Most Important Future Stars in Sports
The sports world is always evolving, and thus it's only natural we would have eyes on who we see as potential future stars.
It's easy, these days, to forget New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. only entered the National Football League in 2014. Beckham is already one of the biggest superstars in the league, and he is quickly becoming the face of a franchise that plays in the top sports market in the United States.
Beckham, of course, is not the only young star carrying a brand and the future of a league on his shoulders. National Hockey League fans are already seeing Toronto Maple Leafs rookie Auston Matthews as the league's next big thing even though he's only played a handful of games as of October 2016. Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor may become the new face of Major League Baseball if the Indians continue winning through the end of the current campaign.
"The future is now" is a popular slogan in the sports and entertainment industries. It also rings true for the franchises and organizations linked with the stars mentioned in this piece.
Who, among the 10 athletes mentioned in this piece, will be the biggest star in sports 10 years from now?
Auston Matthews
1 of 10
The rookie center for the Toronto Maple Leafs could not have had much better of a NHL debut unless he was playing a video game on its easiest mode. As Jace Evans of the USA Today explained, Auston Matthews scored a record four goals in his first official pro game. While Matthews couldn't guide Toronto to a victory on that night, he seems to have the goods to carry the storied franchise on his shoulders for the foreseeable future.
Matthews is a unique hockey star. He was not born in a small Canadian town. He wasn't introduced to the sport as a youth living in Minnesota. Matthews is a Mexican-American who grew up loving hockey as a youngster in Arizona, according to Sportsnet's Damien Cox, and he may turn out to be the top star of the United States national team come next decade.
The 19-year-old is already making waves off the ice. Per ESPN's Darren Rovell, Matthews was responsible for the best-selling NHL jersey on October 16. Fans obviously took notice to how well he played in his pro debut.
Matthews playing for the Maple Leafs will only add to his legacy if he can lead the franchise to a Stanley Cup. The Leafs last won a title in 1967, and fans would potentially build a statue in Matthews' honor if the young man destined to be the team's future captain can help end the franchise's championship drought.
Paige VanZant
2 of 10
This past August, Bleacher Report's Patrick Wyman wrote about why Paige VanZant could become the biggest star in the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
VanZant turned only 22 years old this past March, and she is still evolving as a fighter and as a superstar. She is already a household name among millions of individuals who don't regularly follow mixed martial arts, though, due to her appearances on Dancing with the Stars. VanZant seems to be personable, and it may only be a matter of time before she follows Ronda Rousey and accepts roles in movies.
One can't help but notice VanZant's cover-model good looks. She could earn modeling and acting gigs even if she never comes close to winning a championship in the UFC. Those who recently spent roughly $4 billion to acquire the UFC will hope VanZant continues to grow as a fighter and remains in the sport up through her late 20s at the very least, because she could prove to be even bigger than Rousey if the UFC continues to earn attention from national media outlets.
VanZant possesses the looks any promotion would want from its top face. We'll see if she'll ever have the skills required to be at the top of the strawweight division.
Ezekiel Elliott
3 of 10
Running back Ezekiel Elliott is the first of two Dallas Cowboys players to make the list, as he and a fellow rookie are providing fans with memories of the days when Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith guided the Cowboys to Super Bowl titles.
The 21-year-old leads the NFL in rushing yards six weeks into the season, and Elliott is currently averaging 5.1 yards per carry and over 117 rushing yards per game. He'll finish the regular season with over 1,800 total rushing yards if his current pace continues through Week 17. Elliott is fortunate to run behind what may be the best offensive line in the NFL, but playmakers, not the big men who do the dirty work up front, become stars for a team and for the NFL.
Elliott is not just electric on the field, as he has a dynamic personality. Per ESPN's Josiah Turner, Elliott chose to not wear pants while speaking with ESPN reporter Ed Werder on October 16. A piece on SportsDay recently described Elliot's stellar photobombing skills.
The future seems bright for Elliott and for the Cowboys.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
D'Angelo Russell
4 of 10
Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell is a bit unlucky in that he has quite the act to follow. Russell joined the Lakers during Kobe Bryant's final NBA season when Bryant was a shell of his former self and when the Lakers were downright horrible. Bryant, nevertheless, was an all-time great in his prime, and Los Angeles fans will remember Bryant for winning five titles while with the club.
Those same fans now expect Russell to be the club's next hero.
Fans aren't alone. Shahan Arnold of NBC Los Angeles wrote that the Lakers "are clearly D'Angelo Russell's team" roughly one week before the start of the 2016-17 NBA season. That's a lot of pressure on a 20-year-old who seemed to score at will when presented with open looks during the preseason.
Russell is not merely a second-year pro tasked with carrying a team's offense. He plays for the Lakers, a former NBA dynasty that moves the needle when the team is playing well and that generates plenty of hate from non-fans whenever it competes for a title. The NBA is more fun and more entertaining for casual fans when the Lakers are good.
It's on Russell to make the Lakers good once again.
Connor McDavid
5 of 10
The argument could be made Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid is the most important hockey player in the world right. The 19-year-old became the youngest captain in NHL history earlier this fall, and he has received a plethora of praise throughout his young career. Per Jonas Siegel of the Globe and Mail, Wayne Gretzky, hockey's greatest ambassador, recently stated he is "truly amazed" by the talent had by the young man who stars for his former club.
The Oilers, like the Toronto Maple Leafs, possess both a proud history and also a resume filled with failures. Edmonton's reputation for blowing draft picks is often mocked by NHL fans. The club hasn't won the Stanley Cup in 26 years.
