The Top 10 Most Exciting Athletes of All Time

1. Michael Jordan

2. Muhammad Ali

3. Gale Sayers

4. Julius Erving

5. Deion Sanders

6. Brett Favre

7. O.J. Simpson

8. Barry Sanders

9. Kobe Bryant

10. LeBron James

Relax, it is just an opinion.

I doubt there is one person on this planet who would give the same exact answer. The same goes for your answer. 

Admittedly, there should be at least one soccer (football) player (probably Pele) on this list, but it is hard because I have watched so little soccer (partly because it is not an exciting sport with the current rules and partly because I grew up and I live in the United States.) 

When choosing a video for the Daily Video recently for my site (UltimateSportsRankings.com), I looked at some highlights of Bobby Orr (one of my boyhood sports idols) and I realized he should be on this list. 

His end-to-end rushes were breathtaking. So, allow me to cheat and include those two athletes and call this my top 12. 

Hopefully, this will make the soccer and hockey fans a little happier (and I am all about making you happy on my site. After all, it is sports, and it should be fun).

But admittedly, not the baseball fans, since there are none on my list. I just do not find baseball that exciting. 

Not to worry baseball fans—you get a vote too.

I suspect if I was alive in 1919 when Baby Ruth started hitting all those home runs (more than entire teams, I would have been captivated by him and he would have made my list. 

I hope that makes the baseball fans a little bit happier.

Michael Jordan needs no explaining, however, if you need one just read my article on the most exciting basketball players of all-time.  (I don't want to turn off the two or three sports fans on this planet who are not Michael Jordan fans—silly fools).

To truly appreciate how exciting Ali was, you need to watch his 10 fights between 1964 and 1967 when he was in his prime. 

Here is a quote (since I cannot figure out on how to improve on this description) from my article on the 25 Greatest Athletes of All-time, "In the Cleveland ("Big Cat") Williams fight Ali never looked better, and it seemed as if he was beamed in from another planet—200 years in the future!" 

"Never have I seen an athlete look so far ahead of his time in the display of athletic skills (yes, even more so than Jordan, since Dr. J was in his league in some ways).  Ali had blinding speed, unreal quickness, incredible agility, grace, style, underrated strength, toughness, heart, instincts, and brains. In short, an ideal physical specimen for sports." 

Gosh, I could not have said it better.

I will always have a soft spot in heart for Gale Sayers because he was the first athlete to make me run in the other room and get another person (my dad) to see him perform. 

I was a 6-year-old football nut, who had just started watching sports and Sayers was a rookie (1965).

In short, he made me a sports fan for life. 

If you are younger than I am, and have never seen Sayers' highlights, YouTube is screaming for you.

While you are there, you may want to watch highlights of Jim Brown and O.J. Simpson.  Even though neither one has a likable personality (Simpson did...until he killed two people), they sure were exciting to watch run with a football.

Julius Erving also needs no explanation (although in my basketball article I did explain how I jumped out of my seat the first time a saw him dunk). If you are young, it would be advisable to go back to YouTube if never saw Dr. J highlights before. 

Bryant comes close to Jordan sometimes, and James will be thrilling for years to come. 

Deion Sanders' sheer athletic ability made him a pleasure to watch, while Barry and his break-your-ankle-stop-on-a dime moves were always thrilling to watch. 

I have been a lifelong Packers fan, but I am quite certain Favre would have made my list even if I wasn't.  And, hey Brett, if you are reading this (hey, you never know—he is retired and has to find things to do),  Can you please play one more year?

Please allow me a another bonus pick: Bruce Lee.

Here is my explanation:  How could I leave out the athlete with the quickest reflexes in the history of mankind, and maybe—pound for pound—the strongest athlete of all-time? 

I suspect if Lee was alive today, in his prime he would dominate the Ultimate Fighting Championships and probably be the most popular athlete in the world. 

In addition, the UFC would be 10 times more popular than it is right now because of him. 

For Pete's sake, could someone please invent a time machine already?