Ranking the World's Most Dominant Athletes
There is no one trait or accomplishment that makes an athlete more dominant than his peers.
The amount of championships a particular athlete wins only means so much in team sports. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is, statistically speaking, an all-time great. Rodgers has only won the Super Bowl once during his career. Eli Manning, on the other hand, owns two Super Bowl rings. Some would nevertheless say that Rodgers is the better overall player among the two.
Dominance is a subject that comes down to opinion.
Serena Williams is undeniably one of the greatest female tennis players in history. Is Williams more dominant than any male counterpart? Would you rate her alongside athletes such as LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo and Tom Brady? What makes one of those athletes more dominant than others?
It's fun to compare different athletes if only because they'll never compete against each other in meaningful games or matches. American soccer fans often speculate on how the landscape of the sport would change if the best athletes in the United States all played soccer. We can't help but wonder if the fastest man in the world would dominate if he played wide receiver in the National Football League.
However you view things, all of the athletes featured in this piece earned a mention due to their numerous accomplishments that have made them living legends.
10. Lionel Messi
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Rating Barcelona star Lionel Messi is a difficult task these days.
As J.J. Bull of the Telegraph wrote, Messi won a record fifth Ballon d'Or earlier this year. Messi is, at absolute worst, the second best footballer of his generation behind only Cristiano Ronaldo in the eyes of those who fancy Ronaldo ahead of the Argentinian playmaker. Messi has won every club honor available to him throughout his career.
Why, then, is Messi so low on the list?
For starters, Messi may no longer be the most valuable player on his own team. Forward Luis Suarez, as Peter Smith of Sky Sports pointed out, won the European Golden Shoe after scoring 40 goals in club play last season. The BBC's Andy West wondered in November 2015 if Neymar was the world's best player at a time when Messi was sidelined because of an injury.
Messi's attacking brilliance, coupled with his achievements, make him one of the true dominating forces in the sport. One nevertheless cannot help but wonder if Barcelona would be just fine without Messi. Is Messi still really the best player in the world, or is he now merely fortunate to be part of a dominating trio?
Your answer likely affects where you rate Messi on such a list.
9. Stephen Curry
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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry likely would have topped this list had he played well enough during the 2016 NBA Finals to earn the Most Valuable Player award for that series.
Some Golden State fans out there may claim Curry should be No. 1 regardless of how he played against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals. After all, Curry was the best player on the team that won more regular-season games than any other side before it. Curry is the two-time reigning NBA MVP. Sean Gregory of Time magazine claimed Curry had the best regular season in NBA history.
Curry's stats tell of his dominance. He is the only player in history to average at least 30 points per game during a season. He shattered his own record of converted three-point shots in 2015-16. When Curry is on and at his best, he is the most unstoppable shooter of the ball in NBA history.
Statistically speaking, Curry is not yet the greatest shooter to ever play in the NBA. That honor, as Joe Posnanski of NBC Sports said, currently goes to Ray Allen. As Posnanski also pointed out, though, Curry has not yet played in 500 regular-season games. Unless Curry suffers a devastating injury or shockingly loses his form before the end of the decade, he will likely break Allen's record for three-pointers well before he retires.
Curry's resume is already impressive. He turned 28 years old earlier this year, meaning he may just now be entering his physical prime.
That's a terrifying thought if you're an opposing coach.
8. Michael Phelps
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Michael Phelps is the most decorated athlete in Olympic history.
Odds are you probably already knew that, if only because you heard it said multiple times while watching the 2016 Summer Olympics on television. Phelps winning 28 Olympic medals is unprecedented and downright astonishing when you compare his feats to those accomplished by other great athletes.
As Chris Chase of Fox Sports pointed out, Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina sits second behind Phelps in Olympic medals. Latynina won 18 total medals.
Phelps' achievements are remarkable when you consider the math. Phelps has nearly 50 percent more medals than the athlete who is second on the list. Imagine if we could make a similar statement about an athlete who competes in a sports league such as the National Football League. Tom Brady would, in such a scenario, own eight Super Bowl rings. LeBron James, by comparison, would be an eight-time champion.
