Most Influential Athletes (Personal)

Nate’s 9: Favorite Athletes in my Lifetime

Teams vs Individuals. It’s hard.  For as much as I love my favorite sports franchises, to be able to find that player that raises my interest levels a tiny bit more, it’s invigorating. I’ve had many moments throughout life where I thought, if only he could be on the Packers, or I would love to see that guy in a United jersey, knowing full well that it’s not going to happen.  For some, it wouldn’t bother them in the least, but I always feel like those moments are missed opportunities.  Our lives can change just because a certain player plays for a certain team. Kirby Puckett with the Twins. Mike Modano with the Minnesota North Stars. Eric Cantona with Manchester United. They are almost bigger than the teams themselves.  Here are the nine that still get my juices flowing whenever I get the chance to see them play/have played.

#9 – Ken Griffey Jr. Probably my first true love.  I had about thirty posters in my room growing up, but Junior and his father standing by their lockers is the only poster that I transferred from my upstairs bedroom to my downstairs one in about the 7th grade.  Everything about him screamed greatness. His quick ascent to the major leagues. That flawless swing. His calm, cool demeanor. The fact that he wanted to go home and play in the town that he grew up in.  He was probably my first favorite player growing up (along with #3), in my favorite sport (how that wouldn’t last). I still don’t think we’ve seen another like him (Sorry Trout). He was unfortunate to only win one AL MVP, and I am curious to know how many he may have possibly won if he didn’t grow up in the steroid era (Looking at Canseco, Mo and Juan Gone). He and Frank Thomas were the heroes of young children across America who saw two athletes that were affable and courteous, two players that really enjoyed playing the game of baseball, and extended their careers for a number of seasons as a result of that love for the game.  This may or may not surprise you, but Griffey was done in 2010, and Frank finished in 2008 after 19 seasons. I just happened to like Junior a tiny bit more.

My first Poster

#8 – Sterling Sharpe. One of the saintly three that led me to life as a Green Bay Packer fan (Reggie White, Magic Man Majkowski).  As a young youth, I thought he was just as talented as Jerry Rice, I just felt like Majkowski and Favre weren’t on the levels of either Joe Montana and Steve Young.  Older now, I still feel this way, but I do think that Jerry separated himself from every other WR in NFL history. Shannon Sharpe, who many consider to be one of the greatest TE the NFL has ever seen, used to say that he wasn’t even the best player in his household. Shannon was a first ballot Hall of Famer.  As a youngster I used to think that no matter who the opponent and no matter how much time was left in the game, that Sterling was so good, the Packers still had a chance to win... even when they didn’t. Not too many athletes in my lifetime have been transcending for me as a fan; a few in this list to come, Michael Jordan, Mike Tyson, Wayne Gretzky, Leo Messi and Sterling Sharpe. Pretty elite company.

The Better Sharpe

#7 – Roger Federer. A long time ago, in a place far away from here (actually only about 20 minutes away), I didn’t care for tennis at all. Hate is a strong word, but whatever the next one is (detest, dislike), that’s the feeling I had for tennis. I used to skip over the articles in Sports Illustrated that mentioned the great feats of Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Bjorn Borg, and the like. If ESPN was showing a tennis match, chances are I was changing the channel.  Then a year in Germany followed by the introduction of Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Rafael Nadal and this man, Roger Federer came to surface. Such personalities! Such dominance! (From this one). I can draw a lot of parallels from Roger. He probably feels like he has boatloads of children (4), some days I feel like I have boatloads of children (3, but really 16). He is/was the best at his craft and for a time it wasn’t even close. I feel that my understanding of sports and how it correlates to my own life and the world is pretty high up there. I know what they know that makes them great. I just don’t have anywhere near the physical gifts or the mental aspirations to achieve this type of athletic magnitude. I have to live vicariously through the athletes. This has always been my guy, in a sport that may or may not belong to me.

#6 – Zinedine Zidane. It breaks my heart that Marco Materazzi said something to Zizou that got him sent off in a World Cup final, in the last game he ever played (competitively). This guy is probably the only player in the world (in any sport), with which I run out of flattering words and beautiful adjectives (See Ray Hudson). There’s 3 special moments in particular that I remember about Zidane that I want to get to, and I will. But first I just want to share with you what Zidane means to me.

