ESPY Awards 2012: Breaking Down Top Contenders for Best Male Athlete

Heading into the 2012 ESPY Awards on July 11, there are four worthy candidates for Best Male Athlete: Novak Djokovic, LeBron James, Aaron Rodgers and Justin Verlander.

All four superstars have made a huge impact in their respective sports the past 12 months, with two of them winning titles since last July. 

Here's how I rank the four contenders. You can vote on ESPN.com.

4. Novak Djokovic

If this just counted 2011, Novak Djokovic could very well take home the award.

But the ESPYs count the last 12 months, and that's where I have an issue with Djokovic winning the honor. 

Djokovic was dominant in 2011, but he wasn't as dominant in the second half of 2011. The second half of 2011 doesn't take into account his 43-match winning streak, or his Wimbledon title. On top of that, he also just lost his world No. 1 ranking to Roger Federer. He hasn't been as dominant in 2012.

3. Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers

Aaron Rodgers certainly had a phenomenal season in 2011-2012, throwing for 4,643 yards and 45 touchdowns to just six interceptions. He led the Packers to a 15-1 regular season record, earning him NFL MVP honors.

But when it truly counted, Rodgers and the Packers were knocked out in their first playoff game of the season against the New York Giants, losing in the Divisional Round, 37-20. Rodgers was 26-of-46 for 264 passing yards and two touchdowns to one interception in the loss, recording a 78.5 QB rating.

A great all-around performance for Rodgers, but he ultimately didn't get it done when it mattered.

2. Justin Verlander, SP, Detroit Tigers

Justin Verlander has emerged as arguably the best pitcher in baseball. 

After the 2011 All-Star break, Verlander went 12-1 with a  2.79 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 103 strikeouts in 100 innings. The result? The Tigers finished 95-67 (15 games ahead of the second-place Cleveland Indians in the AL Central) and Verlander took home both the AL MVP and AL Cy Young award.

On the other hand, Verlander gave up 11 earned runs in 19 1/3 innings as a starter in the postseason and the Tigers were knocked out of the playoffs by the Texas Rangers.

Verlander has come roaring back—with a 2.58 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 128 strikeouts so far in 2012—but the Tigers are 44-42.

1. LeBron James, F, Miami Heat

LeBron James was simply the most dominant player in the past calendar year than any other contender for Best Male Athlete.

James established himself as the undeniable No. 1 basketball player in the world this past season when he not only dominated as usual in the regular season, but was virtually unstoppable in the playoffs.

James averaged 27.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists while shooting 53 percent from the floor in the regular season. Then he averaged 30.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists while shooting an even 50 percent from the field in the playoffs. That included averaging 28.6 points, 10.2 rebounds and 7.4 assists in the NBA Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Did I mention James played both small forward and power forward in the postseason?

Love him or hate him, LeBron James was king in 2011-2012.

Follow me on Twitter. We can talk about the NBA together.