Weeks ago, I started looking at the most likable athletes in this country following the retirements of Derek Jeter and Champ Bailey. That continues today with the latest look at some awesome American athletes. First, let's look back at what we have gone over so far...
Every athlete from here to #1 has a strong case for that top spot. However, the cases get stronger the closer we get. Here are your top 10.
10. Adam
Jones
San Diego,
California
Current
Team: Baltimore Orioles
Adam Jones is the incredibly fan friendly outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles. He has become incredibly likable and played very well for the team. In fact, he has been voted an all-star starter in multiple seasons now and was the leading vote-getter among outfielders during the 2013 season. Yes, he beat even Mike Trout. Not only did he beat Trout that season, but everyone seems to enjoy Adam Jones and the way he plays the game. Jones is always smiling, always giving his best, and always blowing that trademark bubble. Add in that he is incredibly active on social media and interacts with fans constantly and you have all the markings of an incredibly likable player. All except for the charitable donations. That is another area which Jones is quite active. This guy is a no-brainer for this list and belongs here in the Top 10.
9. Bubba
Watson
Bagdad,
Florida
PGA Tour
Bubba Watson is a two times Masters champ having won the tournament in both 2012 and 2014. Those two wins were the biggest of his career. They helped make him one of the most beloved golfers on the PGA Tour and certainly here in America. While he isn't as popular as Tiger or Phil, he is more likable than both. He is possibly more likable than both combined. There is not a whole lot not to like about Bubba Watson. The dude is a great golfer and a great person. He is also one of "the Golf Boys" as mentioned several times in this countdown. Additionally, he gives most of his time and money to charity and is a very devout Christian. Watson certainly is the most likable golfer on tour.
8. Kerri
Walsh Jennings
Santa Clara,
California
Volleyball
Kerri Walsh Jennings is the highest ranked female on this list. She is perhaps the greatest female athlete in the world today. Not only is she one of the best, she doesn't have many negatives about her. Every Olympics we could count on her an Misty May to win Team USA some gold medals. Now that Misty retired, Jennings got a new partner, but we can still count on her to win the gold. She was apart of the greatest beach volleyball team of all-time and likely moves onto the 2nd greatest. Her and new partner April Ross have yet to lose a game together and have already won 2 FIVB Gold Medals. There is a lot of fantastic volleyball left from Jennings.
7. Michael Phelps
Towson, Maryland
Swimming
Michael Phelps seems to be the one guy who gets a pass for off the field stuff and while I am not completely sure why, I tend to agree with it. Phelps transgression was that he smoked pot shortly after retiring for a short period of time. If he did drugs after he retired I don't really have a problem with it even if it is a very poor lifestyle choice. It is not like it gave him any sort of competitive advantage. The guy has won 17 gold medals and represented our country as well as possible at the Olympics. What more do you all want? Most of us don't want anything else. We just celebrate Phelps for the excellence that he has achieved. If you are a fan of Team USA period, you have to love Phelps and you do. He is the most decorated Olympian of all-time. It really is a no-brainer to have him in the top 10 since he came out of retirement shortly after the incident. Of greater note, Phelps has signed up for Project Believe an Anti-Doping campaign by the US Anti-Doping Agency that has athletes tested far more than required. Michael Phelps is able to pass performance enhancing drug tests more frequently than the standard competitor.
6. Buster
Posey
Leesburg,
Georgia
Current
Team: San Francisco Giants
My personal favorite athlete is an American treasure. His debut was in September 2009 and his first full season was 2010. That 2010 season he was Rookie of the Year and the Giants won the World Series. Then in 2011 he had a season ending injury and the Giants missed the playoffs. The next season, 2012, he was NL MVP and the Giants won the World Series. 2013 he started the all-star game, but the Giants missed the playoffs. Next, in 2014, he again led the Giants to a World Series. In 5 full seasons, Posey has been the face of a Giants team that won 3 World Series titles. One of the years they did not, he was out for the year. You would be hard pressed to find any athlete in any sport with that kind of impact. Posey does it in a way that makes you love him too. The coolest thing about Buster Posey though is that he once took a class with me and was in a field trip group with me for my Biology class at FSU Finally, his charity work puts him over the top.
Posey has a very strong case for number 1 which was strengthened recently by him being named the Face of MLB. This countdown was finished before those results came out, but it may have swayed me to put my favorite athlete at #1. If there is a mistake in this countdown it is that Posey is not #1. He is however #6 on the countdown.