He was the first player that made me realize that not only is soccer on a par with our football, but their skill level was probably higher than ours. Up until this point, I just thought it was an okay sport with guys that had great stamina and could hit a ball with their foot. Zidane made it art for me, and I’d be hard pressed to say anyone else has done that before, or since. Steve Nash kind of did it in basketball, Steph Curry has the potential to do so, Odell Beckham and Richard Sherman show glimpses of it, and when all cylinders are firing, Sidney Crosby can pull the strings of all 9 other skaters on the rink.  Zidane did it with 20 guys (I won’t count the goal keepers as they aren’t really in positions to make decisions based on what happens in the middle of the field), and did it with style and grace. It was simply talent, and he had more than anyone else.

1. His goal against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League final and understandably so. It’s the greatest goal I’ve ever seen, and probably will continue to be for a very, very long time.

2. His backheel off of a corner in a World Cup game.  It didn’t go in. Someone (Lilian Thuram?) missed it. But essentially he ran to the near post and the ball ended up behind where he was running. He flicked it backwards, up in the air, toward the goal, where another teammate got his head to it on an open goal.  He missed. I was still going nuts. I’ve never seen that move since. (9 years and counting)

3. His conversation with Florentino Perez at some football (yes, soccer) banquet prior to him playing at Real Madrid. Perez wrote "Madrid" on a napkin and it got passed over to Zidane. The napkin came back to Perez and all it said was “yes”. A few months later, Zidane left the global power that was Juventus, no questions asked, and joined another global power in Real Madrid. While they didn’t make history, a kindergarten like way of getting one of the best players of all-time to join one world class team from another has stuck in my mind forever, and I smile at the simplicity in which Zidane was able to live.

Magic Johnson may have said it best though. When asked his opinion of Zidane upon seeing the Galatico’s during a visit to Madrid, he said, “One of the most inspiring nights of my life," said Magic. "Zidane is a phenomenon, as good as me and Michael Jordan put together." (ESPN magazine, June 10, 2002 issue).

#5 – Mariano Rivera. I just don’t know how to describe it. Love at first sight, maybe. Not in my wildest dreams did I think that one of my all-time favorite players would put on the pinstripes that the Yankees wear. It pretty much goes like this; I thought John Wetteland was a really good closer and that he was getting a raw deal by getting kicked out of the closer role by Torre for some young Latino that had an ERA of over 5.00 when I checked out his baseball card. Cue fastball... and... boom! I was sold. I still can’t get enough of his pitch and periodically I will youtube some of his highlights just so I can see it again. Of all the dominant performances on this list, Rivera probably has one of the best runs of them all. 5 years in a row of a WHIP (Walks & Hits allowed per Inning) under 1.0. He allowed 71 HR’s in a 19 year career. It’s because no one could hit his cutter. And I love him for it. But I think the reason why he catapulted toward the top of this list is for who he was off the field. When I heard that he paid for the educations of all of his home’s servants' children, I thought that was pretty cool. Then, when I heard that he met and spent time with the family who suffered much personal injury and the loss of their son when their car got hit by a falling billboard, I thought that was really cool. But for me, volume speaks when not even Rachel Robinson, Jackie Robinson’s wife, asked Rivera to stop wearing the #42 when everyone else in baseball retired the hallowed number. On the contrary, Rachel drew parallels between the careers of her late husband, Jackie, and this incredible player. That’s meaningful stuff.

