Chances are if you’re reading this than you have a favorite player or athlete that you always love to watch. It’s hard for some sports fans to choose just one player as their favorite, but that’s exactly what I asked 11 sports fans to do. The results were a diverse group of super stars from across five sports.
The Responses
Who is your favorite athlete from any sport and why?
“Michael Phelps is my favorite athlete. He’s always been a great competitor in swimming and always has been a good person to look up to with sports and as a person.”-@sruskan800
“I love Donovan McNabb. He was easily my favorite player growing up and it might be biased to say but I think he’s one of the most underrated QBs. He made some awesome plays in his career and lead the team for so long. I loved watching him play. He once scrambled for 18 seconds avoid a sack and then threw a 50 yard dime. Incredible.”–@M_Formo
“100% Manu Ginobili. He’s the only athlete that represents my country and he’s such a respected player. Never any scandals or problems, just a good guy who got me into spurs basketball.”–@Federico8888
“Wentz. Face of the Eagles.”–@matthewdufner
“Bo Jackson. He broke all previous expectations of a professional athlete by being one of the greatest running backs in the history of NFL while also competing at the highest level in baseball. He was also a true professional who stayed away from the controversies that many other pro athletes face.”–@Tbegane
“Marshawn Lynch…on top of being an absolute unit he is one of the most entertaining professional athletes I’ve ever watched.”–@LordBeckler
“Ever since I was a little kid I loved Derek Jeter. Watching him play when I was growing up always wanted me to be like him when I played baseball.”–justinwagner2498
“I have to say Andrew Luck because besides being a Colts fan I believe he shows what sportsmanship is like. He’s a very amazing QB when he is healthy and also shows you can have a good sportsmanship and play at a very high level.”–@JJHumphrey12
“Oh man you know who, Aaron Rodgers all the way. He’s a baddddddd man and easily one of the greatest quarterbacks to play the game, watching him every week is like watching a movie. Plus with him your never out of the game, Go Pack Go!!”–@vandoldi
“My favorite athlete is Matt Centrowitz but I’m a little bias because I run and he’s a runner. Watching him win gold in Rio was really cool and I’ve always been a big fan of him ever since I started running.”–@brianspolarich
“Definitely gotta be Derek Jeter. I looked up to him so much growing up and would try to catch every single Yankees game cause of him. There are just so many amazing memories involved with Derek Jeter.”-@AndrewFerdenzi
Analysis
As I already mentioned there were five sports represented in the results. Six of the selections played football, two played baseball, one played basketball, one was a runner, and the other was a swimmer. That’s a diverse group of athletes but not as diverse as I expected.
The only player to get picked twice was Derek Jeter. It’s easy to see why, Mr. November was the face of the New York Yankees for a decade and a half and is the greatest short stop of all-time. His career is filled with SportsCenter highlight plays that just seem impossible. The charismatic New York legend retired after 20 years with the Yankees following the 2014 MLB season.
As for my favorite player, it’s got to be LeBron James. I grew up playing basketball and he was the guy that people looked to, along with Kobe Bryant, for inspiration and jaw dropping plays. James has his fair share of haters but that just makes him even more interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do over the next four years with the Los Angeles Lakers.
