The Big Five: The 5 Most Recognizable Athletes in Sports History

This is an attempt to do the impossible: rank the five most recognizable athletes in the history of professional sports. These athletes are ranked for both their on-field accomplishments and their off-field accomplishments.

I included only American athletes, because it would be extremely difficult to rank a player from another country (specifically a soccer player, like Pele). I know next to nothing about soccer and chose to limit my ranking to athletes from within the 50 states.

5. Jackie Robinson

His name will forever be synonymous with 'first'—the first black baseball player in the 20th century.

Jackie Robinson broke baseball's unofficial color barrier on April 15th, 1947. He helped to end the belief that blacks and white should be kept segregated in professional sports.

Jackie dominated the game of baseball, winning the Rookie of the Year and the league MVP within his first three seasons. He led the Dodgers to six pennants and their first world championship (1955).

Robinson was possibly the greatest all-around athlete in history. Well known for his baseball ability, Robinson was a standout running back at UCLA. He started on the varsity basketball team. He also excelled at tennis and track, and possessed world-class speed.

Robinson, not Rosa Parks, was the first known black citizen to refuse to move to the back of the bus when commanded to by the bus driver. Jackie was arrested and received an honorable discharge.

Major League Baseball retired Jackie Robinson's #42 after the 1997 season, meaning no player may ever again wear this number. In 1999, Jackie was elected to baseball's All-Century team as the starting second baseman.

Robinson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal for his contributions to the civil rights movement.

4. Tiger Woods

Who would have thought that one man could take the sport of golf and turn it into a sport more popular than hockey or soccer in the United States? Tiger Woods became a legend almost instantly after his arrival into the pros.

He is arguably the most prolific golfer in history, winning 14 major golf championships. He was named PGA Player of the Year nine times and earned four Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year awards. He achieved the career Grand Slam by age 24.

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