Respect

#4 – Kevin Garnett (KG). I’m sure many of you know what I’m talking about, when I say, “My guy”. The athlete that you feel was sent to you personally. This is how I feel about KG. I still remember the Sports Illustrated issue that talked about this kid from South Carolina who was so skinny and lanky, that they didn’t think he’d have the grit or determination to have a long career in the NBA. It was instantly then, that I was drawn to Kevin. Here, we have this franchise, the Minnesota Timberwolves that have literally sucked from their first day of existence until the day I read that article. No playoff appearances. No sniffs for that matter. Here was this player, already being critiqued, bad-mouthed (for skipping college, not for his size) without given a chance to see if he could succeed. I willed the Timberwolves the opportunity to take him if he was ever going to drop down that far in the draft (5th). And it happened. And our fortunes changed (although not without more heartbreak; Lakers, Malik). KG is still in the league today, and I read that article... 20 some years ago. Some probably claim Kevin for themselves as well, but I really, truly believe that KG was my guy.

Ah, the issue

#3- Walter Payton. My first. Walter popped my cherry. The first athlete that I actually liked as a player as opposed to enjoying a team. It was about the time I was 5 years old. I can’t remember the why’s or the how comes, but the first time I remember seeing the Bears on TV and that #34, I was sold. He ran around people, he ran through people and he ran past people. At the time (and I don’t think I’m too far off for being 5), I thought that Walter was the entire Bears offense. I was disappointed when they threw the ball, and my feelings were hurt whenever they took him out and substituted in Matt Suhey. I think the reason that I picked football ahead of basketball and baseball is because I had a favorite athlete in football first. It wasn’t until I was about 8 years old that I considered Dominique Wilkins to be my favorite basketball player and Griffey was around the same time as well. So Football took the lead, and Walter was at the forefront.

My Mythical Figure 

#2 (1B) Aaron Rodgers. This was difficult, but it really wasn’t because there is nothing wrong with being second. I think the only thing that differentiates between Aaron and the winner (it’s easy, right?) is that I didn’t get to follow Aaron immediately. He had a college career, that I didn't really follow, probably because I thought all Pac-10 QB's were overrated. He literally is like the perfect bromance though. He’s one of the best ever, he doesn’t have the good looks that makes the girls swoon, but he’s not hideous, he has great jokes, he’s self-effacing, he’s subtle (don’t tell me that he loves drinking grape crush, immediately after we play the Vikings all the time, and drinks it just long enough to get caught on camera), and he’s dating a hot chick (according to some). I liked him from the moment I set eyes on him, similar to KG, albeit in a different way. Aaron was expected to go top 5 in the draft, so basically it was a pipe dream for me. He had good size, a rocket arm, decent pocket presence, and a calm demeanor (Andrew Luck, anyone). Perhaps he wasn’t considered the brightest QB, but I’m not sure why he fell so far in the draft. My good fate though, as it linked my favorite team with my favorite player until the end of time. And seems to be a bit more classy then to ask for a trade to one of our biggest rivals once Brett Hundley is groomed to take over the starter’s position. Just saying.

Cause I'm an asshole, but with a sprinkle of dry humor.

#1 (1A) Wayne Rooney. Was there a doubt? For as much as I like Steph Curry, Robert Lewandowski, Mike Trout, Andrew McCutcheon, and Andrew Luck, they all still have time on their side to dethrone this champion.  Here’s why I believe they won’t.

I remember the times and places of where I was during particular Wayne Rooney accomplishments. I was in my mother’s living room for the Everton goal. I was standing in her office with my eyes closed, when she announced to me that Rooney had been signed by the great Manchester United. I was watching my wife snap photos of a United friendly pre-game when he hammered a shot that broke the camera of someone snapping shots close to the vicinity of my wife. I was at the pub sitting in my usual place when he scored the lob to knock Portsmouth out of the FA cup with his beauty. I was in my living room at the townhouse when he scored the bicycle kick goal to beat Manchester City and spur United on to the title in 2011. I remember being upset that I had to work when he scored the hat trick on his Manchester United debut (this was before we could turn on soccer at a SPORTS bar – how times have changed). From October of 2002 up until this moment sitting here at the computer, I’ve really ever only had 1. He’s played for the only two Premier league teams that I like, and he’s done it with determination, heart, intelligence and tenacity. While England has turned him into a marketing machine, which would allow him to rest on his laurels, I still think he gives 100% every time he’s out on the pitch. And until he puts in his 3rd (or 4th) transfer request, I see no reason to move him out of the top spot now.

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