Comparing Phelps to other great athletes is difficult, in part, because he was able to compete in so many events over the years. Usain Bolt would have to run in the Olympics for three decades to have even a shot at matching Phelps' medal count. We can say nobody was better in the pool than Phelps, who could go for 30 total medals if he chooses to compete four years from now.
7. Usain Bolt
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Usain Bolt is the fastest human who ever lived.
Don't gloss over that statement. Take a few seconds to truly appreciate what that means. Bolt is faster at running 100 meters and 200 meters than anybody before him as it pertains to being timed at official events. That, on its own, is enough for Bolt to deserve a spot on any list of the most dominant athletes in the world.
Bolt holds the records in his two specialties. He also has a reputation for showing up at big events, most notably the Olympics. As Sean Ingle of The Guardian explained, Bolt completed the so-called Olympics triple-triple of winning the 100-meters, 200-meters and men’s 4x100m relay a third time this past August. The nine-time gold medalist is one of the greatest Olympians in history.
Bolt is the best sprinter we've ever seen. Per Nick Visser of the Huffington Post, Bolt is the only man to ever win both the 100-meters and 200-meters at three consecutive Olympics. Bolt is also a showman who appreciates what wearing gold shoes during a final can mean to his personal brand.
The Olympics won't be the same without Bolt sprinting down a track in front of a worldwide audience.
6. Conor McGregor
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Conor McGregor dominates differently than other athletes mentioned in this piece.
McGregor is a great fighter. That sometimes get lost in discussions because of McGregor's antics outside of the cage. The reigning featherweight champion in the Ultimate Fighting Championship unified that title by defeating Jose Aldo, currently fifth in the UFC pound-for-pound rankings, via knockout in 13 seconds in December 2015. McGregor moved up to welterweight this year, and he avenged a loss to Nate Diaz in impressive fashion at UFC 202.
McGregor does not just dominate in the cage. He dominates in drawing power. Per Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting, McGregor set a new UFC record by earning a purse of $3 million for his rematch against Diaz at UFC 202. McGregor can now brag about being the biggest draw in UFC history, and there is no reason to believe McGregor could not break his own record if he and Diaz were to complete a trilogy at some point in 2017.
Championships are nice, of course, but fighters fight for money. The biggest winners are those who make the most cash. McGregor is on his way to being the most successful fighter in UFC history. He is only 28 years old, and thus McGregor's best days of his fighting career could be to come.
5. Tom Brady
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Those who are not fans of the New England Patriots take quarterback Tom Brady for granted.
Fans and journalists assume Brady will lead the Patriots to a playoff berth every year. Really think about that for a moment. A perception often discussed during seasons is that the NFL is built on parity and the idea all teams can compete for postseason positions and titles just about every year. Remember, also, that only six teams from each conference make the playoffs every year.
The Patriots happen to always be in the postseason so long as Brady is healthy and able to play.
No current NFL QB can match Brady in accomplishments and championships. Cam Newton is the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player, but he failed to guide the Carolina Panthers to a Super Bowl victory this past February. Brady owns more Super Bowl rings than any other current starting QB. The four-time Super Bowl champion turned 39 years old last month, and yet there is no visible sign Brady is slowing down or deteriorating.
Brady is the most consistent player at the most important position in the top sports league in all of North America.
The Patriots are a modern-day NFL dynasty, largely because of Brady. No other franchise has dominated as have the Patriots in the 2000s. Brady deserves to be recognized as one of the greatest overall players in NFL history.
4. Simone Biles
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Simone Biles is the greatest female gymnast in modern history.
As Reeves Wiedeman of the New Yorker pointed out in August, Biles cemented a place in the history of the sport even before the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Biles became the first woman to win all-around titles at the World Championships three years in a row. Casual observers assumed Biles would dominate in Rio, and she did not disappoint.
Biles not only won the all-around title at the Olympics. Per Susan Rinkunas of New York Magazine, Biles became the most decorated American gymnast in history. No American, male or female, had a better career than Biles, who turned 19 years old this past March. Biles won four gold medals and a bronze in Rio.