Fans not only expect McDavid to end the team's futility. They're going to compare him to Gretzky, even if doing so is unfair to the young man who cannot legally buy a beer in the United States until January 2018.
Earlier this month, David Rogers of The Comeback pointed out NBC Sports Network and the NHL are both failing to adequately market both McDavid and Auston Matthews to would-be American viewers. That's silly, as both McDavid and Matthews appear to be the future of the league.
We've appreciated the contributions offered by Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and others who have played over the past decade. McDavid and Matthews will carry the NHL through the 2020s, and fans would do well to become familiar with both sooner rather than later.
Gary Sanchez
6 of 10
Don't look now, but the New York Yankees have the makings of a dynasty that could dominate the American League throughout the majority of the next decade. While the Yankees will need to bolster the team's pitching staff before 2020 rolls around, the club has multiple pieces for a lineup that could terrorize opposing starters and relievers.
Catcher Gary Sanchez may be the best of the group. As Cliff Corcoran of Sports Illustrated wrote, the 23-year-old made history when he became the first rookie to win American League Player of the Week honors in consecutive weeks this past August. Per ESPN's Andrew Marchand, Sanchez is also the first player in league history to hit 19 home runs in his first 45 games.
Sanchez, via Baseball-Reference.com, hit a total of 20 homers in 53 appearances this year, and he ended the campaign with 42 RBI and an OPS of 1.032.
Sanchez provided the Yankees with power and production at a position where many teams lack a quality hitter. He can also feature as a designated hitter when he needs a break from catching. All things considered, Sanchez may prove to be the most important player for the biggest club in the league.
Dak Prescott
7 of 10
For better or for worse, the Dallas Cowboys are America's Team in the NFL. We either root for them or we hope they lose and lose badly. Because of that reality, the quarterback for the Cowboys becomes a famous figure regardless of how well or how poorly he plays.
The Cowboys just happen to have a young QB winning games this fall.
Dak Prescott wasn't supposed to start for Dallas in October 2016. The plan, presumably, was for Prescott to sit and learn while serving as a backup for Tony Romo. Prescott became the starter in late August, however, after Romo was sidelined because of injury.
As Jared Dubin of CBS Sports explained, Prescott recently broke Tom Brady's record for the most pass attempts without an interception to begin a NFL career. That's impressive, but Prescott is not merely avoiding turnovers this fall. The 23-year-old helped the Cowboys win five of their first six games. It now seems Prescott deserves to remain the starting QB for Dallas even when Romo is healthy.
A rookie is now a star QB for one of the most famous sports brands in North America. No pressure, Mr. Prescott.
Kristaps Porzingis
8 of 10
Per Marc Berman of the New York Post, New York Knicks star forward Carmelo Anthony recently explained to reporters that there is still a "learning curve" for second-year pro Kristaps Porzingis. Porzingis played well in his debut season, and that he is still learning and improving while on the job should only worry opposing coaches.
The New York center did not win Rookie of the Year honors for 2015-16. That award went to Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves. No disrespect meant to Anthony-Towns or to Minnesota, but New York is a much bigger market, and thus it is Porzingis who is currently one of the most important potential future stars in the NBA.
You may remember some New York fans booing when the Knicks drafted a relatively unknown player from Latvia. Porzingis quickly turned those boos into cheers last season. Via Basketball-Reference.com, the 7'3" center who turned 21 years old this past August averaged 14.3 points a game in his rookie campaign. Porzingis played in over 28 minutes per game, and he also shot over 33 percent from beyond the arc.
The second-year pro is not your standard big man who lives underneath the rim during offensive possessions.
Porzingis is foreign, he's massive, he plays home games at Madison Square Garden and he's good. It's a perfect recipe to make as unique a star the NBA has had since Yao Ming featured for the Houston Rockets.
Francisco Lindor
9 of 10
Per Chris Landers of MLB.com, Francisco Lindor's mother made lasagna for TBS broadcasters before Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. That isn't the only reason why casual fans should love the shortstop for the Cleveland Indians.
The 22-year-old who was a candidate for AL Rookie of the Year in 2015 and an All-Star this season is already a special player. Via Baseball-Reference.com, Lindor has a lifetime average of .306. He has hit 27 home runs and driven home 129 RBI since joining the Indians last year. The youngster has also put together a highlight reel filled with multiple tremendous defensive plays that have conjured memories of Omar Vizquel and even Derek Jeter.
Yes, Lindor seems to be that good.
TBS aired a segment dedicated to Lindor before Game 3 of the ALCS. That station, and maybe even the league, seems to understand Lindor could become a top face of the sport. Lindor often flashes smiles during games, and he legitimately appears to love playing the sport while in the field or at the plate. He could become a household name if he were to play in a larger market, but the Indians would do well to make sure he doesn't play for any other club between now and 2026.
Odell Beckham Jr.
10 of 10
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is only 23 years old.
Some seemingly forget that when they discuss Beckham after he fails to produce stellar numbers during a game or when he makes headlines for antics that occur after a play. Beckham is still finding his feet as a pro football player. He is hardly a finished product.
With that said, Beckham is already one of the top faces of the NFL. Beckham has been featured on the cover of a Madden video game and in national advertisements. He is discussed on national sports talk shows when he makes one-handed catches, when he feuds with a defensive back and when he pretends to propose to a kicking net.
You may love him, or you may hate him. Odds are you recognize Beckham's face and name whenever you see either. The sky is the limit for that young man as long as he continues to play well and feature for a team that plays in the New York City market.
Beckham needs to calm himself and evade committing silly penalties during games. He can be one of the biggest sports stars in this country if he avoids being his own worst enemy.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
