We’ll always favor the athletes who have made more recent impacts, as these are the ones who’ve affected our lives. Still, there have been many hugely influential athletes from the past, and I’ve done my best to include them here.
After all, we weren’t there to see most of the athletes of the 1900s so it’s hard to completely realize what they meant to society at the time. What you should know is that many of the men from the past paved the way for the big stars we enjoy today.
It’s hard to narrow this list down to five, but these are the five men who I think had more meaning to their sports than any others. This is all subject to opinion, and I’d love to hear yours.
The oldest of the bunch here is Ty Cobb. He came before Babe Ruth and played a major role in making baseball the biggest sport in the country at the time. If not for Cobb, Babe Ruth might not have enjoyed the big stage.
Muhammad Ali. This man brought boxing to its height and electrified a world of fans. He’s still talked about every single day as the best boxer of all-time.
In the soccer world, most will agree that Pele was the best man to ever play the sport. While soccer isn’t as big in the US, this is the world’s biggest sport. Pele could by and large be considered the most influential athlete in the world.
In baseball, no one gets more credit for shaping the sport than Babe Ruth does. He changed the way people watched the sport, and turned it into the biggest thing in the country. He also helped the Yankees to a dynasty that still lives on to this day.
In the basketball world, everyone wants to be like Mike. Many of us were fortunate enough to see him in action, and Jordan was the kind of athlete whose talent is witnessed once in a lifetime.
More about the author: A major sports fan, he also writes about bathroom light fixtures and bathroom ceiling lights.