Biles could theoretically compete at the Olympics four years from now. Aly Raisman won three medals in Rio, and she turned 22 years old in May.
According to NBC's Julia Fincher, Biles is not yet thinking that far ahead. That's understandable. After all, Biles has nothing left to prove. She is a reigning champion and the best ever in her sport.
3. Cristiano Ronaldo
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Cristiano Ronaldo is the greatest soccer player of at least the past 20 years. As Jake Russell of the Washington Post wrote this past June, you can ask Ronaldo about that subject:
"Where would I rate myself amongst the top players of the last twenty years? Thinking positively, then I believe with what I’ve achieved, I’m the best of the lot.
"
Barcelona currently feature a trio of stars that make for arguably the most intimidating attacking unit to ever take the pitch. While Real Madrid possess several noteworthy talented players, the team's fate often depends on the play of Ronaldo.
Ronaldo has done it all in club football. He has hoisted every major trophy available in England and Spain. He has won the Champions League on multiple occasions. He has been named player of the year. Per UEFA.com, Ronaldo owns the record for the most goals scored in the Champions League during a single season.
The Champions League, not La Liga, is the top club competition in the world. Ronaldo holds the advantage over rival Lionel Messi in that Real are the reigning Champions League winners. Real, with Ronaldo, have won the Champions League twice over the past three seasons.
This matter can be revisited if Messi guides Barcelona to another Champions League title next spring. That's then. Ronaldo is, right now today, the best player on the best club that participates in the beautiful game.
One could argue Ronaldo is the most dominant overall athlete in the world.
2. LeBron James
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Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James would have been left out of the top ten of the world's most dominant athletes on the night of June 10.
James not only failed to lead the Cavaliers on a rally against the Golden State Warriors in Game 4 of the NBA Finals on that night. It appeared as if James attempted to flip the figurative switch and take the game over, only to come up alarmingly short. James' jumper failed him. He seemed to lack a boost when trying to drive toward the hoop. The Cavs lost the game, and we mere mortals couldn't help but wonder if we were watching the end of James' run as the greatest player on the planet.
James then silenced all doubters via a trio of incredible performances.
James scored 41 points in consecutive games to help the Cavaliers even the series and force a Game 7. He then produced a triple-double at Golden State in the final game of the series, and his block of what could have been an easy layup by Andre Iguodala late in that contest will go down as an all-time great defensive play.
James showed he is still the premier player in the sport during those three games. He is now a three-time champion who played a part in ending the championship drought that plagued Cleveland for over 50 years. James' legacy as one of the best NBA players in history is set.
1. Serena Williams
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Tennis phenomenon Serena Williams is the greatest professional athlete in history. This opinion, as Desire Thompson of Vibe.com explained, is expressed in a Nike advertisement that has run on television in September 2016.
Nike is not the first entity to discuss this topic. ESPN personalities Cari Champion and Mechelle Voepel once wrote about the matter. Andrew L. John of the Desert Sun asked in July 2016 if Williams was the greatest ever pro athlete after she won yet another Wimbledon title.
Williams, technically speaking, is not yet the most accomplished tennis player in history. Margaret Court won 24 grand slams, two more than Williams' 22, during her storied career. Other than Court, only Steffi Graf and Williams managed to win 22 slams.
Williams does more than win on the biggest stages of her sport. She is consistently dominant. As John wrote, Williams has been the No. 1 women's player in the world since 2013. Williams will retain her ranking if she wins the U.S. Open title later this month.
Williams is a unique kind of dominant. We joke with friends that we'll take Williams over an entire field of players in figurative bets before a tournament. She is known by her first name alone. It's news when Williams fails to win a title or a gold medal.
It's easy to forget Williams turns 35 years old not long after the current U.S. Open concludes. Williams, theoretically, should be in the twilight of her career, and yet it seems that it is only a matter of time until she matches and then surpasses Court.
She is worthy of being known as the world's most dominant athlete.
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