ESPN’s Sportscentury 50 Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century
This list got a lot of attention a few years ago when it came out as a TV special, and even won the Peabody Award. It’s still worth a good look.
ESPN picked the fifty greatest athletes of the 20th century. Here is their top ten:
- Michael Jordan
- Babe Ruth
- Muhammad Ali
- Jim Brown
- Wayne Gretzky
- Jesse Owens
- Jim Thorpe
- Willie Mays
- Jack Nicklaus
- Babe Didrikson
There will always be people you could make arguments for ranked higher than they are, like Lawrence Taylor at #40, and Barry Sanders and Cal Ripken, Jr. being excluded completely, but it’s hard to take issue with that top ten. It’s easy to make cases for any of MJ, Babe Ruth, Gretzky, Ali, or Owens as being number one on that list. Jim Brown, though an apparent demigod on the field, didn’t play long enough in my opinion to be as high as he is, but I can see the reasoning of putting him where he is.
The list is a spectacular, sentimental set of feature articles of these great athletes, and is absolutely worth a read for any sports fan who has never scanned the list before.
It’s entirely uplifting and inspiring to read about so much greatness, particularly from the people at the top of the list: the Bambino redefining American sports, Ali sticking up for what he believed in, Gretzky acting with great character while dominating a sport in a way no man has except maybe Ruth, Jesse Owens struggling through American racism but being awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, and Jordan being a champion in every sense of the word.
I’m glad to see that the writers didn’t weight the recent athletes too much heavier than ones from years past. It’s a great, refreshing mix.
One thing I wonder is who now might have a shot at being the list at the end of the 21st century. Certainly Tiger Woods. Lance Armstrong would have been a lock if it weren’t for the steroids issue, and likewise Barry Bonds would have a very good shot if it weren’t for all the scandal. Maybe Peyton Manning or Tom Brady if they keep it up? We’ll just have to wait 90+ years to see.
Ultimately, the list is an enlightening look at what makes an athlete great, complete with lots of great, well-informed writing and some brilliant perspective. Take a look if you’ve never seen the list before.
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Hell NO….. Where the hell is Michael Phelps??! The only olympian Ever to win 8 gold medals in one olmypic games all in world record fashion and holds the most gold medals ever by any other athlete of all time… Gong down in history for the most decorated olympic athlete of all time…. All this at the age of 23. Come on man.
@James
The title of the post is ESPN’s Top 50 Athletes of the 20th Century. Phelps didn’t start winning Gold Medals until a few years into the 21st.
Plus, this isn’t MY list. It’s ESPN’s. I’m just discussing it. I think they did a good job with the picks, and they have some really good articles to go with it.
Wayne deserves to be number 2. Babe Ruth played in a time where there was little of a challenge. He would not be as successful in today’s MLB.
There is way too much emphasis on retired American athletes, in particular baseball players who are probably the least athletic. Gymnasts and boxers are the greatest athletes but there are baseball players galore. Where’s Pele, Bruce Lee, Chuck Norris (7 time world champ-undefeated), Teofilio Stevenson (the greatest Olympic boxer ever), among other great athletes. How can Dan Marino, Sammy Baugh, Joe Namath, and Otto Graham make the top 100 but John Elway and Fran Tarkenton not?? AND, why the heck are horses listed????
This is an attempt to name the 50 greatest AMERICAN (or North American) athletes, right??