Business Week's Power-100 Sports Figures

We're going to look at the past and current figures in sports that make the sports industry one of the most influential industries in the world.

Who are the most powerful individuals in the U.S. sports industry?

Tiger Woods in golf.

No one has made the sport any more popular than Tiger. He has changed the game forever, as he not only is the most dominant player in a sport, but he even made me pick up some golf clubs just so I can be like Tiger.

Serena and Venus Williams in tennis.

Not only are they the two most powerful female athletes of all time, they changed the way tennis is looked at. They have changed the sport not only for all female tennis players, but for African-Americans across the U.S.

Michael Jordan in basketball.

Who does not want to be "like Mike?" After a downfall in the game, Jordan rejuvenated the sport as he is one of the greatest ever to play the game. You cannot not see a kid sticking his tongue out and yelling "Jordan" when they go to the basket at any basketball court around the U.S.

Tom Brady is the most powerful figure in football today.

Not only has he taken over the GQ world, he has won multiple championships and is on his way to be the greatest QB in NFL history.

Jose Canseco is a powerful individual in baseball in a different way from the rest of the athletes. This is through more of his actions off the field than on the field.

His book Juiced has changed the whole way baseball has been looked at since its publication. He had brought up the Steroid Era, and the game of baseball has had an asterisk over it for all these past years. He has changed the way the game has been perceived.

Which woman deserves to be placed the highest on the list?

Serena and Venus Williams both put women's tennis on the map. They also changed the culture of tennis by being dominant African Americans. No other set of women in history has had more of an impact on their sport than these two sisters.

How about a commissioner who can impact the rules of how a sport is played, can decide whether or not a player should be suspended for off-field conduct, or can personally set the limits of a salary cap?

David Stern has to be the most powerful individual commissioner. If you look at the state of the NBA, it is in better condition than any other major sport in the U.S.

The NFL has drug and off the field problems, and the MLB is full of human-performance problems.

David Stern has been able to produce a league with nearly no problems. The dress code was set to keep the image up. No young player does not want to be like the guys in the NBA. The only scandal was with Tim Donaghy, but that had been played so well that in a couple of years, people will fully forget about it.

What about owners who decide to spend more money than others to ensure that a team is competitive?

The Rooney family has been the most solid group in any sport.

Considering it is a heir process to own the team, the tradition of Steeler football has been set since the beginning. The hard-nosed defense and solid running-game has been in the Steelers' culture.

Rooney also impacted the "Rooney rule", where all NFL owners need to interview at least one African-American coach. That has changed history. Many owners are hiring multiple coaches, but the Rooney family is with their third coach since 1968. The consistency of how the team is handled makes the Rooney family a model on how teams should be ran.

Where do agents fit in?

Agents are there to make money for themselves, more so than caring about any team. Drew Rosenhaus is an ideal agent who fits this role. They could care less if a team is good to a player. All they care about is making money. They can influence any player to make any decision for their own well being.

Are media members (newspaper and magazine columnists, bloggers, broadcast journalists, fan journalists) who have the ability to mold public perception on the topic of sports in the running on your list?

Media is what makes the image of any sport. If any one player does anything, it is blown out of proportion in the media. Even off the field issues. They take away from every sport by getting into more detail about everything. The media needs to go down.

The only reason there is media is because it gives an opportunity for any regular Joe who is not gifted enough to play sports a chance to feel "apart of the team," even though they are not.

What about CEO's who run many facets of professional franchises, or those who have become powerful through the sale of athletic equipment?

CEO's are just rich men who have nothing to do with their money. They really make no adjustments to effect the team. The GMs, presidents, and coaches are the ones who handle the team. CEOs just hand out the checks.