Althouse: "The four most influential athletes in America really don’t play."

May 6, 2013

"The four most influential athletes in America really don’t play."

"At least not lately."

10 comments:

ndspinelli said...: Forbes Editor's meeting: "Sales are way down! Lets put out a sports issue w/ a horseshit list that will get attention. It will piss people off, but we'll get some buzz."; 5/6/13, 7:50 PM
edutcher said...: Don't know a one of them.; 5/6/13, 7:52 PM
Brian Brown said...: How is Jason Collins, who is to appear with Michelle Obama at Democratic fundraiser, not the most influential?!!; 5/6/13, 7:52 PM
m stone said...: agree with spinelli; 5/6/13, 8:15 PM
rcocean said...: Where's Tiger?; 5/6/13, 8:28 PM
ricpic said...: Tebow is done. No AFL or NFL franchise is going to take the chance on building a team around a quarterback whose first choice is always to run, who refuses to stay in the pocket and when he does throw throws with a very peculiar hit or miss throwing style.; 5/6/13, 8:42 PM
Henry said...: Before I clicked through I tried to figure out the list. I knew Tebow already, which is a joke. Influential how? To whom?

Then I thought of this Grantland article I read recently, The Rise of AI: Allen Iverson and the Slam era. Read it. That's influence: the athlete whose persona defines and advances a pop culture.

Who's got that in 2013? Tiger Woods? No. He is his own phenomenon. Pop culture exists in parallel with him. He isn't changing anything outside of his own envelope.

There's probably some guy in NASCAR who qualifies, but that's a sport and a pop culture I don't follow.

In the sports I do follow I can't think of anyone like Iverson -- or Yao Ming for that matter.

Derek Jeter is notable for his non-influence. He's Tiger Woods without the edge or excess. Yu Darvish probably generates a great global ripple than Derek Jeter. But he's just a footnote in history to the impact of Ichiro.

And the best story in baseball this year is Evan Gattis, catcher for the Braves.; 5/6/13, 9:49 PM
traditionalguy said...: Tebow is feared for his success as a winner that took Denver farther than Peyton manning could take them, and without Peyton's skills as a passer.; 5/6/13, 10:35 PM
Æthelflæd said...: All the young football fans I know love Tebow. But then, I live in the South. He could start a Children's Crusade to try and conquer New York if he just whistled. So yeah, I'd say he's influential. It probably all depends on where you live.; 5/6/13, 11:55 PM
Baron Zemo said...: Derek Jeter and Tim Tebow are both admired but for vastly different reasons.

Jeter has banged every actress in Hollywood and Tebow is a virgin.

But both of them are classy guys who put the team first. Tebow didn't say boo when the Jets screwed him over. And Jeter is the epitome of the class of the Yankees and the rightful heir to Joe D.; 5/7/13, 12:54 PM