100 Most Likable American Athletes (10-1)

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...
Preview
100-91
90-81
80-71
70-61
60-51
50-41

40-31

30-21

20-11

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 Strike 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

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

Top 100 NFL Players

With all this talk about top 100 in my past few posts, I decided to start doing my own top 100 list for the 3 major sports. These lists will be based on value provided the rest of this upcoming season. For instance, Ronde Barber is not eligible because he will not play in 2014. Past accomplishments factor in, but it isn't an all-time list, so a guy like Ed Reed will not be in the top 10, eventhough he is arguably the best player of today over his career. Finally, no players linked to PEDs will be included, so no Jarvis Jenkings, Aquib Talib, Joe Haden, etc. from me.

Richard Sherman also fails to make the list. Sherman tested positive for PEDs. Sure, he won his appeal, but we have heard the chain of custody appeal before. It is a strange appeal and the last guy to do it got caught later on. I think we may be dealing with a similar thing with Sherman. Innocent until proven guilty, but he was caught. 6 Seahawks not including him have been caught since 2011 also, so its not like the culture there is really against PED use.

I also didn't include guys like Sam Bradford and Kirk Cousins that I am 100% confident will be franchise quarterbacks because they haven't produced on the field as much as they will. No current rookies either, they haven't stepped onto an NFL field yet.

100. Trent Richardson               Cleveland Browns            RB
99. Matthew Stafford                Detroit Lions                    QB
98. Tramon Williams                 Green Bay Packers          CB
97. Torrey Smith                       Baltimore Ravens             WR
96. Jermaine Gresham               Cincinnati Bengals             TE
95. Lavonte David                     Tampa Bay Buccaneers    LB
94. Ike Taylor                            Pittsburgh Steelers           CB
93. Lawrence Timmons              Pittsburgh Steelers            LB
92. Ndamukong Suh                  Detroit Lions                    DT
91. Jerrell Freeman                    Indianapolis Colts             LB
90. Darren Sproles                     New Orleans Saints         RB
89. Will Montgomery                 Washington Redskins       C
88. Danieal Manning                  Houston Texans                S
87. Jerod Mayo                         New England Patriots       LB
86. Logan Mankins                    New England Patriots      OG
85. Perry Riley                           Washington Redskins       LB
84. Phillip Rivers                        San Diego Chargers         QB
83. Brandon Mebane                 Seattle Seahawks             DT
82. Jason Pierre-Paul                 New York Giants            DE
81. Julius Peppers                     Chicago Bears                  DE
80. Tim Jennings                        Chicago Bears                 CB
79. Michael Vick                       Philadelphia Eagles           QB
78. Chad Greenway                   Minnesota Vikings            LB
77. Champ Bailey                       Denver Broncos                CB
76. Jason Witten                        Dallas Cowboys               TE
75. Heath Miller                         Pittsburgh Steelers            TE
74. Marques Colston                  New Orleans Saints         WR
73. Steve Johnson                      Buffalo Bills                      WR
72. London Fletcher                  Washington Redskins         LB
71. Cameron Wake                   Miami Dolphins                  DE
70. Dwayne Bowe                     Kansas City Chiefs            WR
69. Roddy White                       Atlanta Falcons                  WR
68. Frank Gore                         San Francisco 49ers           RB
67. Chris Long                          St. Louis Rams                   DE
66. Dashon Goldson                 Tampa Bay Buccaneers      S
65. Donald Penn                       Tampa Bay Buccaneers      OT
64. Mario Williams                    Buffalo Bills                       DE
63. CJ Spiller                            Buffalo Bills                       RB
62. Demariyus Thomas             Denver Broncos                WR
61. Duane Brown                     Houston Texans                 OT
60. Dez Bryant                         Dallas Cowboys                WR
59. Jimmy Graham                   New Orleans Saints            TE
58. Jamal Charles                      Kansas City Chiefs            RB
57. Collin Kaepernick               San Francisco 49ers           QB
56. Joe Stahley                          San Francisco 49ers          OT
55. Cam Newton                       Carolina Panthers              QB
54. Tony Gonzalez                    Atlanta Falcons                   TE
53. Geno Atkins                        Cincinnati Bengals               DT
52. Russell Wilson                     Seattle Seahawks               QB
51. Robert Griffin III                 Washington Redskins          QB
50. Andrew Luck                      Indianapolis Colts               QB
49. Andy Dalton                       Cincinnati Bengals                QB
48. Ed Reed                             Houston Texans                  S
47. Marshal Yanda                   Baltimore Ravens                OG
46. Anquan Boldin                     San Francisco 49ers          WR
45. Antonio Cromartie              New York Jets                    CB
44. Alfred Morris                      Washington Redskins           RB
43. Doug Martin                       Tampa Bay Buccaneers        RB
42. NaVorro Bowman              San Francisco 49ers             LB
41. LeSean McCoy                  Philadelphia Eagles                RB
40. Ben Roethlisberger              Pittsburgh Steelers                QB
39. Charles Tillman                    Chicago Bears                      DB
38. Terrell Suggs                        Baltimore Ravens                 LB
37. Max Unger                          Seattle Seahawks                  C
36. Vincent Jackson                   Tampa Bay Buccaneers       WR
35. Reggie Wayne                      Indianapolis Colts                WR
34. Brandon Marshall                 Chicago Bears                     WR
33. Marshawn Lynch                 Seattle Seahawks                  RB
32. Earl Thomas                        Seattle Seahawks                  S
31. Patrick Peterson                  Arizona Cardinals                 CB
30. Justin Smith                        San Francisco 49ers              DL
29. Julio Jones                          Atlanta Falcons                     WR
28. BJ Raji                               Green Bay Packers               DT
27. Clay Matthews                   Green Bay Packers               LB
26. Darrelle Revis                     Tampa Bay Buccaneers        CB
25. Aldon Smith                      San Francisco 49ers               LB
24. Vince Wilfork                    New England Patriots            DT
23. Matt Ryan                          Atlanta Falcons                     QB
22. Larry Fitzgerald                  Arizona Cardinals                 WR
21. Andre Johnson                   Houston Texans                   WR
20. DeMarcus Ware                 Dallas Cowboys                   DE
19. AJ Green                           Cincinnati Bengals                 WR
18. Luke Kuechly                    Carolina Panthers                  LB
17. Von Miller                         Denver Broncos                    LB
16. Ray Rice                           Baltimore Ravens                  RB
15. Arian Foster                      Houston Texans                    RB
14. Joe Thomas                      Cleveland Browns                 OT
13. Trent Williams                  Washington Redskins             OT
12. Eli Manning                      New York Giants                  QB
11. Patrick Willis                    San Francisco 49ers               LB
10. Vernon Davis                   San Francisco 49ers               TE
09. Tom Brady                      New England Patriots             QB
08. Joe Flacco                        Baltimore Ravens                  QB
07. Drew Brees                      New Orleans Saints              QB
06. Haloti Ngata                     Baltimore Ravens                  DT
05. Peyton Manning               Denver Broncos                    QB
04. Aaron Rodgers                 Green Bay Packers               QB
03. Adrian Peterson                Minnesota Vikings                RB
02. JJ Watt                            Houston Texans                    DE
01. Calvin Johnson                 Detroit Lions                        WR