5. Calvin
Johnson
Newnan,
Georgia
Current
Team: Detroit Lions
Seriously, who does not like Megatron? You got something against 1 handed catches and dominating performances? If not, than you should love Megatron. He is an absolutely fantastic WR with a tremedous amount of athletic ability. Johnson makes all the plays and then some and doesn't run his mouth. All he has done is his job much better than everyone else. He has been a lock and a can't miss prospect all the way back to his college days at Georgia Tech. The guy even broke the Lions curse of picking terrible wide receivers. Most difficult of all, he got the Lions into the playoffs. Johnson already has 15 NFL Records and looks to be achieving more in the near future. Chief among those records is most receiving yards in a season. You cannot watch him play or conduct himself and dislike the guy. He is as good as it gets from the WR position.
4. Tim
Howard
North
Brunswick, New Jersey
Current
Team: Everton
Compared to other sports that are televised, I probably watch soccer the least being honest. It is a great sport, but it doesn't hold my attention as much as other sports. However, with that being said even I enjoy watching Tim Howard. I enjoyed parts of the World Cup because of National Pride and also Tim Howard's goaltending. The nation was captivated by how Tim Howard played. He received many nicknames after the last World Cup including the Secretary of Defense. Everyone and there brother was talking about him. That World Cup run really put him in the conversation for most likable American athlete.
3. Kevin
Durant
Washington
D.C.
Current
Team: Oklahoma City Thunder
The defending MVP is an easy choice for Top 3 on this list. This guy is a scoring machine and does and says all the right thing. He had one of the greatest MVP acceptance speeches of all-time. That speech sure made its rounds on social media and I am pretty sure everyone saw it. Who does not like a humble superstar that constantly talks about how blessed he is and thanks his teammates? One of the only things Durant could do to be more likable to me is to go home to the Wizards! Durant has donated to numerous causes and been a huge asset to the Oklahoma City community. All that's left is for him to come home...
2. Clayton
Kershaw
Dallas,
Texas
Current
Team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw is about as likable as they come for a superstar. He is a great Christian man and a very humble superstar. Kershaw also does and says all the right things. It doesn't hurt that he is the greatest starting pitcher I have seen other than Greg Maddux and Pedro. If he stays healthy, Kershaw is a sure fire Hall of Famer. This past season, Kershaw won the Cy Young and the MVP Awards for his accomplishments. The Cy Young Award was Kershaw's 3rd already in his young career. Kershaw just turned 27 and has already won 3 Cy Young Awards. That total is the most among any active player and tied for 5th all-time. Roger Clemens is the leader in Cy Young Awards with 7, but remember that he used PEDS at the end of his career to achieve that. There is no reason to suspect even a hint of cheating with Kershaw. This guy is as clean cut as they come. Not only that, when Kershaw is successful, the whole world is successful. He has donated $100 for every strikeout to various charities. 70% of that money goes to S
trike Out to Serve which raises money for orphanages in Africa (Kershaw started the foundation after visiting Zambia), 10% each to
I am Second, Mercy Street in Dallas, and Peacock Foundation in LA. He also helps out with
Habitat for Humanity and various other charitable organizations. In fact, Kershaw won the
Roberto Clemente Award in 2012 for all his outstanding community service.
1. JJ Watt
Waukesha,
Wisconsin
Current
Team: Houston Texans
.jpg)
The #1 player on the countdown has to be JJ Watt. The all evertything defensive end for the Houston Texans. The absolute best at what he does. Arguably the best player in the league. This guy has zero controversy and 100% effort. The bloody nose during the game only adds to his legacy. It has happened on more than one occasion too. Watt was also a preferred walk on at Wisconsin that received only one scholarship offer from Central Michigan. The fact that this 2 star player ended up what he is today is absolutely incredible. He wasn't ranked nationally as a recruit and was the #7 player from Wisconsin. However, as they say, the rest is history. Watt has dominated the NFL and looks to be a guy that will achieve greatness throughout his career. He was just named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year by a unanimous vote. Watt was nominated for the Salute to Service Award for honoring our nation's military and is involved with countless charities. He even established his own charity, the Justin J. Watt Foundation which provides opportunities for kids to participate in sports after school. While it was a difficult decision, it is hard to argue that absolutely everyone loves JJ Watt and he deserves to be #1.
Thank you for checking out this countdown. The next few weeks will have a lot of NFL Draft information and early baseball news.
-Noland
No comments:
Post a Comment