeks. Williams also has won four Olympic gold medals for tennis.  As the world knows, Serena is more than a record-smashing, boundary-breaking tennis champion. Her achievements, on and off the court, make her one of the most recognizable names and faces in the world .

2. Muhamad Ali - Boxing - As a boxer, Muhammad brought unprecedented speed and grace to his sport, while his charm and wit changed forever what the public expected a champion to be. His accomplishments in the ring were the stuff of legend. But there was always far more to Muhammad than what took place in a boxing ring.  Ali had a career record of 56 wins, five losses and 37 knockouts before his retirement from boxing in 1981 at the age of 39.  Often referring to himself as "The Greatest," Ali was not afraid to sing his own praises. He was known for boasting about his skills before a fight and for his colorful descriptions and phrases. 

1. Michael Jordan - Basketball - Michael Jordan personified greatness on the court, and redefined superstar athlete off it. His freshman season at UNC culminated with Jordan hitting the game-winning shot in the 1982 NCAA national title game. That shot put Michael on the map and a new era was born. Following his junior year, Jordan entered the NBA Draft and was selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls. The young superstar began stockpiling NBA hardware. The court was his and the world soon followed. His unmistakable style - the wagging tongue, the baggy shorts, the signature line of sneakers - helped make the 14-time All Star the most recognizable person on the planet. Still his resume lacked an NBA title. Then in 1991, the Jordan-led Bulls launched an all-out assault on the rest of the league winning three straight world championships. Michael won Olympic gold again in 1992 and then in 1993 abruptly retired from the Bulls to play minor league baseball. He returned to the NBA full-time in 1995 and the Bulls promptly won three consecutive titles. Jordan was named Finals MVP each time. In 2001, Jordan made a second improbable comeback and still averaged 20 points per game and appeared in the 2002 and 2003 All Star Games.